Inning 1: Responsibility

Series Introduction:
The most wonderful time of the year has begun.  Baseball season, which spans February through October, is a major holiday celebrating youth, memories from our past, dreams for tomorrow, a connector to meaningful relationships, and the development of character in a setting as fun as any learning environment can be.

The focus of this new series will be what baseball offers outside of the obvious short term joy of play.  This game offers a classroom unlike any other for character formation and life skills.  Follow along as we play 9 innings and explore what baseball is really all about.

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Baseball is a great teacher of responsibility.  Responsibility is a character trait we hold highly as a society.  As parents, consumers, tax payers, neighbors, employers, employees, relatives, etc. we at all times expect others to do particular things, to behave a certain way, and to share our own values and beliefs.  It is called living responsible lives.  To be responsible, therefore, is to have the ability to respond appropriately.  To exercise self control and do right things independently is to show responsibility.

Many things come to mind when looking at responsibility in the context of baseball.

• bunt coverage assignments
• signals to base runners & hitters
• pitch sequencing
• stolen base coverage's
• pick-off attempts & throw overs
• cutoff throws

In baseball, every pitch matters, because there is always something to see and analyze.  With every play, all nine players on the field have to be in motion covering new ground or expanding their territory on the field.  Even if a play does not directly involve a certain position, that player has an assignment to fulfill in anticipation of the play going bad.  Of course, don't expect the worse, but prepare for it just in case.  It is easy for outfielders not to cover the overthrown territory behind bases but it is necessary.  It takes discipline to run to a spot and not be involved in the play.  This is how character is built.  Doing something because it is the right thing to do not because it brings immediate satisfaction or personal glory.

As a baseball instructor, I am careful to go deeper in my lesson application with my players.  To begin teaching responsibility is a tricky process because learning to be responsible depends on the player valuing doing right.  With each player I work with, I set a routine in lessons and in independent practice.  Each lesson is customized but predictable once the player becomes familiar with what is expected.  Establishing a routine is critical when leaning to work and act independently.  Guesswork is minimized when certain expectations are a given.  When the player knows I am going to critique all 13 check points of a good hitting stance, the player takes special care to pay attention to each one.

Assigned tasks are given to execute outside of the private workout.  The player is asked to track their practice habits.  These tasks involve baseball drills for at-home improvement and unique tasks the player should be responsible over in daily living like homework and polite responses to others.  We always take time during the private lessons to define these tasks and together decide what is reasonable.  The private lesson ends by reviewing the results of the assigned tasks given in the previous lesson.  Talking through it together is quite motivational as the player wants to prove himself.  Perfect practice for life's issues even before they appear.

Responsibility is only one of many character qualities that baseball reinforces.  What a fun and safe opportunity to learn this much needed trait.  To learn more about character formation and baseball visit my company, Upside Baseball, either on the web or facebook.