Confessions of a youth baseball coach: I don't have it figured out

Does this kid want to be coached right now?

I am not a real coach.  I get paid in gift cards and not bi-weekly paychecks.  I'm not a talent evaluator, either.  I have limited experience in evaluating talent besides observing my own children's athletic development.

I do this coaching thing for fun because I have a passion for developing our youth and using sports as a way of doing so.  In fact, outside of the classroom, I firmly believe sports is the single most effective way of developing young children into well-adjusted adults (caveat: I get that this is not a universal truth and does not apply to everyone).  

I have a confession to make and I must issue an apology alongside that confession.  I've probably coached your kid and thought that their potential was limited.  In my mind, I perceived their limitations as a ceiling they could never break.  

And when I reflect back on that, it kills me.  My brain so desperately wanted to "figure" out who my players were, what they were good at, and how I could use those players.  But in doing so, I made a grave mistake: I limited their growth because of my perceived value of their limitations.  My intentions were "right" in the sense that I wanted to develop a team that could interact organically and move as a unit.  That's all well and good, but I really made a big mistake.

I sincerely regret doing so.  I'm not doing my job as a coach by doing that.  Anybody can do that.  But if I truly do believe in what I can accomplish through coaching, I have to believe in the potential of my kids.  I have to believe that, if they're willing to put in the work, they can achieve their goals.  

At this point, you're probably looking for an example.  Me too.

Let's say that young Landon wants to be a catcher on the team.  He's only 7 and has never played catcher.  Meanwhile, I have 2 more experience kids that have played catcher and it's just easier to have them play catcher because a) they enjoy it and b) I know they'll do what I need them to do.  At that point, Landon rarely plays catcher and I rotate him around the infield.  

Let's pause there for a moment.  

I know full well that, later in life, Landon's coaches will tell him where to play based on his skills.  That's part of life.  We will play where we play and we have to adjust our expectations.  

But why am I doing that to Landon at 7 years of age?  For no good reason.

So if Landon really wants to play catcher, I do a few things.  First, I break off practice into stations and ask for a parent volunteer to work with Landon on the side.  I can equip Landon and that parent with enough knowledge to allow Landon to develop those skills if he really wants to develop those skills.  It just isn't my place to tell Landon that he doesn't have the potential to grow into an effective catcher.  

Will Landon turn into a catcher overnight?  No, he won't.  He may not even turn into a good catcher until the next season.  But I won't be the one telling him he can't do it.