Thoughts on Tee Ball
Today was the end of season party for my Tee-ball team. It also marks the end of 4 years of coaching this level of Little League baseball - 2 years with my daughter, and 2 years with my son. Next year, I will be moving up in the coaching ranks as my son moves up to machine/coach pitch baseball.
The party was at a local pizza joint, and after we ate our pizzas I got up with my assistant coach and handed out the trophies to each player. The team’s parents pitched in for a couple of gifts for the two of us, the coolest of which was a scrapbook highlighting our season, with pics of the players throughout the season, along with assorted quotes.
What touched me was the quote on the scrapbook pages entitled, “Our Coaches”.
Flatter me, and I may not believe you.
Criticize me, and I may not like you.
Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.
Encourage me, and I will not forget you.
- William Arthur Ward
It is a quote that encapsulates the art of coaching. We do want to encourage the kids, because we want them to hopefully develop the love of the game that we have as coaches. It is a difficult balance between flattery, criticism, ignoring and encouragement - with 14 players, each requires attention from us, positive and negative, and it is all too easy to be drawn to the better players or the ones who respond to direction, rather than the ones who don’t pay attention or listen to you. It is easy to ignore or criticize the more difficult players on the team.
Yet I know I continue to learn the art of encouragement - that no matter how small the improvement in their game, that they know that as their coach, I will give them the positive reinforcement they need to grow in confidence in their game.
In Jesus’ prayer in John 17, he states “16They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”
We are to be of this world, and we have been commanded in the Great Commission in Matthew 28 to go and make disciples. Coaching is a ministry opportunity, and hopefully those who might not know Christ now might see the Light in my life through coaching. I might not be waving the Bible at practice, but I would hope that at the end of the season these folks see a Christian guy just trying to teach some kids about a sport he loves.
I’m already looking forward to next season.
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