Want Your Pitcher to Grow This Year? Start Here!

Hey There, Friend!

Have you ever noticed that the most powerful outcomes in life are almost always delayed?

That means if we want to succeed, we have to be patient, stay committed to the process, and trust that the work we’re doing now will pay off later—even when we don’t see results right away.

The key? Building a routine we can stick to consistently over time.

Because time will always magnify the margin between success and failure.
Success—or the lack of it—is a product of our daily habits. The work we invest adds up. It gets stored. And eventually, after time and LOTS of quality reps… our breakthrough moments show up!

Every day we either get better or we get worse.
We never stay the same.

So—how will your daily habits help you grow this year?

7 Ways to Start Building Better Habits

Here are 7 simple things you can do to kickstart better habits for yourself—or for the athletes you coach:

1. Surround Yourself with People Who Model the Habits You Want

You become like the people you spend the most time with. So be intentional. Choose teammates, friends, mentors, or coaches who reflect who you want to become—not just with skills, but with their effort, mindset, and attitude.

You need people who will cheer you on and push you to grow.

Story:
When I’m putting together classes for my 6-month Pitcher Training Program, I spend a lot of time thinking about group dynamics. I intentionally place pitchers together who I believe will challenge each other and raise the bar. Their personalities might be completely different—but when they share a common goal, it creates connection and momentum.

I’ve seen it time and time again: when you put driven, focused athletes in the same space, the results multiply. They push each other. They encourage each other. They start leveling up together.

But I’ve also seen the opposite. If a highly committed pitcher is in a group where others aren’t showing the same focus or effort, it can start to pull her energy down—unless I step in to reset the tone. That’s how powerful our circle of influence can be. Who we surround ourselves with matters.

Reflection Questions:

• Who do I spend the most time with?

• Are they helping me become who I want to be?

• Who are 2–3 people I admire—and what habits of theirs would I like to model?

Challenge:
Find an “Accountability Partner” who already has one or more of those habits. Check in with them daily. Create small daily, weekly, or monthly challenges to stay focused and keep moving toward your goals—together.

2. Make Good Habits Easy

Habits stick best when they fit naturally into your life.
Make it convenient. Make it obvious. Make it simple.

Story:
I love it when my pitchers send me pictures or videos of their at-home practice space. One video in particular was from a 9-year-old who practices by throwing a pair of socks into a wall at the end of her hallway. She called it “The Tunnel."

It was creative, resourceful, and 100% hers.

It wasn’t the space that made it special—it was how she used it. She showed up there consistently and was building real skill through small, focused reps.

It was a great reminder that what matters most isn't where you practice—it's that you practice.

Challenge:
Find a space at home (a garage, basement corner, or patch of turf) where you can consistently train—even if it’s just for a few minutes. Leave reminders in plain sight: a sticky note, your glove, or your workout shoes by the door.
Then, commit to using that space daily for the next 7 days. You’ll be surprised how quickly it starts to feel like second nature.

3. Invest Just 3–5 Minutes a Day

Change doesn’t require hours—it requires consistency.

What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while. Habits are built on frequency, not duration.

Story:
One of the most common mechanical issues I see in pitchers is with their backside drive. A lot of athletes struggle with a heavy drag and can’t get their backside through on time at release. But I’ve seen this habit corrected over and over again—with just a few minutes of intentional, correct reps each day.

I’ve had pitchers who committed to 3–5 focused minutes daily for a couple of weeks—and the change was remarkable. Their drive leg mechanics improved, and this resulted in better balance, timing, and ultimately power and control!

It’s a powerful reminder that real progress doesn’t always come from doing more—it comes from doing the right things consistently.

Challenge:
Pick ONE skill you want to improve—or one habit you want to change.
Spend just 3–5 focused minutes on that one thing each day for the next 14 days.

Make sure your reps are detailed and correct. You’ll be amazed by the progress that stacks up in just two weeks.

4. Make It Fun (or at Least Satisfying!)

Let’s be real—if a habit feels like a chore, it won’t last.

