Over the past few years I have coached various ages of players, from 8 to 18, in baseball. The young players are great, but being patient is key. The mid age (11-14) are fun, due to their love for the game and their energy. I have found the older ages, however, the most challenging.
The difficulty doesn't lie in needing patience or lack of energy, but rather the lack of understanding for the fine details of the game. I was surprised to find that high school aged players didn't understand that the on deck batter could help direct a runner into the plate, and that there is a difference between the baseline and an established base path. It was things like that, that really got me thinking and reminiscing.
When I was a kid I couldn't get enough baseball. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. I became a student of the game at a young age. I remember sitting on my parents' couch watching the Cubs in the summer; WGN always had the afternoon Cubs games on. I would call pitches and keep track of how many I would get right and what the outcome was for the pitch that was thrown. I know it sounds a little strange, but it made me better, and in hind sight, it helped make me the player that I was. I read books and I asked questions. I wanted to know everything about baseball!
As coaches he's we really need to inspire our players to take what they learn and expand on it. Help them to fall in love with the game at a young age, because after all, it is a game and should be fun. We also need to realize that young kids are smart enough to learn the finer points of the game, and are in some ways more receptive than the older players. Coaches just have to do a better job of teaching in a way that the young ones will learn it.
If we inspire our young players to be passionate about the game of baseball they will be fully invested in their quest to become great, but right now... something's missing.
The difficulty doesn't lie in needing patience or lack of energy, but rather the lack of understanding for the fine details of the game. I was surprised to find that high school aged players didn't understand that the on deck batter could help direct a runner into the plate, and that there is a difference between the baseline and an established base path. It was things like that, that really got me thinking and reminiscing.
When I was a kid I couldn't get enough baseball. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. I became a student of the game at a young age. I remember sitting on my parents' couch watching the Cubs in the summer; WGN always had the afternoon Cubs games on. I would call pitches and keep track of how many I would get right and what the outcome was for the pitch that was thrown. I know it sounds a little strange, but it made me better, and in hind sight, it helped make me the player that I was. I read books and I asked questions. I wanted to know everything about baseball!
As coaches he's we really need to inspire our players to take what they learn and expand on it. Help them to fall in love with the game at a young age, because after all, it is a game and should be fun. We also need to realize that young kids are smart enough to learn the finer points of the game, and are in some ways more receptive than the older players. Coaches just have to do a better job of teaching in a way that the young ones will learn it.
If we inspire our young players to be passionate about the game of baseball they will be fully invested in their quest to become great, but right now... something's missing.