What Does it Mean to be a “Great Coach?”

Steve Sclafani: All Access Pass

For all of us who have ever played the game of baseball, we have all had that great coach we remember with joy, as well as that coach that made our baseball experience a living nightmare. For all you coaches out there that are coaching youth and high school baseball players, your number one goal should be to give young players a positive upbeat experience where they can learn the game of baseball and also walk away with more confidence and overall self-esteem.

When I am asked to speak to little league and high school coaches across the country about our coach certification program on Baseball University most of the questions from the participants are regarding the appropriate age level to introduce specific strategies and techniques. While this is no doubt important (i.e. we don’t want to teach a 10 year old to throw a curveball) we must also realize that it is not only what we are teaching, but also HOW and WHEN WE ARE GETTING OUR MESSAGE ACROSS. BASEBALL IS A SLOW MOVING GAME; NO YOUNG PLAYER LIKES TO GET YELLED AT IN THE MIDDLE OF A GAME WHEN HE HAS MADE AN ERROR.

OK, by now I guess you get my point. Good coaches get players to relax and play at the top of their game. They can still be tough and firm and demand a lot from their players, but they do it in way where they’re not “showing up” their players in front of the entire team. Let me give you an example of a great coach that I once had….

The summer before entering my senior year of college, I had the privilege of playing for the Winchester Royals of the Valley League. Our coach was a young guy (25 years old) who was a tremendous teacher of the game and baseball strategist. But what I really remember about him was how he helped each and every player on our team to believe in himself. This coach helped me to get the most out of my ability by staying positive in stressful game situations. For example, if I struck out in a clutch situation or made an error, he would quickly tell me to “wipe it out and look ahead.” He never showed up a player or yelled at a player during a game situation. He realized that causing a player to crawl into his shell and play the game scared is the wrong thing to do.

That being said, there was certainly a few times that as a team, he let us know that he was not happy with our overall effort and expected more from us. Again, this was always after a game or before a practice session. How many times do we see a coach chew a young player out on the field for swinging at a bad pitch or for making a physical error? What is the upside of this behavior? Do we think the player is trying to make an error?

Positive reinforcement in a game where failure is common is key to the success of a young player. After all, it’s more than the three hits every 10 at-bats that makes a young player successful. How does that player and coach handle the failure of making an out 7 of 10 times?

Be one of those coaches that your players will always remember. Stay positive. I certainly have fond memories of my former coach, Dayton Moore who is now the general manager of the Kansas City Royals!

Steve Sclafani is the CEO/Founder of the Baseball Factory.

Sclafani’s ability to create new opportunities for baseball players nationwide and to develop exposure vehicles has led to over 20,000 Baseball Factory and Team One players competing at the college level, $500 million in scholarships, and over 2,000 players selected in the MLB draft. Sclafani was recognized as a member of Baltimore’s prestigious 40/40 Club, honoring 40 top executives under 40 years of age. Steve is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where he played second base.