Young Players Want the Challenge
I went into a Summer Infield Session knowing full well that it would be difficult. Not difficult for the kids, but difficult for me as the coach. I had 15 kids ages 12 & under and I had 20 minutes set aside for various throwing drills: 180s glove side, boxers to throw, 3-2-1s, throwing on the run (anyone who is familiar w/Nate Trosky understands these drills), etc. Going into the session, I knew that most (more likely all) of these kids never have worked on these techniques/drills so the execution would be difficult. So why then would it be difficult for me and not the kids?
When teaching the younger kids, most coaches opt for the ‘easy stuff’. Most will stick to the basics, which definitely should be covered. But, if we want our kids to truly get better, we need to challenge them. The ‘basics’ should be covered every practice but every practice should also include drills that challenge them both physically and mentally. Kids will get bored of the basics. And when they get bored, their performance suffers. So what do coaches do? They continue to stick with the basics. And what happens to the kids. They lose interest and their development is stunted.
So why do coaches NOT want to teach the more advanced skills (backhands, fielding and throwing on the run, etc)? I have found there are a few reasons:
- Coaches don’t know how to teach these skills: Totally understandable; but we live in an age where information is at our fingertips. Open the computer, do some searching ( I will help – go to Trosky Baseball) and do your homework. I don’t care if you ever played, you have a brain. Listen, watch and repeat until you ‘get it’.
- They don’t think the kids can handle it: This one annoys me. YES….THEY….CAN! And spend the time to teach them and they will show you they can handle it. Kids will embrace the challenge. They will be excited to work on things they see major leaguers doing on TV. They WANT to do the drills even if they stink at them. They want the freedom. Challenge them and you will be VERY surprised.
- Coach lacks patience: And this is why I was hesitant going into the Infield Session this past summer. I had to repeatedly tell myself before the session: “Be patient today. They’re gonna struggle. Stick with it.” Too often, I feel I abandoned a drill too soon. I saw kids attempting the drill, but falling WAAAAAY short of what I was expecting. And we struggle to have patience. We see the constant failure and either get frustrated at what we see or we feel bad for the kids (or both). So the easy route is to abandon ship and do something else. BUT, stick with it. The next rep may just be the one. The next rep may be where someone gets it. Then it snowballs. And before you know it, you have a show on your hands. Kids are doing things you least expected. And then you don’t want to stop. You want more. You just want to keep going and going and going. Then you’re hooked!
- They don’t need to be doing this yet: If not now, then when? At what age do we teach backhands? At what age do we teach a kid how to throw on the run across their body? I’ll tell you….NOW!!! Yes, start with the basics. They don’t need to master the basics, but they do need to show some competence. They need to understand how they should do something. Then jump into the complex. And, in fact, teaching them the complex may actually help them execute the basics better. Oftentimes, learning the complex requires they control their bodies better. It may require they have better focus. They are more inclined to work harder on the complex drills than on the basics. So, if they can develop better body control and a better mindset on the complex, the basics will improve.
Hopefully this has helped re-shape your thinking. And hopefully you will begin to incorporate some different, more complex drills in your practices. Again, the kids will struggle with them; but the overall long-term benefits will far outweigh the short-term struggles.