In my 25 years of coaching baseball I have seen many great players come and go. Many were gifted players that were great high school players that excelled and made it to the next level. Others were not so gifted players that worked their rear ends off to make themselves into great players. In fact, a couple has even made it to the Big Leagues in the MLB Draft. This article outlines what it takes to fail. It outlines the five traits of the player that is destined to fail at any level. Those traits are "Will Nots" that the player practices regularly.
This article outlines what it takes to fail. It outlines the five traits of the players destined to fail at any level. These traits are "Will Nots" that the player practices regularly. These "willnots" are:
1. Will Not Listen - This player refuses to take coaching. He thinks that he knows it all. He has been told so many times by Mom and Dad that he is great that he does not think he can be coached. When a player gets too good to be coached, he is too bad to play. He must be put into his place or he will never make it to the next level. Attitude is 100% of success in baseball. One of the primary responsibilities of a coach is teach players to humble. They are lucky to get to play baseball. It is a privilege to play baseball. They are not the game. Baseball will go on just fine after they leave it.
2. Will Not Adjust - They refuse to adjust techniques and methods. There is room for improvement in every player's game. When a player refuses to do a simple adjustment or change a simple procedure or technique, they will never excel. Many times they are scared to change. At some point in the past, they may have made an adjustment and it seemed weird or made them uncomfortable. Players must realize and know that there is a correct way and wrong way to do everything. And when we make an adjustment or made a change in technique there is a learning curve and a time required for the new method or technique to become comfortable. When changes are made, it must always look bad before things will slowly improve. Patience and perseverance are a must for baseball success.
3. Will Not Sacrifice - This player makes me sick. They refuse to do what the team needs. They are too busy looking out after themselves, their own stats, and image to help the team win. They refuse to work on bunting and short game techniques because they feel that bunting is "below" them. They complain when they are called upon to bunt or sacrifice a runner over. They need to remember one of my coaching slogans that I regular use. "What is good for you may not always be good for the team, but what is good for the team is always good for you! You are a team player or you are nothing at all!"
4. Will Not Work - Laziness has caused the demise of many baseball careers. Players have to learn that hard work, conditioning, and regular workouts are a must for one to succeed in today's game. Players today complete in the age of "travel baseball" and "year-round" workouts. To be a money player, you have got to earn your money. Somewhere during every hour of the day, there is someone working to get better to bet you and your team. One day you two will meet, who will be more prepared or ready? That is something that you can control with good work habits and a total and absolute commitment to the game.
5. Will Not Respect - I have little respect for those that do not respect the game of baseball. I see players that think that they are bigger than the game itself. They do not show or display any dignity, class or respect for the game, their opponents, the opposing coaches, umpires or league officials. Many times this is a direct indication of the parental up raising that the player has received. If his parents show disrespect, then that is all he knows. It is our job as coaches to teach every player to show respect at all times on and off the field. We are coaches for a couple seasons; the players are going to be team players, in some line of work, all of their lives. Planting good seeds of class of dignity will help that player for the rest of his life.
I want every player to succeed and enjoy baseball as the true fun game it is. I want every player to enjoy playing it as much as I enjoy coaching it. But, we must remember that teaching and developing good character and people skills is as important as teaching baseball skills and techniques.
I hope that you found this article to be informative. Thank you for taking the time to read it. Have a great day, Nick.
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Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.
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