As Little League practices start around the South Bay and the countdown to Opening Day in late February has begun, I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about what we as parents and coaches can do to help teach our kids what it means to be a "ballplayer" and how to build a positive team culture at the same time.
Great coaches talk a lot about the importance of player's body language, level of effort, and what type of teammate they are and I think these are crucial components of being an athlete that are often overlooked at the youth level in favor of focusing exclusively on skill development and winning.
Legendary NCAA basketball coach Geno Auriemma (his UCONN women's teams have been to 22 Final Fours, have had 6 undefeated seasons, and have won 11 National Championships) is not shy about what he looks for when recruiting players.
Obviously, any high school basketball player he is scouting is insanely talented in a physical basketball sense - that's a given. He wouldn't waste his time looking at players that didn't have the elite ballhandling, shooting, and passing skills to play in the winningest program in the NCAA. So, if he doesn't have to worry about evaluating skill or athleticism because of how strong the UCONN program is, what does he look for in potential recruits when narrowing the pool from hundreds of players with the talent to play for him down to the 3 or 4 players who he will ask to come play on his team?
- Good Teammate
- Selflessness
- Hustle
First, what type of teammate is a player? Do they cheer loudly on the bench when they're not in the game, or do they sulk because they're not playing? Do they play to make their teammates and team better, or are they only interested in their own stats? Are they aware of when their teammates are struggling and are in need of support or are they only focusing on themselves?
Next, will they pass up a good open shot for themselves to give a teammate a great open shot? A baseball analogy illustrating this same concept would be asking if a player is happy to hit a groundball to the right side to advance a runner to 3rd with lesson than 2 outs or will they swing for the fences going for the personal glory with no concern about helping the team manufacture a run.
Finally, does that player hustle back on defense and dive for loose balls, etc. In baseball, does a player always run their hardest to 1st base, even on a routine groundball with a 10 run lead? (Mike Trout is AMAZING at this). Does a player dive to keep a clear base hit groundball in the infield preventing a runner from scoring or do they keep their uniform clean and let it get into the outfield?
For Geno, all else being equal, these are the player traits that set potential recruits apart.
For parents coaching Little League (and parents in the stands), it's absolutely essential that we emphasize and celebrate the parts of being a ballplayer that DON'T show up in GameChanger.
Hustling around the bases, diving for balls, meeting teammates at the dugout gate for a high five after they score, putting their arm around a teammate after they strikeout or make an error, being a respectful listener in team meetings, thanking the ump after the game, being a good sport towards the other team...I could go on and on. These are components of our kid's athletic development that are often overlooked but that need to become a priority.
So how do we teach this?
First, we make the type of positive behavior outlined above a baseline expectation for our players/kids every time they step on the field or court. We talk about it at practice. We celebrate it during games (even if the result of a play wasn't successful). We give out game balls to players to exemplify these traits, not just to the pitcher who struck out 10 guys or the kid who hit the HR.
Second, WE must model the same type of behavior we want to see in our kids. If we yell at umps from the dugout or stands, then our players think that is OK. If we cheer when the other team drops an easy pop-up, then our players think that is OK. If we only tell our players how proud we are of them after they've had a statistically successful game and not when they don't, then they will start to feel that our support is dependent on what's in the scorebook or on the scoreboard. If we're upbeat and happy when our team is winning but slumping our shoulders and kicking dirt when we're losing, then our players will start to act the same way.
Finally, we must understand (especially in baseball, and especially with kids) that nobody plays a great game, every game. Great basketball players have bad shooting nights. Great hitters go 0-4 ALL THE TIME. The kicker in the playoff game last night missed FOUR extra points. Professional golfers shoot 78 in the final round routinely.
An athlete's results, particularly young athletes, will fluctuate wildly from game to game, week to week. But their attitude, their effort, the way they support their teammates, the way the treat the ump and their opponents...it's possible to bat 1.000 in those categories EVERY SINGLE GAME.
As youth sports gets more and more competitive at younger and younger ages and getting to "the next level" weighs on parent's minds more and more heavily (even though it shouldn't), the default assumption has become that skill proficiency will be the decider factor in whether or not a player gets to that "next level." And while, of course, if a kid tries out for the high school baseball team and can't catch a flyball or kid tries out for the high school lacrosse team and can't cradle the ball, they won't make the team...GREAT coaches are looking at way more than simply a player's skills.
They're looking at the intangibles that make up a player's character. They're looking at the kind of person a kid is, not just what their exit velo is. They're looking at what type of teammate a kid is, not just what the radar gun says about their fastball.
And like all things in sports, athletic character can be taught. It can be learned. It can be practiced. It can be modeled.
So as practices start and us coaches get excited to start hitting our players groundballs, working on their swings in the cage, teaching cut-offs, and how to cover 2nd on a steal, let's make sure we're also working on their baseball character at practice.
Your team will have more fun if you do. Your players will improve at a faster rate if you do. You team win more games if you do. (Remember Geno's stats as a coach; obviously winning is really important to him but what he knows as an absolute certainty is that recruiting kids with great character will help him win more games).
And most importantly, when your son or daughter's sports career is over, they will have learned lessons that will serve them in all their future non-athletic endeavors.
Let's put the work in - it will be worth it!
Play Hard, Have FUN!