One of the biggest life lessons I’ve learned as a softball coach is the importance of the fundamentals and how the hard work we put in to practice those elements is what prepares us to perform when it matters most. I was reminded of this at a recent practice, when I watched one of our infielders let a routine ground ball skip right past her glove. Nothing unusual about the field, nor an unlucky bounce, rather it was the kind of play she's made hundreds of times. But this time she tried to field it one-handed, making a routine play more difficult.
I walked out to talk with her, and before I even started talking, she knew what I was going to say – “How many hands did God give you?”
Without looking up, she noted, “Two.” I then reminded her to use both hands to avoid making a routine play a risky one.
“How many hands did God give you?” has become a refrain to reinforce one of softball’s most important fundamentals – using both hands. A routine play can become difficult when you get comfortable and try to do it one-handed. Two hands don’t guarantee you will make the play, but they put you in the best possible position to make it.
It often takes longer than it should for the girls to fully appreciate, and honestly it took me a while to figure out how to teach it effectively. Using two hands isn't just about securing the catch. It’s about preparing yourself for success.
When you field the ball correctly, your throwing hand is already on it the moment the glove closes. The transfer to your hand to make the throw has already started. You're not digging the ball out, not taking an extra shuffle step to get set. You're prepared for the throw before the catch is finished. It was never just about the catch, but preparing you to finish the play and make the play under the pressure of a game.
The best infielders understand this without having to think about it. They expect to make the routine play, and by the time the ball is in the glove their attention has already shifted to where the throw needs to go. That kind of readiness doesn't show up in a game because you decided to try harder that day. It shows up because the habit was already built during the practices when the stakes were low, so it's automatic when it matters in a game.
The importance of preparation is the part of coaching I find myself thinking about as we prepare for a season or a big tournament.
Preparation Doesn't Wait for the Moment
A few weeks ago, I wrote about things outside our control and how we respond when uncertainty arrives. A job disappears. A health scare shows up. A decision lands that feels too big to get wrong. The conclusion I came to was about getting clear on the aspects you control and releasing the rest.
Preparation is a big part of that process, and I don't think it gets discussed enough. You can't control what life throws at you. What you can control is whether you're prepared when challenges arrive. The families I've watched handle genuinely difficult moments well — a sudden job loss, an unexpected medical expense, a market that drops at the worst possible time aren’t the ones with the most resources. They're the ones who built the right habits. Two hands. Ready to make the catch.
There's a line from Luke 16:10 that keeps coming back to me in this context. "Whoever is faithful with very little is also faithful with much." Not who has the most, but who is faithful. Preparation isn't about waiting for better circumstances or more resources before you start building. It's about being faithful with what you have right now, in the season you're in, not the one you're waiting for.
Enough
There's a story in the introduction of John Bogle's book that I've carried with me for years. At a gathering of very wealthy people, someone pointed out that the billionaire hosting the party had made more money in a single day than another successful guest had earned in an entire year. The response that came back stopped the room.
"Yes, but I have something he'll never have."
"Enough."
That word does something to you when you sit with it. We live in a culture that is very good at telling us happiness is always a step away — the next promotion, the bigger house, or the larger account balance. The problem with that framing is that the finish line keeps moving. If you never define what “enough” looks like for your life, you spend your energy running a race that has no end.
In financial planning, preparation and knowing your “enough” go hand in hand. Building a plan, saving consistently, creating habits for long-term success. They are what give you the confidence to handle what you can't predict. It's like using both hands to make a catch. Ready before the ball arrives, not scrambling to get set when the ball is in the air.
I still ask the same question at every practice. The girls still roll their eyes before I finish. And I still smile every time because I know it was never really about softball; it’s about preparation. Be ready for the throw, whether it’s in a game or in our lives.
God gave you two hands. Use them both.