If you could go back in time....

The BP Hero

The BP Hero

Addicted to Softballfans
#deepthinking with The BP Hero....

Heard this question on a podcast and thought it’d apply pretty well to softball too.

If you could go back in time and talk yourself when you first started playing and give yourself advice, what is the one thing you’d tell yourself given what you’ve learned over the years? What’s that ONE THING you wish you knew or did back then that you know or do now?

This is definitely more towards people who have been in the game for a while, but can honestly apply to anyone.

I’ll give my thoughts on this the podcast this Wednesday. 9pm CST
 
dunkky

dunkky

Well-Known Member
i have 3.5 year experience, so i may not be qualified. but i will share my thought regardless. i think the most important thing is, work on your mechanic when you are still raw and infant stage. it's hard to change once a bad habit takes over.
 
The BP Hero

The BP Hero

Addicted to Softballfans
Never too young to look back and reflect on things. 3 years is almost 1,100 days. That’s a lot of time to learn/evolve.
 
Joker

Joker

Well-Known Member
youre-going-to-600ef6cadd.png
 
swingnmiss

swingnmiss

#1 IN YOUR HEARTS
To focus on the application of my swing to get the desired result, rather than think about the outcome. Meaning......To approach the at bat with the idea of taking the bat and driving it into the part of the ball that produces a backspin line drive.....Rather than just thinking about hitting the ball as far as I can. I drive the ball much better and hit it with much more authority, more often if I think about the application and intent instead.
 
Country469

Country469

Well-Known Member
This is just a game. There will always be someone better than you. Learn to enjoy the competition part, the pressure, and appreciate the moments. Learn to enjoy that, the game itself, its meant to be fun, not life or death. Rings don't mean anything, no one remembers who won what but the people out there. Teammates and relationships matter. Softball is not worth behaving in a low class manner, ever. Being a good person, trumps winning and talent every time. I had to privilege to play against some of the best in the game, and some of the nicest people ever too. And a LOT of **** bags. How you conduct yourself on the field says far more about you than how many bats you have or how far you can hit the ball. Perspective is everything in life.
 
clementeunknown

clementeunknown

Addicted to Softballfans
Like at the shallow end of the pool, no diving. I learned that one dislocated shoulder later. Before I used to look like a soccer goalie, sure it's cool and all but totally not worth it.
 
E

ETDave

Old School
If the Covid thing ever dies down I'll start my 45th season this year at age 63. I was lucky in my younger years to play on some very good teams with great team mates. The only regret I have is playing on a few teams (very few) that had a few people that were too competitive for their own good and spoiled it for the rest of the team.

My advice to my younger self would be that life is too short to play a game I love with people that take the fun out of it. Luckily when that happened, I'd only endure it for the time I'd committed to be on that team and move on.

Please allow a senior citizen one example. My friend and I were asked to play league on a team that had a few that always drank too much. Since our team wasn't playing we agreed to play with them. First game of the league our team batted first. The first batter (who drank too much) hit a ball in the gap and tripped between second and third and fell because he was drunk. He immediately started cussing the shortstop on the other team for tripping him. Things went from bad to worse...bats were thrown on the field and both dugouts emptied except for me and my friend. We just sat in the dugout and watched the melee. The police were called and our lead off hitter was hauled away to jail. Our entire team was thrown out of the league and my friend and I never sat foot on the field and lost the league fees we'd both paid to play.
 
Last edited:
Paulypal

Paulypal

Addicted to Softballfans
I have been playing for almost 40 years. I am 55 now. I play modified/fast pitch, but it applies.

My advice to my younger self would be -- dont change what you are about to do.

Honestly I am not sure I would have done anything different. I love playing now as much as I did back in the day. I still work hard at it -- in fact probably harder now. I lift/run/swing/field as much as I ever have.

I made some great friends through softball. One of my teams has been together for 30 years. Yes you have to weed out a lot of a-holes, but you have to that in no matter what you do in your life. Softball is no different.

Anything I would have changed would have changed history and I would be in a different place today. Maybe it would be better but I will take where I am now over not knowing.

I think we have all had moments on the field where competitiveness got the better of us, but that just comes along with the territory and loving the game. Its the A-holes that make a habit out of it. No matter what we all have made mistakes, and no matter what advice you could have given yourself. No way around it. Maybe different ones, but mistakes for sure.

Overall my desire to be one of the better players/win taught me to work hard, sacrifice, and to be a good teammate. Things that work in softball and anything else you do in your life. Family....job ....etc.

So again -- my advice to myself would be --- do what you do.
 
Last edited:
TWmccoy

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
I've been playing 20 years now. I started in 1999. I guess if I had to go back and change something it would be to focus on swing mechanics and the overall nuances of the game a little more. Back then it felt like I was blundering along blindly at times. I've always had enough natural talent to succeed at softball, but I'd run into sometimes prolonged slumps where I didn't have the first clue what was going on or how to fix things. Today when my swing goes awry I'm able to diagnose it quickly and make necessary changes. I feel like I've replaced some brute force with more mechanically pure swings.

