The Rock Game

Guest Blogger: Inner-Sports

by Garret Kramer

When my brother and I were young boys we passionately competed in many sports. Eventually I settled into my true passion (at the time) of playing hockey, later it was amateur golf. Through all the contests, training, and practice however, perhaps the game that I went after with the highest degree of reckless abandon was a backyard baseball game created by my father; later termed (by my kids) the ‘rock’ game. The game goes like this, 2 or more players take turns fielding a play: a ground ball, a pop fly, a hard line drive. Each play is scored on a scale of 1-5. However if you make a super duper, once a season type effort, there is a chance for a 6. The game is played to one hundred and my father, then later me, served as the only judge. Complaining about a call or any negative language results in a 5 point deduction, and you must hustle and tap gloves with your opponent as you run on and off the field. How great a catch and throw you make is important, but persistence and creativity are weighed much more heavily. Oh and by the way, the game is called the ‘rock’ game because in our backyard there is a large flat rock where the players stand as they await their turn.

Assuming that you have the picture, one can only imagine what my brother and I went through whenever our father had time to oversee the battles. We are talking about blood, sweat, and even a few breaks and sprains! We competed so freely that, in the moment, nothing in the world mattered but catching, throwing, and hustling our rear ends off. Now flash forward 30 years, I am happy to say that when my sons where slightly younger (they are 17 and 15 now) they took this competition to a whole new level. For, baseball is their sport and current passion, and I am certain that the ‘rock’ game is one of the reasons why…

Sure our ‘rock’ game helps with the basics of catching and throwing a baseball, but far more importantly, my father was insightful enough to realize that in stressing effort, creativity, and poise, we would be learning far more significant life lessons. My brother and I uncovered in ourselves the art of being persistent, while at the same time knowing that it was potentially positive to make a mistake. And in learning how to keep our composure (or risk a 5 point deduction) in the heat of combat, we became aware that settling our minds gave us the opportunity to overcome any seemingly negative situation. This game is so etched in my mind that I can vividly remember competing full bore, but with such a sense of freedom and peace, that I cared and I didn’t care about winning at the exact same time.

I suppose the reason that I recall these impactful memories is not to dwell on them, but to illustrate how powerful reflection can be. I now look at this innocent game, created by my father, and realize how conscious we actually were in play and the unlimited lessons that were at our disposal. Today, when I watch my own children compete, even my daughter on horseback, I look out for signs that they are expressing their freedom fully. That they are indeed trying their best and want to win, but more importantly that they are composed with imagination soaring. The ‘rock’ game represents truth in competition for me and my family, pure wisdom in action. And looking back it set the stage for all the principles that I now hold so dear.




Garret Kramer is the founder and Managing Partner of Inner-Sports. Inner-Sports evaluates and then coaches athletes of all ages on the behavioral characteristics that lead to peak performance on and off the field of play. Inner-Sport’s evaluative partner has created the behavioral assessment used at both the National Hockey League and the Major League Lacrosse scouting combines. Inner-Sports and Garret work with Baseball Factory players at select player development events.