#anneshadle

Coaching and Developing Athletes: Transforming How You Lead and Coach

Beyond the Diamond

By Dr. Anne Shadle / June 21, 2018

Coaching Today’s Athletes

A question that seems to be pretty common when presenting on such topics as athlete development, sport psychology, and coaching education is, “What do you think about the ‘everyone gets a trophy’ philosophy?” The short answer is that I do not agree with the “everyone gets a trophy” philosophy. Life requires more than just showing up and then being rewarded.  

I see a few problems with this: 

1. This philosophy and perspective do not help prepare the next generation of young athletes for the real world. Life is hard! Challenges and failures happen and are a part of life. It is part of the human experience. However, it is how we learn to work through those challenges and failures and continue to move forward in which we hone the skills to be successful in our sport, in jobs, in marriages, and in our families.  

2.  Giving kids a trophy just for showing up devalues the trophy. Kids are smart. Kids know when the trophy is not necessarily symbolic of their hard work and dedication. Kids know when they are not as good at throwing or catching as their friend. Kids need to know that differences are okay and are part of being on a team. Challenges and failures help us understand what kids need to be taught so that they can experience improvement and success.  

As coaches, teachers, and parents, we walk with athletes on their journeys. We have to let young athletes go through their failures, experience hard times, and help them keep moving forward in their life journey in spite of the challenges they face. It is our job as coaches, teachers, and parents to give young athletes the tools so they can better navigate challenges and manage their life. This is autonomy. Giving young athletes choice, allowing choices, and living with consequences help them learn this process.

Let’s be upfront right now and admit our young athletes have not raised and do not coach themselves. Kids live, learn, experience, and absorb the environment around them. Our young athletes absorb messages from parents, coaches, teachers, and media. Kids consciously and unconsciously begin to shape themselves to fit into their environments.    

Researcher and author, Jean Twenge, cites in her book, Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled – and More Miserable Than Ever Before, that “Young people today have to overcome many difficult challenges. We have such higher expectations for our young kids. ‘Good’ is no longer good enough.”

I think we can all agree that good is no longer good enough. The pressure on young athletes to “brand” themselves comes very early, especially in sport. This, combined with an increasingly competitive and get-ahead sport environment, has led to a darker flip side.  

This is an environment where coaches, parents, and athletes blame each other for their problems and credit only themselves for their success. Why? Young athletes do not know and have not been taught how to manage all of the external pressure. Many young people today have been taught to put their own needs first and to do what is best for them so that they “feel good.” However, this perspective is not conductive to following social rules nor does it help in supporting the team’s needs over the individual’s.  

Here is a case study example of an athlete with the “feel good/me first” mentality involving the common conflicting decision to focus on club sports/travel ball instead of high school sports, which many think will advance their athletic career faster. In this case study, we have a young athlete who chooses not to play his sport with his friends on his high school team, playing only on a club team. He goes to college, stays two years then transfers to another college because he is not getting the playing time he wants and thinks he deserves. He does not get along well with his teammates and coaches, and he blames them for his failures.   

In this example, the young athlete will need a lot of relationship work to get him to be a team player and connect with his teammates. It will also take a lot of re-wiring and a change in perspective to better understand team goals and togetherness. Team relationships and peer connection have not felt natural to him in sport. To be a leader and a good teammate requires the ability to relate and connect to all members of the team. How would you help this young athlete? I believe he would have been better served to learn team building skills and with that, how to build positive relationships earlier in life and in sport. 

The next generation of kids are smart kids! We do not give them enough credit with their understanding of the world and of technology unless they need to help us set up our new iPhone. Nevertheless, technology has also been the source of the world moving and advancing very quickly. We adults, parents, and coaches have not had time to reflect on the impact that it has had on the next generation. These kids did not create the iPhone; they have grown up with the iPhone. It is my belief that technology has shifted many of our young athletes from intrinsic motivation to extrinsic motivation.  

An example of this shift is the focus and perceived importance that young people have about how many followers they have on Instagram. They are concerned – and some, obsessed – with how many likes they get on their photos, as opposed to how many life-giving, deep, meaningful friendships they have. Young people today have issues knowing how to build friendships. I asked a group of 18-year-old college freshmen in one of the classes I teach about their true friendships. I asked if they have a best friend and if they believe they have friends in their life that they can trust. They shared with me how hard it is to build friendships and to know whom they can trust. Most reported not having a best friend they could trust.

Sports give young people the opportunity to build long-lasting friendships. In sports, we see ourselves, friends and teammates experience success and failure. We see the results of working hard and pushing our own limits. In sports and in a team, we see each other’s vulnerability. Through this vulnerability, we have the opportunity to bond, to learn, to grow, to encourage, and to celebrate success together. We also learn how to deal with our own failure, conflict, and frustration, and to help others through theirs.

