Little League....
Posted: March 12th, 2009, 1:42 pm
Every year I coach..... and every year I come across some parent in denile.... Heres this years example....
This kid dosent want to improve, and this parent seems to think its my fault....
This is a few lines taken from a loooooong letter, and my respones in black.
> Subject: Drew
>
"I have issue with how inconsistent your team discipline is."
My discipline is very consistent. I give every player specific things to correct, and if they don't, they know exactly what the repercussions will be. Have you seen my son Jack pitch recently? No. He has developed some poor mechanics in his delivery that if left unchecked will possibly cause injury down the line. He still throws very hard, and throws clean strikes.. but he hasent corrected it, hence no pitching.He was the # 2 Pitcher on the team. Correcting poor mechanics is more important than him pitching. Every player has been given specific things to address. Some are working on them ( like Brandon).. some are not, like Jack and Drew.
" Drew was playing second base. He didn't make it to a soft fly over the middle. You and your coaches yelled to Drew to be ready. Drew put his hands on his knees a few pitches later. You then yelled to get his
hands off of his knees. A few pitches later he had his elbows on his knees. You then yelled to get his elbows off of his knees, called time out, and pulled him out of the game."
On the pop fly, Drew hardly moved on the ball. Then, as you very accurately describe, pitch after pitch he is told to get in ready position... and he refuses. Damm right I pulled him out of the game. He has a responsibility to the entire team to BE READY. NOT to make a unassisted double play.....NOT to be an All Star..... just to be ready. If he cant accomplish this simple task, he has not earned the right to play.
"Jonathon at first base had his elbow on his knees. Drew got pulled from the game for something the kid next to him was doing too."
Jonathan sometimes rests his elbows on his knees.... lightly. I call out to him too. Drew puts allot of weight on his. When the ball is put in play, Jonathan reacts, Drew doesn't. I never compare one player to another but since you have... Jonathan is getting it done, Drew isn't. Its that simple.
"Tonight Tyler made the exact same mistake at shortstop. He had an out at first, but instead threw home too late. Did you call time out and pull Tyler from the game?
Tyler made a judgment error going home, and a fielding error with a bad throw. It wasn't due to lack of attention, it wasn't due to not knowing the game. He just made a mistake. 10 year olds make lots of mistakes. Drew was in left field a few games ago, threw the ball to 3rd base... Guess what? Nobody was at third base to catch the throw. Nobody was even close to third. Did I pull Drew? Nope, because at least he tried, and that's all I'm asking for from him..
"Tonight you pulled Drew from the game for not backing up a throw, but there were several times that the same mistake was made by other players. You didn't notice and you didn't pull them from the game.
Again I have no problem with discipline, but I think it should be consistent. I would seriously question whether pulling a kid out of the game mid-inning (any kid) is going to accomplish anything."
When I send Drew out to right field, and explain to him moments before that he is to back up EVERY play at first, no matter if its a throw or a pick off, and the very first play he just stands there... you tell me what to do? I told Drew if he doesn't take the position seriously, and doesn't back up... he will be pulled. And that's exactly what happened. As I stated before, I'm very consistent. Nick has been pulled, Simon has been pulled, Brock has been pulled. I bring them into the dugout, to sit right with me, and review what their doing wrong, and how to correct it . I suggest you review your games films more closely.
"In general, a good deal of the coaching is negative and harsh. I will say that you do a good job of mixing in some positives, but your assistants rarely do."
I have had discussions with my other coaches regarding this... its a work in progress. That said, did you volunteer to Manage... No. Even just to Coach.... No. I'm sure you have great reasons as to why, but the fact is you didn't. Perhaps next year you will and bring a more positive experience to your team.
"Tonight I heard one of your coaches talk to a parent from the other team about the fact that one of the kids on the team couldn't tie his own shoes. He went on about how ridiculous that is. That boy's dad was sitting there listening to the whole thing. Is that what our coaches should be doing?"
Without names, I cannot address this. While I think this is completly out of line, I cannot control what two parents discuss after a game. If the boys Dad overheard this, and didnt respond... thats his choice. If it had been my son they were talking about, and I overheard it, I would have stepped right up to defend my son. I'm not the U.N.
"Watching some of the boys' responses to making mistakes or even just not getting a hit or throwing a strike shows how much pressure is on them."
I think some of the boys are reacting like this, because they feel the entire weight of the team is on their shoulders because some of the other players show no intent to improve.
If it remains a negative atmosphere, it will be a long season.
What I get from most parents is even without a win, the boys are playing well, making big plays, improving noticably every week and having a pretty good time. If the better players "give up" on the other players, that whats going to make it a long season.
"I hope you will consider my words not as confrontation, but instead as an encouragement to reconsider your coaching strategies. If your only desire is to win at all costs, you lose in the long term."
