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This is an email from one of our SOX dads that I thought productive to
pass along. I experienced some of the same things as a dad too. I have pulled
out some excerpts to peak your interest; however, I would suggest that you sit
down, relax, get a cup of coffee, and read in its entirety with an open mind.
The advice contained herein will allow you to reap rewards untold!
pass along. I experienced some of the same things as a dad too. I have pulled
out some excerpts to peak your interest; however, I would suggest that you sit
down, relax, get a cup of coffee, and read in its entirety with an open mind.
The advice contained herein will allow you to reap rewards untold!
Dad or Coach - Pick one and trust your decision!
Excerpts
(full letter below)…
(full letter below)…
“… The reason I'm sharing all of this with you is because I can relate
directly to what many Dad's in our program are experiencing in relinquishing
the Coaching to someone else. I feel I can offer some advice if you choose to
pass it on. I have noticed over the past 6-8 wks several instances where a Dad
was attempting to Coach their Son during a private lesson, group workout, or
team practice. I've seen Dads go into cages, bullpens, and infields/outfields
while their Son was hitting with an instructor or Coach and try to tell their
son what he's doing wrong. Rarely are the Dads accurate with their assessment,
and even if they are...ITS DAD SAYING IT...deaf ears don't want to hear it…
directly to what many Dad's in our program are experiencing in relinquishing
the Coaching to someone else. I feel I can offer some advice if you choose to
pass it on. I have noticed over the past 6-8 wks several instances where a Dad
was attempting to Coach their Son during a private lesson, group workout, or
team practice. I've seen Dads go into cages, bullpens, and infields/outfields
while their Son was hitting with an instructor or Coach and try to tell their
son what he's doing wrong. Rarely are the Dads accurate with their assessment,
and even if they are...ITS DAD SAYING IT...deaf ears don't want to hear it…
“… After surrendering my reservations about not being Ryan's Coach for
the first time ever, I am 100% positive I made the right decision to back out
and place my faith in Coach Keith and the PSA staff. Ryan has progressed
tremendously in hitting, pitching, defense and more importantly his disciplined
approach and respect for the game…
the first time ever, I am 100% positive I made the right decision to back out
and place my faith in Coach Keith and the PSA staff. Ryan has progressed
tremendously in hitting, pitching, defense and more importantly his disciplined
approach and respect for the game…
“…I played a very important role in this process myself… I backed out! I'm no longer in the
"Coaching role" … This surrender was vital for Ryan to improve his
skills. He must gain trust in his new Coach and I knew this being a Coach
myself. He can’t look to me for approval or disapproval of the skills being
taught…
"Coaching role" … This surrender was vital for Ryan to improve his
skills. He must gain trust in his new Coach and I knew this being a Coach
myself. He can’t look to me for approval or disapproval of the skills being
taught…
“…it isn't easy for me to watch him make mistakes in baseball and then
have to watch his Coach correct the issue.
have to watch his Coach correct the issue.
“… My benefit of wearing both caps (Dad and Coach) has been advantageous
in helping me to stop "Coaching" my son. I've seen firsthand from
under the Coach's cap how detrimental it can be to have a Dad unwilling to let
go of the reigns.
in helping me to stop "Coaching" my son. I've seen firsthand from
under the Coach's cap how detrimental it can be to have a Dad unwilling to let
go of the reigns.
“…I do not sit or stand just outside the cage and try to Coach or
discipline my Son. I'm paying PSA to do these things, and PSA has yet to fail
me…
discipline my Son. I'm paying PSA to do these things, and PSA has yet to fail
me…
Full Letter –
Terry
As you are well aware, I'm the Head Coach for the PSA Sox U9 Red team as
well as a professional pitching instructor at the PSA facility. With a solid baseball
background from JUCO to Division 1College Baseball and being blessed to have an
opportunity to play professionally with the Milwaukee Brewers organization
years ago, I am more equipped to teach our kids in the SOX Program to play
baseball than most Dad's. However, first and foremost I am a Dad with a Son in
the SOX program. My son Ryan, age 12, plays on the Sox U12 Red Team coached by
Keith Fitzgerald who played under your leadership at Ms Delta CC. I've had
several people, mostly Fathers of kids that play for the Sox program, ask me
over the past few months why I'm not Coaching my own Son? The answer is very
simple. I realized the Sox program was better equipped to Coach my Son than
myself. However arriving at this decision was anything but easy for me. I was
well aware that for the first time in Ryan's life, I would not be able to
attend all of his ballgames this season due to coaching the U9 team. I surely
will miss some opportunities to celebrate the highlights but more importantly
to be there for support when he stumbles and falls. It's tough as a Dad to
trust that someone else will be able do these things for you if you're not
around.
well as a professional pitching instructor at the PSA facility. With a solid baseball
background from JUCO to Division 1College Baseball and being blessed to have an
opportunity to play professionally with the Milwaukee Brewers organization
years ago, I am more equipped to teach our kids in the SOX Program to play
baseball than most Dad's. However, first and foremost I am a Dad with a Son in
the SOX program. My son Ryan, age 12, plays on the Sox U12 Red Team coached by
Keith Fitzgerald who played under your leadership at Ms Delta CC. I've had
several people, mostly Fathers of kids that play for the Sox program, ask me
over the past few months why I'm not Coaching my own Son? The answer is very
simple. I realized the Sox program was better equipped to Coach my Son than
myself. However arriving at this decision was anything but easy for me. I was
well aware that for the first time in Ryan's life, I would not be able to
attend all of his ballgames this season due to coaching the U9 team. I surely
will miss some opportunities to celebrate the highlights but more importantly
to be there for support when he stumbles and falls. It's tough as a Dad to
trust that someone else will be able do these things for you if you're not
around.