How can we help answer this challenge to the next generation?

Twenge’s perspective is to ditch the self-esteem movement. From her research, she believes that this can lead to the self-centeredness, self-absorption, and narcissism, which are linked to aggression and poor relationships with others (Twenge, 2014). Based on this research, there should be no more sport trophies for participation; life requires more than just showing up. We should reward performance, effort, and consideration for others, not just participation. Twenge suggests instead that the focus shift from “feeling good” and “take care of yourself” to learning self-control and understanding delayed gratification. Focus on the good behavior and performance skills that lead to success. Kids also need to learn how to control their emotions and reactions through self-regulation - more about this in my next blog post.

Reflection questions:

How do you cultivate realistic expectations based on the age and developmental level of the child?

How do you as a coach, adult, and parent understand the delicate balance of positive praise and false praise? (Example: I like the way you talked to Robert after he struck out. You did a nice job with that catch; you had your glove in the right position.)  

In an op-ed piece for The New York Times, Ashley Merryman suggests that there are only three trophies needed in baseball: 1. Best Overall 2. Most Improved 3. Best Sportsmanship. Do you agree? Are there others you would add?  

How do you model, teach, and reward self-control and hard work?

For more resources, check out these links: 

Building a Baseball Experience Online Education Center USA Baseball Mobile Coach The Play Ball Parent The Confident Baseball Coach Managing Players Coaching Philosophy and Approach Coaching Your Own Child Keeping Perspective The Magic Ratio

2018 USA Baseball Sport Development Contributors 

Michael Cuddyer

Cuddyer is a 15-year MLB veteran and two-time All-Star, spending his career playing for the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies and the New York Mets. A member of the USA Baseball 18U National Team in 1996 and 1997, Cuddyer was then named the 1997 Virginia Player of the Year, Gatorade National Player of the Year, and was a member of USA Today’s All-Star team. He was selected ninth overall in the 1997 MLB Amateur Player Draft by the Minnesota Twins.

Darren Fenster

Fenster currently serves as the Manager for the Portland Sea Dogs, the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, and in 2012 he launched Coaching Your Kids LLC, an organization dedicated to assisting coaches, parents and leagues in developing young players and improving their experience within the game. Fenster is a two-time All-America from Rutgers University where he established school records in hits, doubles and at-bats. He was selected in the 12th round of the 2000 MLB Amateur Draft by the Kansas City Royals and played in the minor leagues for seven years.

Dr. Peter Gorman

Dr. Peter Gorman is widely referred to as the developer of heart rate monitor technology and owns seven major patents in the United States and Canada. He was named President of Microgate USA in 2010 and became an adjunct professor at the University of Bridgeport Chiropractic College in 2012. He later joined CourtSense, developing innovative and logical progression that helps athletes attain symmetry and better coordination. Dr. Gorman has previous experience working with the United States Military, as well as sports leagues and franchises around the world including those associated with Major League Baseball, FIFA, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and the United States Olympic Committee. 

Eric Kibler

Eric Kibler has been the head baseball coach at Horizon High School (Scottsdale, Ariz.), since 1981, and has led the program to six state titles during his tenure. Kibler has served on the coaching staffs of three USA Baseball National Teams, helping to lead the 2010 16U National Team to a gold medal at the Pan American “AA” Youth Championships after gaining his first USA Baseball coaching experience with the 16U National Team in 2009. He also helped lead the 18U National Team to a gold medal at the 2015 World Baseball Softball Confederation U-18 World Cup when he served as an assistant coach. Kibler also served as the field coordinator for the inaugural USA Baseball 14U and 17U National Team Development Programs (NTDP) in 2012. He also served as the 14U NTDP field coordinator in 2013 and 2014, and as the 17U NTDP field coordinator in 2013, 2016 and 2017.

Dr. Marc Richard 

Marc Richard, MD, is an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke University, specializing in elbow, wrist and hand injuries. Dr. Richard’s research evaluates the clinical outcomes of fractures of the upper extremity, with a particular interest in wrist and elbow fractures and improving ways to treat elbow arthritis in young patients. He also has a clinical and research interest in adolescent elbow throwing injuries.

Anne Shadle, Ph.D.

