Skip to main content

28 replies

Coaches Need to Look in Mirror

CC Catching Coach100+ posts
Saw a coach this past weekend react to a player that didn’t turn the middle piece of a 6-4-3 double play well. Player is 12 years old and plays for a Majors division Cal Ripken League team. Coach greeted the player coming off the field by yelling at the player “How many times have I TOLD you…..”

The boy’s head dropped and he headed back to the corner of the dugout to hide. I was standing at that end of the dugout and heard the boy mutter, “Like he’s ever SHOWN me how to do it”.

After 3 years as President of a town Cal Ripken program that has over 700 kids playing from ages 5-12, I have heard this kind of situation before. Now I have never been to one of that teams practices and have never seen that coach work with the kids on a 6-4-3. However the incident reminded me that we as coaches must remember a simple rule of teaching. If a child continually fails at learning a new skill, consider that the problem may be found in YOUR mirror.

All children learn through different sensory channels. While one child may learn best by hearing the explanation, another may learn best by watching someone else perform the skill. Still another child will reach mastery very quickly if someone moves their body through the correct movements for them so they can feel the movement.

Most people teach/coach through the method that they themselves learn best. That however may not be the channel the child learns from. When you teach players new skills, be sure to incorporate as many different approaches to teaching the same drill so that the players get the skill presented in a wide range of sensory channels.

If you have a player that just can not seem to get it, check your own teaching technique and see if maybe you have been favoring one approach that may not be the way this child learns best. As coaches we need to be wiling to look in the mirror and admit that maybe the dropped fly ball was OUR fault.
Kid with a 90MPH fastball......Potential Kid with a 90MPH fastball and a great catcher....Results
Last edited {1}
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

J jimd457510+ posts
So many times coaches are so concerned with appearing to others that they know what they are doing that they create these "fronts" for the sake of everyone watching. Unfortunately, every time you call a kid out like that you lose respect instantly. The kids know the truth. The good coaches are teachers of every situation that arises. They are not concerned with pointing fingers, they just teach the game.

There are a couple of high school coaches in my area that spend great amounts of time and energy berating their players after they make mistakes. "That's not how we teach you to do _____!" is a typical response when I know for a fact that they don't spend time in practice working on the types of things that would eliminate these types of mistakes. It is all about being insecure. The worst coaches are insecure.

Great topic!
S svd16u10+ posts
I am just curious how you guys would react if a coach react this way for the first time and really did work on the situation that just didn't get exicuted. Coaches need to be allowed to so some amotion. I could understand if a coach is doing it all the time or the coach really doesn't know what he is doing. But there has been a few times where we worked on for example run downs a few times in the week in practice a few different drill but same concept and then in a game when we ran a the wrong way after running it the right all week in practice it doesn't get frustrating. I know every coach has gone through this. Where they really have working on something during practice and espicailly that particular week and then in a game it got ran a different way. Of the reaction would but slightly negative. I am not going to baby my players. I am going to let them no they need to execute the play like I have seen them do before. But at the same time I am not going to embarrass them on the field I am smarter than that. In my opinion todays kids are too soft. You yell at them alittle bit and they are done. When I played coaches yelled a lot and there were different types of yellers that I played for. Myself and a lot of others played a lot harder for those guys then the coaches that never yelled. To my at that time the yellers had more diciplined while the quite coaches were push-overs. I know there is a time and place to yell at kids but they do need it every once an awhile.
T TexHSBB10+ posts
One thing that alot of people forget as well. Everyone is not going to "learn the skill" that was taught. If everyone could learn all the skills and be proficient at them, we would all be making 10 million dollars a year. I think at an early age that kids need to understand that their performance is unacceptable, and if not done better than someone else will play. Now, I know that some will say that that is too harsh, not as a 12 yr. old? Every year these kids play, there is a pecking order of abilities, and when I hear a kid make an excuse of "like you have ever shown me", this is why the h.s. players that I get are so soft in this era of sports. It is always some other reason than my own, as to why I didn't get the job done on the field, it had to have been because someone didn't show me, cause if they had, then i definately would have got it done. I understand that at 12 lots of mistakes are made, not that "ripping" the kid is the answer, but making him understand that it is unacceptable to me is top priority. No excuses, they are killing the game.
CC Catching Coach100+ posts
TexHSBB,

