By Kolten Smith –
Recently, I came across a great mindset video on YouTube titled “No More Excuses.” ( Here is the link if you want to check it out.) The long and short of it is not to make excuses during training and competitions. Having a strong mental mindset is so important, and at the Texas Baseball Ranch®, we fully embrace this by doing mental training every day at the Summer Program. During these mindsets, we work on increasing mental toughness, leadership, and confidence and building better people on and off the field. With this in mind, I will go over a few of my favorite points from this video so that, hopefully, they can help you in your baseball journey or your everyday life.
My first point I’ll discuss is thinking and speaking like a champion. What this essentially means is to always have a positive mindset. As an athlete, you always want to feel and believe that you will be successful. Of course, you must also remember that you can’t be successful 100% of the time; however, believing you can is super important. If you let doubt creep into your head that your opposition is better than you or that you’re not good enough to achieve something, then more than likely, your goals will not come true. At the Ranch, we say that putting the word “can’t” in a sentence is a death sentence. For example, “I can’t throw 90.” While yes, this may be true right now, it won’t be true forever. You must add “yet” to that statement. So instead of, “I can’t throw 90”, alternatively say, “I can’t throw 90 yet”. This change in vocabulary might seem small, but it is essential if you want to achieve your goals.
Another great point is that we are all good until we get hit in the face. Anyone can be good when things are easy and going well, but when things get tough and you face adversity, that is when your true colors show. It does not matter how good someone is; they will eventually fail. Being able to move past failure and learn from it is such an important trait to possess.
Finally, the last lesson I want you to take from this video is that if you look for an excuse, you’ll find one. This is probably my favorite nugget of wisdom from this video. Excuses are toxic; they can lead you down a dark path to failure. An excuse is not taking accountability and is pointing fingers. For instance, “I do not have time today to train.” While that could be occasionally valid, if your goal is truly important to you, you will make time to achieve it. Do you think elite athletes like Mike Trout or LeBron James take days off because they just don’t want to train? I would guarantee that they do not. They have the mindset of a champion and want to be the best version of themselves they can possibly be. Be wary of looking for excuses because I am positive you will find some.
I hope you and/or your son can attend a Summer Program or Elite Pitchers Bootcamp soon and experience one of Coach Wolforth’s renowned mindsets in person. These will help you more than you could ever know. Until then, have a champion’s mindset in everything you do!
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Important TBR Updates
- Interested in our “Summer Intensive Development Program”? There are 5 weeks remaining this summer. You can join us for three, all seven or any amount in between. For more information on this one of a kind Summer Training experience and for a registration form, CLICK HERE.
- Dates for our 2024 3-Day Elite Pitchers Bootcamps can be found on our website. Our next available date is July 19-21. Spots are filling up fast so don’t delay! For more information on these 3-Day events or to register, CLICK HERE.
- Would you like to experience both the EPBC and Summer Program? We’ve got you covered. Attend one of our 3-Day Elite Pitchers Bootcamps and Add-On one week of our Summer Program immediately after for a total stay of seven days. Call for the details (936) 588-6762 and special savings
- Have you been considering attending one of our 3-Day Elite Pitchers Bootcamp but haven’t yet pulled the trigger? To help, we have a detailed mailing package entitled “What Makes This Boot Camp Different”. If you’d like to receive this package and start making plans for the summer, email Jill@TexasBaseballRanch.com and request a copy.
- NEW VIDEO on our YouTube Channel: “Learning from Trevor Bauer – Pitching Skills”. Watch it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omgm_YpRET8 and share your opinion in the comments.