Dr. Anne Shadle is a certified consultant in Sport Psychology CC-AASP and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee’s Sport Psychology registry.  She also serves on the Athlete Advisory Committee for USA Track and Field (USATF) and currently is the President-appointed committee chair for Psychological Services for USATF.  She is heavily involved with coaching education and certification for the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) and USATF. Shadle received her Bachelor of Science in Education and Human Sciences from the University of Nebraska, where she also ran track and field. She was a two-time National Champion in the mile and 1500 meter distances before going on to run professionally for Reebok and compete in the 2008 Olympic Trials.

Tom Succow

Tom Succow, currently in his 40th and final season as Head Baseball Coach at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, Arizona, has accumulated over 700 wins during his tenure, as well as a state championship in 2006 and three state runner-up honors in 1982, 2007 and 2012. Succow is a four-time USA Baseball coaching alum, including an assistant coaching position with the 2003 16U National Team, which won the gold medal in the International Baseball Federation AA World Youth Championships in Taiwan. Succow was honored by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) as National Coach of the Year in 2007 and is a member of three Halls of Fames, being inducted into the Arizona Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2003, the Brophy Hall of Fame in 2007 and the National High School Baseball Coaches Association (BCA) Hall of Fame in 2013.

Dave Turgeon

Capacity: Physical and Neurological 

Sport Performance Lab 

By Dr. Peter Gorman and Dr. Anne Shadle / October 12, 2017 

The ability to compensate is known as an athlete’s capacity, or resistance to change.  Capacity has foundation in both the physical and neurological aspects of performance, and should be analyzed in an environment that equals or exceeds game speed.  This article will explain both the physical and neurological sides of capacity and how they can impact performance.

Physical

The center fielder is running into catch the ball and pulls his hamstring.  On the very next play the shortstop ranges left for the ball and as he does, pulls his groin. How many times have you heard a coach say, “I can’t believe what happened to my athlete.  He was in the best shape of his life, and while performing a simple task on the field, end ups with a season ending injury.”

Yes, some injuries are instantaneous- for example if you were running, stepped on a rut and twisted your ankle.  However, most injuries are accumulative in nature.  What this means is that asymmetries are slowly created in the movement cycle, until the athlete can no longer compensate.  Then, just like the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, the athlete’s ability to compensate is exceeded and an injury occurs.

Why tell an athlete that their movement screen looks good on a static forward lunge, knowing that an athlete’s capacity to compensate might be fooling the examiner?  Does looking good mean that the athlete is going to perform well? Does the good-looking lunge guarantee that as the athlete accelerates at game speed they will also have equal leg speed, equal acceleration left and right and equal contact and flight time?  The 30 yard sprint (in an OptoJump system) performed by USA Baseball is a Game Speed test that exceeds an athlete’s capacity to compensate.  In less than five seconds, this test can answer many important questions on lower extremity imbalance.  Once the imbalance is shown to exist, THEN employing various movement screens can help pinpoint the cause.  

It was not until increased demand and exertion was applied that imbalances appeared and potential injuries were brought to light. Knowing that athletes harbor varying degrees of capacity to compensate for their imbalances, we have to test the athlete at the highest demand possible so that we are looking at the true athlete and NOT the compensatory process.  This high demand testing is designed to exceed an athlete’s capacity, thus eliminating the compensatory ability to mask asymmetries and imbalances.  Remember, we never want the game to be the evaluator.  Often in this high-tech world, many are still marveling at an athlete’s sprint time, not knowing if the fundamental movements are symmetrical or not.  It is all about capacity… we must identify and correct all asymmetries so that they do not accumulate and eventually result in injury caused by simple and/or complex game movements.

Neurological

Ted Williams, known to many as the greatest hitter of all time once said, “Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.”  Handling stressful conditions, controlling emotions, suppressing distractors, and quick speed of processing are just a few of the neurological functions that the wonderful game of baseball will constantly test in the game.  What we find is a person can be prepared physically to perfection, but performance will suffer if their brain is not functioning at its optimal capacity.

We now know in neuroscience that the amygdala is the emotional center of the brain.  Every region of the brain can function normally or in standards of deviation above and below normal that affect its function.  Without diving too deep, we have also learned that the amygdala has two other sub regions that control emotions.  As heartrate increases the amygdala can change its firing pattern.  This will allow emotions to change and in some cases, rage, thus creating a more indecisive and inefficient player.  All players must know that training their brain is as important, if not more so, than training their body.  

Each region of the brain can deviate from normalcy, lessening overall brain balance, function and capacity.  At the same time brain speed can slow, which in effect also lessen the athlete’s capacity to perform optimally.  As the brain goes out of balance, this can reflect itself in personality changes, or one’s ability to command life’s situations.   The way your body can slow and go out of balance, your brain can also slow and go out of balance.  As the brain slows, it effects its processing speed and reaction time will increase, in turn effecting all aspects of performance.  It is obvious that if an athlete has tremendous brain speed capacity, they would be able to compensate for a longer period of time before a serious condition is recognized. Anytime we determine brain speed is slowing, we must ask the question why, and make sure that we identify the problem. The answer may be as simple as improving hydration, or getting a better night’s sleep.  If a more serious condition is developing, it is always better to understand it early on, so that the most precise and effective treatment can be given.

