25 Things Your Players Wish You Knew


Ultimately our goal as coaches is to help our players improve.  In order to do that to the best of our ability, it’s important that we know more about them than just the superficial softball stuff.  The more we understand our players and what makes them tick the easier it will be for us to coach them effectively. With that in mind, here are…

25 Things Your Players Wish You Knew

  1. I have fears and worries on and off the field.  If you can help me resolve my softball fears and worries, you become someone I want to listen to.
  2. It means a lot to me when you take the time to acknowledge my effort and commitment.
  3. I don’t mind putting in the time, as long as I feel it’s well spent.
  4. There are times I don’t understand the concepts you’re teaching or the points you’re trying to make.  Can you make them clearer for me?
  5. Not all adults I’ve seen deserve my respect so my trust and respect are not something you get “just because” you’re supposed to.
  6. I know I make mistakes and I appreciate it when you acknowledge that you do too.
  7. My trust and respect for your grows when you simply do what you say you will do.
  8. Sometimes I don’t understand why we do the things we do, but I may not say anything because it makes me feel dumb.
  9. You’re my coach.  If I’m not allowed to have “excuses” neither are you.  I don’t want to hear your excuses any more than you want to hear mine.
  10. My progress as a player is more important to me than your advancement or promotion as a coach.
  11. All the coaching accolades and praise you get from others mean nothing to me if you can’t help me get better.
  12. I hate getting yelled at, but I love to win.
  13. What you think you’re good at is not what you’re good at. Ask me, and I’ll tell you what you do better than anyone else.
  14. Sometimes I am insecure about my ability, but it’s not something I talk about much, if at all.
  15. I don’t always know exactly what I want, but you can help me figure it out.
  16. I already know you’re not perfect and you don’t know everything, so stop trying to act like it because I plan on giving you a chance anyway.
  17. I trust you more when you’re honest enough to tell me what you don’t know.
  18. It’s harder for me to keep working my butt off when I feel like it doesn’t matter to anyone.
  19. You lose respect from me when I can see that you’re more worried about how you look as a coach rather than how I play as a player.
  20. I understand that you like players who work hard.  Heck I appreciate those types of players as a teammate, but it’s annoying when you favor players who don’t deserve it.
  21. Sometimes it’s less scary to just keep doing things the old “hard” way than to learn something new.
  22. My life, my fears, my goals, my challenges, and my dreams are different from anyone you’ve ever coached before.
  23. The fear of trying my best and still coming up short can sometimes stop me from trying at all.
  24. Help me believe that my best IS good enough and this will be an amazing experience for both of us.
  25. Once you’re earned my trust and respect, you can mess up every now and then and I will forgive you (so long as I don’t feel like you take me for granted).

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Flickr photo from flemingwalt

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