So if I read you correctly you are saying that you the coach will NEVER be responsible for a player’s inability to master a skill?? It is NEVER your fault that a player can’t seem to master a skill??? There is NEVER a time when you need to check and see if you are not doing as good a job as you should to teach the player how to do the skill correctly?? It will always be one of those soft kids excuses. ??
CC Catching Coach100+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by svd16u:
Coaches need to be allowed to so some amotion. I am not going to baby my players. I am going to let them no they need to execute the play like I have seen them do before. In my opinion todays kids are too soft. To my at that time the yellers had more diciplined while the quite coaches were push-overs. I know there is a time and place to yell at kids but they do need it every once an awhile.



svd16u,

I see by your profile that you are a 21 yr old coach. I applaud you for taking the time to give back to the sport by coaching the next generation of players. I will give you one word of advice from someone that has coached for over 35 years, from youth sports to world class athletes, Don’t ever think that because a coach is soft spoken and chooses to not raise his voice and yell that he is not a disciplined coach, or a push over as you mentioned.

My take on it is that I have spent years learning from mentors how to be a better communicator. How to make my words be ones that will be truly listened to and absorbed. My players know exactly what is expected of them without me yelling, My players know how important their performance of those skills is to me without me yelling, I have taken the time to learn how to communicate to my students that even my words of disappointment and anger ring loud, and clear, even though I may not be yelling. Don’t assume that just because you raise the volume of your words, and add a harsh edge to the tone of your words that you are in any way improving the chances your message will be heeded.
T TexHSBB10+ posts
Catch coach,
I truly believe that NO ONE knows everything about this game, and if anyone believes that, the game will pass you bye. After 20+ years down south, the game changes all time, tweakin' of techniques, whatever it takes to get your players to play THEIR best. Now, I also believe that players that are the most mentally tough and competitive will give themselves the best chance to succeed. You can look at any position on the field at the big league level, and their are "thousands of techniques" that these players use, many different ways, to get it done, but their drive, mental toughness, and competitiveness is unmatched. This to me is why they are at that level. The sooner that young players understand that finding other reasons than their own for their successes and failures sets them back. Teaching the game is so important, and reaching each of your players, however different they are is of the same importance, but making them take responsibility for their actions runs hand in hand with teaching the game so that they can be productive.
CC Catching Coach100+ posts
TexHSBB,

"The sooner that young players understand that finding other reasons than their own for their successes and failures sets them back......and but making them take responsibility for their actions runs hand in hand with teaching the game so that they can be productive."

Still curious though, my post was not whether the kids take responsibility for their performance. It was about whether as coaches we take reposnsibility for their failures at times as well. So I pose the question to you again, do you believe there are times when you can be responsible for a players failure to perform well. Many coaches love to feel reposnsible when they excell, but what about when they fail.

You said "is always some other reason than my own, as to why I didn't get the job done on the field, it had to have been because someone didn't show me, cause if they had, then i definately would have got it done."

It's a simple yes or no answer. Can you as a coach be responsible for a players failure?
Last edited by Catching Coach
T TexHSBB10+ posts
Catch coach,
If you really are a coach, then you feel and take responsibility for every kid that you have in your program when they don't succeed. All of our coach's meetings with my staff after practices and games is how can we as coach's make these kids better, and if it is not working, then find another way. That to me is a rediculous question to ask a coach. Now, once again, there are coaches that do not believe they ever do wrong, but to me they are not in it for their players and their programs but for themselves.
BK'sMOMBK'sMOM1,000+ posts
TexHSBB...mentioned...

"there are coaches that do not believe they ever do wrong, but to me they are not in it for their players and their programs but for themselves"

hmmm...I know of a situation where a coach said, "I want all those who are not playing football to go stand over there...5 brave souls...do so...then they are told if you don't support my football program, don't expect me to support your endeavors."

there is more...but I dare not put it on here, as it is not worth repeating...

