|
who love to watch their kids play ball! |
 MUDBALL mudball.com A site about youth baseball, created by a youth baseball player. |
(Notice that there is no copyright
on this page. If you find it useful, http://mudball.com/partips.htm
So, I would like to share some thoughts with you, too. I honestly believe
that these ideas will help to make sports funner for your children, more
enjoyable for you, and a heck of a lot easier on those people who volunteer
their time and skills. Hope they can help!!
PLAY BALL!
please feel free to copy it on paper and
distribute it as needed.
Also feel free to make any changes to it first, in
order to customize it.
If you reprint it on the Internet, I would appreciate
credit for the Mudball site.)
Hi. My name is Keith. For the past several years my son has played in several
youth sports, most prominently baseball, from Little League to high school. I
have had the opportunity to watch parents, coaches, and athletes interact to
become teams. Most of these interactions have been positive, but I have
occasionally noticed areas in which parents can really help to make the athletic
experience a positive learning experience for their kids.
| Work with your child. There
really is little more satisfying than going out at least a few evenings a
week and playing ball with your kids. This gives quality time, and helps
your child improve his/her skills (and, trust me, the better your child
can play, the more she/he will enjoy the Little League experience!). Some
day, your child will look back on the summer evenings spent playing catch
with mom and dad.
Get involved in your local league. Most leagues
are run on a volunteer basis, and they can use all the help they can get.
Anything you can do to pitch in will make the league run more smoothly,
and will help all the kids -- from helping out at tryouts, to scorekeeping
or field preparation, to umpiring. If your son or daughter sees that their
league is that important to you, he/she will learn that it is important to
the kids, too. For years I have helped out by field prep, scorekeeping,
and umpiring; in addition to making it a satisfying experience for me, I'm
able to share in something that's very important to my son. And, the
leagues provide all of the training anyone needs. Some people worry that
they are not qualified--I say if you make a mistake, you can offer to give
back the money you earned that day (remember--it's volunteer work!!).
Besides, even coaches and players make mistakes...the point is to learn
and to have fun, and to teach kids that you care!!!
As parents, we've learned to be patient with our
kids. Be patient with their coaches, too. Different coaches have different
philosophies. Some believe in having players play all positions, some want
players to become good at one. Some coaches place more emphasis on
winning, and some place all emphasis on learning. Each coach is different,
and last year's coach probably did things differently than this year's
coach will. It is IMPORTANT to remember that your child's coach is not
being paid; he or she is working for the love of the game and the kids.
Let them be the coach! Don't argue and criticize if you think your child
is being treated unfairly (as parents, it is natural to be very
protective, but most coaches aren't discriminating). If you think there is
a problem, discuss it calmly with the coach AWAY from the ball field;
chances are that you will see his point of view. The important thing is
not to make an issue in front of the players; along with baseball, they
are learning to work as a team and to respect authority and
experience...work not to ruin this teaching.
For heaven's sake, show up for the games AND the
practices. In today's busy world it is sometimes hard to juggle schedules,
but this is your child! I cannot begin to tell stories of kids I've seen
who never tried to excel at baseball, and invariably these kids were
dropped off at practices and picked up afterwards, without the parent(s)
ever watching a single practice. It's only a couple of times a week, a
couple of months out of the year! The most irritating are the parents who
don't ever watch practice (and, therefore, never understand the coaches'
philosophy), but will question (yell!) at a coach's decision during the
game. Most people wouldn't dare to not show up for work and still tell the
boss what's wrong with the company, but they will turn around and do just
that with their childs' coach.
Respect the rules! This is what the kids should be
learning. If you don't agree with an umpire's call, keep it to yourself.
If there is a team rule that bothers you, well, its their team...not
yours. If you think there is a serious problem, take it up with the coach
or a league official on your own time, not your child's. Rule of thumb:
during practice or games, don't speak unless spoken to (except, of course,
to cheer on ALL the kids). This is not to say that you can't have a fan's
opinion, or try to stick up for your kids; just realize that if you yell
at an umpire in an unsportsmanlike way, kids will be watching, listening,
and learning. If you must make a comment, try to keep it polite, upbeat,
and humorous.
Don't create pressure. Just about every father
dreams of his son becoming a major league star, but they are only
children. Don't expect more than they can deliver. Give positive
encouragement, and be there when they need you. Besides, often a child in
early years will lack certain skills, and blossom later on. Don't fight
nature, or the kids. the one thing that will make me cringe the most, at a
game, is to see a player strike out, or make a mistake, only to have a
parent up in the stands yelling at him/her. Praising them for their
effort, even in failure, will go a lot farther, and make the drive home
much more pleasant.
Ice Cream!!! No one likes to lose, but the nature
of a team sport is that one team will always lose. Teach your child that
he/she didn't lose, the team lost. And they lost to a team that just
happened to play better that day. There is always next time, and the
important thing is to learn from the defeats. It's okay to analyze why
someone lost, and how they can do better next time. It's never okay to
place blame! Then, go out and have an ice cream cone.
Have Fun!!!!! Youth sports should be a positive
experience for everyone: kids, coaches, support staff, and parents.
Winning is nice, but losing is inevitable. Being a star is fun, but being
a bench player is just as important. Take the opportunity to enjoy your
childs' childhood, and to teach some important life lessons!!
(This suggestion is from a Mom) Although baseball
is considered a 'non-contact' sport, there are occassions when players
collide, or non-contact injuries occur. We are all concerned about our
children's safety, but if your child suffers an injury, remember: kids are
able to sustain a lot more than adults; and, coaches are trained in
dealing with injuries. Let the coach handle the situation...he doesn't
need a panicked parent to deal with. It isn't bad to move closer to the
area, but jumping a fence and moving people out of the way just adds to
the confusion. Give the coach a chance to assess the situation and take
any steps necessary to provide for the safety of the player. If anything
is serious, he will let you know and ask for your help immediately.
I can't stress this enough: VOLUNTEER...they need
you. One of the biggest irritants I see is those who will not give their
time, but are quick to criticize. If you can't be part of the
solution, don't be part of the problem. If you think that
something needs to be changed, get involved so that you can change it.
(This suggestion is from a manager) One of the most
frustrating things for a manager is to have a parent come up after the
season and say,"great season, but you kept doing something that bothered
me..." A manager/coach cannot change problems if they don't know the
problems exist. Most managers/coaches welcome input.
|
|
who love to watch their kids play ball! |
MUDBALL mudball.com A site about youth baseball, created by a youth baseball player. |
| One of the many books I own is one called You Can Teach
Hitting, by Dusty Baker. Along with being an excellent text, there
appears inside of the front cover a poem about a Little Leaguer...I gave a
copy of this poem to several parents and coaches a few years ago, and it
seems to always be a favorite.
|
| Alone At The Plate |
|
and walks to the plate, "gotta hit and that's that." The crowd starts to yell, the game's on the line, last inning, two outs, the score's nine to nine. Dad yells, "Go get it," Mom wrings her hands, coach hollers, "hit it," but alone there he stands. Heros are made in seconds such as this, but he's just a little boy, what if he should miss? Years after this game's ended and he's little no more, And when the game's over, this boy can stand tall, |
This page created and maintained by Keith Taylor.
