Lessons a father learned while raising a son who loved baseball.
Here is a message I would send to myself 20 years ago. 20 yrs. ago my son was 9 yrs. old and just starting to pitch in little league. Obviously, it can’t help me but maybe it can help those parents of young pitchers.
1. Avoid standing /sitting behind the Homeplate area- Most children react to their parents’ facial expressions and body language. They can hear your voice from a mile away in a crowd. When your athlete is competing, it is his/her time to learn. Avoid coaching cues and umpire discussions
2. Air pods are your best friend! In today’s youth baseball landscape ” chirping” occurs at 6-18 yr games. olds! No one wants to hear comments like, “man this kid sucks, mix in a strike” or my fav “This kid throws puss” If you are in the OF with Air pods -blast AC/D
3. This is A MUST- Sunflower seeds are a GREAT way for you to avoid yelling something you might regret later! Focus on splitting the seed and instead of spitting out coaching cues or engaging with opposing parents, simply split it and spit it! SEEDS not chirping! I wish I did!
4. Sunglasses are a MUST! – Young athletes read and react to facial expressions. Also, if you want to be incognito and not have people see you glaring at opposing fans, sunglasses work GREAT!
5. Pitching is extremely hard, especially for young athletes. Throwing a baseball from 45′-50′ or 60’6″ to a 17″ home plate is challenging. Umpires have tough days, hitters are there to hit and when they do, it does NOT mean your athlete failed.
6. When your athlete is pitching remember these two words- POISE n COMPOSURE! This is a MUST-learn for both athletes and parents! Body language is key. No need to get frustrated when a teammate makes an error or gets upset giving up a HR. The only thing that matters is the NEXT PITCH!
7. Enjoy/embrace the journey. Do not focus on HS/College when your athlete is 8-14, instead allow them to learn to compete pitch by pitch. Learn the craft mentally and physically. Pitching is a mental and physical craft, the only way to learn is on the bump. It is not a video game
8. I have seen my son have the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. It is extremely hard to be the parent of a pitcher. Many times, I failed to be DAD first! It is a GAME, played by children, it goes by in a BLINK! Failing = learning, at younger levels, is CRITICAL!
9. Pitchers that learn to compete on every pitch, ultimately become ” warriors” that coaches seek. Learn to have poise and composure with a bulldog mentality. Also, no such thing as a ” RUBBER” arm! Only get one arm to pitch with. Take GOOD care of it!