Teach Baseball As You Teach Life

I would truly like to drive a stake through the phrase, "Just let the kids play ball and have fun!" There is nothing intrinsically fun about baseball. Stand in the middle of a room and swing a bat. After about :30 you will determine that this is no fun. Hitting the ball is fun! Swinging the bat and not hitting the ball is not fun. NOT catching the ball and having it hit you in the nose is NOT fun! That is why we have coaches, to teach the skills necessary so that the players can have the maximum amount of success and FUN! I guarantee the player that is batting .500 is having more fun than the one who is batting a buck fifty. But the beautiful thing about baseball is that with discipline and hard work the player that is batting .150 can have more success and HAVE MORE FUN. What a great lesson in life to learn from a little boy’s game. If you are disciplined and work hard, you will have more success and more fun! The challenge to coaching is how to inspire the players to strive for excellence in overcoming a difficult task (baseball) so they can have the maximum amount of fun.

I once had a Dad ask me why I asked his son to practice his skills in a home training program. Did I think he was going to play pro ball? I asked if he required his daughter to practice her scales on the piano every day on the piano. He said "yes". I asked if he thought his daughter would grow up to be a concert pianist? He said "heck no, she doesn’t have that much talent". I asked if he wanted her to grow up to play in a honky tonk? "Heaven forbid", he answered. "Then why do you make her work so hard at her piano"? Well, he replied, "I want her to develop a love and appreciation for music and discipline in overcoming a difficult task." I pointed out that his son was not gifted enough to play pro ball or possibly even in high school but that I too desired that he develop an appreciation and love for the game and discipline to work hard to overcome the difficult task of playing baseball. Isn’t it amazing we never hear someone say, "Just let the kid play piano and have fun", because it is no fun to bang out discordant notes that have no relationship to music. Baseball is the same. It can be a symphony of beauty or a cacophonous jumble of movements that would make a punk garage band cringe. I hope that because of my efforts as a baseball coach, I have motivated my players to develop character traits that will help them to became better doctors,… or lawyers,…or cabdrivers,…or plumbers, when little boy games are over. He expands upon this subject in his video , COACHING PSYCHOLOGY, which is part of the SKILLS AND DRILLS video series.

Also, you will enjoy Bruce's book, A PARENT'S GUIDE TO BASEBALL- Surviving and Thriving Youth League To College. It is a quick, funny and very true guide from a knowledgeable coach & dad. All the fun, joy, laughter and tears that baseball families experience over many seasons of youth baseball. It will also give you the advantage of "knowing in advance" what to expect from T Ball right through the High School years.

You'll find the book packaged with THE 59 MINUTE PRACTICE VIDEO, a great companion resource! Check them out at the instructional courses area of www.baseballtips.com

Coach Lambin raised & coached two talented T Ball players who have become the best baseball players they could be. His oldest played at Texas while his youngest currently is the shortstop for the powerful U of Louisiana Lafayette Rajun Cajuns.

Bruce has coached over 100 pro & college prospects and continually shows a keen eye for many overlooked aspects of the game. Read and you will learn!

Check out his Little League approved Skills and Drills Video Series. His new book, A Parents Guide to Baseball can also be found packaged with The 59 Minute Practice video.

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