Ron Schmittling is a renowned Mental Performance Coach and author of Winning Starts Within and contributes articles frequently to Line Drive Media.

Ron is excellent at providing ideas, tips and training on how to improve “mental performance for fastpitch athletes!

In today’s post, he gives a great analogy comparing how a thermometer reports, but a thermostat adjusts… and that’s how an athlete can be in control.

Ron also talks about having a word to focus on during competition to use to bring an athlete back into focus versus working what the “room” (observers) is thinking.

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Playing the Chairs

Saturday morning on a showcase weekend. 

First inning. 

She takes her spot at shortstop and does what almost every player does on a showcase field: she looks behind the backstop. 

Six chairs. Four team polos. One radar gun. Somebody writing something down. 

The first ground ball comes to her. She rushes the transfer and pulls the throw. Now she’s checking the chairs again. Did they see that? What did he write? 

By the third inning she isn’t playing shortstop anymore–she’s playing the chairs. 

And that’s when showcases get away from good players. 

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The Thermometer Problem 

A thermometer doesn’t decide anything. It just reports the room: hot room, high number; cold room, low number. 

A lot of players walk onto a showcase field and turn into thermometers. 

A coach writes something down, and her shoulders go up. A coach walks to another field, and her stomach drops. Good play, she’s great, but bad hop, she’s done. 

She’s letting the people in the chairs set her temperature. And she has no idea what they actually wrote. 

A thermostat works the other way: it has a set point, it notices the room and then it brings things back to where it was set. 

That’s the player I want you to be this fall. 

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What the Chairs Can Actually See 

Players think they’re being judged on one play. The booted ball. The strikeout looking. 

Think about it from behind the backstop. They can’t see your summer stats. They can’t read your mind. 

What they can see is what you do. How you move between pitches. What your body does after an error. Whether you sprint on and off the field. Whether you’re still talking in the sixth inning. 

Almost all of that is in your control. All of it is a choice you can make before you ever step on the field. 

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The Set Point 

Three steps that are simple enough to use between pitches: 

1. Set it before warm-ups.

Pick one word for how you want to compete today. “Loud.” “Aggressive.” “Steady.”

Write it on athletic tape inside your glove or on your wristband. That’s your set point. Not “Don’t mess up.” Not “Impress them.”

One word you can actually do. 

2. Check it between innings.

In the dugout, ask one honest question: “Am I playing my word, or am I playing the chairs?” No judgment. Just a reading. 

3. Bring it back with one action.

If you drifted, don’t try to think your way back… do something, such as a  loud call on the next ball or a sprint to your position.

Your full routine before the next pitch, at your practice tempo. Action brings the temperature back faster than thinking does.

… and set points are different for each role: 

* Pitchers: your set point lives on the rubber. Same breath, same look at the glove, every pitch, no matter who is holding the gun.

* Hitters: it lives in the box. One job, then go.

* Catchers: you’re the thermostat for the whole field. Your voice and your body tell everybody where the set point is.

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Why It Works 

Nerves on a showcase weekend are normal. A player’s body is getting ready for something that matters to her. 

The nerves aren’t the problem—handing the controls to people who are only watching is. 

A set point gives attention to one place to land, and when the athlete’s attention has one place to land, the athlete she trained to be has room to show up.

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Your Challenge This Week

* Athletes: Pick your word before your next practice and tape it inside your glove. Between every drill, check it. Am I playing my word, or playing the room? 

* Coaches: Before your next showcase, ask each player for her word. In the dugout, coach the word, not the scoreboard. “Was that loud?” beats “Pick it up.” 

* Parents: On the drive there, skip: “There’ll be a lot of coaches watching today.” Ask “What’s your word today?”

On the drive home, swap “Who was watching?” for “When did you play your word?” 

The chairs will always be there, but YOU get to decide who sets the temperature. 

That’s the mental edge!

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Previous Articles:

• Mental Mindset: The Word That Ends More Softball Careers Than Any Injury (Sept. 26, 2026)
• Mental Mindset: What A Big Event Like Club Nationals, the Women’s College World Series or the Olympic Games Reveals About Mental Performance (Aug. 12, 2026)
• Mental Mindset: What to Do When You Start Pressing at the Plate (May 11, 2026)
• Mental Mindset: The Silent Skill That Builds Confidence (Apr. 6, 2026)
• Mental Mindset: The Most Dangerous Score in Softball (Mar. 9, 2026)
• Mental Mindset: Why Teams Tighten Up in Big Games (Feb. 23, 2026)
• Mental Mindset: How One Negative Thought Hijacks an Entire Game (Feb. 2, 2026)
• Mental Mindset: Why Confidence Disappears in Games (and How to Build It Back) (Jan. 19, 2026)
• Mental Mindset: Why “Just Relax” Is the Worst Advice in Softball (Jan. 5, 2026)
• Mental Mindset: The 5-Second Rule That Separates Winners from Quitters (Dec. 13, 2025)
• Mental Mindset: From Dropout Statistics to Champions… Why the Mental Game Can’t Wait (Nov. 24, 2025)

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WANT MORE?

The Mental Performance Diagnostic helps you pinpoint what’s holding you back—confidence drops, overthinking, slow recovery after mistakes, or inconsistent performance.

In 30–45 minutes, you’ll get a clear breakdown of your mental game and a focused action plan with tools you can apply immediately to perform better under pressure.

To book your session: CLICK HERE

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COACHES:

Want your whole team trained in these tools? I deliver 60-90 minute workshops where players and teams learn and apply these techniques immediately.

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AUTHOR BIO

THE MENTAL EDGE is written by Ron Schmittling, MPM—Certified Mental Performance Coach, NFCA Coach of the Year finalist, and author of Winning Starts Within and Into The Storm.

After more than a decade coaching and directing a national fastpitch program with a 100 percentage college placement rate, Ron now trains the mental side of the game, helping athletes stay composed under pressure, reset fast, and compete with clarity and confidence.

Here’s how to access Ron directly and via his info on social media:

• • E-mail: ron@coachronmpm.com

  • Online (website): coachronmpm.com

  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachronmpm