Promoting Positive Attitudes When Coaching Youth Baseball

Let's say, for example, a youth baseball game is tied with two outs, bottom of the last inning, and you are visitors. It is necessary for your team to hold the tie for a chance to play an extra inning. A ball is hit to the youth baseball shortstop. It has been done a hundred times or more in practice. The player scoops the ball up and makes a perfect routine throw to first. Three outs and pep talk time. Lets hit the ball, get on base and score . But wait as your team is running to the dugout but you see the umpire with outstretched hands calling the runner safe. You look at your team, glance at the stands , and you notice you are not the only one that can not believe it. The ball beat the runner easily, it was not dropped, so what happened. Bad call probably, or actually missed totally. This happens and we should have sportsmanship like conduct just as we would like our players to have.

I have actually seen this situation in a 9 year olds game. The coaches response was sportsmanlike. Heck , there was still two outs and just a man on third. What happened after that was pure terror. You guessed it, the next pitch was in the dirt, passed ball, and as everyone screamed at the catcher including the coach to hold the ball, he chunked it hard. Way hard.. out to center field as the runner stole second and kept running to third. Now the catcher is nervous, the pitcher is looking very trumped at this point. Remember these are 9 year old boys playing youth baseball. Perfect time for a time out right? The signs are there. The kids are crumbling. Coaches screaming, parents screaming , and several young baseball players wondering what to do. The next pitch was high over the catcher (I guess the boy was trying to compensate for the pitch in the dirt)..run scored game over.

If you have ever coached youth baseball or have been a spectator in the stands you have seen meltdowns like this. One little error or bad call, or even a close call, can change the momentum of the game and the mental aspect is overwhelming to youth baseball players. In this situation a timeout should have been called to calm everyone and level the mental playing field by not letting the other team roll with the advantage they just received so late in the game at a crucial time. Would the team have won? Maybe not, but if a moment is taken to reassure the players all is not lost and do their basic skills of getting ready, know where the play is, listen to the coaches call, it may have been different. I also feel in the long run our youth baseball players will be more competitive mentally in such situations. You do what you have to do but it may not always work out. But we do cannot afford mental errors trying to overcompensate for a previous error.

As a coach or parent be sure and try to notice your child's or teams emotions at crucial times. Coaches do not be afraid to take a timeout. Luck will not always go your way but at least the boys and adults have handled the situation with dignity and progressed in dealing with stressful situations. A simple time out can help control momentum in the game and change the situation entirely. Many times it will be in your teams favor.

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