Mind your BEE’s

For the last couple years I have coached my young son’s 8u/9u travel baseball team at the end of his rec seasons.  That age group brings many challenges but one of the toughest is trying to get them to move on from the game’s inevitable adversities and stay positive.  Easier said than done because if you’ve coached that level before, you know their meltdowns can be epic.  And on top of that, it’s contagious.

I don’t care how much talent a player has, if he struggles with the emotional side of the game, he will struggle with his performance.  That’s why he always needs to “Mind his BEE’s.”

Here is what that means:

B stands for Body Language.  When you are feeling good about yourself, your body responds.  You straighten up, your eye are up and alert, your shoulders are back, and you walk with swift purpose.  When things go bad, your body responds as well.  You slump your shoulders, your eyes go to the ground, and your movements are slow and purposeless.  Bad body language can be spotted a mile away and it looks horrible.  Players MUST take notice of when it is happening and make sure their body language stays good at all times.  Let bad body language take control and all the talent in the world won’t help you.

E stands for Effort.  Not everyone is going to have loads of natural talent.  Everyone is capable of high effort.  Running on and off the field, hustling down the line, diving after that foul ball, etc. are all forms of effort that the game requires.  No matter how bad things get, your effort level always remains at the top.  No exceptions.

E also stands for Energy.  Bad body language and the lowering of effort lead to poor energy.  Most players’ energy drops significantly when things don’t go their way in the game.  Your players’ energy needs to be high at all times.  If not, the game will eat them alive.

If you have a team that is able to “minds their BEE’s,” they will have a chance to win.  Have a team that struggles with them and you are in for a long season.