The cost of building good habits is paid now—but the cost of not building them is paid later. That’s why it’s important to build in small rewards and wins that help you stay motivated. These rewards should be based on your effort and consistency, not just the end result.

Story:
One of my favorite examples of this is a challenge I did with my 10-year-old nephew. He wanted to play football but couldn’t really throw or catch well yet. So we made a deal: he committed to doing something—anything—related to throwing or hand/eye coordination every day for 100 days. Five minutes a day. That was it.

His goal? To throw and catch a football with me 100 times in a row without dropping it.
His reward? Dinner anywhere he wanted.

When the big day came, he was nervous (and so was I—I didn’t want to drop one!). But as we got closer to 100, you could see his confidence growing with every pass. When we hit 100, he lit up with pride. We celebrated with his restaurant of choice—Red Lobster—where he ordered the biggest seafood platter on the menu! 😂

That consistent, bite-sized effort helped him grow—not just in skill, but in confidence, excitement, and ownership.

Challenge:
Make your own 100-Day Contract.
Pick a skill. Commit to 5 minutes a day. Choose a reward that excites you—and a VIP (very important person) in your life to help hold you accountable. You can even use the penny jar system: move a penny each day you follow through. If all 100 pennies are moved by the deadline… reward earned!

5. Plan Your Practice Time

The best habits are intentional—not random.

Use a journal or planner to map out what, when, and where you’ll practice. Reflect each week on what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve moving forward.

Try this weekly habit:
Fill in the blanks—

• I will ___ on ___ at ___ in the ___.

• I want to focus on ___ by ___.

• I’ll track progress by ___.

Example:

I will pitch on Tuesday at 4pm in the backyard.
I want to focus on finishing strong by holding my balance after each rep.
I’ll track progress by videoing 3 pitches and reviewing them.

Challenge:
Start your own practice journal. Plan your week, reflect honestly, and track your progress over time. It’s incredibly rewarding to look back and see how far you’ve come!

6. Adopt a “Get To” Mindset

You don’t have to train.
You get to.

Not everyone has the chance to do what you’re doing—whether because of injury, illness, or other life circumstances.

Story:
I’ll never forget a conversation with one of my older pitchers who had just finished her senior season. She said, “I’d give anything for one more practice in my cold garage doing power circuits! I wouldn’t even complain about the burpees! 😉”

We don’t always realize how special this is—until we’re on the other side of it.

Challenge:
Make two lists:

1. What you love about your sport—and what you’d miss if you couldn’t play anymore.

2. People you know (or know of) who wish they could do what you get to do.

When you hit a rough patch, revisit your lists. Let them remind you to be grateful for the opportunity—even when it’s hard.

7. When You Feel Stuck, Use the Power of YET

Growth doesn’t happen overnight. It happens when you lean into the reps—even the tough ones. When you see challenges as opportunities, not roadblocks.

Story:
I talk to my pitchers all the time about the negative thoughts that go through their heads. We believe what we tell ourselves enough—so we worked on changing the negative to a positive.

One word we started using to re-frame things? YET.

Any time they caught themselves thinking something negative or limiting, they’d add it:

“I can’t hit my spots… yet.”
“I don’t trust my change-up under pressure… yet.”
“My body language isn’t consistent… yet.”

It didn’t change everything overnight—but it did shift their mindset.

One parent told me in a recent survey: "She’s learned how to take ownership of her work and her mindset. She’s more focused, more confident, and she no longer gets rattled when something doesn’t go her way."

That’s the power of small mindset shifts combined with consistent reps.

Challenge:
Every time a negative thought pops into your mind, add “YET” at the end.
Keep stacking correct reps. Stay focused on the process. The growth will come in time! 

I hope you’ll choose one or two of these ideas and get started today!
What habits are you working on right now? I’d love to hear from you—send me a quick email HERE!

I’ll be in touch again soon with something new for you.

All my best,
Myndie