Welcome back! It’s Day 4 of the 21 Days to Building a Better Ballplayer Challenge. Today’s task is to talk to your coach and ask him what he thinks is the weakest part of your game.
Coaches are Teachers
Many baseball players, especially high school age and younger are afraid to talk to their coaches. As players, they only wait until the coach has something to say before they begin to listen. Even then, many ballplayers are reluctant to change their ways because they take offense to the criticism being given to them. Well, it’s time to change your approach.
Whether you know it or not, your coach is not there to just delegate playing time, manage a ballgame, and argue with umpires. Your head coach and his assistants are there to help you improve. They are teachers of the game. Believe me, you’ll never be good enough at this game to stop working at your craft, and you’ll never know everything about the game. So, you might as well seek a non-biased third person critique of your abilities.
Seek Quality Feedback
Your goal is to set up a meeting with one of your coaches, preferably your head coach, to discuss your abilities. (Do not ask your private hitting or pitching coach. This is your chance to connect with your high school, college, or travel ball coach.) Ask for his honest opinion of your abilities and where you need to improve.
Here are some good questions to consider asking:
- What is the weakest part of my game?
- What can I do to improve on this?
- Can we set aside some time outside of regular team practice to work on it?
- I really want to contribute to the team this year. Where do you see me best helping the team?
- I want to be a leader for my teammates. What do you need out of me to get the other players to commit to your vision for our team?
When the conversation is over, thank your coach for his time and then make a commitment to him that you will work to improve on the things you discussed with him.
Then, take action and actually follow through on your commitment.
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