Putting Kids First in Baseball

A Positive Coaching Experience for MSBL Members

 
 By Lawrence Lonson, Arizona MSBL, with David Krival, Editor               Back to HardBall Online
 
This is the first article in a series dedicated to the concepts of Positive Coaching. Every
year, about four million volunteers coach over 40 million young Americans, aged five to
eighteen. Organized youth athletics provides, or ought to provide, chances for children
to learn determination, commitment, hard work, teamwork and empathy, while acquiring
self-confidence and positive character traits.
 
However, the Youth Sports Institute at Michigan State University conducted a national
survey of 10,000 kids, which concluded that 70% of kids involved in organized youth
sports quit by age fifteen. Evidently, most kids dislike the youth sports experience or
develop other interests: academics and/or unorganized athletic or non-athletic activities
such as biking, hiking, computer gamesà by age fifteen. The YSI  survey listed the ten
most common reasons why kids quit organized sports.
 

What Turns Kids Off

1. They lost interest
2. They were not having fun.
3. It required too much time.
4. The coach played favorites.
5. The coach was a poor teacher.
6. They got tired of playing.
7. Too much emphasis on winning.
8. They wanted to participate in other activities.
9. They need more time to study.
10. There was too much pressure.
 
Some of these problems are simply part of growing up, and beyond the power of
coaches and parents to resolve. Life is not always fun, as every adult knows. To
succeed in sports, a kid must be willing to work hard to acquire the necessary skills, and
that can be tedious. Moreover, every successful adult must establish priorities and
choose between conflicting interests. By age fifteen, kids may be reasonably expected
to make such choices.
 
 But most of the listed reasons are precisely the kinds of things that coaches and parents
 can effectively address. In fact, coaches and parents cause many of these problems
 in the first place! Kids don't like the pressure generated by overbearing parents and
 ruthless coaches. Practicing and training may be tedious at times, but it doesn't have to
 miserable and abusive. Games ought to be fun, especially when kids play them.
 

Youth Baseball and the MSBL

 Providing a healthy experience in youth baseball can contribute to child development
 and sow the seeds of long-term interest in the game. MSBL members can provide a
 valuable resource to their communities by serving as coaches, managers, board
 members or umpires in youth leagues. Many MSBL members do this, and share the
 priceless experience with their children.
 
 MSBL ballplayers bring tremendous assets to youth baseball. Unlike most parents,
 whose active baseball experience ended years, perhaps decades ago, MSBL members
 are active ballplayers. They understand the game far better than the average parent.
 They have outstanding mechanical and teamwork skills. MSBL members are superbly
 qualified to teach the skills and attitudes which make successful players and teams.
 When an MSBL member approaches a community baseball program, he will almost
 certainly be met with open arms.
 

The Positive Coaching Movement

 Across the country, a network of organizations have recently begun promoting Positive
 Coaching and related Certification programs. Each of these programs has its own
 message and emphasis, but they share a basic philosophy and many goals. They can
 all provide important information. Prominent among these are:
 

Positive Coaching Alliance

 375 Santa Teresa St.  
 Stanford, CA 94305  
 650-725-0024
 http://www.positivecoach.org/
 

The Center for Kids FIRST in Sports

 5447 E. Lafayette, Phoenix, Arizona 85018
 602-725-2134
http://www.kidsfirstinsports.org/home.htm
 

The National Institute of Sport Coaches

 4155 East Jewell Ave. # 414
 Denver, Colorado 80222
 800-595-4977
 

Positive Coaching Philosophy

 "Looking at youth sports, there needs to be a system à that helps parents make the
 transition from parent to coach," says Loyola Athletics Director John Planek. The
 Positive Coaching Alliance addresses the problems involved in creating good coaches
 and outlines the qualifications of a good coaching candidate and a good coach.
 
 The PCA promotes the "Positive Coaching Mental Model," which consists of three
 basic concepts: honoring the game, redefining winner and addressing kids'
 emotional needs. The PCA believes that a positive coach is one who believes in
 winning but, more important, developing positive character traits in youth.
 
 The Youth Sports Institute believes that all people need to feel that they belong to a
 group. Youth sports offer an automatic sense of belonging, reinforced by the team name,
 uniforms, photos and social activities.
 
 Positive coaching fosters a sense of belonging in each team member, which in turn
 promotes self-esteem. The coach recognizes and encourages every kid, not just the
 stars. The coach should not let teammates criticize each other. He should encourage
 parents to notice and compliment every team member.
 
 In his book Sacred Hoops, the great basketball coach Phil Jackson states, "A great
 player can only do so much." If he is out of synch "the team will never achieve the
 harmony  to win a championship. Good teams become great ones when members
 trust each other enough to surrender the me for the we. That includes the Coach."
 

Do's and Don'ts of Positive Coaching

 A positive coach explains the mechanics of the game or position without criticizing the
 kids. He quits looking for the negative and starts looking for the positive in his players.
 He takes notes during games and practices and talks to each player about the positive
 areas of his or her game. When players realize that you are going to praise the positive
 things they've done, they will work even harder so that you will have more positive things
 to say about them.
 
 A positive coach keeps comprehensive evaluation notes on every player. He looks for
 the positive things they do. Whenever you see a player do something good, jot a note
 under the player's name. Remember to look for the team_building things that players do
 to encourage each other as well as their progress with individual skills.
 

Building Your Notebook

 Make sure you make about four positive notes about each player at every game. Be
 honest. Don't make something up that isn't true about any player. This is the hard part.
 You have to find four positive things about each player. They may be a small things,
 but you can find them if you look hard enough.
 
 Begin your next practice with a quick team meeting reviewing your positive notes. One
 at a time, share each player's positives with the group.
 

Evaluating Yourself

 Team practice is Quality Time with the players. Let a bad day at the office stay at the
 office. Enjoy the positive energy of your players during practice.
 
 Equally important, a good coach must evaluate his own performance after each game or
 practice. Below, is a simple checklist that will help you keep an eye on yourself.
 

Youth Sports Coach Behavior Checklist

 1) I praise kids just for participating.
 2) I look for positives, and make a big deal out of them.
 3) I stay calm when my kids make mistakes, helping them learn from their mistakes.
 4) I have reasonable and realistic expectations.
 5) I treat my kids with respect, avoiding put_downs, sarcasm, and ridicule.
 6) I remind my kids not to get down on themselves.
 7) I remember not to take myself too seriously during the game.
 8) I stress that Fun is #1 with lots of laughter and a gentle sense of humor.
 9) I emphasize teamwork, and help my kids think we instead of me.
 10) I am a role model of good sportsmanship:
      (a) Winning without gloating.
      (b) Losing without complaining.
      (c) Treating opponents and officials with fairness, generosity, & courtesy.
      
 I hope this article stimulates MSBL members to contact organizations that promote
 Positive Coaching in youth sports, and to volunteer with youth baseball programs in their
 communities. In our next piece, we will address specific coaching problems and
 solutions. I am also available as a resource for interested readers. Feel free to email me
 at lelonson@fastq.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

BELOW: Larry Lonson with son Bryant Lonson.