I'd also say I should have focused more on situational awareness, both as a hitter and defender. Knowing as much of what's going on as possible is really important to being a successful softball player. Granted, the more games you play the more you develop situational awareness over time.

One thing I love about having played so long was that I learned how to hit softballs in an era where the bats were all metal and often didn't have much pop. That translates well in an era of composite bats. Guys who only recently started playing softball have no clue how easy they have it compared to the old days. On a hot day it would be legitimately hard to hit a ball far with a crappy metal bat and a mush ball.
 
TWmccoy

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
swingnmiss said:
To focus on the application of my swing to get the desired result, rather than think about the outcome. Meaning......To approach the at bat with the idea of taking the bat and driving it into the part of the ball that produces a backspin line drive.....Rather than just thinking about hitting the ball as far as I can. I drive the ball much better and hit it with much more authority, more often if I think about the application and intent instead.
Click to expand...

This is huge. Probably the best response yet. There's a big difference between going up there mindlessly trying to bludgeon a ball and taking a controlled swing looking for a specific result. One thing I've learned over the years is that I generally get FAR better results with the controlled swing. A perfectly cut backspin drive with a controlled swing will generally outfly a lazy, bludgeoned fly ball any day.

In my early days I was definitely an "all or nothing" hitter. It was going 400' with a huge uppercut, or it was a lazy fly ball. I couldn't go oppo either. Everything was pull.

One thing I'd tell any new player is learn how to hit effectively to all fields. That took me a long time to learn.
 
blakcherry329

blakcherry329

Well-Known Member
I've been playing since 1983. Back then I played almost exclusively ASA modified/sling/fastpitch(windmill). Slowpitch was looked down upon as being not as competitive, although we did play in a few leagues, just to play. (Of course, this was ignorant thinking). The only thing I would tell my younger self is to look into USSSA Slowpitch and Travel Softball back in the 90s. Everything in NNJ was ASA. The 15' arc ASA. :mad:I never heard of UTrip until I was well past my prime. I played my first UTrip tourney in 2008. This was tailor-made for me. I hated hitting high arc, still do, and my modified pitching was an easy transition to UTrip pitching.
We played very competitive Modified leagues and tourneys but rarely traveled out of state. It would have been a lot of fun to travel when I had the time and no responsibilities.
I also would have told myself to keep working out. I stopped in the 90s and never got back into it. Paying the price now, dammit.
Oh, and don't sell that 30oz OG Ultra II(first composite bat $288 off Da Bay). :D
 
BruceinGa

BruceinGa

always online
I wish I had learned earlier that a well placed ground ball through a hole would be better than a hard line drive at an infielder.
 
Redsfan

Redsfan

Well-Known Member
I'd tell myself to never play co-ed. Played one season in the 90's and obviously didn't learn my lesson because I played again 2 years ago. Was miserable experience both times. Also I wish I would have tried playing Major ball back in my 20's. Was never a HR hitter then so I didn't try.
 
D-ROCK13

D-ROCK13

Well-Known Member
If I could go back 20 years id tell myself to be ok with sucking and just having fun, winning isn't everything, friendships with teammates and opponents are better than any trophy or t-shirt. Just live life and enjoy every single moment, good or bad. It's ok to laugh at yourself, its ok to fail, and oppo shots are more gratifying so learn to do something besides pull the $%#@ ball
 
TWmccoy

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
Redsfan said:
I'd tell myself to never play co-ed. Played one season in the 90's and obviously didn't learn my lesson because I played again 2 years ago. Was miserable experience both times. Also I wish I would have tried playing Major ball back in my 20's. Was never a HR hitter then so I didn't try.
Click to expand...

Competitive coed tournies can be fun. The women are skilled and out there playing hard. I agree coed league can be a complete waste of time. As a guy you always feel like you're going to kill some noob woman player with a liner.
 
hitless45

hitless45

Addicted to Softballfans
Redsfan said:
I'd tell myself to never play co-ed. Played one season in the 90's and obviously didn't learn my lesson because I played again 2 years ago. Was miserable experience both times. Also I wish I would have tried playing Major ball back in my 20's. Was never a HR hitter then so I didn't try.
Click to expand...

^
TWmccoy said:
Competitive coed tournies can be fun. The women are skilled and out there playing hard. I agree coed league can be a complete waste of time. As a guy you always feel like you're going to kill some noob woman player with a liner.
Click to expand...
Competitive/fun coed is all about having the women that can actually play, if u ain't got that it SUX and is no fun what so ever. Also speaking from experience
 
D

desperados

Addicted to Softballfans
you really have to field the grounder on the infield like they taught you in baseball years ago......out in front in a squat position where you can really look the ball into the glove, not into your waist the lazy way....if you do that you will catch them all and be in a position to execute great footwork for the throw!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top