Player's Guide: What Coaches Expect, Monthly Check-ins and Playing Time

Mindset pages What coaches expect Your monthly check-in Asking about playing time Thank your family Plan, Flush, Breathe, Go

Everything on this page is a Ground Up coaching cue. Our suggestion

Start with your mindset

Warrior’s Mindset: The BatterOne job, one zone, flush and breathe, plus a pocket cue card.Pitcher’s Mindset: The TacticianYou dictate the tempo. The game starts when you go.

What your coaches expect

Hustle. Run on and off the field, run out every ball, back up every play. Hustle costs nothing and coaches always notice it.
Attitude. Be a good teammate, pick people up after mistakes, and bounce back from your own.
Be coachable. Look at the coach when they talk, say “Yes, coach,” try the fix even if it feels weird at first, and ask questions when you do not understand.
Show up ready. On time, dressed, with your gear and water.

Get ready for your monthly check-in

About once a month your coach (or an assistant coach) will talk with you one-on-one for about 5 minutes. You go first, so think about these before you sit down:

Your four questions

How is my coach doing? Be honest and respectful. What helps you? What would help more?
How am I feeling as a player? Confident, nervous, having fun, frustrated? All of it is OK to say.
What have I gotten better at? Name one or two things.
What do I still need to work on? Pick one or two.

Then your coach will tell you where you stand, what you have improved and what to work on next. Listen, ask questions, and write your one or two focus items somewhere you will see them, like a notebook or your phone.

Asking about playing time (the respectful way)

Pick a good time. Before or after practice, or at your check-in. Not right after a game and not in the dugout.
Make it a question about you. Try: “Coach, what can I work on to earn more time at second base?”
Listen to the answer, even if it is not what you hoped. Say thank you.
Go to work on what the coach said, then check back at your next check-in.
Talk about yourself, not teammates. Never ask why someone else is playing instead of you.

Thank your family

Growth begins with gratitude. After the game, thank a family member for three things: driving you to games and practices, supporting you in a specific way, and challenging you in a specific way. Name the specific things. It takes a minute and it means a lot (see the postgame gratitude cue).

Plan, Flush, Breathe, Go

Our between-pitch routine, about 5 to 10 seconds, every pitch:

Plan: know the count, the outs and what you will do. Hitters pick the one pitch they will swing at.
Flush: the last play is over, good or bad. Let it go.
Breathe: one slow breath in through the nose, longer out through the mouth.
Go: prep step, full commitment, play the next pitch.

The full version for fielders, hitters and pitchers is in the pregame script. Clear Eyes, Full Heart.

How you carry yourself counts

Throwing hard, hitting far and running fast get noticed. So does how you act. We believe coaches and scouts care just as much about your attitude and how you represent yourself and your team.

After a strikeout or an error: head up, jog back, next play.
Hustle on and off the field, every inning.
Treat teammates and umpires with respect, even on a bad call.
Be the best teammate in the dugout.
Respect your parents in public. Say thank you and carry your own bag.

Somebody is always watching. Give them something good to see.

Ground Up cue

More for players

Build your training week with the Training Planner, keep your arm healthy with Arm Care, and share the parents’ guide with your family. Working on your swing or your glove? Pick one cue from Coaching Cues: Batting & Fielding and stick with it. Want to know the team standards? Ask your coach for your team’s code of conduct, or see ours in the Code of Conduct builder.

Player’s Guide