I love to coach. I read this article on why coaches coach. So it got me to thinking. I find myself coaching, even when I'm not coaching. Typically, I correct Nolan or Claire (even Angela for that matter) on basic everyday happenings in life. Listen to how crazy I am.
I coached Claire the other day on how to flush the toilet properly! We have a somewhat tricky handle on the toilet in the downstairs bathroom and I found myself breaking down how to push the handle down, then lift it up to prevent the stopper from staying up and having the water constantly run. I also explained why Claire should do this properly and what the benefits were to doing it correctly! I praised her for flushing after going potty, corrected her on how to lift the handle, then praised her again for being obedient. That's a criticism sandwich in the coaching world! (Side note: a criticism sandwich = positive praise + corrective criticism + positive praise)
I feel that I have a gift to coach. However, that's in my own mind; what have my former players said is the real test of my gift. I've spoken to former players and I always ask them if they learned something new from me, did they learn how to play the game better?
I have been encouraged by my time with RCTC baseball program and how open those players are to learning from me. I always make sure that what I tell them make sense to them, because if it makes sense to me, but not to them, I'm no good. Communicating properly is really what makes a good coach.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Mental Toughness
I've had the chance to volunteer at RCTC this spring with the baseball team. This is a great opportunity to get back in the mode of coaching. The head coach has delegated some responsibility to me with the outfield and 1st base coaching duties. We've played 6 games here in Minnesota/Iowa (going 1-5) and the team has some talent.
What they're struggling with, however, is the mental side of the game. You really have to be crazy to play baseball. Think about it. It's one of few sports where you have an opportunity to really dwell on mistakes and the action doesn't allow you to easily forget. For example, if you have a bad at bat, you may not hit for 2-3 innings or not at all. If you make an error, you may not have the chance for another play all day! Faster paced sports such as basketball or football require you to not think about the last play because the next one is happening in the next 10 seconds.
You need to be mentally tough to succeed in baseball. A 30% success rate in the game could reap millions of dollars in the major leagues. That's failing 70% of the time! How you deal with failure is the true measure of how well you play. You can hit the ball as hard as you can, produce a screaming line drive.....and be caught by an outfielder. Do you get frustrated or think I couldn't hit the ball better than that and tip your cap and move on. On the flip side, a hitter can mishit the ball off the end of his bat and wind up on 1st with a bloop single.
I read Ron Washington, manager of my team the Texas Rangers, saying "Good hitters learn from outs, bad hitters complain about them."
Kind of like life, huh? Some days we hit the ball on the button, but don't have anything to show for it. Then we plug along and something great happens. Are you in a rut mentally? I am right now, worrying about my job, this summer, finances, etc. But I know that I need to be mentally tough and get through these times. Thankfully, Jesus has said His yoke is easy and His burden light. Will you take this moment and ask Him to guide your decisions and rely on His strength.
I welcome any comments that you may have and send me an email if you get a chance.
What they're struggling with, however, is the mental side of the game. You really have to be crazy to play baseball. Think about it. It's one of few sports where you have an opportunity to really dwell on mistakes and the action doesn't allow you to easily forget. For example, if you have a bad at bat, you may not hit for 2-3 innings or not at all. If you make an error, you may not have the chance for another play all day! Faster paced sports such as basketball or football require you to not think about the last play because the next one is happening in the next 10 seconds.
You need to be mentally tough to succeed in baseball. A 30% success rate in the game could reap millions of dollars in the major leagues. That's failing 70% of the time! How you deal with failure is the true measure of how well you play. You can hit the ball as hard as you can, produce a screaming line drive.....and be caught by an outfielder. Do you get frustrated or think I couldn't hit the ball better than that and tip your cap and move on. On the flip side, a hitter can mishit the ball off the end of his bat and wind up on 1st with a bloop single.
I read Ron Washington, manager of my team the Texas Rangers, saying "Good hitters learn from outs, bad hitters complain about them."