Much like increasing demand and load can unearth imbalances physically, the same can be done neurologically.  To make sure that we are identifying, nourishing, and balancing the brain properly, we recommend the BrainHQ.com cognitive platform.  Brain HQ has numerus validated, peer-reviewed published papers which ensures that their cognitive trainings are as effective as possible. Designed by brain scientists, Brain HQ exercises have shown to improve a host of cognitive abilities directly related to sports performance like reaction time, processing speed, visual acuity, attention, and memory.  Improvements in cognitive abilities and capacity can not only lead to more effective and efficient on-field performance, but also transfer to life’s daily tasks.

At USA Baseball, we take pride in not only assessing the physical attributes of our athletes, but also the neurological side as well. Evaluation and attention to both the physical and neurological attributes of the athlete is highly recommended in any sport.  By being more aware of your physical and neurological strengths or weaknesses, all athletes will be better prepared to help reduce injury and reach their own unique OPTIMAL performance.  

For more resources, check out these links:

Agility Drills Focus The Mental Game Mind-Body Training Principles for Mental Training Principles of Off-Season Strength and Conditioning Sport Vision Training Change-of-Direction Drills Online Education Center Amateur Resource Center USA Baseball Mobile Coach

Dr. Peter Gorman is widely referred to as the developer of heart rate monitor technology and owns seven major patents in the United States and Canada. He was named President of Microgate USA in 2010 and became an adjunct professor at the University of Bridgeport Chiropractic College in 2012. He later joined CourtSense, developing innovative and logical progression that helps athletes attain symmetry and better coordination. Dr. Gorman has previous experience working with the United States Military, as well as sports leagues and franchises around the world including those associated with Major League Baseball, FIFA, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and the United States Olympic Committee.

Mental Preparation 

Beyond the Diamond 

By Dr. Anne Shadle, Ph.D. / September 21, 2017 

This article is about getting mentally prepared, or getting your mind right. Mental preparation is important for many reasons. We will look at two mental skills, Focus for Practice and Focus for Improvement through the eyes of the Coach/Sports Leaders, the Athlete and the Parents.

Mental preparation helps us dial in our focus, manage our energy, increase our mental strength, stay in the moment with the task at hand and deal with frustration and fatigue among many daily challenges. As we’ve discussed in the past, mental preparation is a product of athlete, age and experience. It’s the responsibility of Coaches/Sports Leaders and parents to help athletes develop mental skills.

Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is credited with saying, “Your mind is what makes everything else work.” The mind and body are much stronger when used together than either is standing alone. So how do we get the mind and body ready to work together and improve our performance?

We would all agree on the importance of a physical warm-up. Warm-up allows the muscles and nervous system to begin to fire and prepare for work. Blood flows to our tendons and ligaments to prepare for the forces the muscles will create and our endocrine systems secretes hormones, which aid in optimal performance. Coaches/Sports Leaders intentionally chose each item in the physical warm-up routine to accomplish the task of physically preparing the body for performance.

Get your mind right

Like our physical warm-up, our mental warm-up routine must be specific and purposeful.  

Coaches - Begin by stating the Goals for today’s practice. Practice Goals should be intentional and purposeful.

Parents- Why is my child playing baseball? How can I connect to my child through baseball?

Athlete- How can I improve myself and help a teammate today? What are the Practice Goals that move me towards the ultimate dream goal? The best way to begin is with a smile and an optimistic attitude.

Focus-Preparation

For Coaches/Sport Leaders, Parents, Athletes - Prepare for practice. Preparation may be as simple as taking five minutes to wind down after a hectic day and focus on why I coach baseball, or why my child plays baseball. Have I taught the skills necessary ‘to be ready’ for practice? It may be as simple as: Does my child have all of their equipment ready?

Coach-What are the practice goals today? How will I demonstrate my joy in teaching these young people about life through the game of baseball? (Remember the Intentional-Purposeful-Engineered Sport Environment).

Parents- How will I connect today to my child in a positive and optimistic way through baseball? How can I support the Coach/Sport Leaders and my child’s teammates today? (Remember the Intentional-Purposeful-Engineered Sport Environment).

Athlete- How can I put baseball first for the next two hours? How can I be a good teammate? What skills will Coach have us working on today? What do I need help with? How can I help my coach?

