We just wrapped up our first summer camp of the year, and one of my favorite parts of coaching is that I learn something new every time. We've been running these two-day camps for five years, and while many of the activities stay the same, the athletes always teach me something different.

We end camp with an obstacle course competition where the winning team earns a prize—this year it was gummy worms and a cute yellow bag tag featuring one of my favorite Aristotle quotes: "You are what you repeatedly do. Therefore, excellence is not an act, but a habit."

Every year seems to have a theme of mistakes we’ve made coaching. Once we fix it, the next year, another one pops up.  One year we had to teach athletes how to cheer for one another a little better. Another year we learned that handing out Practice Pro gear at the very end helped everyone leave happier. This year, the theme was fairness.

Our latest guest speaker at the Practice Pro Recruiting Cohort was Coach Brandon Elliott, one of the most accomplished coaches in NCAA Division III softball history. During our conversation, Coach Brandon shared a lesson he credits to Marquette men's basketball coach Shaka Smart. It perfectly described something I've seen over and over again in pitching instruction. It's also one of the key questions he asks every player—and one of the qualities he looks for when recruiting.

Are you interested...or are you committed?

Commitment means continuing to do something long after the excitement that made you start has faded. He explained that many athletes confuse being interested in softball with being committed to softball.

The Interested Athlete

An interested athlete:

• Loves playing when it's fun.

• Enjoys success.

• Is excited when things are going well.

• Works hard when it's convenient.

• Loses enthusiasm when practices become difficult.

• Wants the rewards without always embracing the work.