Gabe pitching.On a greater scale, the other thing I love about baseball (and this really goes for all team sports) are the life lessons that the kids learn through the process. I'm sure they won't even appreciate the lessons they're learning every practice, every game, but it is exciting to see them put them into practice.
Talking to the kids before the game.When you're dealing with a group of young boys who are moving into young men, there is an opportunity there to set expectations higher and in the right direction. Children want to be grown-ups so badly, they just want to know how.
So, we spend a lot of time talking about personal responsibility. For example, younger, immature players, when the make an error, will whine and complain about how it wasn't there fault, there was this reason and that reason and blah, blah, blah. We've explained to our team of 13 year olds that young men, responsible men, take responsibility for their actions. If you make an error, admit to it, own it, and let your team you know won't make the mistake again. It's okay, you're going to make mistakes, it's how you react to those mistakes which shows your character.
Chatting with players in between innings.We also talk about criticism. We explain that there are two types of criticism, the truth and someone who just doesn't get it. If it's the truth, no matter how that information is delivered, it's still the truth and the player knows it as such. So, if it comes from a coach yelling during a game or a fellow player trying to help out, the truth doesn't change just because you don't want to hear it. Be open to it, accept it and learn from it.
If criticism is from someone who just doesn't get it, and you don't recognize it as the truth, then thank them and ignore it. It's that simple. Don't fight it, don't get into an argument about it. Just move on.Another lesson we talk about is controlling your anger. We tell the kids, that baseball is a game of failure. People who go to the hall of fame fail 7 out of 10 times. You have to be able to control your response to failure. You're allowed to feel any emotion you want, however you are not allowed to express it any way you want. That's called sportsmanship.
And, of course, the concept of teamwork. As part of a team, they realize that if they make a mistake, they all suffer. If they make a great play, they all succeed. If you help someone make a great play, we all succeed. If you sacrifice for the team, they all succeed.
And, finally, we talk about raising their expectations about themselves, about not wasting time in practice and about enjoying the game of baseball for what it is... a game.
The fruits of our labor, Gabe hits an in-the-park home run.
I love watching these young men grow and improve as both players and people. It is the greatest gift of coaching... not the trophies or wins, though they are nice, but the time with these kids, watching them move from childhood to adulthood.
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2 comments:
Beautiful Pete. I'm proud of you.
As I have relived my baseball years through Jonathan's baseball years, I have had to reassess every aspect of the experience, every memory. I have learned that my self-assessment back then was very poor (not surprising for a 12 year old). This makes me wonder how accurate are me assessments now.
Memory is a great gift and comparing my childhood memories against my adult reality has helped put both into perspective.
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