A lesson learned from Little League

Dave Zimmer reviews the act of sportsmanship he witnessed at a little league meeting and its message for all coaches.

My little 10-year-old boy was up to bat - my little lefty. I love to watch him play baseball because he loves to play the game. The pitcher wound up and let go of a fastball travelling at about 38 mph. The ball missed the strike zone by a few feet and hit my son in the upper arm. The ball was not travelling fast enough to hurt him, so he ran down to the first base. As my son was standing on first base, I saw the opposing coach signal to his pitcher. The pitcher then ran over to the first base, shook my son's hand, and told him he was sorry. At that moment, baseball did not matter. That act of sportsmanship was more important than the game.

Measuring success

It also pointed out the importance of a coach with values and priorities in order. As coaches, it is only natural to want to be successful. In my 12 years of coaching, I never went into a game to lose. However, we did lose our fair share of games. Does this mean that a winning coach is successful, and a losing coach is unsuccessful? I guess it depends on how you define success. A coach should not be measured on wins and losses alone. My son's team won their game that night, but the opposing coach was successful because of the valuable lesson he taught his pitcher and team.

There is a poster from Character Counts that says the following: "A good coach will make you a better player. A great coach will make you a better person." According to this definition, we should all strive to be a great coach because the opportunity is there.

As coaches, I do not think we realize the influence and opportunities we have with our players. Sports are full of teachable moments. Dealing with winning and losing, dealing with a bad call, handling adversity, and learning your role on a team are just a few examples.

How a coach responds to these situations is critical because our players hear what we say and see what we do. We (the coaches) are the same people who can get teenagers to get to a weight room at 6:00 a.m., pay hundreds of dollars to attend summer camps, and go through painful conditioning drills. A lot of parents cannot even get their kids to make their beds, so do not tell me that coaches do not influence their players.

Coaches need to seize the opportunity to also teach beyond the sport. Your players are a captive audience. Take advantage of the opportunities to teach them about character. Take advantage of the options to demonstrate and model character.

I know some coaches feel it is their job to teach the sport. My problem with that idea is this. At some point in every athlete's life, his or her athletic skills will no longer matter. However, will there ever be a point in a person's life in which their character does not matter? Michael Jordan was one of the greatest basketball players ever to play the game. Does it matter today how well Michael Jordan can shoot a basketball or do a crossover dribble? No.

However, it does matter today what type of person Michael Jordan is, and it will continue to count for the rest of his life. When you think about this, just put the names of your players in place of Michael Jordan.

Role and responsibility

As coaches, do we need to teach

Volleyball players how to bump, set, and spike?
Football players how to block and tackle?
Basketball players how to shoot, dribble and rebound? Without a doubt

It is also our role and responsibility to teach our players the fundamentals of life because those fundamentals will be with them forever.

Some of you still probably have the issue of winning on your mind. Believe me; I am not opposed to winning. I was also able to experience a fair amount of this in coaching. I do not think it is the most important part of sports. Can you teach and model this character stuff and still win games? You want to ask Dean Smith, Tom Osborne, or John Wooden. If I am not mistaken, these were three coaches with exceptional character and integrity. I think they may have won a few games also.

This world can always use people who are kind, caring, dependable, trustworthy, respectful, responsible, and who play by the rules. Coaches can play an integral role in the development of such people because of the tremendous influence they have on their players. The athletic skills coaches teach their players will last them a while; the life skills they teach their players will last them forever.

After my son's game that night, I talked to the opposing coach. I told him how much I appreciated what he was trying to teach his players. I also spoke to my son that night after the game. He even thought the pitcher's gesture was pretty cool. It was a great lesson, and it happened at a little league game.

Article Reference

This article first appeared in:

ZIMMER, D. (2004) A lesson learned from Little League. Brian Mackenzie's Successful Coaching, (ISSN 1745-7513/ 17 / November), p. 1-2

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

ZIMMER, D. (2004) A lesson learned from Little League [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni17a1.htm [Accessed

About the Author

David Zimmer is a teacher, coach, and high school principal in Nebraska. He runs workshops for coaches on Incorporating Character into Coaching.


