by Rick Robinson

Created on: October 24, 2009   Last Updated: October 26, 2009

Coaching is a rewarding experience for all ages. However, after coaching baseball to young kids for the last few years, I've recently turned my attention to teens. I played high school baseball for a nationally recognized program. I was coaching in a 9 year old all-star game this summer when I realized that only a few of these kids were natural athletes. Most had been rewarded by local ballpark politics or just lack of great players in the league. Not that some didn't deserve it, but it did get me thinking. I thought to myself, When was the first time I controlled my own destiny? When I was 14 years old mom and dad couldn't help me any more. Coach didn't care who they were or what business they owned. He didn't care if we were rich or poor. He wanted the 15 best baseball players on that team no matter who they were. This drove me to practice all summer and fall, then tryouts came. My hard work was rewarded along with 14 others. This is where the game of baseball really became fun. And these were the kids that I wanted to coach. These kids were hungry.

This is why coaching teens is a joy for me. I see that by this time, the players that really want to be there are playing. They go through the workouts with energy and even pain. But in the end, it's all worth it. They want to get better every single day. I rarely have to push them because each player knows that there is some teen somewhere that is trying to take their spot in the future. Coaching is about teaching kids the right way to play the game. But it's also about dealing with adversity, winning, losing, and the intricacies of the game. Coaching is about the details and the big picture. It's about setting short term and long term goals. It's about coaching to be better individually so that the team can succeed together.

Coaching is all of these things that some younger kids don't necessarily understand. I love coaching all ages, but what has blown me away is the knowledge of the teens I currently coach. They are becoming or already are students of the game. We have 20 minutes of class before each practice to go over details like the distance from homeplate to second base, or how fast a reaction time is from a ball thrown at 90mph. All of these things may sound insignificant, but in the big picture it makes for a better, more knowledgeable baseball player. I coach them on history and past players. There is a legacy where these teens play and they need to know that. It's the spirit of the players and the swagger of their step that makes them who they are. It's confidence and physical ability that make them winners. Sure we have physical practices, but they are a well-rounded team. This is how teens need to be coached.

Teens today are so advanced in skill that every detail does matter. Is the opposing pitcher tipping his pitches? Is the catcher giving away location? Can you pick up the other pitching coaches play calling? These are fun ways of getting players involved that aren't currently on the field of play. Make the game fun and challenging at the same time and you will see your teens excel like you wouldn't imagine. And when they reach my age and aren't playing anymore for whatever reason, at least they can watch a game on TV someday and know exactly what is going on. This is what makes baseball fun, even as a coach of teens today, I'm still a student of the game.

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