The Ole Ball Game

Focus / Refocus during a long inning?

Photo Bill Stanton:  Checkswing.com

Photo Bill Stanton: Checkswing.com

Anonymous asked: I am an assistant coach on my son's coach pitch team. The team is pretty good but has trouble focusing or getting refocused during a long inning.

Any suggestions on keys to get the kids to try and stay focused or tricks to get them re-engaged during a longer inning?

Thanks.

Rick answered: Thank you for your question.

At that age, it is the nature of the beast. They can become distracted by a butterfly, a bug on the ground, an airplane in the sky, the list is endless.

It's not a bad thing. Baseball for them is just the fun of being around their friends, running on the field, getting to throw the ball and swing the bat, and getting their uniform dirty. Focus on any part of their life is in very short bursts. We would all probably like to go there again.

In the dugout, just some casual conversations or stories relating to a situation that just may have happened in the game can get their mind back in that direction. They all love stories.

In the field, a much greater challenge. The distance factor becomes big. Outfielders are particularly suseptible to distractions. Having your infielders regularly turn and tell them how many outs there are may help some.

They are a few years away from doing much with focus. While the leagues are organized, their minds are in sandlot mode.

Enjoy your time. That is a great age group to spend time with. It doesn't get much more pure than that!

Yours in baseball,

Rick

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