Athletes “choke” or make mistakes for a number of reasons which include but should not be limited to; improper or lack of off the field preparation, not playing enough, and attempting to go beyond their abilities. If we use baseball as an example, if a player does not watch baseball games he will miss invaluable information.

Master commentary in addition to the players’ own ability to absorb what is going on is crucial to the players’ ability to intuit what is going to happen when he steps on the field. So for example, by watching thousands of pitch counts both the pitcher and hitter are able to immediately calculate the most efficient-predictable outcome for them. Batters should be able to automatically understand what the demand of the game situation is—so they will be able to execute.  For a fielder, he too should immediately be able to understand where to throw the ball after it has been hit to him by watching thousands of game situations.

Next, players need to understand their own abilities and play within those abilities. That comes through constant practice and playing. So for example an outfielder who cannot throw out a runner at home plate on a fly ball to the outfield with runners on second and third should not be attempting to do so (I see this all the time).

Players need to be able to avoid getting caught up in the emotion of the moment. That is–if the player gets too excited he will lose focus of the information he has which will cause him to make mistakes. Most players should be able to control being overwhelmed by anxiety by being prepared.

Finally, players who look to play as many games as they can will learn through exposure and in game practice, so the two (watching games and playing go together). Visualization which is one of the tolls that players employ can only be used if a player has actually seen, or done what he is supposed to do, otherwise he is just imagining what he should do!  Likewise drawing up plays would only be guesswork, if you do not know how to execute them.

So “choking” and errors really stem from a lack of preparation. The players who are most preparted generally make the least amount of mistakes–simple as that.

What can I say? My kind of coach. I don’t usually make these kinds of posts but I loved this one.  

If this phenomena is happening with me, then I can only imagine what is occuring with other stories of major importance to our country. Let the reader beware!!

The thinking that young children should only play or master one position is not in the child’s best interests –it is also outdated thinking. This also applies to high school and college players as well. First, for the young athlete the idea that they should master one position does not take into account changes in their overall development. It also deprives them of seeing the field from another perspective and getting a better overall view of the game, as well as perhaps finding a position they might like. All you have to do is look at the professional ranks to see players who have changed positions. The best example of course is baseball where changing positions is very common. Most youth won’t go on to play pro sports, might as well let them play where they can and enjoy themselves. For the advanced athlete the more positions he/she can play the more valuable they are to the team. Simple as that.

Performance is primarily based upon off the field preparation. That includes both mental, physical, and skill development. This also includes completely understanding and immediately recognizing what adjustments you need to make during the game. You cannot “work on your game” while you are competing. If you are maximally prepared then onfield performance will be virtually automatic and just click-in. 

Youth Sport Directed Syndrome

There have been so many changes in the field of youth sport that not only would it be hard to list them it seems impossible to determine the long range effects of these changes. But the short range effects do not look to good.
Today the youth of our nation is so over-coached and directed by adults one has to wonder how our children can think at all.

Gone are the playgrounds and parks where kids worked out their differences between themselves. Gone are the pick-up games where children refereed their own games and decided if a ball was fair or foul and made their own lineups. Can you imagine?

Given the current state of youth-directed sport I cannot imagine how we ever chose up sides and played so many sports and games without adult assistance or direction.

What is perplexing about the whole thing is that for the most part it is the baby-boomer generation who played so freely and creatively who ushered in the “youth sport adult directed syndrome” we have today.

How did we get here?  The exodus to the suburbs surely had something to do with it. I think the economic affluence of this generation also had something to  do with it. Children of today have so many more things than the baby-boomer generation. Perhaps it can be blamed on technology.  Let’s face it you do not have to go to far today to be connected to another human being. If you are  reading this then you are connected, or at least have the capacity to be connected.

How does the mindset of a free thinking generation create a generation that appears to be less active, less productive in creating new and different games to play? I am not sure. 

People ask me all the time why sports fans are so fanatical. There are many reasons why people start reading the newspaper from the backpage, get so wrapped up in their teams or scores, or do not know who their senator is. This is certainly one of them.

For the first time in U.S. history, more than one of every 100 adults is in jail or prison, according to a new report documenting America’s rank as the world’s No. 1 incarcerator. It urges states to curtail corrections spending by placing fewer low-risk offenders behind bars.