“We will begin by learning how to tie our shoes.” - John Wooden
Teams that emphasize details, like properly tying a shoe or tucking in a shirt, know there are truly no details, because it ALL matters.
3rd base coach:
“Let’s go! Get a good pitch to hit!”
1st base coach:
“Let the ball travel!”
Dad:
“Remember to keep your weight back!”
Grandpa:
“Get that runner over!”
Little bro:
“Hit a bomb!”
Dugout:
“Don’t lunge!”
“Stay thru the baseball!”
“Stay short to the ball!”
“Watch for the 1st pitch curveball!”
“Sit fastball!”
Hitter thoughts:
You gotta block out the noise, have extreme focus, control the pressure and anxiety, have your plan and compete.
Just writing this gave me anxiety, imagine what that young ballplayer is going through in the moment the next time you want to start barking out instructions on how to hit! 🤐
#BaseballTruth
It’s official.
It’s so hard to sit and watch your kid play the game they love and listen to some of the nonsense that parents talk about.
It’s really not that bad.
You don’t need to complain about every little detail.
You don’t need to try and dissect everything the coach is thinking.
You don’t need to get upset over every close ball/strike call.
You don’t need to offer your hitting advice after every pitch.
You don’t need to question every decision.
You don’t need to make excuses for poor play.
Please just stop 🛑
It’s so annoying and embarrassing at the same time.
#BaseballTruth
Luke Falk shared a Mike Leach story that stopped me cold:
Two kids. One rich. One poor.
Every training camp, Coach Leach told his team about these 2 kids.
The rich kid has two choices.
Get soft. Get entitled. Expect everything handed to him because he was handed more.
Or take the resources, the coaching, the opportunities, and compound them into something greater.
The poor kid has two choices too.
Say nobody gave him anything. Blame the world. Make his circumstances the reason he never became what he could have been.
Or outwork everyone in the room.
Luke said the locker room had both. Kids from wealth. Kids from nothing. Kids with every advantage. Kids who scraped for every inch.
Same choice for all of them.
Ownership or victimhood.
Fuel or excuse.
The rich kid can waste the head start or build on it.
The poor kid can drown in the deficit or weaponize it.
Greatness doesn't come from where you start.
It comes from which kid you choose to feed.
Credit to @coachlukefalk for continuing to share golden nuggets about Coach’s legacy
The “boring” stuff wins ballgames:
-Backing up the play
-Putting the ball in play
-Moving the runner
-Making the routine plays
-Consistent communication
-Throwing strikes
-Smart baserunning
-Taking your walks
-Getting HBP, holding your ground
-Hitting a cutoff man
-Hustling out everything
*At some point, the “boring” tasks of ⚾️ will win extra games! And more often than not, playoff berths, seedings, playoff wins, and even championships can be determined and decided by what many would call “boring.”
Turn the “boring” into the “important” and that’s how you win!
#BaseballTruth