coachKidsSports.com

Merry Christmas from Santa, Mrs. Claus and a couple of great kids

The greatest gift is a portion of thyself. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I had the chance to have a quick email conversation with Morgan Singel.  Morgan is the founder of Kids First Sports Safety and the friend of one of my baseball confidantes, Tom Foote.

Morgan's company has created training programs for several sports, from football to bowling, based on the principle of teaching fundamentals in a safe controlled manner.  They stress good body position and balance, while incorporating skills and proper technique into their programs.

Looking through their website I was impressed with the number of participating park districts and colleges and the enthusiasm from the parents. 

"Coach Singel brought me on the field and showed me what a difference a solid body balance position can make in blocking and tackling, the kids feel safer and now I feel safer about Joel playing." (A letter of thanks; says): I feel more comfortable with him starting football with your safety camp as a spring board.

- Merrie Peterson

Morgan did have a reason for our email conversation.  He wanted to tell me about a football camp he's running this summer at Elmhurst College for players from junior high through college.  it's a five day overnight camp; check-in July 8 @ 3:00pm and check-out July 13, 12:00pm.  The players stay in the Elmhurst College dorms and use their facilities.

If you need a last minute Christmas gift or are otherwise interested, you can register On-Line at KidFirstSports.net, or by phone at 888-890-KIDS (5437).

For when the One Great Scorer comes to write against your name,he marks-not that you won or lost - but how you played the game. - Grantland Rice

As great as youth sports are for the kids, every year gives us examples of what happens when parents lose sight of what youth sports is truly about.  Here are the bottom 5 youth sports moments from 2006:

1. Utah Little League "Winners"
   Coaches for the 9-10 Mustang League Yankees order an intentional walk to the Red Sox best hitter to bring up a cancer survivor who still had a shunt in his head to drain fluid from brain surgery.  The fact the batter was a cancer survivor with obvious physical limitations is what got this story national attention.  But what caught my attention was the intentional walk.  That just isn't done at that level.  Not because the coaches don't care about winning, but because it's obviously over the top.  These leagues have rolling batting orders — everyone bats, regardless of who plays the field.  If a team calls for an intentional walk, the team at bat can't substitute another batter, so there is no balance to the strategy.  Plus — the kid had a shunt sticking out of his head!!  C'mon, have your kids win rather than force the other team to lose.

   Here's my take on Little League and intentional walks: link
   

2. Corpus Christie Football brawl
   I know football is important in Texas, but these kids were five and six year olds! I think this says it all:

   (T)he coach had been warned several times about cursing on the sidelines before his ejection from the game between five- and six-year-olds.
   

   Here's a link for those of you who would like to see the brawl.  The video is on the left bar.  Watch for Mom running into the frame around the :30 mark…

3. Parents get what they want, then sue
   Parents love their kids.  They want whats best for them, sometimes even if it isn't…  A group of parents in Castro Valley didn't like the Girls Basketball Coach - Nancy Nibarger.  They felt she played favorites when picking the team — because their kids weren't picked for the team.  They pressured the school board to order the coach to use a six person panel to select the team.  When the roster was posted - and none of their kids were on the team - the parents erupted, again.  Geez, almost makes you wish for a good old fashioned brawl…

4. Coach Protects Son By Tackling Another Kid
   Parents can get protective when their kid gets hit, especially if it's a late hit.  But few go as far as Corey Petero.  The Stockton, CA coach was suspended for hitting an  opposing player.  He rushed the field after a player hit his son after the whistle.  The referee called a penalty on the play but I guess 15 yards wasn't enough…

   You've probably already seen it, but click here if you want to see video of the play

5. It's My Ball and I'll take it home if I want
   The common theme here seems to be parents going overboard trying to "protect" their kids.  I recently wrote about the Northern Virginia dad who owned a football league.  He's not in it for the love of the game or encourage kids to play his favorite game.  He's actually very upfront about why he created the league:

   This entire league exists so he (his son) can play defense on the best team in his weight class. . . . He is my son, I own the league, and he plays every snap on defense."

   Well, in the last game of the regular season the coaches thought the son would help the team more on offense.  Apparently they were right because the team won and advanced to the playoffs.  But they didn't get to play in the playoffs because the coaches were fired.  All the other kids, all the coaches, all the parents were only set dressing so a 12 year old can play were he (more likely his dad) wants.  What are the odds he thinks the Castro Valley parents aren't going far enough?

