Say What You Want

Don’t Say What You don’t Want!

Went to my grandson Keeghan’s Little League baseball game last weekend in Idaho. CoachSpeak was in full view.

Baseball people are the worst – well not the worst people but they are most guilty of traditional coachspeak which more often than not is negative: Don’t be afraid; Don’t let that ball go between you legs; Don’t swing at bad pitches; Don’t . . .

From psychology we now know that the mind does not work on the reverse of an idea. When you tell your secondary in football, “Don’t get beat deep!” What picture does that generate into the mind of the player? . . . . . That’s right, getting beat deep.

Think of the baseball players: What pictures are unknowingly placed into the minds of the players? What pictures do you want in those minds?

It all begins with proper language. Instead of saying, don’t swing at bad pitches, the coach should be saying, HIT THE BALL!” Isn’t that what he wants? A batter is to “BAT THE BALL!” See the ball, hit the ball; simple as that.

If you tell the secondary, “Stay deep, keep your feet, keep everything in front of you.” What picture do they have in their minds? That’s right – the one you want.

What you tell them and perhaps more importantly, how you tell them is vital in their development as a player. You need to really reinforce immediate and often the behaviors of what you want to see happen. Dwelling on the things you do not want to have happen will hinder their performance.

So figure our what it is that you want. Tell the center to make a belt-high snap to the punter and do not say, “don’t snap it over his head.” Say what you want; don’t say what you don’t want.

Be11!

RF