Sheil Douty's Softball Tips on Successful Game Preparation

Sheila Douty's Softball Tips on Successful Game Preparation

When it comes to preparing for competition, softball's Sheila Douty must be doing something right. The veteran star first-baseman knows the secret to success as she has helped lead Team USA to nearly 20 gold medals in international competition over the course of her career.

Two of those golds came at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, where Douty proved to be one of the key components to American domination. At the 1996 Games, she had the highest batting average on the team at .393 and led all U.S. players with 11 hits and nine RBIs over the course of the tournament. Her third homerun of those Olympics was a game-winning blast versus rival China.

Douty talks about the process she goes through prior to each game in order to best prepare herself, both physically and mentally, for success.
Keys to successful game preparation

Tip #1: Begin to mentally prepare yourself the night before a game."Game preparation is like a ritual to me and I feel it is definitely a factor in how well I perform in a game. I like to visualize the night before as I drift off to sleep. I picture myself at the plate hitting all types of pitches, perfectly."

Tip #2: Prior to leaving for the field, begin relaxing and visualizing, mentally preparing for competition."About an hour and a half to two hours before we leave for a game I start to get ready. I try to be fully dressed and ready to go at least 45 minutes before the departure time. At this time, I find myself a quiet place to lie down and visualize. I visualize hitting, fielding, what the field looks like, the crowd. I do relaxation breathing exercises."

Tip #3: Begin to focus and take things seriously once you're at the competition site."When we get to the field I am serious. I don't joke around much before or during a game as my concentration is too focused."

Tip #4: Get a good warm-up in."My preparation at the field is usually just for warming up. I jog, stretch, do a few agilities and sprints, throw a few balls, field a few grounders, and spend some time on the tee warming up."

Tip #5: Right before game-time, visualize situations and scout the competition."The last thing I do is to visualize different pitches and "dry swing" for each one. I also try to watch the other pitcher warming up so I know what she is like on that given day. Because of the way things are set up at certain tournaments, this is not always possible. At the very least I watch enough to pick up her release points on different pitches."

Game Readiness: Putting On Your Game Face!

Game Readiness: Putting On Your Game Face!

Editor's Note: Below is an excerpt from the Athletes' Choice best seller book "Focused for Fastpitch" by Gloria Solomon and Andrea Becker. It is brought to you courtesy of Human Kinetics, of which we are a business partner.

An Excerpt from "Focused for Fastpitch":
The concept of mental toughness refers to the optimal mind-set for competition. Players who are mentally tough thrive on the pressure associated with playing competitive softball. To prepare for these pressure situations, a player must practice under stress. Many of the mentaphysical drills are designed to mimic pressure situations and to allow players to master these conditions. For example, if a runner is on second base and a line drive is hit to the outfield, the fielder must quickly field the ball and make a throw on the runner who is advancing toward home plate. In this type of situation, the outfielder may get overly excited and rush her actions, or she may begin to worry about what her coaches and teammates will think if she doesn’t make the play. Instead of waiting until game day to experience this type of situation, a player should experience it in practice when the environment is nonthreatening and she can take the risk without the fear of making a mistake. By encountering these situations in practice, players will be more ready and more comfortable coping with pressure when it arises during games.

Being prepared for pressure situations—in other words, being mentally tough—requires a player to adopt many of the attitudes and behaviors previously mentioned in this chapter. An enormous contributor to mental toughness is positive self-beliefs. Sustaining positive beliefs in the face of errors as well as successes will help a player maintain a winning attitude throughout the game. This increases the chances that she will give 100 percent effort for seven innings (or more if necessary). When encountering errors or mistakes, a player must focus on what she can control and rid her mind of what she cannot control. For example, when a batter strikes out looking, she may return to the dugout frustrated and upset over the umpire’s call. She may express this frustration through negative behaviors such as throwing equipment or ignoring teammate support. Although she may believe this shows that she really cares, the actual result of this behavior is a negative impact on the attitude of her teammates.

If she chooses to focus on the outcome of this situation, which is uncontrollable, it will be detrimental to her and the team’s future performance. See figure 2.4 for an exercise designed to help softball players assess the controllable and uncontrollable aspects of competition.To be adequately prepared, a player must enter the game knowing what can be controlled and what is outside of her immediate control. This will allow her to focus her attention and energy on factors that she has the power to change, thereby emphasizing the process and not the outcome.

Directing attention to what a player can control, coupled with a competitive mind-set during the game, will help players enjoy the journey as well as the destination. Players need to remember that softball is a game. Satisfaction is not solely determined by wins and losses but rather by the feeling players get when they know that they were ready to compete and played the game well.

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