Attended a youth game today for the first time in a long time for one of our youth teams. Some observations:
- Kids get yelled at on the baseball field way too much. If an adult employee were working in an office and made an honest mistake, would they want their boss to yell at them across the office or to have a private, calm chat about their mistakes?
- Base running is the most under-taught skill in the game. The mistakes kids make on the bases are almost identical to the ones HS players make. Ironically, the best base running teams give themselves the best chance for more bases without having to sacrifice outs to get them. Outs are scarce, bases are unlimited.
- If a kid is ever crying after a simple out, they are under way too much pressure from somewhere, and it’s likely not the game itself. These kids do not have a good chance of playing baseball for a long time.
Thoughts?