“Strong people don’t put others down. They lift them up.” – Michael P. Watson
The other night at Mr D’s baseball practice, the 7 year old boy playing third base made a mistake. They were practicing forced outs versus tagged outs. The third baseman got the ball and instead of tagging third, he threw it to second base.
When he started putting his glove over his face, pacing, and chewing himself out, the coach told him not to worry about it. He said, “Don’t worry about it. Baseball is hard. If it was easy, we wouldn’t play it!”
While the players were getting their stuff together in the dugout after practice, I told the coach later how much I liked his baseball is hard speech. He laughed. In his warm and engaging tone, he told me more about his coaching philosophy:
“Getting practice reps is key to developing the fine motor and gross motor physical skills. Then there is the mental aspect. Learning the rules so you can play without thinking too much.
“Then of course the hardest part, learning how to deal with your emotions when things don’t go well. It’s a lot but also why baseball is such a great sport for kids who like the game. We can not only learn the game but learn how to be a great teammate and learn how to manage ourselves. “
Getting the practice reps in, learning the rules so you don’t have to think too much, managing our emotions, and learning to be great teammates. Sounds like the game of life to me.
When the boy who got upset moved on to practicing catching fly balls, he made up a chant to encourage others. If someone missed, he’d yell, “Great try, [player name]!”
I think he’s going to do fine in baseball…and life.
(featured photo is mine)
You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram @wynneleon
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Surprised By Joy 
The coach sounds like the Dalai Lama! What luck for his young players.
Baseball is a wonderful game, with the space for players who are not 7 feet tall and not 300 pounds. For me, it is full of wonderful memories and relationships.
Mr. D is in the right place. Thanks, Wynne.
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What a wonderful (life) baseball coach! So many kids (and parents) would benefit from learning from his way of life.
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I think I need that kind of encouragement. When I go to work, I need someone sitting next to me to sing: “great try Brian!” Would be very cool. Love the coach’s mindset.
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What a great coaching philosophy. We need more like him!
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What an incredible philosophy, and what lucky kids to learn under such a coach!
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Mr. D is lucky to have a coach like him.
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what a great coach and great life lesson, these kids are so lucky to have him! the parents could learn from him as well –
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A great closing line…I agree…set up for success…on a baseball diamond and beyond! 😊💝😊
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Great lesson through great teaching Wynn. Learning to win well and lose well… I went back to Rudyard Kipling’s ‘If’ especially
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same…
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So uplifting Wynne, “Great try,” it’s all everyone can do. It is heartwarming to screw something up and then someone says, it’s okay, how can we do better next time. Most people I encounter are kind hearted and when they are not, it’s often that they lack support and love. Hugs, C
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As I read this, I heard Tom Hanks’ voice saying “There’s no crying in baseball.” 😂
It’s lovely that the young player learned to support and encourage his teammates. Such a important lesson.
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