Embracing the struggle | Katie Profitt [INT]

What this episode covers

“Mental toughness is the difference between good & great.” Today’s guest has her master’s in education degree in counseling and sport psychology, and uses her training to improve team cohesion and build player-led teams. She’s the head coach at Eckerd College, and since taking the helm she has led the team to more and more impressive seasons, taking down ranked opponents as they work their way up in a strong conference. Prior to Eckerd she was an assistant at North Carolina State University where she was the team’s hitting coach. The Wolfpack’s offensive numbers dramatically increased under her tutelage as the 2015 squad broke multiple school records. As a result of the strong offensive numbers, North Carolina State made its first-ever appearance in an NCAA Super Regional after advancing through the NCAA Harrisonburg (Va.) Regional with a perfect 3-0 mark. We are very excited to share the stories and strategies of Eckerd College’s Head Coach, Katie Profitt! In this episode, we discuss: * How she learned about Sport Psychology and what she wishes she knew as a player * How she struggled with struggling and helps her current players work through that feeling * Getting buy-in from players by making team-building activities personalized to this particular team * Pushing the limits to improve team cohesion, while still giving them time off when they need it * Her tip for coaches and players to embrace the mental game and commit to learning the necessary skills to succeed Today’s freebie! For today’s freebie, we have a positive thinking exercise like what Katie uses with her girls: You Either Win or You Learn. Have your players do this after (or even during) practices and games. A win is any success, adjustment, our bounce back. When a mistake is made, you learn from it. When your players can train themselves to think this way, there is no failure. You either win or you learn! This episode is brought to you by our Mental Game Eval! If you have been meaning to implement the mental game more for a while, but it seems like a daunting task with everything else you’re doing, we suggest starting simple. With the Mental Game Eval, you can start the conversation by creating a common language about what mental toughness really looks like on the softball field. Did you enjoy this episode/the show in general? If so, then we’d truly appreciate a 5-star rating on iTunes or here on the site (click here)! Let us know what you’ve learned and how you’ve implemented these tactics with your players 🙂 We’re also open to topic requests! Just contact us with your suggestions. Until then, hope to see you back here soon! Alicia & Mel NEXT EPISODE ALL EPISODES