Kind of like life, huh? Some days we hit the ball on the button, but don't have anything to show for it. Then we plug along and something great happens. Are you in a rut mentally? I am right now, worrying about my job, this summer, finances, etc. But I know that I need to be mentally tough and get through these times. Thankfully, Jesus has said His yoke is easy and His burden light. Will you take this moment and ask Him to guide your decisions and rely on His strength.
I welcome any comments that you may have and send me an email if you get a chance.
Monday, March 12, 2007
The Call
I received it a couple of weeks ago and it totally caught me off guard. The caller asked me if I wanted to be the head coach of the FCA Grays. I had applied to be on the coaching staff, but not as the head coach, only an assistant. But here I was, being asked to lead a group of young men for a brief time, only for a summer.
I miss it terribly. The smell of the game: sunflower seeds, pine tar, dirty uniforms, smelly players, all of it. Yeah, I've only been out of the game less than a year, but I love baseball. So one of the first things I did when we moved to Rochester was to contact the community college in the area, see if they needed any help. Free help? Of course, we'll take the free help (some clothing for payment)! So I sporadically have made practice at RCTC and look forward to helping out. The head coach has put me in charge of the outfield and I am pumped to be involved again. I noticed that it's more about coaching and the personal interaction with the athletes that I've missed most. Being an AD, you don't have the daily contact of athletes.
Angela and I discussed what this decision would mean to the family. Obviously my absence over the summer would be hard. Angela would be home with the kids alone during the most beautiful months in Minnesota. I would need to work out missing time at my real job. I wouldn't have dad time at all. This was something I really wanted to do and could lead to a position down the road in baseball. Angela was behind it and reassured me that this was something I should do and she wanted me to do it. Yes! I took the job.
So here I am, daydreaming for May 26 when the coaches need to report to KC. I've begun to formulate the summer coaching philosophy and purpose for the team. We only have them a short time, so there's not a lot of personal philosophy that we'll be able to teach. For example, there is a certain way that I have adopted on teaching rundowns. But it's different from what is generally taught. But the staff can still impact the players on how the game is played and how hard to play it.
I appreciate you following my journey and I will be posting once a week until the season starts. I will post almost daily on my thoughts of the games and how much of an impact the Lord is having on these kids. The players are not required be believers in the Lord, in fact, two players from last year came to know Jesus. What a great opportunity to impact the Kingdom!
Thanks for reading!
I miss it terribly. The smell of the game: sunflower seeds, pine tar, dirty uniforms, smelly players, all of it. Yeah, I've only been out of the game less than a year, but I love baseball. So one of the first things I did when we moved to Rochester was to contact the community college in the area, see if they needed any help. Free help? Of course, we'll take the free help (some clothing for payment)! So I sporadically have made practice at RCTC and look forward to helping out. The head coach has put me in charge of the outfield and I am pumped to be involved again. I noticed that it's more about coaching and the personal interaction with the athletes that I've missed most. Being an AD, you don't have the daily contact of athletes.
Angela and I discussed what this decision would mean to the family. Obviously my absence over the summer would be hard. Angela would be home with the kids alone during the most beautiful months in Minnesota. I would need to work out missing time at my real job. I wouldn't have dad time at all. This was something I really wanted to do and could lead to a position down the road in baseball. Angela was behind it and reassured me that this was something I should do and she wanted me to do it. Yes! I took the job.
So here I am, daydreaming for May 26 when the coaches need to report to KC. I've begun to formulate the summer coaching philosophy and purpose for the team. We only have them a short time, so there's not a lot of personal philosophy that we'll be able to teach. For example, there is a certain way that I have adopted on teaching rundowns. But it's different from what is generally taught. But the staff can still impact the players on how the game is played and how hard to play it.
I appreciate you following my journey and I will be posting once a week until the season starts. I will post almost daily on my thoughts of the games and how much of an impact the Lord is having on these kids. The players are not required be believers in the Lord, in fact, two players from last year came to know Jesus. What a great opportunity to impact the Kingdom!
Thanks for reading!
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