I'm not changing my coaching strategies at all. I'm focused, but not on winning. I'm focused on two things... 1. Getting every player to play to 100% of their abilities. 2. Getting every player to realize that baseball is a team sport, and to understand that when they miss an opportunity to make a important hit or a catch, or simply back up a play.... the entire team suffers and they should feel responsible. This feeling of responsibility should translate into motivation to get better. Simon has it , Brandon has is... Drew seems indifferent to the whole experience. If Drew does show emotion, I beleive its because he's upset that HE failed, not that he let the team down.
"I know that you didn't want Drew as a player from the beginning, but I'm hoping you can find a way to help build him into a good player."
Not true. I had early concerns that Drew was going to have a tough time defending himself against a strong throw or hit. It was purely a safety issue. Since that time, that issue as dissipated. WE need to work with Drew together.
I also think that your first base coach owes Ziggy's father an apology.
Is this in regards to the mentioned " Shoe Tying" remark? Like I stated.... If Ziggy's father wont stand up to defend his son, so be it.
"Again, please do not mistake my intentions here, my desire here in not to criticize. I'm not a perfect coach myself, but I have learned that a positive atmosphere does a lot for learning."
I'm as positive as I can be with all the boys, and spend the majority of my time specifically with your boy Drew.
If I didn't care about him , ignored him, berated him, or didn't give him any opportunity on the team I would be failing as a coach. I support every positive thing he does, including something simple like being in an athletic " Ready" position. The flip side is when he is instructed several times to put some effort into what his is doing, or apply what he has been taught, and refuses to.... their are going to be repercussions.
Even in the dugout, mid game , he will come up to me to ask " When is this game going to end?" .... Or " How much longer do we have to play?" How would you respond to a player who shows little interest to play, let alone improve?
To be blunt, Drew is the same player I met on day one, with the same challenges.
1. Focus and have some idea what's going on in the game.
2. Get in a athletic ready position
3. Bat in a proper stance.
4. Supporting your team emotionally
At some point, you as a parent, need to get involved. I ask Drew if he practices outside of team activities... .His response..... " Not really". I don't know how accurate this is , but judging by his progress I cant help but accept it. You state your a PE teacher, I would never have guessed that.
I'll continue to work closely with him, and time will tell how serious he wants to be with Baseball.
Thanks for your time
Any other Managers or Coaches out there with similar issues
This kid dosent want to improve, and this parent seems to think its my fault....
This is a few lines taken from a loooooong letter, and my respones in black.
> Subject: Drew
>
"I have issue with how inconsistent your team discipline is."
My discipline is very consistent. I give every player specific things to correct, and if they don't, they know exactly what the repercussions will be. Have you seen my son Jack pitch recently? No. He has developed some poor mechanics in his delivery that if left unchecked will possibly cause injury down the line. He still throws very hard, and throws clean strikes.. but he hasent corrected it, hence no pitching.He was the # 2 Pitcher on the team. Correcting poor mechanics is more important than him pitching. Every player has been given specific things to address. Some are working on them ( like Brandon).. some are not, like Jack and Drew.
" Drew was playing second base. He didn't make it to a soft fly over the middle. You and your coaches yelled to Drew to be ready. Drew put his hands on his knees a few pitches later. You then yelled to get his
hands off of his knees. A few pitches later he had his elbows on his knees. You then yelled to get his elbows off of his knees, called time out, and pulled him out of the game."
On the pop fly, Drew hardly moved on the ball. Then, as you very accurately describe, pitch after pitch he is told to get in ready position... and he refuses. Damm right I pulled him out of the game. He has a responsibility to the entire team to BE READY. NOT to make a unassisted double play.....NOT to be an All Star..... just to be ready. If he cant accomplish this simple task, he has not earned the right to play.
"Jonathon at first base had his elbow on his knees. Drew got pulled from the game for something the kid next to him was doing too."
Jonathan sometimes rests his elbows on his knees.... lightly. I call out to him too. Drew puts allot of weight on his. When the ball is put in play, Jonathan reacts, Drew doesn't. I never compare one player to another but since you have... Jonathan is getting it done, Drew isn't. Its that simple.
"Tonight Tyler made the exact same mistake at shortstop. He had an out at first, but instead threw home too late. Did you call time out and pull Tyler from the game?
Tyler made a judgment error going home, and a fielding error with a bad throw. It wasn't due to lack of attention, it wasn't due to not knowing the game. He just made a mistake. 10 year olds make lots of mistakes. Drew was in left field a few games ago, threw the ball to 3rd base... Guess what? Nobody was at third base to catch the throw. Nobody was even close to third. Did I pull Drew? Nope, because at least he tried, and that's all I'm asking for from him..