There were other contenders such as the Utica, NY hockey brawl, or the father tasered when he rushed the field at his 8 year old's football game and of course the parent riot in New Castle, Pa.  Yes, it was quite a year.  Let's hope we don't have another one like it in 2007… but I won't hold my breath. 

Reading this list can make you cynical about youth sports.  But I know these stories aren't representative of all the positive things sports brings to the kids who play.  So share with everyone the story about the kid who scored her first goal, the shy kid who came out of his shell, the walk off homer or the game saving tackle.  Thousands of those great things happened this year — and everyone of them was more important than any of the over involved parents listed above.

It gets late early out there. - Yogi Berra

I'm a little late to this controversy, but I've never let a little mold put me off of anything…

On December 8th, Tommy Craggs wrote an article in Slate titled "What John Wooden Gets Wrong About Basketball".  Anyone who has read this site knows I have great admiration for the man.  But I'm not enough of a basketball savant to judge his basketball knowledge.  As a rec league player and, despite my height, perennial late round pick, I had to rely on the fact that the man won 10 NCAA titles and 16 Conference titles as a coach, and as a player he was a three time All-American and Player of the Year in 1932.  He is also one of three people inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and as a coach.  With that resume, I figured he was pretty good at the basketball in addition to understanding how to train and motivate people.  But that's just me with my limited understanding of basketball.

I do like to read differenct perspectives.  I like to know why people believe different things, maybe learn something I didn't know which could change my perspective on a person or issue.  So when I saw the title of Craggs' article I thought I'd give it a try.  After all, a guy that last coached when I was in 4th grade probably has been proven wrong about a thing or two.

But my hope for enlightenment was shot in the fourth paragraph.  When I read this passage I knew the article wasn't about Wooden or his philosophy as much as it was a chance for a writer to get noticed by taking a shot at a 96 year old man.

But it's time we retire this notion of Wooden as basketball's wise old man and see his legacy for what it is: a triumph of rigidity, bureaucracy, paternalism, and anal retentiveness.

Wow, that's a lot of things for one man to get wrong and still be admired at 96!  So what is Craggs' evidence for the indictment?

Wooden was a relentless taskmaster who counted discipline among the game's most important tenets. He had a hand in everything, from his players' grooming habits down to the wool content of their socks (50 percent). In one incredible passage in his coaching textbook, Practical Modern Basketball, Wooden details the Bruins' eating routine: "The meal usually consists of a ten-to-twelve-ounce steak broiled medium or an equivalent portion of lean roast beef, a small baked potato, a green vegetable, three pieces of celery, four small slices of melba toast, some honey, hot tea, and a dish of fruit cocktail.

Taskmaster indeed…  I don't know a college coach worth his shoe contract who isn't concerned about his athlete's feet and doesn't consult a nutritionist.  Wooden didn't have the benefit of a Nike research center or Gatorade Training center.  He had to figure out what kept his athletes from getting blisters and what food gave them the strength to play the game as he taught it.  Craggs may not like the certainty that Wooden had about what was right, but if the noted conformist Bill Walton could survive then Wooden's UCLA was probably a little looser than Stalin's Russia.

John Wooden is the father of modern basketball because he taught an up-tempo, attacking game.  It was revolutionary at the time and required each player to perform his specific task perfectly.  Yes he insisted his players do things a particular way — because that way worked!  Coaching is about making the whole better than the sum of it's parts.  Regardless of the titles, there can be no argument that John Wooden was very good at doing that.

Bum Phillips , former NFL Houston Oilers head coach, once said about Don Shula , the legendary NFL Miami Dophins Coach, "He'll take his and beat your's, then he'll take your's and beat his".  The same is true of John Wooden.  He had tremendous talent at UCLA, but there were other teams with great talent too.  John Wooden used his discipline, knowledge and talent to beat them all.  Sounds like an American success story to me…

I'm very brave generally, he went on in a low voice: only today I happen to have a headache. - Lewis Carroll

By Charlie Williamson 

Those of you living in the Chicago area probably remember the Little League team from Lemont, IL who made it all the way to Williamsport this summer.  They played several close and exciting games and through their success they showed us all how pitching and defense makes a great team.

However, in thier first two games they gave us a painful reminder of how dangerous a sport baseball can be. In each game, Lemont had a player hit in the head with a pitch, forcing them to leave the game.  Thankfully both boys were okay, but with proper technique both situations may have been avoided.

There are three things you can teach your young athletes so they can minimize injury When a pitch is coming inside.  These techniques require practice to make them instinctive, so if you needed a reason to buy whiffle balls, here's your excuse.