Focus-Improvement

Coach/Sport Leaders/Parents/Athletes - Show up at practice with a positive attitude and have enthusiasm. Be mentally prepared to recognize improvement in yourself and your teammates. Make spotting improvement a habit and part of your baseball culture.  Focus on teaching the relationship between hard work, patience and improvement.

Coach/Sport Leaders/Parents/Athletes - See improvement. As you see yourself improving at practice, you will absolutely see improvement in your hitting, running, fielding, catching, strength and power. You will perform better. Nothing succeeds like success. Improving success is where you focus.

Focus Practice and Focus Improvement are just two areas of mental preparation. Getting your mind ready to play is a skill for Coaches/Sport Leaders, Parents and Athletes. We all have our roles to play in supporting each other. Mental and physical routines are important, and we need to consistently use these routines. Focus helps us block out distractions and stay with the task at hand. As our mental skills improve, so does our ability to stay calm and composed under pressure.

The formula for Success = Ability x Preparation x Effort x Will (Mental and Physical)

For more resources, check out these links:

The Confident Baseball Coach The Play Ball Parent The Mental Game A Baseball Coaching Philosophy Keeping Perspective Sportsmanship Play Ball Positive Coaching Your Own Child Online Education Center Amateur Resource Center USA Baseball Mobile Coach

Engineering Your Sport Environment (Part II) 

Beyond the Diamond 

By Dr. Anne Shadle, Ph.D. / September 5, 2017 

Self-Determination Theory

In this blog post, we will explore Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory (SDT). SDT is a framework that helps us to better understand and predict motivation. We have all heard a coach or teacher say, “This kid is motivated!” or “That kid is just not motivated.” Did you know that the environment that is created by parents/coaches/sport leaders has a DIRECT impact on the motivation of the athlete(s)?

We all want to coach and teach motivated kids. We want to help them grow, develop, and reach beyond their perceived limits. We all know the importance of motivation. What if I told you that all of the motivation you are seeking for yourself and others is right inside of you?  Intrinsic motivation is the strongest form of motivation, and we are born with it. For example, I have two young nephews; one is almost three years old, and the other is eight months old. The curiosity in both of them is incredible! They are constantly seeking new challenges and exploring new areas, which drives their mother a little crazy trying to keep track of them. This curiosity, the need to explore and seek out challenges, is intrinsic motivation in its purest form.

Intrinsic motivation is that burning desire found within each and every one of us. We naturally feel motivated and excited about seeking out new challenges, exploring, and playing. Many older adults remember the variety of self-directed baseball games played in their youth (a.k.a. free play). It did not seem to matter if there were only a handful of players. Someone would create a game involving hitting, throwing, and catching. Rules were bent. Structure was stretched so that an uneven number of kids playing could all be involved. This opportunity for ‘free play’ is known today as skill development. What some ‘old-timers’ may not understand is that this is intrinsic motivation. These self-created, make-up baseball games encourage a love for the game and help nurture creativity and curiosity to guide young athletes along their developmental path. If your grandparents are close or an older neighbor is nearby, sit down with them and ask questions about the games they used to play growing up. Ask about the many street games that were played. My guess is those games are still played today. (Feel free to share/email any great stories and games you find to [email protected]).

Unfortunately, somewhere within our baseball/athletic development we seem to have lost most of this self-directed play and learning. There are many reasons for this, but one major reason lies in the idea that all sport development must be adult-led, developed, and controlled. Instead of giving young athletes the opportunity to choose to create, parents, coaches and sport leaders are often the ones dictating exactly what will happen. In turn, I fear this next generation may lose the pure love for the game of baseball that our grandparents had, as well as the appreciation that baseball is a game for the whole family to enjoy and play together. As coaches, parents and sport leaders we need an awareness to rebuild an environment that fosters intrinsic motivation.

Let’s Understand Intrinsic Motivation:

Our basic human needs include: Autonomy, Belonging and Competence, otherwise known as the ABC’s of Self-Determination Theory. These elements need to be incorporated into the environment. They need to be in the classroom, in the home and on the field. Let’s take a deeper look at the ABC’s of Self-Determination Theory.

Autonomy: Making decisions for yourself, by yourself, and about yourself. Autonomy occurs when the individual feels in control of their life. This is important in our development as a baseball player and throughout our life.  We want to help teach our athletes (young and old) how to make good decisions both on and off the baseball field.

Depending on the age of the athlete, allowing athletes to make choices can be simple or complex.  What is most important is creating what Deci and Ryan call an autonomy supportive environment. What this means is that athletes are given opportunities to make choices. For example, would you like to do warm-up A or warm-up B, today? Do you want to catch or play first base? What bat should you use? Do you want to do speed drills or a sprint-based workout?

