How many times have you said “kids, they just don’ t listen”. Have you ever thought “Am I saying the right thing?” or “Is my tone, attitude or method just not effective with the kids?” Well, you won’t be first and you won’t be the last.
Recently I became the latest to realize that when dealing with kids you need to change your tactics. Instead of treating them like adults and expecting them to understand and agree, I tried to do something that will get there attention, that is funny, something they will remember.
The kdis were not interested in the fielding drill we were doing. I tried a new approach: I asked one of the kids to throw a ground ball to me so I could demonstrate the correct technique. When the ball came to me I missed the ball purposely and fell to the ground. The kids started to laugh. I got up, scratched my head and asked if anyone could help me. Long and behold, I had three volunteers giving me tips (the tips that I had been teaching them all along) on how to correctly catch the ball. The others were busy muttering amongst themselve about the best way to help the coach.
Instantly, I could tell I foudn a way to get the kids interest. I also realized I had given them the opportunity to be the authority – a change of roles they just cherished.
That episode changed my perception on the right way to teach kids baseball. I don’t use this technique all the time but I use similar ploys when needed.
The bottom line – keep things fresh and fun when teaching kids and you willl succeed.
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Tags: baseball fun, teach kids baseball, youth baseball instruction, youth baseballm youth baseball league
