6.7 Patty Gasso: Confidence

“Softball is 50% skill and 50% confidence. Bad teammates can take away a player's confidence faster than we can build their skill.” - Patty Gasso

Does your confidence match your skill? Does your skill match your confidence?

One of my favorite basketball shooting drills to do before or after practice is to shoot 25 straight threes from the same spot.

My goal is to make 20 out of 25, and I consider it a failure if I make less than 15. I like this drill because it requires focus, concentration, and consistency. You have to be a good enough shooter to make more than you miss, but equally important is being able to make adjustments when you miss so one miss doesn’t turn into four or five.

You have to go into the drill with confidence, and you have to keep your confidence strong throughout, no matter how many times you miss.

Patty Gasso is the legendary coach of the University Oklahoma softball team. She once said, “Softball is 50% skill and 50% confidence. Bad teammates can take away a player’s confidence faster than we can build their skill.”

I see this in the drill. When you have a good teammate rebounding for you, they lift you up, especially when you start missing, a neutral teammate is quiet while they rebound and pass, and sometimes you get the bad teammates who want you to miss.

It all starts with having the right skill, but the right level of confidence elevates your skill, and having the right teammates working with you elevates your confidence.

Question of the Day: Are you the type of teammate who builds your teammates confidence up or takes it away?