BRUCE BOLT BLOG / BeBetter

Be Better. It sounds great, doesn’t it? You might wake up inspired and tell yourself, “Self, today’s the day that I start to be better.” Better than what, though? Inspiration to be better quickly turns into business as usual, as daily habits take over. It’s hard to live up to a standard if it isn’t clear in your mind what that standard is. I dug into the “Be Better” idea for this post and a ton of things occurred to me. Too many, in fact. I thought about how to encourage folks to be better as athletes or as the...

This is an excerpt from a podcast with "Coach Rac: Social Media's Favorite Baseball Coach" — follow Coach RAC on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube. * * * Stay in the know Bear: Tell us about the mental aspect of the game — what's your favorite part of it to teach? In your opinion, where's the biggest mental barrier for most players?Coach RAC: Yeah, I believe that it is a willingness to accept failure. I think that's where the key is. For me, I was scared to fail a lot of times when I got to UC Riverside. I was like, "What if I'm not as good...

If you are looking to stir up a hornet's nest, no two words will get things buzzing like “daddy ball.” If you don’t believe me, go to your favorite social media baseball parent support group, type “daddy ball isn’t real” into the prompt, and grab some popcorn. It’s a thing, for sure, and it creates frustrated and resentful parents. When the coach's child gets preferential treatment in terms of playing time, positions, or opportunities, the atmosphere within the team and among parents becomes uncomfortable. Those who are affected rage against it while those who aren’t attempt to stay under the...

When Louis Lappe swung his way into the history books on Sunday afternoon, his team’s major-league cheerleader and honorary equipment manager witnessed it in real time…on his phone, in transit, in the very same state. “When they hit that walk-off, we were on the bus heading to the airport,” Lars Nootbaar said on Monday. That would be Philadelphia International Airport, as Nootbaar’s Cardinals had just completed a series against the Phillies. And that of course would be Lappe’s sixth-inning blast that gave El Segundo, Nootbaar’s childhood alma mater, the 2023 Little League World Series championship in Williamsport, Pa with a...

For many athletes, playing up in sports is a great opportunity to challenge themselves and elevate their physical skills. As a parent, it’s important to consider the psychological side of moving up. Consider the athlete’s mental readiness and maturity level as it directly influences their ability to compete at a higher level. In this article, I’ll explore the mental skills side of playing up, providing valuable insights for parents, coaches, and young athletes themselves. The player’s best interest should always be the number one priority when playing up.  Stay in the know I. THE BENEFITS OF PLAYING UP Experience is...

You’re reading this because you want to help your athlete shine. You’re there, rain or shine, hot or cold, win or lose, and almost never sitting on anything comfortable! As a parent, you will turn over any rock you can to help your kid be successful. That’s great! As you come to understand the mental side of consistent high performance, remember how you communicate this information is important. As always, don’t tell your athlete what they need to know, lead them to the aha moments. Do this by asking what they think and allowing them to fill in the spaces....