How can you ever overestimate the power of fatherly advice to a son. With each word and gesture, a young player is slowly given the potential to become a man.
The role of a father, or a baseball father for that matter, can be a gigantic responsibility. A father can be a speaker of truth. Or an obstacle. Serving as a hinderance or bad example.
It has been sometime since I have seen my father.
Actually it’s been years, and most of my childhood memories have been replaced with other things throughout the process of becoming an adult, but what I do remember is this.
He bought me my first glove. As well as my first bat.
And for that I will be forever grateful.
Not every player that has made it to the major leagues has had the luxury of receiving baseball advice from a father figure. A blue print that shows which choices to make. How learning to be a man at an early age holds the potential to give you an incredible advantage in the world.
With the ability to take action, you can learn to turn on a fastball.
With discipline, you can work on your game like a true craftsman.
Developing faith and compassion can give you the ability to forgive you failures and carry on.
By learning what a man’s priorities are you can learn to play with a sense of purpose.
Baseball requires us to develop character like no other.
Baseball requires us to become men.
If you’re a baseball father, what tips and advice have you given?
If a player, what wisdom can you remember?
9 replies to "Baseball tips from father to son"
[…] October 11, 2011 I received a few emails about my previous post “Baseball tips from father to son” and there was a lot of positive feedback. The past few weeks I have been contemplating other […]
Great post speaking from a father.
My son started teeball this year as a 4 year old. I bought him his first teeball set before he even turned 2 years old. I taught him how to hit, the bases, but still working on the catching which he’ll learn over time. The advice I’ve given him continues almost daily. During the season the tips were almost daily. It was always a learning experience for the both of us.
Tom I definitely agree, about the process perspective. I think daily reinforcement can lead to rapid development as long as the experiences are enjoyable.
What kind of tips to you give him? It’s so great to hear these kinds of stories.
During his first year it was a mix between baseball lessons and then lessons to control his temper. For a four-year old I never knew what to expect. I had to tell him to stick it out for practice and then he could go to the playground afterwards. That always seemed to work.
Hey if he has a temper at that age it means he cares! I was still throwing rocks at cars when I was 4!
That’s a tough one. I give my son advice about baseball almost every day. Most of the time, I find myself telling him relax and have fun. He works hard at practice, but baseball can be frustratingly difficult.
I hope that he doesn’t resent me in the future for giving him too much, too little, or the wrong advice. I’ll only know when he’s an adult. I’m hoping that at the end of his baseball days, he can say that he gave it his all and that he got as good in the game that he loved as his physical ability allowed him to.
We’ve had plenty of arguments and he’s not always willing to listen, so it’s never as easy as it sounds.
I can’t imagine your son developing resentment from your feedback. Every baseball players needs guidance, and think we are the most influential at younger ages.
How many games does he play throughout the season?
He plays a lot. Maybe 40-50 games plus practices. I’ve heard from others that it might be too much, but sometimes we have to drag him away from the field after a 2 hour practice. After 3 days of baseball per week, On Sundays he’s outside playing baseball with his cousin for hours at a time. I wanted him to take the fall season off, but he wouldn’t have it. He’s really young though. Maybe in a few years it will be all about football or lacrosse.
I’ve seen this. Having trouble keeping a kid from a ball field is a sign that he will grow into a dangerous player.
That’s so great to see. I’m really curious to see how he develops.