Steve A. posted:cabbagedad posted:Steve A. posted:...My opinion, again, opinion, is that yes, winning is important & the goal of the team. I get that. I can tell you that the vast majority of people you may think are impressed by your winning really could not care less. ..
Steve A, I say this knowing your background... I know you have made a run as a P in the minors and you now coach a 13u. I predict that in four years, your perspective on this particular point will change. HS players, parents, boosters, coaches, community supporters, AD's and others are quite interested in winning. Do the players shake off the loss as soon as they get on the bus or in the car? Yup, usually. But there is a huge difference in being part of a winning program and a losing one and HS V is the level where that spotlight starts to shine. You will come to find that it is quite different as a coach than it was as a player.
Those same players who shake off the loss in a minute after it happens will remember very clearly 10-20-30-40 years from now if they had the big hit to win league or state or beat their big rival. Does it matter to the rest of the world? No. But it will matter to each of those HS players you eventually coach over the years. You will also find that in most HS's, this is the top level, the final stop they will reach with baseball. That's where it may take a while for you to grasp since you made it some levels beyond. Competing and winning games at this level is the peak of their baseball careers. It matters to them. You will be charged with allowing for that to happen. Along with developing high-character young men, you will want to help them in their goals to win league or state or against cross-town rival. Letting a young catcher call your V game with that in the balance may not be quite as appealing when you are in the middle of it. Just a prediction...
Hi Cabbage, Thanks for the response. Definitely makes sense & I appreciate the perspective. My take on it has probably been too heavily influenced by some of the coaching I have seen that has been way too heavy handed at the younger levels. Again, thanks.
As you all know my kid is just entering 9th, so I have no knowledge of HS baseball, HOWEVER, I have a lot of knowledge of 9u-14u baseball and I can backup this statement. I don't know how to phrase it but it's almost like the most knowledgeable coaches in youth baseball don't want to share their knowledge with an 11u kid, or a 13u kid because they don't want to take the time to explain it. These kids aren't learning the game, they are learning to follow orders.
I have seen a 14u pitcher pulled because he shook off ONE pitch the coach called in the third inning, the coach was furious, rather than calling time and talking to the pitcher about his choice or waiting until the inning was over the pitcher was pulled and replaced with a kid who wasn't even warmed up...doesn't sound like development. My son was a 12u 5'8, 130# player who was in 7th grade and needed a new bat in May (so he was almost an 8th grader), he asked the coach if it was okay if he got a drop 5 as opposed to a drop 10, coach said absolutely not, I want you swinging the lightest bat you are allowed to swing, again, that doesn't sound like development.
Kids right now, for SOME coaches, seem to be learning to be automatons...don't ask questions just do what you are told. Not sure how they are actually LEARNING the game with coaches acting like that.