We also want to give our athletes opportunities to make choices in a variety of situations. We want our athletes to feel confident in being able to make a good decision in pressure situations.  When it comes time to make those game winning decisions, we increase the chance of success because our players have had the opportunity to practice making decisions. Good decision-making is not new to them. Players feel competent in their ability to make decisions.

Research in Positive Psychology also shows that having autonomy in our environment increases our well-being.  This should not be surprising.  Think about it… when we are in control, rather than being controlled, and we make good choices, and we feel good! This can help to increase our performance, allowing us the opportunity to take ownership of our choices and allow for self-directed learning which increases our intrinsic motivation.

Belonging (or relatedness, as described in the original Self-Determination Theory): This is the need for connection with others as well as developing positive, supportive interpersonal relationships. Having a place to be and belong to, having a best friend on the team, having coaches and parents who care about you all help to fulfill this basic human need for belonging. Self-Determination Theory connects to Positive Psychology because both focus on healthy psychological development and wellbeing. SDT aligns specifically with the Theory of Flourishing, which we explored in a previous post (Engineering Your Sport Environment Part I).  Many old-timers can tell you about the joy they felt in the neighborhood pickup games or the big hit they got when all that mattered was the team you were on that day. The next game it did not matter because you might be on a new team, but in the memory, you came up big for your team that day, you were proud and you absolutely belonged. It mattered that you showed up to play on that magical day!

Competence: Having and demonstrating knowledge and skill. Deci and Ryan (2000) define competence as, “The need for mastery experiences that allows a person to deal effectively with her or his environment.” To use a high school academic example; if a student were to study intensely for his/her Algebra exam and feel competent about the information being tested, that individual should feel confident going into the exam. If the student has done well on previous exams and knows the information being tested, again that individual will feel more confident.  

Competence (having and demonstrating knowledge and skill) builds confidence. An athlete’s training and practice experience helps them to build baseball skills. Coaches should design for their athletes lots of successful experiences with game scenarios, and practice what will be asked of them in the game (i.e. planned, purposeful practice). Each successful experience helps the athlete feel competent, and thus confident in their ability to perform well when it comes time to compete. As the great Coach John Wooden said, “You have not taught until they have learned.” It is our job as coaches, parents and sport leaders to help players develop the skills necessary for success.

Note on Extrinsic Motivation: The purpose of this article was to introduce and discuss Self-Determination Theory. However, it is important we touch on extrinsic motivation. For the purpose of this article, “intrinsic” refers to source of the driver (who is pushing whom), and the source of the reward (intrinsic joy, pride, happiness vs. extrinsic ribbons, trophies, awards). Research and experience tell us that the best practice for building a successful environment is to development and strengthen the internal, intrinsic motivation BEFORE we sprinkle in the external, extrinsic forms of motivation. Internal, intrinsic motivation should be the stronger driving force.

Coaches, parents, and sport leaders have a role in developing and enforcing team rules, league rules, teaching techniques, and potentially dealing with game experience that may include negative emotion. Coaching and parenting involves having knowledge of the best research/science AND the art of understanding when and how to use it.  Knowing when and where to apply external, extrinsic motivation is more of an art than supported by science.  A lot of coaching models are driven mostly by extrinsic motivation but there is a better, stronger, more sustainable way to build our sport learning environment and that is with internal, intrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic Motivation: Autonomy, belonging and competence lay the foundation for intrinsic motivation, leading to a self-determined individual. Deci and Ryan (2000) share that, “People who are intrinsically motivated tend to show enhancements in performance, persistence, creativity, self-esteem, vitality and general wellbeing when compared to people who are motivated by external rewards.” In a previous blog post, asked you to remember a positive sport experience and a negative sport experience. In those memories, you will find examples of when you were using internal, intrinsic motivation and external, extrinsic motivation. What memory fueled your desire to succeed? Ask yourself the question: Who is pushing whom? There is no right or wrong answer here. Just make sure your memories include a mixture of both -- YOU and your support network were both fueling your motivation. Apply this to the environment you want to set up for the kids you are coaching, parenting and leading. Be sure to create opportunities that foster intrinsic motivation.