"Tonight you pulled Drew from the game for not backing up a throw, but there were several times that the same mistake was made by other players. You didn't notice and you didn't pull them from the game.
Again I have no problem with discipline, but I think it should be consistent. I would seriously question whether pulling a kid out of the game mid-inning (any kid) is going to accomplish anything."
When I send Drew out to right field, and explain to him moments before that he is to back up EVERY play at first, no matter if its a throw or a pick off, and the very first play he just stands there... you tell me what to do? I told Drew if he doesn't take the position seriously, and doesn't back up... he will be pulled. And that's exactly what happened. As I stated before, I'm very consistent. Nick has been pulled, Simon has been pulled, Brock has been pulled. I bring them into the dugout, to sit right with me, and review what their doing wrong, and how to correct it . I suggest you review your games films more closely.
"In general, a good deal of the coaching is negative and harsh. I will say that you do a good job of mixing in some positives, but your assistants rarely do."
I have had discussions with my other coaches regarding this... its a work in progress. That said, did you volunteer to Manage... No. Even just to Coach.... No. I'm sure you have great reasons as to why, but the fact is you didn't. Perhaps next year you will and bring a more positive experience to your team.
"Tonight I heard one of your coaches talk to a parent from the other team about the fact that one of the kids on the team couldn't tie his own shoes. He went on about how ridiculous that is. That boy's dad was sitting there listening to the whole thing. Is that what our coaches should be doing?"
Without names, I cannot address this. While I think this is completly out of line, I cannot control what two parents discuss after a game. If the boys Dad overheard this, and didnt respond... thats his choice. If it had been my son they were talking about, and I overheard it, I would have stepped right up to defend my son. I'm not the U.N.
"Watching some of the boys' responses to making mistakes or even just not getting a hit or throwing a strike shows how much pressure is on them."
I think some of the boys are reacting like this, because they feel the entire weight of the team is on their shoulders because some of the other players show no intent to improve.
If it remains a negative atmosphere, it will be a long season.
What I get from most parents is even without a win, the boys are playing well, making big plays, improving noticably every week and having a pretty good time. If the better players "give up" on the other players, that whats going to make it a long season.
"I hope you will consider my words not as confrontation, but instead as an encouragement to reconsider your coaching strategies. If your only desire is to win at all costs, you lose in the long term."
I'm not changing my coaching strategies at all. I'm focused, but not on winning. I'm focused on two things... 1. Getting every player to play to 100% of their abilities. 2. Getting every player to realize that baseball is a team sport, and to understand that when they miss an opportunity to make a important hit or a catch, or simply back up a play.... the entire team suffers and they should feel responsible. This feeling of responsibility should translate into motivation to get better. Simon has it , Brandon has is... Drew seems indifferent to the whole experience. If Drew does show emotion, I beleive its because he's upset that HE failed, not that he let the team down.
"I know that you didn't want Drew as a player from the beginning, but I'm hoping you can find a way to help build him into a good player."
Not true. I had early concerns that Drew was going to have a tough time defending himself against a strong throw or hit. It was purely a safety issue. Since that time, that issue as dissipated. WE need to work with Drew together.
I also think that your first base coach owes Ziggy's father an apology.
Is this in regards to the mentioned " Shoe Tying" remark? Like I stated.... If Ziggy's father wont stand up to defend his son, so be it.
"Again, please do not mistake my intentions here, my desire here in not to criticize. I'm not a perfect coach myself, but I have learned that a positive atmosphere does a lot for learning."
I'm as positive as I can be with all the boys, and spend the majority of my time specifically with your boy Drew.
If I didn't care about him , ignored him, berated him, or didn't give him any opportunity on the team I would be failing as a coach. I support every positive thing he does, including something simple like being in an athletic " Ready" position. The flip side is when he is instructed several times to put some effort into what his is doing, or apply what he has been taught, and refuses to.... their are going to be repercussions.
Even in the dugout, mid game , he will come up to me to ask " When is this game going to end?" .... Or " How much longer do we have to play?" How would you respond to a player who shows little interest to play, let alone improve?
To be blunt, Drew is the same player I met on day one, with the same challenges.
1. Focus and have some idea what's going on in the game.
2. Get in a athletic ready position
3. Bat in a proper stance.
4. Supporting your team emotionally
At some point, you as a parent, need to get involved. I ask Drew if he practices outside of team activities... .His response..... " Not really". I don't know how accurate this is , but judging by his progress I cant help but accept it. You state your a PE teacher, I would never have guessed that.
I'll continue to work closely with him, and time will tell how serious he wants to be with Baseball.
Thanks for your time
Any other Managers or Coaches out there with similar issues
