North Texas Bees MISSION STATEMENT

To develop a strong TEAM and strong TEAM PLAYERS through positive attitude and fundamentals training, coupled with error recognition and correction. We will provide the training necessary to play at a higher level, and ultimately build confidence and positive attitudes, which will not only aid in securing positions on varsity high school teams, but will assist in potential scholarship opportunities and generate a lifetime of memories.

Our Purpose Our purpose is to win games. We will accomplish this by improving the physical, emotional and mental skills of each athlete on the team to the extent that the team is greater than the sum of its individual components.

Our Goal and Methodology To teach the physical and mental fundamentals required to play top-notch softball. Every team practices the physical fundamentals required to play this game. This team's practices go well beyond that. There are other important factors which are frequently left out with other programs such as, knowledge of the game, competitive play, pride, self-respect, 'the 6-inch playing field', playing the game in the dirt and in the grass, and learning to play softball 'ONE PITCH AT A TIME'.

KNOWLEDGE OF THE GAME There are an astronomical amount of different situations in this game which makes it an ongoing mental battle. As such, it teaches many life-skills. Among them; 'Planning and preparation are critical to performance', 'Being aggressive does not mean being reckless', 'Make the best of your situation', 'Contribute to a TEAM effort', 'Learn how to RELY on your team-mates', and 'There is no "I" in TEAM'. This is NOT about individuals, it IS about working together as a unit. A big portion of this game which is too frequently overlooked, is the ownership of mistakes. Unless an error is admitted, it is difficult for the player to get over it, get on with it and correct the error. We teach this as a life-skill: Make your errors at 110%, recognize them, take ownership of them and work to correct them. That is what we should strive for in our personal lives as well.

COMPETITIVE PLAY Learning HOW to be competitive is the key to becoming a powerful team. A powerful team is our goal. Everyone wants to win , but if winning was the only objective, then we could quite easily be selective and only play teams we knew we could 'whip-up' on. Instead, What we want is good, fundamental, solid play. If that is our focus, then with come good practice habits, and good attitudes, success will fall into line.

PRIDE - in self, and pride in the team is another life skill which our players can carry forward throughout their life. This skill will play a significant part in school and eventually in each player's work place.

SELF-RESPECT - is a critical tool to carry in the life-skill tool box. This tool helps adjust everything from morals to tenacity.

THE 6-INCH PLAYING FIELD - is the part of the ball field that is between the player's ears... the brain. Arguably, about 90-95% of the game takes place in this relatively small area, yet it is the most difficult part of this game to master. This is THE KEY component of this game. The only thing a player can control in this game is how they are going to respond to a situation. Everything else is at least partially up to chance. Knowing, expecting and recognizing the situation is where the 6-inch playing field comes into play. Mastery of this 6-inch playing field is the single most important fundamental of the game and is often left out completely. Mastering this small area includes, but is not limited to, knowing what to do with the ball, admitting mistakes/errors and shaking them off, concentrating not on hits, but Quality At-Bats, visualizing success, focusing and playing this game ONE PITCH AT A TIME. Softball, like baseball, is one of the few games in the world that is designed for failure. After all, the best hitters in baseball hope to fail only 7 of 10 times at the plate. Constantly dealing with failure, be it offense or defense is frustrating. The only way to combat the feeling of failure is to focus on the positive. Quality-At-Bats will generate hits. Concentration on the current situation coupled with visualization and focus will generate the necessary defense. This game is played ONE PITCH AT A TIME no matter what else happens.

DIRT / GRASS STAINS - This game is won and lost in the dirt and in the grass. Winning or losing a game often comes down to a play or two 'in the dirt' or 'in the grass'. Once you reach a certain age group, everyone can catch a ball thrown or hit right to them. The game-breakers are the tough-to-handle balls...the balls hit or thrown in the dirt that have to be stopped...the hits that cause the outfield or infield to get dirty and give the additional effort to keep the ball from getting by. Those are the plays that win games. Those are the plays that stop losses. Those are the plays that make uniforms dirty. We want to see dirty uniforms and smiling faces... satisfied with a job well done! We want our parents complaining because they can't get the red dirt and grass stains out of the uniforms.

Written by Ron Holt coach of the: Texas Comets
This mission Statement adopted for our team with Ron's permission.