As you know, I pay the same monthly fee as the rest of Ryan's teammates,
to have someone other than myself Coach my son. Simply put, being that I'm a
paid Coach in the Sox Program, I would not pay this fee unless I had total
confidence in his Coach to demand the discipline, effort, and respect for the
game that I would. I was well aware that Coach Keith would be more effective
communicating to Ryan the hitting / defensive fundamentals and other advanced
techniques that we teach in the Sox program. This isn't due to me having a lack
of communication skills, it’s because I'm DAD! As most baseball Dad's
can attest, we reach a certain point in our Son's lives that almost overnight
we find our "wisdom" suddenly falls on deaf ears to our own sons.
to have someone other than myself Coach my son. Simply put, being that I'm a
paid Coach in the Sox Program, I would not pay this fee unless I had total
confidence in his Coach to demand the discipline, effort, and respect for the
game that I would. I was well aware that Coach Keith would be more effective
communicating to Ryan the hitting / defensive fundamentals and other advanced
techniques that we teach in the Sox program. This isn't due to me having a lack
of communication skills, it’s because I'm DAD! As most baseball Dad's
can attest, we reach a certain point in our Son's lives that almost overnight
we find our "wisdom" suddenly falls on deaf ears to our own sons.
After surrendering my reservations about not being Ryan's Coach for the
first time ever, I am 100% positive I made the right decision to back out and
place my faith in Coach Keith and the PSA staff. Ryan has progressed
tremendously in hitting, pitching, defense and more importantly his disciplined
approach and respect for the game. Any parent who's had a son play on one of my
teams will be the first to tell you, I demand discipline and respect for the
game from my players. However, while Coaching Ryan myself the past few years, a
large part of game discipline from DAD fell on those deaf ears. Yet, when Coach
Keith preaches discipline, Ryan gets it loud and clear. For this I am in debt
to Keith, however I must say, I played a very important role in this process
myself. As I stated earlier, I backed out! I'm no longer in the "Coaching
role" as far as Ryan is concerned, and Keith took the reins. This
surrender was vital for Ryan to improve his skills. He must gain trust in his
new Coach and I knew this being a Coach myself. He can’t look to me for
approval or disapproval of the skills being taught.
first time ever, I am 100% positive I made the right decision to back out and
place my faith in Coach Keith and the PSA staff. Ryan has progressed
tremendously in hitting, pitching, defense and more importantly his disciplined
approach and respect for the game. Any parent who's had a son play on one of my
teams will be the first to tell you, I demand discipline and respect for the
game from my players. However, while Coaching Ryan myself the past few years, a
large part of game discipline from DAD fell on those deaf ears. Yet, when Coach
Keith preaches discipline, Ryan gets it loud and clear. For this I am in debt
to Keith, however I must say, I played a very important role in this process
myself. As I stated earlier, I backed out! I'm no longer in the "Coaching
role" as far as Ryan is concerned, and Keith took the reins. This
surrender was vital for Ryan to improve his skills. He must gain trust in his
new Coach and I knew this being a Coach myself. He can’t look to me for
approval or disapproval of the skills being taught.
Don't get me wrong, it isn't easy for me to watch him make mistakes in
baseball and then have to watch his Coach correct the issue. I've always been
the 1st person to correct any "baseball" wrongs for my Son. My
benefit of wearing both caps (Dad and Coach) has been advantageous in helping
me to stop "Coaching" my son. I've seen firsthand from under the
Coach's cap how detrimental it can be to have a Dad unwilling to let go of the
reigns. There have been several times since Ryan has joined the PSA program
that he's approached me with a baseball question and I would simply redirect
him to Coach Keith or another professional instructor in the facility to get an
answer simply because the question pertained to hitting. I know for a fact
those guys are more equipped to answer his question since my background is in
pitching. I also am aware that it could be detrimental to Ryan's progression if
I try to answer a question without knowing for certain what I'm saying.
baseball and then have to watch his Coach correct the issue. I've always been
the 1st person to correct any "baseball" wrongs for my Son. My
benefit of wearing both caps (Dad and Coach) has been advantageous in helping
me to stop "Coaching" my son. I've seen firsthand from under the
Coach's cap how detrimental it can be to have a Dad unwilling to let go of the
reigns. There have been several times since Ryan has joined the PSA program
that he's approached me with a baseball question and I would simply redirect
him to Coach Keith or another professional instructor in the facility to get an
answer simply because the question pertained to hitting. I know for a fact
those guys are more equipped to answer his question since my background is in
pitching. I also am aware that it could be detrimental to Ryan's progression if
I try to answer a question without knowing for certain what I'm saying.
