Saturday 22 September 2012

Baseball Batting Coaching Suggestions: How to Connect with Your Players

By Dusty Mattingly


I want you to think about all the coaches you have ever experienced in your lifetime. What do all the best coaches have in common? Is their overwhelming knowledge of the game, their ability to deal with adversity, or are they just simply the best communicators? I am going to go with the latter. In my experience, the best coaches are always the best communicators. I don't care how knowledgeable you are, if you cannot connect with another human being and help them to understand how to get better, then you are back to square one. If you are like most of us out there, we need a lot of work on our communication skills which is why I wanted to share 7 sure fire communication techniques that will help you become a better communicator in your next batting practice session.

#1: Play the why game. You remember this game as a kid. You ask your parents a question, they answer, and then you ask why? This may be annoying for parents, but asking a lot of questions goes a long way in your baseball batting sessions. The more questions you ask, the more you learn about your players. The more you learn about your players, the easier it is to understand what hurdles are holding them back. What do you feel you need work on? How did that swing differ from the previous one? These are just two powerful questions that you can use to help educate your player on what will take his batting skills to the next level. If you find yourself talking at your player, revert back to more questions.

The second baseball batting coaching strategy revolves around emotion and temper. Player emotions will always run high; it is in their nature. Performance feels very personal and when you fail it can be very embarrassing and self-deflating. This is exactly why your relaxed confident nature must never change. If you get frustrated and raise your tone you are only going to add pressure to the situation and fuel the fire. One of the main responsibilities of a batting coach is to ease player tension and get them back to a relaxed state so they can perform at a high level. Keep in mind that your frustration is a result of your lack of ability to help your player make the batting adjustments necessary. If you remain relaxed and positive, so will he.

Batting Training Communication Technique #3: If at first you don't succeed, it's time to change what you say. All baseball players are not created equal. Every player learns in a slightly different fashion and it is up to you to bridge the learning gap. It is great to have a few key sayings, but if they don't sink in by the fifth swing, it's back to the drawing bored. Baseball batting instructors have to be creative in their approach. It's your job to figure out what makes you player tick. Find his trigger sayings and you unlock the keys to his success. Every player deserves the opportunity to be successful regardless of his talent level. Help them understand what is need to get better.

The fourth baseball batting coaching strategy revolves around failure. Help your players to see failure as an asset, not something to be ashamed of. Hitting a baseball is one of the most difficult things to do in life and you will fail, it's inevitable! In fact, I will make you a bet right now. Your players will fail at least 70% of time every season. That's a .300 batting average by the way. Here is a quote that will help you get the big picture. I have not failed. I've found 10,000 ways that won't work, said Sir Thomas Edison (invented the light bulb). It can be tough to see through the cloud of dust but every batting failure, is a chance to learn what you did wrong, and what you need to do right the next time. Playing the learning game is imperative to becoming a great hitter.

The fifth baseball batting coaching technique will leave you more humble and give you a different perspective of yourself. Get honest, upfront feedback from your players. Communication is a two way street and its time to open the other lane. Ask you players what they enjoy about your coaching style and more importantly what they don't like. Remember, baseball batting instruction is all about the hitter. If you can tailor your entire session around what he is receptive to, it allows you make a deeper connection and make adjustments faster. But be prepared, you might here some comments you don't like about your training methods. It's a learning experience remember.

The sixth baseball batting coaching strategy contains an old sales technique. Be lavish in your praise, and short to criticize. Think bout it, what happens when someone is a critic of your performance? Instead, congratulate your players for even the smallest accomplishments. People love knowing that they are doing something right and this helps motivate them to get to the next level! If all you have is a critique, figure out how to praise what they are already doing, and give them what would get them to the next step.

Batting Training Communication Technique #7: Baseball is fun, make a joke or two. A lot of comedic things happen the baseball field. Let your players know that it is okay to laugh when something is funny. I have played for too many coaches who take the game to serious. Players play their best baseball when they are relaxed and enjoy the game. If you find things are getting a bit too tense, add some humor to the situation. After all, the reason you start playing the game is because it is fun.

These 7 baseball batting coaching strategies will take you a long way on the baseball field. It will not only help you bridge the gap of communication, but it will build the player-coach bond. When you establish a deeper connection with your player, you establish yourself as a well-qualified instructor that your player can rely on for advice. Not only is this bond crucial to your success as a coach, but it is crucial to the success of your players. Begin using these strategies in your next practice today!




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