In a recent thread, Jake Patterson noted by way of passing that he'd written a book called How To Coach Little League: A Short Easy To Follow Guide On How To Begin Your Little League Coaching Career, available in book or downloadable format from booklocker.com. I don't know Jake and I haven't read (and am not here to pimp) this book, although the excerpt from another Jake Patterson book on coaching basketball makes it appear as though he's got some outstanding ideas. (If you want to see the excerpt, go to the booklocker.com site and select the "Sports" category, and Jake's two books should come up.)
While scanning his basketball book, I came across an included article Jake wrote about coaches giving token playing time to arguably lesser players. I have never seen anything written on that specific subject and it was absolutely brilliant! I literally had tears in my eyes because I've seen exactly what you describe over and over again. Coaches either are (or pretend to be) totally clueless about the impact of such playing decisions on the kids. Any boy or girl above the age of 9 knows when he is being patronized -- being treated as though it's a chore to have to put him or her on the field to meet leagues' minimum playing time rules.
In my son's 11-12 year old league, the weaker kids almost always get stuck playing nothing but the outfield (even in practice), and it becomes a vicious cycle because they can't be good infielders without having the opportunity to work at it. Two almost quit even though the team was on a run that led to the championship. I finally had to implore my son's coach, "Hey, if you're not going to play the younger kids beyond the minimum, at least go to them once a week and give them an encouraging word and let them know they're a big contributor to the team."
Ironically, the kids ultimately reacted in a "well, I'll show that guy" attitude. It was a wonderful experience in the semifinal game when the four 12 year olds tanked and the team fell behind 6 to 1. All of a sudden, each and every one of the seven 11-year olds, who he'd always disdained as weak hitters, came through with big plays and hits, including my son's strike from right field to nail a runner at the plate, a first-ever home run from another kid, and a key RBI ground out from a kid who'd been zoning out because of serious family problems. They won 11-8 and then, with that burst of confidence permeating the team, won the championship game 15 - 0.
I raise the issue because I think baseball's biggest fans are adults who played, and developed a love for it, in a youth league, and I hate to see this potential appreciation for the game soured because of such coaching. And I don't think you need to risk the team's chances of winning by including lesser players. For example, one of my son's great coaches the previous two years would put weaker players at third base when the bottom of the opponent's lineup was due up, as they were not very likely to pull the ball anyway. Just the experience of warming up with the regular infielders before the inning started was a treat to them.
Anyway, I invite Jake and others to weigh in on this issue. How as a coach do you handle it? How as a player or parent do you address such a coach?
While scanning his basketball book, I came across an included article Jake wrote about coaches giving token playing time to arguably lesser players. I have never seen anything written on that specific subject and it was absolutely brilliant! I literally had tears in my eyes because I've seen exactly what you describe over and over again. Coaches either are (or pretend to be) totally clueless about the impact of such playing decisions on the kids. Any boy or girl above the age of 9 knows when he is being patronized -- being treated as though it's a chore to have to put him or her on the field to meet leagues' minimum playing time rules.
In my son's 11-12 year old league, the weaker kids almost always get stuck playing nothing but the outfield (even in practice), and it becomes a vicious cycle because they can't be good infielders without having the opportunity to work at it. Two almost quit even though the team was on a run that led to the championship. I finally had to implore my son's coach, "Hey, if you're not going to play the younger kids beyond the minimum, at least go to them once a week and give them an encouraging word and let them know they're a big contributor to the team."
Ironically, the kids ultimately reacted in a "well, I'll show that guy" attitude. It was a wonderful experience in the semifinal game when the four 12 year olds tanked and the team fell behind 6 to 1. All of a sudden, each and every one of the seven 11-year olds, who he'd always disdained as weak hitters, came through with big plays and hits, including my son's strike from right field to nail a runner at the plate, a first-ever home run from another kid, and a key RBI ground out from a kid who'd been zoning out because of serious family problems. They won 11-8 and then, with that burst of confidence permeating the team, won the championship game 15 - 0.
I raise the issue because I think baseball's biggest fans are adults who played, and developed a love for it, in a youth league, and I hate to see this potential appreciation for the game soured because of such coaching. And I don't think you need to risk the team's chances of winning by including lesser players. For example, one of my son's great coaches the previous two years would put weaker players at third base when the bottom of the opponent's lineup was due up, as they were not very likely to pull the ball anyway. Just the experience of warming up with the regular infielders before the inning started was a treat to them.
Anyway, I invite Jake and others to weigh in on this issue. How as a coach do you handle it? How as a player or parent do you address such a coach?
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