The reason I'm sharing all of this with you is because I can relate
directly to what many Dad's in our program are experiencing in relinquishing
the Coaching to someone else. I feel I can offer some advice if you choose to
pass it on. I have noticed over the past 6-8 wks several instances where a Dad
was attempting to Coach their Son during a private lesson, group workout, or
team practice. I've seen Dads go into cages, bullpens, and infields/outfields
while their Son was hitting with an instructor or Coach and try to tell their
son what he's doing wrong. Rarely are the Dads accurate with their assessment,
and even if they are...ITS DAD SAYING IT...deaf ears don't want to hear it.
directly to what many Dad's in our program are experiencing in relinquishing
the Coaching to someone else. I feel I can offer some advice if you choose to
pass it on. I have noticed over the past 6-8 wks several instances where a Dad
was attempting to Coach their Son during a private lesson, group workout, or
team practice. I've seen Dads go into cages, bullpens, and infields/outfields
while their Son was hitting with an instructor or Coach and try to tell their
son what he's doing wrong. Rarely are the Dads accurate with their assessment,
and even if they are...ITS DAD SAYING IT...deaf ears don't want to hear it.
Advice for Dad's -
I would like to share what's worked for me throughout this transition, bear in
mind, I am a professional instructor and Qualified PSA Sox Coach myself. When
my Son is practicing with Coach Keith, I absolutely do not get
involved in any fundamentals of Coaching unless I'm directly asked to by Keith.
Other than some advanced pitching fundamentals per Keith, I am not involved
with any aspect of Ryan's development, during practices or games, including
discipline...Especially Discipline!! If I were to get on to Ryan he would get
upset or angry because his DAD is being too critical. The Head Coach must
be the disciplinarian when present. If I see Ryan doing something half-hearted
or lazily, and Coach Keith for some reason or another missed it, I will not
say a word to Ryan unless I have already discussed the issue with Coach Keith
and he requests me to address it. I have never walked into a cage while Ryan
was hitting with Coach Keith or another PSA hitting instructor. In fact, I
usually make it a point to give them some distance. I do not sit or stand just
outside the cage and try to Coach or discipline my Son. I'm paying PSA to do
these things, and PSA has yet to fail me. The reason I don't get involved is
"common sense." If I'm paying someone to give my son swimming
lessons, my feet are not going to get wet unless my son is drowning. I know
every instructor at PSA personally, and none of us will allow a kid to go into
deep water until they're ready, much less drown.
I would like to share what's worked for me throughout this transition, bear in
mind, I am a professional instructor and Qualified PSA Sox Coach myself. When
my Son is practicing with Coach Keith, I absolutely do not get
involved in any fundamentals of Coaching unless I'm directly asked to by Keith.
Other than some advanced pitching fundamentals per Keith, I am not involved
with any aspect of Ryan's development, during practices or games, including
discipline...Especially Discipline!! If I were to get on to Ryan he would get
upset or angry because his DAD is being too critical. The Head Coach must
be the disciplinarian when present. If I see Ryan doing something half-hearted
or lazily, and Coach Keith for some reason or another missed it, I will not
say a word to Ryan unless I have already discussed the issue with Coach Keith
and he requests me to address it. I have never walked into a cage while Ryan
was hitting with Coach Keith or another PSA hitting instructor. In fact, I
usually make it a point to give them some distance. I do not sit or stand just
outside the cage and try to Coach or discipline my Son. I'm paying PSA to do
these things, and PSA has yet to fail me. The reason I don't get involved is
"common sense." If I'm paying someone to give my son swimming
lessons, my feet are not going to get wet unless my son is drowning. I know
every instructor at PSA personally, and none of us will allow a kid to go into
deep water until they're ready, much less drown.
In closing, I have one final piece of advice for our PSA Dads. Simply
sit back, relax, and enjoy watching your Son having fun. Enjoy seeing your son
reap the benefits of hard work as he's applying his professionally taught
skills in the tournaments and having success. Celebrate these highlights with
your Son and expect pitfalls to come. When they do, be ready to help him up
when he stumbles and falls. As I said at the beginning, this is what I fear I will
miss the most by not being Ryan's Coach this year. I consider this to be a
minor sacrifice considering the baseball skills and life lessons that I'm
confident he's learning from the PSA Program and Coach Keith in my absence.
sit back, relax, and enjoy watching your Son having fun. Enjoy seeing your son
reap the benefits of hard work as he's applying his professionally taught
skills in the tournaments and having success. Celebrate these highlights with
your Son and expect pitfalls to come. When they do, be ready to help him up
when he stumbles and falls. As I said at the beginning, this is what I fear I will
miss the most by not being Ryan's Coach this year. I consider this to be a
minor sacrifice considering the baseball skills and life lessons that I'm
confident he's learning from the PSA Program and Coach Keith in my absence.
Gabe Ishee
PSA
White Sox Pro Instructor
White Sox Pro Instructor
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