If you had the ability to wave a magic wand to create the perfect atmosphere at a Little League game, what would it look, sound, and feel like?

Personally, I would want to see the players playing with joy free from pressure, the coaches positively supporting their players at all times, and the parents cheering from the stands.

Seems simple enough, agree?

I don't think anyone wants to be at a Little League game where the coaches are screaming at their players, the parents are screaming at the umpire, and the players are throwing their helmets in the dugout and crying whenever something doesn't go their way. Nobody is going to enjoy being at that game; let's not forgot that sports exist to be FUN!

Sadly though, the atmosphere at too many youth sports events is filled with yelling, screaming, pressure, and anxiety. At games with an atmosphere like that, is anyone having fun? I don't think so.

So what can we as parents and coaches do to help create an environment where everyone is having fun? Well, like anything worthwhile in life, it takes a lot of effort.

I'm coaching an Intermediate team this season and before our first scrimmage yesterday, I sent the following email to all the parents on the team:

A few quick words before our first "game" of the season:

We LOVE positive cheering from the stands.  Cheer for our players.  Cheer for their players.  We want a fun and light atmosphere when we play because that's the type of environment that makes the game more enjoyable for the players and helps them stay relaxed and confident.

That said, please refrain from "coaching from the stands."  No matter how well-meaning your intentions might be to remind your son to get down and ready or to remind him not to swing at the high pitch, coaching comments from the adults in the stands only distract ballplayers from having 100% focus on the game, their teammates, and the action on the field.  

I know how challenging it can be to stay quiet in the heat of the moment but I promise that our boys will have more fun, develop faster, and play better if the only thing they hear from the stands is cheering.

Also, please never direct any comments at the other team, their coaches, or the umpire.  If something needs to be addressed on the field before, during, or after the game, the coaching staff will handle it.

Parents play a critical part in youth sports being a positive and rewarding experience for the kids and we really appreciate your effort on this front.  

Coach Dan

(PLEASE feel free to cut and paste that email and send it to the families on your team if you think it will be helpful in setting behavior expectations.)

Like achieving anything in life, we must put effort into getting the results we want, and this is no different, so I would encourage all coaches to be proactive in letting their team parents know what the collective goal at games is going to be this season.

By sharing something in writing before the season starts, this also gives coaches (and league administrators) the ability to politely remind any parents who might get out of line during the season what the behavior expectations are,

With parents in the stands on board with this, the kids will have a lot more fun playing ball (and will play better when totally focused on the field and not worrying about what comments they might hear coming from outside the lines).

But parents in the stands can't do it all alone. Coaches, you also have a big responsibility in modeling good behavior at all times on the field.

As the leader of the team (and the adult in the dugout), when you yell at an umpire it sends a message to your players on the field and the adults in the stands that that's OK. As the leader of the team, if you scream at a player for making a mistake it sends a message to everyone that that's how your team handles errors and pretty soon everyone will be piling on that kid who just let a ball go between his legs or struck out looking on a fastball right down the middle.

On the other hand, as the leader of the team, if you let a questionable call from the ump go by without making a big deal out it in order to get your team ready for the next play, your players and parents will respond like you do (and now nobody's yelling at the ump and everyone's thinking about the next play...which is the only one that matters.)

As the leader of the team, if you pump up a player who took an aggressive swing, even if the pitch was out of the zone, rather than yelling at him, "What the h*** are you swinging at?!?!?!?" your players and parents will respond like you do and encourage that player to keep swinging with confidence.

As I said in the email I shared above, I know controlling our emotions is not always easy to do in the heat of the moment, but we're the adults and we need to remember what an enormous affect our actions, attitude, and behavior has on our kid's enjoyment of the game.

As coaches, parents, and players, there are many things we can't control on the baseball field; but creating a really fun, positive, and supportive environment for our kids to play sports in is absolutely possible...if we're willing to put the effort in.

Let's do it!
DS