1. Drop your bat head down towards the ground away from the pitcher.

   If you allow your hands to begin the swing, your body may turn toward the pitcher, greatly exposing you to serious injury.  This was the case in Lemont’s first game, when the young man was hit in the chin.  Dropping the bat also avoids a “cheap foul ball.

2. Turn your head away from the pitcher and drop your head below your shoulders.

   By doing this you can minimize the likelihood that you will be hit in the head, even if a pitch is up and in.  In Lemont’s second game, the young man didn’t know how to avoid the inside belt-high pitch and, by not turning away, actually ducked his head directly into the path of the ball.

3. Turn your shoulders about 45 degrees away from the pitcher and bend forward at the waist.

   Along with #2, this will not only completely shield your head, but will minimize any damage to your spine. At worst you may receive a “glancing blow,” which may sting, but won’t put you in the hospital or worse. DO NOT TURN A FULL 90 DEGREES! This completely exposes your spinal cord and sets you up for possible paralysis.

You can practice these techniques with your kids using whiffle balls.  No matter how hard you throw them, it’s not going to hurt them. Once they’re older and have a good grasp of the technique, you can move up to rag balls.  Yes … this drill does involve throwing a ball at your child, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, especially in this case.

Oh, to be home again, home again, home again! Under the apple-boughs, down by the mill! - James Thomas Fields

I like having company.  I like entertaining people in my home and getting to know them.  So it is with great excitement that I announce a guest blogger!

I've asked Charlie Williamson to contribute to the site and he's already responded.  We are working on his first post, which you should see this week.

You may recognize the name.  Charlie is the Positive Coaching Alliance's Lead trainer for the Chicago area and the person who lead the first PCA seminar I contributed to. 

Charlie has a long history as an athlete.  Growing up playing baseball, he pitched his college ball at Northwestern.  After college he played in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, rising to the Double A level before a career ending shoulder injury. 

Charlie always enjoyed working with kids, so after baseball Charlie went to work at the Bulls/Sox Training Academy in Lisle, IL.  He was the marketing director and worked closely with the professional coaches and athletes who conduct the sessions and the kids who attend the sessions.  It was at the Bull/Sox Academy where Charlie was exposed to the PCA principles which led to his current role as Lead Trainer.

Charlie obviously has a great deal of knowledge about coaching kids in general and baseball in particular.  I'm looking forward to his contributions. 

Welcome to CoachKidsSports.com Charlie!

Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing. - John D. Rockefeller

It's easy to say that a coach should support his players when they are struggling - especially if you aren't a fan of that team.  It's apparent in the abstract that if a player is working hard and challenging his abilities, mistakes will happen.  Supporting your players allows them to push the envelope and accept the results — good or bad.

But when that struggling player is on your favorite team, then things seem to get a little more complicated, just ask anyone living in Chicago…

Last week I wrote about Mathias Kiwanuka and his bad week.  I was critical of his coach's unwillingness to publicly support his player.  That stands in stark contrast to the situation in Chicago.  Coach Lovie Smith is sticking with his quarterback, Rex Grossman, even when the entire city is ready to toss Rex into Lake Michigan.

After last week's game (Dec. 3), where the Bears won but Grossman played poorly, Coach Smith was asked repeatedly if he would change quarterbacks.  Rather than review Grossman's problems, or deny that he was struggling, Smith reiterated his support.  "We are 10-2 with Rex as our quarterback", "Rex is our quarterback". "There is a difference between perception and reality, The reality is we are 10-2 with Rex as our quarterback", ad naseum… 

There isn't anyone outside of the Bears organization willing to support Rex Grossman. Lovie Smith's public support of Grossman is costing him support from the public.  When the Bears were undefeated the talk was Grossman for MVP and Smith as Coach of the Year.  Now Grossman couldn't start on a Pee-Wee team and Smith is too stubborn to be an effective coach.  Both of those may be true.  I don't know enough football to make that call.  But even if Smith threw Grossman under the bus it doesn't change the roster, Rex Grossman would still be there and Joe Montana wouldn't.

A coach doesn't have to please anyone, including his team.  But a coach does have to keep his team's respect.  That is where this situation can get difficult for any coach.  How do you support a struggling player without alienating the other players?  That answer is different for every team, but it has to start with communication.  When players and parents know the situation and what you are doing to make things better, you will gain respect and support.  I think that is the approach Lovie Smith is taking — although I don't know that he is including the parents…  Why do I think that?  I haven't read or heard a single player make any comment remotely critical of Grossman.  Not even the guy who would benefit the most — the second string quarterback.