all I can say is I applaud those coaches who truly love their jobs and instruct and guide young men...with a firm hand and discipline...and fairness...living by a code of ethics...
CM Coach May1,000+ posts
Showing up a player in front of the fans openly and without regard for his feelings is not coaching especially at 12 years old. Why not sit down beside him in the dugout and explain to him what he did wrong and leave him feeling positive about the experience. When a coach lets his emotions take control of him he stops coaching and ends up doing more damage than good. I never get mad when a kid makes a physical mistake. The only time I get mad is when a kid does not hustle because there is no excuse for not hustling. Players will listen to and respect the coach that takes time to talk and explain to them what they have done wrong. Yelling at kids when they are already upset at themselves for not making a play does not solve anything it only makes the situation worse. I agree with TR 12 year olds must be coached differently than 16 17 18 year olds. But I feel that you get better results at any age when you take a kid aside and talk to them instead of openly jumping them in front of their peers. The only time I do that is when they fail to hustle I want all the players to see that this is not excepted at anytime.
9 9095Member
I have seen this situation many times as well. The worst is when a kid is struggling and you hear no instruction from the coach at all and then he yells at him. I wish all coaches would educate themselves so that they can teach the fundamentals. I guess some guys just think that what they were taught when they were in little league has to be the only way.
RacabRacab1,000+ posts
There are not enough real coaches spending their time to coach young players, and for that reason, parents have to do the coach job.
To direct a group of kids to play baseball doesn't meant to be a "coach". Must of them don't know a lot about baseball and from the small group that have some knowledge, the most don't know how to teach. Been a coach is a lot more than make a line-up, do some practices, and let kids to play, if you don't know "what" and "how" to teach baseball, it is a very difficult thing to do.
TRhitTRhit10,000+ posts
The problem begins in the LL levels where you have volunteer coaches who may not be the best for all concerned but on the toher hand with no volunteer coaches you have no LL level baseball--catch 22 if you will

The key is for the LL Directors to make sure they get the best volunteers that they can get and then watch over them but then one has to make sure the LL Directors know what they are doing.
RacabRacab1,000+ posts
Will

A real coach is some body with enough knowledge to teach at least the elemental baseball to the kids. For the reason that Trhit expose, parents that never played baseball at any level, become coaches. Why real coaches don'texpend timecoaching kids?, it is simple, there are too many leagues, with too many teams, the job is for free, and parents make the life impossible to a "real coach".
Last edited by Racab
P Polemecist10+ posts
I have coached for many years, I do it for free because I love to do it, never got above LL myself. My son is beyond LL and I stay back because of the lousy coaching that I continually see. I think that all coaches, especially at the LL level must remember that baseball is a game of failure. If a kid has a 400 average he still fails 60 percent of the time, Teach good mechanics, show them how to hold a bat properly, tell them to keep their nose on the ball and the cream will rise to the top. I just don't like being an unpaid babbysitter.

"50% of success in life is just showing up"
BlueDogBlueDog1,000+ posts
"I think that all coaches, especially at the LL level must remember that baseball is a game of failure."

No, no, and no again!!!!!

Is football a game of failure?.....After all, you won't make every first down, or, catch every pass, now will you?

Is basketball a game of failure?.....After all, you won't get every rebound, or, make every shot, now will you?

Is it beneficial for a Coach to teach with the attitude that baseball is a game of failure?.....I think not.....Of course, unless you want to fail!....... noidea
TRhitTRhit10,000+ posts
For once I have to agree with Blue Dog

The game of baseball is only "failure" in terms of percentages--BA. OB. Slugging etc if you can term that failure

Other than that it is all positives -- pick yourself up after making an error and turn a DP on the next fround ball; after stri9king out you get a hit the next at bat; on the mound you walk three and then strike out three

Baseball in many ways is one of the most positive games I can think of. And it should be taught positively while taking into consideration the negative aspects--but then all sports have plusses and negatives

Happy New Year
S swingbuster1,000+ posts
You might not get a basehit but 4 of 10 but you can hit the ball hard most of the time even in LL. Gwynn struck out 16 of 637 bats one year. Those are better goals...hit the center of that ball hard and run as often as you can and it will be more fun.

My son always lead the team in fewest strike outs. I was always proud of the hard work and determination to accomplish that
Last edited by swingbuster
Coach KnightCoach Knight500+ posts
Any coach that does not routinely evaluate himself as a coach is a black mark on the profession. Every great coach I know looks at every angle of his program on a regular basis, and they also look at how they personally are doing their job. I assess my strengths and weaknesses all the time...because I'm hoping to make the weaknesses list much smaller from year to year. As is true in any profession, people must evolve and grow to do the job well --- as the saying goes, "When you stop getting better, you stop being good".
W Will1,000+ posts
Getting better as a coach? How do you measure that? In todays world many times it is measured in wins and losses. Success is measured by it. Winning is great. No matter what you say it beats the heck out of losing. A good coach never compromises what he believes to be right to achieve what other people see as success. Sometimes it is what you do not do that makes the difference.
Coach KnightCoach Knight500+ posts
Will-
I think you evaluate yourself as a coach by how effective you are in implementing your program and your philosophy. I love to win...but I also hope that every player in my program is a better MAN when he leaves it than he was when he came in. I look at more than the record to determine if I'm doing my job well...and I expect to improve each season.

Add Reply

Post

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Advanced Search
Advanced Search
Link copied to your clipboard.
×