After being rained out for our game yesterday, I went to the Academy for what I thought would be a fairly calm day. It was until about noon. Two called in for "emergency" hitting lessons! I hear from parents everyday that their child is just not hitting in the games and could I "fix" them real quick! Note to those who call...I can't "Fix" anything! I can show them what they are doing wrong but they will have to choose to "fix" the problem!
Needless to say, we worked on "fixing" the problems and before they left they were hitting a bit better! I just hope they continue to practice and remember what we did to correct the problems. Most think that hitting a baseball should be easy...it's not! You have to work hard and continue to practice daily to keep your mind and body in submission to the task. It's an on-going process.
After that we had a birthday party that brought in about 20 plus kids and parents. After giving a quick lesson to the "coaches" that came (the Birthday boy invited his baseball team), I was told by one of the coaches that he appreciated my approach...but I was to leave his son's swing alone. He said his son had a great swing and hit well. I told him I would but asked him to tell me when his son got up to bat. When his son got up, he pointed to me and I started feeding balls and watched each ball pass him as he missed nearly every one. As he kept telling his son what to do...it seemed to get worse. I could tell the boy was getting real frustrated and I finally asked the coach, "Do you mind if I change his approach just a little?" The coached allowed me to and we started hitting a few balls!
This doesn't mean I know everything! I just recognize certain problems when someone is trying to swing a baseball bat and hit a 50 mph fast ball! There are certain things a 7 or 8 year old can do...but swinging like the pros swing, or like dad who is 6'3" , 230 pounds, with muscles all over...just ain't gonna happen! Kids have to have time to grow and develop muscle as well as coordination and mental capabilities. In humans...this just takes time!
If there is any encouragment I could give to coaches and parents...it's "try to look for the problem". Don't try to make the child do it like you did it or do it like you think it should be done. There are certain fundamentals that need to happen, but each child is mentally and physically at a different level of play.
The BD party ended with everyone having enjoyed an afternoon of baseball, food, cake, and friendship. This is what makes this such a great job to have!
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3 comments:
Way to go, Coach C.! This is a side of you that I don't remember knowing about back in the band days. I guess it was just in there waiting for Tom.
Thanks Professor! It was always there...just waiting for the day. Kinda like how you have been moved by the sons the Lord provided for you. It's a good thing to be a dad, a scary thing, a blessed thing.
Amen to that!
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