How to earn playing time when sitting on the bench – part 3

This is a five part series about how I was able to play at the Division one level after sitting on the bench in Junior College for three years.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

This is the third installment of a five part series depicting my experiences of going from a bench player to an everyday player at the D1 level.

I spoke about my ability to focus on the image that I had for myself as a player as well as the process of being humble as the first two qualities that allowed me to stay persistent.

If you don’t know already, sitting on the bench is no fun. When every part of you wants nothing more than to play your heart out in every inning and yet all you can do is voice your support, giving up on yourself is a hard thing to avoid at times.

This is something that every single bench player needs to underhand. If you sit on the bench long enough, and your not paying attention, a part of you will die. I truly feel that every competitor has a fighting spirit and if you are not given an opportunity to exercise this gift, the flame burns out. Sitting the bench can take away that fire.

What I mean is if your not careful, sitting on the bench can cause you to become complacent. Do not let this happen.

You have to be ready. Even if you never play an inning, you are preparing yourself for next year. You have to condition yourself to never take a moment for granted.

There were definitely times when I was subject to feeling sorry for myself, and this may have lead to me possibly losing my competitive edge. Trust me, I had to work extra hard the next year when I earned a starting position after transferring to get back my baseball instincts and competitive edge.

I had to re-train myself to develope my baseball instincts because my ability to do so essentially atrophied like an unused muscle.

Dealing with sitting the bench is a challenge in itself. Don’t make it harder by taking yourself or the game for granted.