The Coach's Corner / Motivation

What motivates players to excel? In some instances they are playing to please Dad. There is nothing wrong with that reason in the short term. In most cases, this baseball experience is a short and precious period of time during which a father and son can bond with a mutual love for the game. Heck, Kevin Costner made a movie about the phenomenon. “Field Of Dreams”. When a boy becomes a teenager, baseball may be the only subject about which a father and son can converse civilly. But in the long run, playing to just please Dad's expectations will seldom provide sufficient drive to truly excel and resentment may be the final result.

Then there are the immediate goals such as making the All Star team, making the HS team, varsity, getting a college scholarship or signing pro. These are often fueled by delusions and if not attained can result in reactions of failure and hostility towards the game. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. If only that coach/scout had appreciated my ability. The problem is that all those goals are a product of something over which he has no control. As I have said many times, players must learn to not concern themselves with things over which they have no control. If a players lifelong motivation is to get a ‘ship to the University Of (insert favorite school) and the coach at that school doesn't happen to need someone at the position he plays or has already used up his ‘ships, he may feel he has failed not because he hasn't worked and developed skills sufficient to play college baseball but because he doesn't happen to fit into his favorite school's needs.

So what is the answer? What should motivate a player to excel? He must want to strive to be the best that he can be because he loves playing the game and because he will enjoy the game more by playing better. Sure, my son had goals and he attained many and surpassed even those he had but he was not recruited by his favorite school out of HS. In fact, despite all the acclaim and honors for reasons we do not understand even today, he didn't get offers from big schools and played two years at a JUCO. He today says he wouldn't have traded those two years for anything. But when you get past the delusions and those things over which you have no control, what should motivate a player to excel is the desire to work to improve his ability to enjoy the game and get to play one more day. That he can control until the game tells you that it's over.

If your ballplayer wants to have more fun playing tomorrow, he will want to undertake a ‘home training' program. All the drills in the BASEBALL SKILLS AND DRILLS series are applicable to a ‘home training' program. For the rest of the month I am offering I am offering the TOTAL PACKAGE Labor Day Sale at a HUGE savings. The BASEBALL SKILLS AND DRILLS and the TIPS FROM THE COACH video series and a dozen PICKLEBALLS plus a HANDS BACK HITTER for ½ price ($199.95). These training aids would cost $400.00 if purchased separately, a savings of $200.00!

Motivation to have more success/fun plus perspiration from working to be the best that he can be, he can control. Tomorrow he will get to play another game, prepared for more success/fun.

Yours In Baseball

THE COACH

www.tipsfromthecoach.com

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