J.J. Standring

Why My Son Didn’t Want to Play Catch With Me (And What I Did About It) My son says his favorite sport is baseball. But his actions tell a different story. He’s always most into whatever sport is in season. In the fall, it was all about football. In the winter, it was all about basketball – even though he wasn’t playing organized basketball, just watching it on TV and practicing in the backyard. He's 7 btw... The other day, we were shooting hoops, and I casually asked, “Hey, want to play some catch?” He said no. As he usually does. Kills me every time, as there’s just nothing better than playing catch! That got me thinking... Why doesn’t he want to play catch? If baseball is his favorite sport, why doesn’t he ask me to throw the ball around? I had to take a step back and reflect. And then it hit me. When we’re playing football or basketball, we just play. There’s no coaching. No correcting. Just fun. But with baseball? I was coaching too much. Without realizing it, I was giving too much instruction. Maybe being a bit hypercritical. It’s just my nature – I’ve spent my life coaching baseball. But it’s different when it’s your own kid. Maybe he felt a bit more under the microscope? So I made a change. For the next few catch sessions, I made sure to give zero instruction. I just focused on making it fun. We pitched in the backyard, called balls and strikes, and sometimes I’d pretend a player hit a ball that he had to field it. He'd catch pop fly's. Challenging ground balls. We'd even turned pretend double plays. And you know what? He absolutely loved it. He wanted to keep playing. I also made one more adjustment. The last few times we’ve gone out in the backyard to practice pitching, I’ve made it a point to only give one piece of instruction the entire time. And before I even share it, I ask, "Hey, is it OK if I show you a little something?" Getting his permission to coach – and keeping it to just one tip – has made a huge difference. That’s when I realized something important: If we want our kids to practice more – and actually enjoy it – it’s got to feel like play, not a lesson. Even if they’re practicing bad habits sometimes, that’s okay. The goal at this age is to build a positive association with practicing at home. If we drill them too hard or give too much instruction, they’re going to gravitate toward sports where they can just play freely. Sometimes, the best way to help your kid love the game is to just let them play! Hope this helps someone out there! On your team, -Captain Fun