Look Great, Feel Great, Play Great

I sent this out via e-mail a few days ago and got quite a few responses, so I decided to share it on the blog as well. Enjoy!

I a conversation I had with Tom Hanson, I remember him mentioning a conversation he had with Mike Candrea. Tom said that Coach Candrea talked about how much time he spends on helping his players feel good.

Recently, I had a conversation with another coach via Facebook and he was talking about how he was building up a team that had recently come from losing seasons. One of the things he wanted to do was get the players to feel good about being part of the team.

One way he did that was making sure they had some of the best sweats in the league. It was something players get excited about. It's something they looked forward to and something they loved about being part of that team...they got to wear cool sweats/hoodies. This coach mentioned how something as simple as this can create a more positive atmosphere on the team.

Again it goes back to helping the players feel good. You've heard people say, "Look good, feel good." Then of course, if you feel great, you're more likely to be positive and the more positive you are the more likely it is that you have a better mindset for performing well.

Now if you don't have the cash to buy the best uniform or the best sweats or jackets in town, the Mitt Mate thing I've been talking about may be an idea (plus there's another option that I'll talk about toward the end of this message). Like I said, my girls (my daughters and the players I coach) thought they were great and got excited about getting some for their glove. Feel good, play good - think this could work.

Something as simple as this can promote a more positive team atmosphere and just create a better sense of "team" among the players. There are other benefits too and I'm actually going to be talking with Jessica (the one who created these Mitt Mates) on the next Fastpitch Talk Radio.

Not sure what Mitt Mates are? I've got a blog post with a picture up at

http://www.allaboutfastpitch.com/2009/02/useful-bling-for-your-glove.html

Then I also put up a video where I show you the one I personally have on my glove.

http://staciemahoe.com/2009/03/03/whats-on-your-glove/

If you're one of the many who've already taken advantage of the special Jessica is offering (details on the blog and in the video), please send me a picture of you with your Mitt Mate. I'd like to post it up if you don't mind.

Also, if you'd like to get some Mitt Mates for your team, but don't have the funds, Jessica just released a brand new fundraising program. Check it out at http://www.MittMate.com - remember to use promo code STM017 to get free shipping on that fundraiser.

What's on your glove?