Without so much as a sneer, Brian Griese declined to answer how many snaps Lovie Smith had allotted him Thursday at practice.

"If Lovie wanted you to know that, he'd probably tell you," Griese said calmly. "That's why practices are closed."

Big difference from the Giants situation.  There the coach doesn't hesitate to call his players out publicly and the players don't hesitate doing the same thing.  Yet the Giants are in a free fall, losing four straight coming into this weekend (Dec. 10), they are bickering on the sidelines, complaining in the papers.  I can't imagine there is a lot of positive communication happening there.  Those guys are professionals so they have to stay there — there is too much money at stake to do anything else.  What would happen to your team if you communicated like the Giants? or the Bears?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas… and if you want to get anything from Amazon in time for the big day you better order soon.  Here are some of the things I'd like to see under my tree…

While 10.000 atta-boys are redeemable for a pat on the back, one mistake wipes the slate clean. — Larry Weisman

Mathias Kiwanuka has had a bad week.  Two weeks ago the rookie defensive end for the New York Giants thought the play was over so he didn't tackle the Titan's quarterback Vince Young.  The play wasn't over and Vince Young knows what to do with a second chance, running for a first down on the way to a winning touchdown.  

To add insult to injury when he came back from the game he found out his car was stolen from the player's lot at the Meadowlands.

Then this week in the biggest game of the year for the Giants he made an interception, returned it 12 yards then fumbled the ball without getting hit.

Talk about a guy who needs some positive reinforcement…  It's not like he didn't do anything positive.  He had seven tackles, a sack (the Giants only sack), an interception and a forced fumble — no, not his own.  Remove the fumble — or if a teammate falls on it — and the announcers are talking about him as the defensive player of the game.  Instead, because of one mistake — yes a crucial one — and the announcers were reduced to apologizing for him.

I was watching the game and heard the announcers say more than once, "He's really not playing a bad game".  No, he didn't play a bad game, he played a really good game with one play that was both really good and really bad.

I don't know what was said in the locker room.  I haven't read anything that indicates his coach, Tom Coughlin, was either positive or negative toward him.

But I have seen his actions on the sidelines.  Coughlin is the typical tough guy NFL coach.  Do something good, you're doing your job.  Make a mistake and watch out.  That attitude isn't limited the players on his roster or coaches on his staff.  Just ask the reporters at his press conference this week.

The Giants have spent the last month sniping at one another and questioning their teammates' abilities.  I haven't heard the head coach saying these things, but the coach is responsible for the culture.

Look at your team.  Would your culture recognize the contributions Mathias Kiwanuka made or do mistakes obscure the contributions?

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.  Elbert Hubbard

Last week I gave my first  PCA presentation with Charlie Williamson, the Chicago are Lead Trainer.  The presentation was for parents in the Northern district of the Archdiocese of Chicago.  We had a tremendous turnout, well over 100 people on a cold night when the weatherman was predicting the end of the world.

Charlie presented most of the evening, allowing me to get my feet wet with a short segment on Honoring the Game.  This allowed me to listen, and since Charlie is a great facilitator, it was an interesting evening.

The one section that always gets an interesting reaction is the ELM Tree.  ELM stands for Effort, Learning and Mistakes.  This section doesn't get reaction because Effort or Learning are particularly controversial, but when Charlie said "Mistakes are OK", you could almost hear the audience stop and say — "Did I hear that right??".

Nobody likes mistakes, nobody wants mistakes, yet they are crucial to an athlete's and team's development.

I wrote about this subject in August.  John Wooden's college coach Piggy Lambert said "The team which makes the most mistakes usually wins the game."  John Wooden always preached that a team can't play near it's potential if it fears making mistakes.

Accepting that mistakes will happen is a start.  Recognizing the things that went right when other things went wrong will help.  But giving your kids a routine to get over a mistake makes it part of your team's culture.

When a kid makes a mistake he'll look at either his coach, his parents or the ground.  The coach is usually grimacing, the parents are usually wincing and the ground doesn't provide much feedback…  Regardless, the kid isn't part of the play anymore and he's thinking about the last play, not the next one.  A mistake ritual can help get him back in the game.

The ritual is something quick and simple.  "Flush it" is popular — especially among the scatalogically inclined; "Wipe it off", "Park It" and "Shake it Off" work as well.  What you pick isn't as important as the message it conveys — Mistakes happen but we don't worry about them now.  That doesn't mean you don't work on them — that's why you have practice.

Flush those mistakes and park them until you can address them at practice.  You won't eliminate mistakes, nobody can, but you will give the kids a great tool to deal with the inevitable.