Re-inspired

I am not able to play in the games yet at dome ball but I can hit during warm-ups. By coaching in the dome league I am able to take advantage of using the cages along with my team. In order not to take reps away from the other girls I arrive early to get my work done. By the time I am done hitting most of the team is there and ready to get started. We progress through warm ups and get ready to move to the field as game time approaches. As we are walking over one of my players walks up to me, "Hey V, I saw you hitting in the cage. After about 30 seconds I turned to my dad and told him that I wanted to hit like that. So will you help me with my swing?" Tons of different emotions flow through me at one time but I tell her of course. We will work together after the games are over. At this point I am feeling so many things. First pride, someone watched me and decided that they wanted to try and be like me. I did the same thing with the elite players that I wanted to be like. Second humbleness. This girl and her father both thought that I was a good enough coach to instruct and help his daughter instead of asking an actual hitting coach. Finally excitement, here is a player that wants to get better. She wants to work hard and to learn. Her hunger for information reminded me of myself when I decided that I wanted to be great. Her small action of simply asking me for help re-inspired me. There are people that look up to me and what I do. This is the reason that I continue to work to be as good as I can be.

After the game we meet back at the cage to go to work. Her father and her explain that they saw how I can hit and hope that with my help she may be able to do the same. The hitting instruction that she has gotten up until now has been next to none. In order to begin we had change her whole entire hitting style. She was still purely a rotational hitter. To be successful I believe that you need to combine linear and rotational movement. It takes a long time to get used to this weight shift while you are hitting but she was totally open to try all of the different drills that I suggested. I could tell each of them were absorbing everything that I said. After working through normal swings, one handed, and two part drills we went over the keys to focus on. We came up with drills that she was going to do during the week and we will work again next week. I am very excited to see what she has changed and how much she has improved. Even though she plays for a rival school I am willing to help anyone that has that amount of drive and motivation to get better. She sparks the drive in me to work harder just by working hard herself. She will never know it, but by asking for my help she made my whole day and encouraged me to get better along with her.