“When the moon sails outwith a hundred faces all the same,the coins made of silverbreak out in sobs in the pocket.”―
As the ball sailed out of the infield, runners began to circle the bases, and thus another baseball season came to an end.
My son Peter has been playing ball since he was 4. Last night brought a close to his 8th season and 2nd of Fall ball. It also marked my 8th as a coach.
Coaching Little League baseball has been one of the greatest joys, and challenges of my life. I’ve always believed that baseball is more than just a game and that within its confines is an approximation of life itself.
My philosophy on coaching consists of a few basic tenets. Have fun being first and foremost. Focus on fundamentals is next. Develop strong foundational skills and then growing the rest. It’s always at the forefront of my teachings to set a ballplayer up for future success. To give them the skills that, if they desire, they can compete at the next level without a coach having to retool their play.
Wins are certainly important, after all, we do keep score for a reason, but it’s been my experience that teams that have a strong commitment to fundamentals and have a lot of fun playing the game, tend to win a lot. If you think about it, that formula applies to life as well.
I spend a lot of time preaching to my teams about not focusing on the mistakes made, but on what you do afterward. If a ball went by you in the infield, instead of pouting did you set up for the relay from the outfield? Botch a play in the field, focus instead on getting a timely hit at-bat versus being CONTINUE READING: BASEBALL IS MORE THAN A GAME – Dad Gone Wild
