Keep the Main thing the Main thing.
New Book Introduction.
Over the last few months, I've been slowly writing a book/ebook that is a conglomerate of everything I have to say about youth baseball development. Below is the introduction.
The Point: Keeping the main thing the main thing.
If you are reading this, it is important to know that as someone who is willing to research and seek out the knowledge necessary to help your child or athletes you coach is something that already puts you ahead of the crowd. Most people just don't. They either do not know how much information is out there or worse: they don't think they need it. Throughout the last 5 or so years, one of my biggest challenges in working with youth athletes was getting the coaches to drop their own egos in exchange for allowing the athletes and their families to really focus on what they need.
Coaches of these teams, no matter how well intentioned, oftentimes put winning above all else, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Coaches don't prioritize the well being of individual players/kids. They have a short sighted perspective of what it means to do the right thing., coaches who do not really have the background of playing/being around the game yet don't think they need to put in the hours/effort of continuing education that is necessary in order to help out the kids as much as they can.
A phrase you will hear me say a lot is this: “Keep the main thing the main thing”. WHat exactly does this mean? Truly, it depends. It depends on the time of your child/athlete's development, it depends on what they lack, what they excel at and it also depends on how they are doing emotionally. Do they still enjoy the game? Are they struggling at the game but love going to the field every day and working really hard? Do they absolutely excel at every aspect but are close to quitting because they no longer get enjoyment from it?
I'll tell you right now, I generally have always worked and will always work really hard at everything that I do simply because I believe it is the right way to do things. I am 27 at the time of me writing this, and just because I am old enough to understand the value of working hard does not mean that forcing a child, especially a young child to work really hard and work a lot is the way to go in terms of longevity. Oftentimes, it's more beneficial for everyone involved to take a step back, pump the brakes a tad and then regroup when everyone is refreshed. It goes deeper than just making the player as good as he or she can be. If they quit the sport by the time they are 16 then who cares how good they are?
For most, it is a war of attrition. It is about keeping your athlete in and around the game long enough for them to fully reach their true highest potential. You see it all the time in professional athletics, specifically baseball. I played with so many pitchers who were dominating in the minor leagues that would tell me “yeah i went to (insert NAIA/D3 school in California most people have never heard of) and did not have any offers. I was planning on becoming a preacher but then I gained a ton of velocity and threw 96 and then I got drafted.”or “yeah dude I was a hitter until i turned 21 and then my coach told me to pitch as a joke, so then i learned to throw 97 and got drafted in the first round a year later.” Both of these are completely true stories, I played with both of them and if you do a little bit of research you can likely find the second one pretty easily.
Point is, you cannot predict development with complete accuracy. The only way to ensure that you maximize your development is to stay in the game and stay competing until your physical peak, which is roughly 28. Most won't last that long, as it not only takes being in the top 0.01% of athletes to play that long, it also takes a lot of luck and sacrifice from both you and your family. While they might not be able to keep going until age 28, most people are good enough or are capable enough to make it to age 22-23 as long as they are willing to put in the work as well as bear the brunt that comes along with dealing with the ups and downs of athletics for that long.
Personally, it took me until I was 24 to sign my first professional contract. I actually was nearly 25, as I signed in March of 2022 and my birthday is in July. My college years were plagued with Injuries (that were mostly preventable), bad advice from medical professionals (significantly less preventable), and stress regarding playing performance (preventable but understandable given the ground I had to make up from aforementioned injuries that put me three years behind the curve). This was only possible because I simply did not quit, thankfully I never really wanted to, and in addition I was surrounded by incredibly supportive friends and family who ensured I saw my career through to a point that was fulfilling.
A lot of people aren't able to zoom out and see the bigger picture, and most of the time it isn't their fault. If they never played past high school, how would they ever know what it's like to play in college? If they never played past college how would they know what it's like to play professionally? They aren't able to guide you to a place they have never been (most of the time). This truly is not their fault, but most of them should be putting in the effort you are currently doing, in regards to continuing education.
The youth coaching epidemic stems from a lot of well intentioned and kind hearted folks who just want to help out, but also leads to a lot of people who aren't truly qualified/capable believing that they are a great coach simply because of how they compare to other people. My goal is to help anyone and everyone who is willing to put the effort in on their own. I was in Italy with my wife a few weeks ago, and ran into someone in a pasta making class who coached a team of 10-12 year olds and he was asking questions about pitch counts, advice for pitchers who struggle and various topics that generally aren’t discussed while making pasta in Florence.
These are the people I want to help, the people who go out of their way to improve and grow as a coach no matter where they are. To paraphrase a famous quote “help will always be given to coaches who deserve it”. This book is a conglomeration of all the things I have shared with players, parents and other coaches over the years, everything I believe is necessary to have a fully encompassing view that allows you to truly offer the best to every kid you help or coach throughout your time.
Hope you enjoyed.
If you like this, please feel free to share with a friend. This newsletter is meant to help as many people as we can, and word of mouth is truly the best way.
All the best,
John.