By Doug Strickel
After my high school playing career ended, a group of parents asked me to coach their boys 13-year-old baseball team. I remember a really good experience through the regular season and ultimately being asked to coach the all-star team that year. That team was a pleasure to coach and had success all the way through the state tournament.
Years later, I would coach my son’s teams until I was forced to finally turn that over to a high school coach. We had some level of success each of those summers with regular season teams, all-star teams, and later travel ball teams.
Three things were common on all those teams over the years.
- Team Building was always the priority. Getting those players to work together, encourage one another, play for the team first, and support one another was always the focus. We performed drills in practice that promoted team building.
- Fundamentals were taught at every practice. Practice was the focus, not the games. While games were fun and revealed how we were improving, practices were where the growth occurred. Practice time was emphasized more than game time.
- Parents were always the challenge. It was always a joy to work with the players, but regardless of what happened on the field, there was always a parent that wanted more. More time for their kid on the mound, more time at a certain position, or more time hitting in a specific spot in the lineup was the complaint. The kids never cared, but the parents did.
With that said, I watch youth, high school, and college games today disappointed at how things have changed. Travel ball provides some grand opportunities to play better competition, but not much on the teambuilding or fundamental side of things. High school coaches are getting players from that system and are challenged to teach teamwork for the first time in many cases. College coaches are navigating through transfer portal issues and experiencing further challenges to build a team with the constant turnover each year.
Most young people won’t play in college and fewer will become professional players. However, they take what they have learned to the work environment. If we are not careful, they will enter that environment with no concept of working together, resolving conflict, effectively communicating, or pursuing a common purpose. I see it all the time working with companies.
Failing to teach our young people the benefit of teamwork, the importance of working together, and the sheer value of other people can be detrimental to an organization, a community, and a nation. It’s to the point now that owners, managers, and coaches that emphasize culture and team building have a competitive advantage in their area because so few place value on those concepts.
As you consider your current sphere of influence, where can you make a difference?
Oh, and one thing that has yet to change: Parents are still a challenge!