For more resources, check out these links:

The Confident Baseball Coach The Play Ball Parent A Baseball Coaching Philosophy Keeping Perspective Sportsmanship Play Ball Positive Coaching Your Own Child Online Education Center Amateur Resource Center USA Baseball Mobile Coach

Reference: Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist,55(1), 68-78. doi:10.1037//0003-066x.55.1.68

Engineering Your Sport Environment (Part I)

Beyond the Diamond

By Dr. Anne Shadle, Ph.D. / July 12, 2017

Definition:  Engineer - To Design and Build

Building the Foundation

What do athletes really need from us as parents, coaches and leaders in sport?  They need a place to belong, a place to feel welcome and a place to develop themselves. To build that sport foundation, it is important that you frequently revisit your own personal values.  From there, keep at the forefront of your mind the goals and purposes of sport as you move through the season. In previous blogs, we have talked about how to do this. Hopefully you have developed and shared your parenting/coaching philosophy with those around you. Remember that you want to impact the lives around you. What you model through your words, actions and behaviors and how you develop character within yourself as well as your children/athletes all matter. Remember, it starts with you, the parent/coach/sport leader.

Take a moment to think about all of the various sport environments you have been a part of, or observed. You can even think about the various working environments you have experienced.  As you reflect, some of those environments might bring a little sting to the memory, while others will bring joy. Simply put, these negative environments did not and do not allow individuals to become the very best that they can be. These negative environments are driven by control and jealously, with an “everyone out for themselves” mentality or even just a feeling that not all are welcome. CLEARLY, this is NOT the environment we want to create for our athletes. The goal is a positive, supportive, success-building environment. In these environments, individuals feel supported, cared about, and valued. Your input, thoughts, and ideas matter to the collective group.

Martin Seligman is a respected researcher, educator and author in the field of Positive Psychology. He has studied various environments within schools, businesses and the military developing positive training programs, but his work is also applicable to the sports environment. Seligman has identified certain elements within any environment that provide the opportunity for success and the ability to flourish. There are key items within any environment that breed success. In Martin Seligman’s book, Flourish (2011), he presents a working model for the development of healthy psychological wellbeing in individuals and environments with five measureable elements within the PERMA framework. The elements present in the PERMA model are the foundational blocks for building a successful, positive, constructive baseball environment. The five elements are Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Achievement.  

Positive Emotion- A major focus of baseball should be built around experiences with positive emotion. Seligman would certainly support the idea that the pure joy that comes from playing the game of baseball, along with the satisfaction and excitement from learning new baseball skills that are important for the development of each athlete’s wellbeing. Activities, practices, games, conversations with parents, coaches, teammates and opponents should focus on positive emotions and positive energy. Positive emotions such as joy, hope, pride, love, happiness, gratitude, awe and excitement are all naturally found in any sport practice and most competitions as well. Our experiences with positive emotion come from the relationships we have and our engagement/interest in the game, as well as having meaning, being part of a team and achieving goals.  

Engagement- Engagement comes naturally in baseball and from the skills that you learn. Being open to trying out new things and being coachable are all important components of engagement. In baseball, having a positive, connected focus allows us to become engaged and stay interested in the learning.  For this to happen, the challenge has to be appropriate for the skill level. If the challenge is too easy, it will become hard for the athlete to stay engaged and focused. If the challenge is too difficult, it will also be hard to stay engaged and focused. The challenge must be developmentally and physically appropriate for the athlete. This helps to hold interest, attention and focus. Last month, we talked about planned, purposeful practice, which helps to hold interest, attention and focus of the athlete. The challenge for every coach and parent is to design planned, purposeful practice sessions that are physically, mentally and emotionally appropriate for the team and the individual. Remember: To engineer is to design and build.

Relationships- Any successful, legendary coach whom I have talked to has shared with me that the key to their success and the joy of coaching was the relationships that were built. Positive, supportive, caring relationships are key to building a foundation of success. I know we have all heard the line, “it takes a village to raise a child,” and the same is true for any successful athlete. No one gets to the top on their own. It is the relationships and friendships that are made by sport that keep athletes going through the ups and the downs of the baseball sport experience.  

Meaning- Meaning can be difficult, yet also very easy because it belongs to the individual. The individual is part of the team, and meaning comes from being a part of something bigger than you. It comes from sacrificing for the greater good of the group – for example, playing center field when you would rather be the shortstop. Meaning comes from being part of a family, being part of a team and even helping a teammate. Each athlete on the team has a different and important role for the team. Each role contributes to the success of the team as a whole. It is important to acknowledge and identify each athlete’s role and how they each contribute to the team’s success.

Achievement- Achievement comes from a sense of accomplishment. There are many ways in baseball to measure achievement, such as earning a scholarship, getting to start the game, learning to hit or throw a curve ball, raising your batting average or fielding percentage or meeting your own personal goals. When we achieve, our body is flooded with positive emotions such as joy, pride and satisfaction. We are then motivated to come back for more. Self-esteem is an internal concept, and it is developed from achievement.  

