How and Why

There is a quote that I like which says, “The person who knows HOW will always have a job.  The person who knows WHY will be his boss.” It’s a good quote for the business community but in my opinion, it also has a coaching angle.

This time of year players and their parents usually start to wade through all the instructors out there to see which facility and which coach offers the best instruction for the best price.  It is not an easy task, especially for those who have never played the game.  

There are many people who can tell you their view on HOW to throw a baseball, HOW to hit, and HOW to field and run the bases.  What’s harder to do is explaining WHY they feel it should be done that way.  I’ve always felt that a good teacher is someone who can take a complicated issue and briefly explain it in a way that anyone, no matter what their experience level or background is, can understand it easily.  Telling a player to hold the ball a certain way is easy.  Explaining why that particular way is better than the others is tougher.

If you have a coach or instructor that takes the time to explain why things should be done a certain way and can explain it quickly in easily understood terms, you might just have stumbled onto a winner.