When Coach is an Idiot
What do you do when the coach is an idiot?
I got lots of great responses to my emails over the weekend where I shared my targets.
But one stuck in my craw. Feel the emotion in this...
"The biggest obstacle that faces my son this all important junior year is his own coach. I can go on for several pages; suffice to say that he is the antithesis of everything you have written about and believe in. He is cruel, overwhelmingly negative, mentally abusive and seems to enjoy humiliating his players. I'm sure you receive input like this from parents, most of which probably have an underlying issue such as lack of playing time etc. This is NOT the case with my son. He led his team last year (and in fall-ball) in every category, and won the batting title.
He is a starter, bats in the two or three hole, and has picked up where he has left off last year (4-7, 2B in two games). I feel so bad for my son; he deserves so much better; someone to help him develop and enjoy the game.
"What makes it very frustrating for him is that despite his consistent performance over the last two years, he receives absolutely NO, NONE, NADA recognition or positive support; while a select few players of lesser ability/attitude/hustle/performance are favored and mollycoddled."
[end quote]
Clearly this coach is an extreme case, but he's not alone.
Other coaches are pretty far out there.
Amazing how that can happen. I could go on about how this shouldn't happen, how wrong it is, how sad it is, etc.
But that wouldn't help. It would only draw attention and energy away from the young man's goal. Cutting to the chase, the kid has two viable choices.
1) Leave. Go play somewhere else. I don't know the complexities of this, but let's assume it is a tough option.
2) Use it as a springboard to greatness.
I like a Napoleon Hill's line that "Inside every adversity is the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit."
OK, so where's the benefit in having this guy for his coach?
Baseball is hard enough the way it is. It is so damn hard and we all fall short so much that it takes a lot to keep focused on our targets even with supportive coaches and parents.
This player is being called on to rise to a higher level.
In order to perform, learn and enjoy as much and well as possible he'll have to develop his mental skills beyond the challenge he faces.
My answer to any "What should I do if..." question for pitchers and hitters is "Do your routine."
Get into as confident a state as you can and focus your attention where it needs to be to give you your best chance to be successful.
Regardless of what else comes your way.
Research on Bobby Knight showed that his players learned to tune out the criticism and the tone and focus on the information he was giving them.
This young man needs to develop his ability to generate his own positive energy, direct his attention toward the most important things for his performance, and see how much fun he can have.
It is possible to rise about this challenge.
See the coach as Buddha. Buddha was a teacher. This coach is a teacher. He is demanding that the player take his game to a higher place.
That is the gift the coach is giving the player.
I wouldn't recommend trying to "prove" himself to the coach. I wouldn't try to spite the coach by showing him how great he can play.
All that diverts energy from the player's goal. All that plays down to the coach's level. The player must focus on playing great because he wants to.
He would be well served to clarify his values of the type of player he wants to be and focus on that.
Focus on your goal.
And very proactively he ought to create a supportive team around him. Like Team Tiger, a group of positive, supportive people who are committed to helping the player achieve his goal.
Do not let them join in any coach bashing. Acknowledge the challenges the coach poses, but energy spent bashing him is energy down the drain.
And as my mom always says, "Smile lots."
Tom
Dr. Tom Hanson
p.s. The player's goal becomes his North Star. It will guide him through and help navigate the stormy waters. But to hold strong in the face of such adversity it must be a strong goal. Set well. Set smart. Set with an understanding of how the brain works, how goals work, and how you can use your brain to reach your goal.
That's what you learn in this month's Baseball Confidence Gym.
Get it AND my best-selling Confidence Conditioning for Baseball for just $29. Get it now before supplies and the month run out. www.BaseballConfidence.com/Join.html
I got lots of great responses to my emails over the weekend where I shared my targets.
But one stuck in my craw. Feel the emotion in this...
"The biggest obstacle that faces my son this all important junior year is his own coach. I can go on for several pages; suffice to say that he is the antithesis of everything you have written about and believe in. He is cruel, overwhelmingly negative, mentally abusive and seems to enjoy humiliating his players. I'm sure you receive input like this from parents, most of which probably have an underlying issue such as lack of playing time etc. This is NOT the case with my son. He led his team last year (and in fall-ball) in every category, and won the batting title.
He is a starter, bats in the two or three hole, and has picked up where he has left off last year (4-7, 2B in two games). I feel so bad for my son; he deserves so much better; someone to help him develop and enjoy the game.
"What makes it very frustrating for him is that despite his consistent performance over the last two years, he receives absolutely NO, NONE, NADA recognition or positive support; while a select few players of lesser ability/attitude/hustle/performance are favored and mollycoddled."
[end quote]
Clearly this coach is an extreme case, but he's not alone.
Other coaches are pretty far out there.
Amazing how that can happen. I could go on about how this shouldn't happen, how wrong it is, how sad it is, etc.
But that wouldn't help. It would only draw attention and energy away from the young man's goal. Cutting to the chase, the kid has two viable choices.
1) Leave. Go play somewhere else. I don't know the complexities of this, but let's assume it is a tough option.
2) Use it as a springboard to greatness.
I like a Napoleon Hill's line that "Inside every adversity is the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit."
OK, so where's the benefit in having this guy for his coach?
Baseball is hard enough the way it is. It is so damn hard and we all fall short so much that it takes a lot to keep focused on our targets even with supportive coaches and parents.
This player is being called on to rise to a higher level.
In order to perform, learn and enjoy as much and well as possible he'll have to develop his mental skills beyond the challenge he faces.
My answer to any "What should I do if..." question for pitchers and hitters is "Do your routine."
Get into as confident a state as you can and focus your attention where it needs to be to give you your best chance to be successful.
Regardless of what else comes your way.
Research on Bobby Knight showed that his players learned to tune out the criticism and the tone and focus on the information he was giving them.
This young man needs to develop his ability to generate his own positive energy, direct his attention toward the most important things for his performance, and see how much fun he can have.
It is possible to rise about this challenge.
See the coach as Buddha. Buddha was a teacher. This coach is a teacher. He is demanding that the player take his game to a higher place.
That is the gift the coach is giving the player.
I wouldn't recommend trying to "prove" himself to the coach. I wouldn't try to spite the coach by showing him how great he can play.
All that diverts energy from the player's goal. All that plays down to the coach's level. The player must focus on playing great because he wants to.
He would be well served to clarify his values of the type of player he wants to be and focus on that.
Focus on your goal.
And very proactively he ought to create a supportive team around him. Like Team Tiger, a group of positive, supportive people who are committed to helping the player achieve his goal.
Do not let them join in any coach bashing. Acknowledge the challenges the coach poses, but energy spent bashing him is energy down the drain.
And as my mom always says, "Smile lots."
Tom
Dr. Tom Hanson
p.s. The player's goal becomes his North Star. It will guide him through and help navigate the stormy waters. But to hold strong in the face of such adversity it must be a strong goal. Set well. Set smart. Set with an understanding of how the brain works, how goals work, and how you can use your brain to reach your goal.
That's what you learn in this month's Baseball Confidence Gym.
Get it AND my best-selling Confidence Conditioning for Baseball for just $29. Get it now before supplies and the month run out. www.BaseballConfidence.com/Join.html
posted by Tom Hanson at
11:16 AM
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