When all five PERMA elements are present in a sport environment, we flourish. As parents, coaches and sport leaders we should be aware of our athletes’ personal wellbeing. The PERMA model helps us to understand, identify and create more experiences with positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and achievement in our individual athletes as well as in our team environment.

Coaches/Parent Reflection Questions:

Seligman’s research suggests that when these five PERMA elements are present, individuals flourish. As a parent/coach, looking at your past or current season, how would you rate these five elements?

Positive Emotion: What is the feeling that you get when you are at a practice or at a game? What are some things that you have done to create positive emotion within your baseball environment?  

Engagement: How do you plan and direct purposeful practice towards athlete and team development?

Relationships: What relationships are most important to you for individual and team success?

Meaning: What would make for a successful sport season?

Achievement: How do you celebrate and highlight individual and team success?  

For more resources, check out these links:

The Confident Baseball Coach The Play Ball Parent A Baseball Coaching Philosophy Keeping Perspective Sportsmanship Play Ball Positive Coaching Your Own Child Online Education Center Amateur Resource Center USA Baseball Mobile Coach

What is Your Leadership Style? 

Beyond the Diamond - Building Your Coaching/Parenting Philosophy

By Dr. Anne Shadle, Ph.D. / June 28, 2017

The sport world, and baseball in particular, is filled with incredible, exciting moments. These sport moments bring interest, excitement and fun to many who play the game, coach the game or simply enjoy watching their child play the game. Yet, there is a need for all of us (coaches, parents, sport leaders) to examine the changes needed in our sport system to build a better sport model so that more kids play the game of baseball and have great sport experiences.

The coach and the parent play a central role in the sport experience. Kids learn about baseball and often have their first baseball experience shaped by their first coach (who might also be their parent). For some, this is a great sport experience, leaving the young athlete wanting to come back for more and feeling excited about the next practice. For others, that first experience may be the opposite. Having a negative first experience can cause the young athlete to not want to participate and, at worst, not want to try again, which is something every parent fears. The research on sport is clear: the number one reason why kids begin playing sport is because it is FUN!  The number one reason why kids drop out of sport is because it is no longer fun.

It is USA Baseball’s mission to provide a positive and impactful sport experience at every level of the game. It is our mission to have competent, caring coaches who mold and shape our young people into leaders. It is essential that coaches provide a great sport experience that allows our young people to grow into happy, healthy and successful individuals – the same experience every parent wishes for their young athlete.

Coaching/Parenting/Leadership Style

We can begin with two questions:  

1. What would it be like to be coached and/or parented by you? 2. Would you want to be coached and/or parented by you?

Based on your answers, it would be fair to say that many of us learned to coach and/or parent through our own experiences and what was modeled for us. We use the coaching/parenting styles and leadership styles (or lack thereof) to form our own coaching/parenting style. (Remember the question you answered. Who influenced you the most?) As parents and coaches, our life experience tells us that the characteristics of legendary coaches and renowned leaders possess the following traits: good listener, patient, clear expectations, fair, organized, relationship builder and are/were considered excellent communicators.

A very brief summary of leadership styles: (Coaching Mental Excellence, 1996).

Task-Oriented Leaders

1. Autocratic: One-way communication, “my way or the highway” coaching approach. 2. Dictatorial: Two-way communication, coach has the final say.

People-Oriented (Social Leaders)

1. Democratic: Coach and athlete have say in team matters, decisions made by consensus. 2. Laissez-Faire: Little or no direction, individuality is the norm, communication is two-way.

One thing to keep in mind is that these four styles are all useful, given the situation. Being adaptive in your leadership style is highly effective. Which style do you identify with?

Effective, Impactful, Positive Coaching/Parenting

Who was your favorite teacher? Why? We can all agree that effective coaches and parents are effective teachers. Coaches and parents must be aware that the process of learning is different for each individual. Teaching and learning is a dynamic process, meaning it is always changing and is age dependent. What is appropriate for a 10-year-old may not be appropriate for an 18-year-old and vice versa. However, the questions that we have discussed (What do I value? What are the goals and purpose of baseball/sport? What is your Coaching/Parenting Philosophy?) remain appropriate throughout the coaching experience and as our children learn and grow. Remember that practice does not make perfect. Perfect, planned, purposeful practice makes perfect both in sport and in parenting.

For more resources, check out these links:

The Confident Baseball Coach The Play Ball Parent A Baseball Coaching Philosophy Keeping Perspective Sportsmanship Play Ball Positive Coaching Your Own Child Online Education Center Amateur Resource Center USA Baseball Mobile Coach