quote:
Originally posted by CoachB25:
Dear Old Dad, Teaching the Game is a given.
Actually there was teach all the way through that list.
Coach, teaching is not a given. No more so than, "Hate to lose and will do anything to avoid loss" is. Hating to lose was #1 on your list. Seems like a given to me, yet you made it #1. And every coach probably tells his players to be tough, get good grades, behave themselves and respect their parents. But don't think that your win total will go up if their technique is still bad and their knowledge in situaton baseball is still limited.
In Jack Tatum's book, he talks about Woody Hayes a lot. He said that when Coach Hayes visited his home during the recruitment period, Coach Hayes promised his mom 2 things. That he would make her son a better football player and that he would make her son a better man.
I don't see anywhere on your list the promise to make anyone a better baseball player. In my opinion, it should be #1. The things you talk about, toughness, discipline, honesty, life lessons and so on could be taught to them by the Swim team coach, the Gymnastics team coach or the Marching Band coach. They are not baseball specific traits. They are not even sports specific. They are just sound bites that are subjective and arbitrary but sound good.
Most of the things you have on your list my son gets at home on a daily basis. I spent a lot of time and money looking for a private instructor for my son's catching. I finally found the guy I was looking for. He's not the best ballplayer to ever play but he is the best teacher of baseball I have met. He is into the details. My son's game has gone way up because he is being taught everything. Every flaw gets corrected. He is putting the polish on the player. The previous instructors he had were not interested in getting very technical with him.
My son's private instructor coaches at a Community College and caught at a Div. I school. But I really don't care how good of a player he was, nor do I care what his record is as a coach. I am grateful that I found an instructor who has the gift to be able to teach.
I have coached kids from 5 years old to 18 and over men's leagues and here are my top reasons for success from a coaches standpoint based on my experience.
1.) Teach the game of baseball at all times to all players. Make notes during games of what needs to be taught or reinforced at the next practice. Never assume that the players cannot handle or understand what it is you are teaching.
2.) Impart on the players the importance of teamwork and let all players know that a player who does not play within the team concept will be spending the summer fishing. Fishing is something they can do by themselves.
3.) Put the players in situations where they will have success. Sounds easy but it takes time to get to know enough about a player to get the most out of him.
4.) As the coach, take responsibility for everything that happens out on the field. It is easier to work to fix something when you see it as your fault and not somebody elses.
5.) Make sure your players are mentally in the game. There are many things you can do to challenge them and keep them focused mentally.
6.) Make sure every player knows his role on the team. There is nothing worse than a coach who moves players based on one or two game performances. In other words, if you think Johnny is going to be your best leadoff hitter, tell him the job is his and help him at all times to be the best leadoff hitter he can be.
7.) Believe in yourself and be yourself. Know that the decisions you are making are the right ones for the team despite the critism and don't try and coach like someone else or be a "book" manager just to cover your butt.
8.) Seek out information when you need to. If your pitchers are having trouble covering 1st base on ground balls to the right side, find out how it should be done and teach it to the players. We all have a time for learning and coaches should continue to grow just like the players.
9.) When picking your team, if you can, pick players that fit your style of coaching. If you are stuck with a certain type of team, adjust your coaching philosophy to fit the players skills.
10.) Lighten things up now and then. A little fun here and there is good for everyone involved.
Players should also have Reasons for Success. Here is my list that I give to players to help them maximize their success.
1.) Think/Learn. The two go hand in hand. A player can only get so good based on his physical abilities. He will only throw so hard, run so fast or hit so well. But, if he thinks, if he studies the game, his ability to succeed has virtually no limit.
In Ty Cobb's autobiography, he reads a poem that he clipped out of a newspaper around 1910. He kept it with him until he died. It reads:
For acts are but straws on the surface,
While thoughts are the pearls that lie deep.
And the latter count more in the Official score,
That recording angels keep.
And your life is just like a ballgame,
We may cheer for the cleanup swat.
But the valuable gink,
Is the one who can think.
And who wins on the brains that he's got.
2.) Hustle. It's free. It's the one thing that can be judged by coaches equally across the spectrum of talent. And while hustling itself will not guarantee you a starting role, not hustling will guarantee you a bench warming role.
3.) Practice. Build muscle memory through repetition. What you do in the heat of the moment is dictated by what you have done over and over practicing for that moment. Of course, practicing the technique correctly is paramount.
4.) Play. Play as many games as you can during the year without getting burnt out. Experience is vital to the success of a player.
5.) Be Humble/Respectful of others. Having these traits would be welcome anywhere, but the game of baseball is especially sensitive towards braggarts and rudeness.
6.) Get a good pitch to hit. It is the single most important skill a baseball player can learn. You are only as good as the pitch you hit.
7.) Learn as many different skills as possible. The more complete ballplayer you are, the more ways a coach can use you. This includes learning multiple positions.
8.) Communicate with teammates during a game. Learning to verbally help each other out takes time. Sharing information and strategy makes the whole greater than the sum of all the parts.
9.) Be an independent thinker. By that I mean don't wait for the coach to send in the pickoff play. If you see the runner taking to big a lead, let the rest of the infield know and set up a pickoff yourself. Having independent thinkers is like having the coach on the field. Players who are like coaches on the field are valued much more by the coach than they get credit for.
10.) Work on your flexibility. It is the most neglected part of training and it is needed at all positions. Players will weight train with friends, do the speed training and conditioning during practice but a serious stretching program is virtually unheard of. Even when the coach goes through the stretching segment of practice, most players are cheating while they do it.
I would say most parents can overlook the things they disagree with if the coach is making their son a better player and their son is having success. A coach will never have all the parents happy because not all players will play but it is to his credit that he did not shortchange any of them.