topics A-Z Page Index Article Library Coaching General Young Athletes Literature Reviews Coaching Conditioning Endurance Ergogenic Aids Evaluation Injury Prevention Nutrition Physiology Planning Psychology Skill Development Speed Strength Female Athletes Master Athletes Young Athletes Sports Specific Basketball Bodybuilding Boxing Cycling Golf Rowing Rugby Soccer Squash Swimming Tennis Triathlon USA Football Training Conditioning Endurance Ergogenic Aids Evaluation Injury Prevention Nutrition Physiology Planning Psychology Skill Development Speed Strength Anatomy & Physiology Articles Biomechanics Body Systems Cardiovascular Digestive Endocrine Muscular Neurological Respiratory Skeletal Body Type Energy Systems Maximum Heart Rate Movement Analysis Coaching Articles Assessment Communication Ethics Group Dynamics Methods Philosophy Process Principles Responsibilities Styles Skills & Roles Young Athletes Fitness Development Articles Agility Conditioning Core Stability Endurance Flexibility Skill Speed Strength Training Principles VO2max Fitness Testing Articles Blood Pressure Evaluation Tests Ideal Weight Nutrition Articles Basal Metabolic Rate Eating & Competing Eating Disorders Glycemic Index Healthy Eating Minerals Vitamins Planning Articles Athlete Profiling Creating a Plan LTAD Tapering Warm Up & Cool Down Programs Aqua Training Circuit Training CNS Training Complex Training Fartlek Training Heart Rate Training Hill Training Medicine Ball Training Personal Exercise Plan Plyometric Training Track & Field Training Weight Training Psychology Articles Competitive Anxiety Mental Imagery Relaxation Techniques SCAT Sports Psychology Stress Management TEOSQ Sports American Football Basketball Boxing Cross Country Cycling Fell Running Golf Rowing Rugby Soccer Squash Swimming Tennis Triathlon Ultimate Frisbee Sport Development Funding in Sport History of Sport Olympic Games Sport Structure Sports Injury Articles ACL Cramp Cryotherapy Dehydration Hot & Cold Baths Injury Prevention Muscle Imbalance Over Training Shin Soreness Stitch Sports Merchandise Books & DVD's Clothing & Shoes Training Aids Magazines Track & Field Combined Events Decathlon Heptathlon Hexathlon Octathlon Pentathlon Jumps High Jump Long Jump Pole Vault Triple Jump Running Hurdles Long Distance Middle Distance Sprints Steeplechase Throws Discus Hammer Javelin Shot Putt Track & Field Safety Training Aids Articles Ergogenic Aids Massage Sports Drinks Supplements Website Blog Website Updates Website Information Awards Disclaimer & Copyright Help - where do I find Link Exchange Policy Visitors Comments Visitor Feedback Visitor Statistics Web Master Web Links Coaches Corner Useful Links	A lesson learned from Little League Dave Zimmer reviews the act of sportsmanship he witnessed at a little league meeting and its message for all coaches. My little 10-year-old boy was up to bat - my little lefty. I love to watch him play baseball because he loves to play the game. The pitcher wound up and let go of a fastball travelling at about 38 mph. The ball missed the strike zone by a few feet and hit my son in the upper arm. The ball was not travelling fast enough to hurt him, so he ran down to the first base. As my son was standing on first base, I saw the opposing coach signal to his pitcher. The pitcher then ran over to the first base, shook my son's hand, and told him he was sorry. At that moment, baseball did not matter. That act of sportsmanship was more important than the game. Measuring success It also pointed out the importance of a coach with values and priorities in order. As coaches, it is only natural to want to be successful. In my 12 years of coaching, I never went into a game to lose. However, we did lose our fair share of games. Does this mean that a winning coach is successful, and a losing coach is unsuccessful? I guess it depends on how you define success. A coach should not be measured on wins and losses alone. My son's team won their game that night, but the opposing coach was successful because of the valuable lesson he taught his pitcher and team. There is a poster from Character Counts that says the following: "A good coach will make you a better player. A great coach will make you a better person." According to this definition, we should all strive to be a great coach because the opportunity is there. As coaches, I do not think we realize the influence and opportunities we have with our players. Sports are full of teachable moments. Dealing with winning and losing, dealing with a bad call, handling adversity, and learning your role on a team are just a few examples. How a coach responds to these situations is critical because our players hear what we say and see what we do. We (the coaches) are the same people who can get teenagers to get to a weight room at 6:00 a.m., pay hundreds of dollars to attend summer camps, and go through painful conditioning drills. A lot of parents cannot even get their kids to make their beds, so do not tell me that coaches do not influence their players. Coaches need to seize the opportunity to also teach beyond the sport. Your players are a captive audience. Take advantage of the opportunities to teach them about character. Take advantage of the options to demonstrate and model character. I know some coaches feel it is their job to teach the sport. My problem with that idea is this. At some point in every athlete's life, his or her athletic skills will no longer matter. However, will there ever be a point in a person's life in which their character does not matter? Michael Jordan was one of the greatest basketball players ever to play the game. Does it matter today how well Michael Jordan can shoot a basketball or do a crossover dribble? No. However, it does matter today what type of person Michael Jordan is, and it will continue to count for the rest of his life. When you think about this, just put the names of your players in place of Michael Jordan. Role and responsibility As coaches, do we need to teach Volleyball players how to bump, set, and spike? Football players how to block and tackle? Basketball players how to shoot, dribble and rebound? Without a doubt It is also our role and responsibility to teach our players the fundamentals of life because those fundamentals will be with them forever. Some of you still probably have the issue of winning on your mind. Believe me; I am not opposed to winning. I was also able to experience a fair amount of this in coaching. I do not think it is the most important part of sports. Can you teach and model this character stuff and still win games? You want to ask Dean Smith, Tom Osborne, or John Wooden. If I am not mistaken, these were three coaches with exceptional character and integrity. I think they may have won a few games also. This world can always use people who are kind, caring, dependable, trustworthy, respectful, responsible, and who play by the rules. Coaches can play an integral role in the development of such people because of the tremendous influence they have on their players. The athletic skills coaches teach their players will last them a while; the life skills they teach their players will last them forever. After my son's game that night, I talked to the opposing coach. I told him how much I appreciated what he was trying to teach his players. I also spoke to my son that night after the game. He even thought the pitcher's gesture was pretty cool. It was a great lesson, and it happened at a little league game. Article Reference This article first appeared in: ZIMMER, D. (2004) A lesson learned from Little League. Brian Mackenzie's Successful Coaching, (ISSN 1745-7513/ 17 / November), p. 1-2 Page Reference If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is: ZIMMER, D. (2004) A lesson learned from Little League [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni17a1.htm [Accessed About the Author David Zimmer is a teacher, coach, and high school principal in Nebraska. He runs workshops for coaches on Incorporating Character into Coaching.