The Separators: Intangibles

 As coaches and parents, we love our players and our children. That is why we do what we do. We care about them and want what is best for them. Because we want what is best for them, we have to be honest with them even if the truth is not what they want to hear-- it's probably what they need to hear. 

We have to have honest conversations with our players about their ability level, where they stand, where they need to improve, etc. The best way I have found to approach these situations is to give them honest feedback, but to drive home the point that each player can make a difference... no matter what his/her ability level is or what his/her role is. Intangibles (things that take no exceptional talent) can be a separator, a difference maker.

I have coached many teams in which we had a lot of players with the same ability level. They threw the same, they fielded the same, they hit the same, they had similar speed. That is not a bad thing, but there are only so many spots in a lineup and only so many opportunities to go around. So, the question they have to ask and have to be able to answer is: What can I do to stand out? Or, what can separate me from the pack? 

Effort and attitude are big ones. "Coaches don't have favorites." Yes, we do. Our favorites are the ones who exhibit great effort, have great attitudes, and respond the right way when adversity strikes. Our favorites are the ones disciplined enough to do the right thing and put forth their best effort... even when they aren't at their best. 

Another way to stand out and separate yourself from the pack as a player is in the mental aspect of the game. The late Skip Bertman (5-time national champion coach at LSU) called it HWA-- How to Win Awareness. Do I know the situation, what to do with the ball, where to be and when to be there on a certain play? Do I communicate... constantly? Do I know what to do on the bases in a given situation? Do I make smart, heads up plays? Can I learn from mistakes, flush it, and move on as opposed to letting offensive struggles carry over to defense and vice versa? Being mentally locked in and engaged can be a separator. Your response when things don't go your way can make a difference.

There's also the selfless, team-minded aspect. Selfless vs. selfish. There are players who are great teammates when everything is going well for them individually, but struggle being a good teammate when things go poorly. It's called being a frontrunner. The best teammates and the ones with higher chance for consistent production are the same guys when they goes 0-4 as when they go 4-4. It's a frustrating game and a game filled with ups and downs... how you handle the ups and downs say a lot about who you are as a player. The other part of being selfless comes down to if you are willing to lay it on the line for your team, if you are willing to sacrifice personal "success" for the good of the team. That shows in things like situational hitting, bunting, giving way on a fly ball to the guy who has priority. If you post a plate appearance in which you don't get a hit, but your ground ball to second base moved the runner from 2nd to 3rd with less than 2 outs... that's a good at bat. It doesn't show in the box score and may not get your name in the newspaper or highlight reel, but it helped your team. A two-strike ground ball to the short stop with a runner at 3rd and less than 2 outs gets the run home. You may get out, but your team just scored a run. Laying down a bunt to move a runner into scoring position is not the most glamorous thing, but it helps your team! It takes selflessness and it takes buy-in! 

From a team approach, we will play teams on our schedule that we are more talented than, but we will play teams with just as much or more talent than us. What CAN be the separator? What CAN make our team stand out? Effort, attitude, being engaged mentally, and selflessness. Compete with that mindset if you as a player want to stand out and if you are truly bought in to everything it takes to help your team win. 

Compete! And as always, do it with Discipline. Respect. Intensity. Passion. 

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