I totally agree with Steven Ellis - big time.
Instead of attending a training camp, private coaching, and so on, I wish there were more practice sessions. Replace the win-win-win mentality with learn-learn-learn mentality.
I was very fortunate to give into a camp promotion once. Our club had three weeks worth of basically nothing because of a host of issues, so to generate interest and promotion, a two week promotion camp - billed as a free skills camp was set in motion.
Here’s the thing - overall, our players benefited more from that two week experience than anybody. I must admit, when dealing with youngsters, they don’t take anything for granted. Questions, upon questions dominated every day from 10am to 3pm, Monday through Saturday. Unlike their adult counterparts that had this …" whatever", attitude, those youngsters excelled every day better than the day before.
Infield player took each youngster individually per position - 1st, 2nd and so on. What really amazed me was the banter back and forth that the coaching ranks had, letting these guys do their thing. " Well I’ll be darn, listen to that guy," our infield coach said to me. “I’ve been trying to get that across to that knucklehead for the last two weeks!” And here that
knucklehead was telling some youngster how to cover the hot spot - 3rd. Go figure.
Baseball is a game of repetition. Do it right over and over again until it becomes second nature. That’s why the Majors makes it look so easy - bing-badda-boom, done and over.
About less games… in different parts of the country the weather can play havoc with schedules. I’ve sat in the chills of April and May, then folded up my chair and said to myself… " so much for this #@$!. How anyone can learn from 50 degree weather, overcast and a light drizzle is beyond me. The only ones that seem to make out are the umpire fees, the rentals and the bus companies.
Now before someone tells me that playing is a way to learn - don’t. Amateur baseball is so riddled with incompetency, poor if not miserable field conditions, overly animated adults who bring this combination of politics and a bar fly mentality, that learning and playing is a real hard sell.
Steven you nailed it.