3 Things I've Learned While Coaching Fall Little League Baseball

Written by Jason DaWayne Smith

I played sports as a kid, but pretty much sucked until perhaps, 6th or 7th grade. I was always into school, spelling bees. Was not and arguably am not, the “Coolest or most popular kid”. I played sports, sadly, because it was the “boy thing to do” but not because I yearned for it.

It’s for this reason that I decided as a parent to not push my two boys into sports. I honestly could care less if they can hit a 3 pointer, run faster than some other kid, or hit a ball further than anyone else. I do however care whether my guys know how to work with others. Whether they understand the value of commitment to team and collaboration. And whether they know what it means to overcome adversity. It’s for this reason that I allowed my two little loves to engage in sports participation throughout the years and thus far, it’s been a balanced joy.

Balanced in that, my oldest is just like me at his age of 10 years old. Not the most agile, not the fastest, not the coolest kid on the team - but a hard worker. My youngest is more like me in my older years - an introverted socialite, skilled, competitive. Watching them both develop in their own wonderful ways, makes me cherish each day more than ever, while wondering - what do sports actually mean? Why do parents spend so much money, so much time, so much energy on trying to make their kid an amazing athlete when we know small percentages of this effort will result in any tangible benefit (scholarship, career, financial wealth, happiness)?

In May of 2022 I decided to explore this wonder first hand. Our local house baseball league (a sport I NEVER PLAYED OR UNDERSTOOD) was desperate for Fall baseball coaches. Fall, if you don’t know, is supposed to be laid back, learner’s league. Easy for the kids, parents, but great practice for all. My sons both wanted to play and my oldest couldn’t do so unless the team found a coach. So I decided to coach for my son and well, as a middle aged man, I learned a lot - about myself, decision making, and how to treat people. Here are my learnings for anyone that cares to know…

Lesson 1: Don’t Judge a Book By It’s Cover…Until Game #3.

“Johnny” walked onto my first practice…late. No energy. Complaining. No bat. Lackluster on the field. Parents not as engaged. My first instinct - don’t waste my time. He’ll drag the team down. But something about the end of our first practice. Seeing him wonder alone after the practice. No parent there cheering him on, or at the gate to pick him up struck me.

I watched “Johnny” in game 1, then practice 2, game 2 and each week, I noticed one thing that I never ever looked for as a dad or a leader, ever! I noticed him wanting to win but not knowing HOW. I noticed him trying to be successful at positions but not knowing which he was supposed to be good at, how he was supposed to act, what being rewarded looked, smelled or felt like. So I put him in a literally every position out there and just watched - no judgement. If he dropped a ball - so what. If he walked a bunch of kids - so what. If he struck out…so so so what! Even if he cost us a game - SO WHAT!

But all of a sudden in game 3, we needed a back catcher. Our star kid couldn’t make it. I asked “Johnny” to play the position and he looked me in the eye with a glare of glory. It’s like, he just didn’t know how to ask to play this role, but because I had just let him play, let him fail, let him try, let him not feel judged - he finally felt OK to accept the opportunity he could never ask for. What do you know, “Johnny” caught an amazing game for us and saved the game- not just in game 3 but a few games after that.

Perhaps what I learned was look, listen, and ALLOW. ALLOW both you as a leader and they as a learner to grow together. You’re imperfect and so are they, but you have to kinda put each other in scenarios to see what works and doesn’t. Every one is a winner in the right position if you explore the game properly and see what the player wants in their hearts.

Lesson 2: Don’t Be A Perfect Coach, Be An Aware Coach

We have to remember, I’m not a baseball player, I know little about the rules or strategy of the sport. This is important because I’ll admit, with 12 excited and paying families watching their young boys play each weekend, I overextended weeks 1 and 2…YouTube videos galore. How to protect the plate, gazillion practice drills, etc…. Just too much. I felt, in order to be a head coach, I needed to know all these things or at least pretend to know in order to give the kids and parents confidence.

By week 3 and a 1-1 record, I realized these kids kinda knew the game already. The parents loved coaching the kids on their own, but what the boys lacked was a sense of direction. A sense of “why” they were doing what they were doing and “why” it mattered. I had 2 assistant coaches that played baseball and watched it like hawks. I had two dad parent volunteers that could probably be HS coaches but just didn’t have the time. All the kids and parents needed was a moralist. A compass. A rock to help them see land when everyone else was focused on the waves.

I quickly handed all practice duties to my assistant coaches and eager parents. I handed all sideline and scoring duties to my ace assistant coach. I took over the dirty and time consuming work - parent comms, lineup management, game management and 3rd base. I’ve always had insecurity about what I don’t know, but I’ve sort of gotten this far in life because I have a knack for being able to observe from a perch and see a few moves ahead. I may not know the rules, I may not even know how all the pieces work on the board, but I always seem to know what will advance the game and why. Recognizing my defiencies, allowing others to fill those gaps, while leaning in hard to not only what I’m good at but what the boys need, has served us well as 7-1 headed into week 9 of Fall season.

Recognizing my defiencies, allowing others to fill those gaps, while leaning in hard to not only what I’m good at but what the boys need, has served us well as 7-1 headed into week 9 of Fall season.

Lesson 3: Team Captain is Outdated

As an ex HS and collegiate athlete I’m familiar with the idea of a team captain. The coach choosing a player or set of players to serve as player council and leadership for the remaining players. I’ve had the luxury of being captain of many teams. Wearing that “C” on your jersey is one of the most amazing feelings and I can see why coaches decide to award this status to some players.

But I had a challenge. I quickly realized that on any given day, several of my players could actually lead the team. They could inspire others, they could make big plays, they could show team spirit. I couldn’t reconcile how to award just one or a few of them with this title. I also noticed that the other players naturally gravitated to these players already. They favored time with these boys and these boys favored time with the other kids because they felt equal - they felt a part of each other. There was no “want” or “fever” for hierarchy.

So I decided we’d have no captains and that we’d reward a “captain” after each game. Who stepped up and led with morality, good sportspanship, team support, and enthusiasm. Who knew that allowing the players themselves an opportunity to reward a teammate of their choosing with a simple pack of baseball cards and the name “game captain”, could go so far in clearly identifying who the team wanted to lead.

For me, I guess I learned - no one needs to be crowned by a “crowner”. Treating every game, every pitch, every opportunity as a fresh chance to lead, can really bring out a lot from the talent around you. Allowing the people on the field to decide who’s worth acknowledging not only tells you a lot about your leaders but also about the team they lead - selflessness, team love, working together and wanting to win.

Can’t wait until Saturday’s game and Saturday’s smiles!