“Hey Coach, do you think my son is good enough to play college baseball?”
I love it when parents ask me this question. Especially when the player they are asking about is a champion. By champion I mean that he shows up on time, gives 100% effort every single time, goes above and beyond what I tell him to do, takes initiative, is confident in himself, is a good critical thinker, is a good student, is a good person, is intelligent, and works hard. If the player meets all these criteria, the answer is 100% YES. YES YES YES.
YOU MUST HAVE THE TOTAL PACKAGE
Does talent matter? Duh. No college coach wants a player who is not talented. College coaches want players that can play the game at a very high level and help their team win, but college coaches also want players that find ways to add value to their team. Sometimes this might means choosing to recruit a player that is not quite as talented as his competition but that shows far more upside when going down the line of criteria the college coach has when he is choosing the players he wants on his team.
EVERYDAY MINDSET
First off, players that have the make up of a champion(meaning all those things I listed above) will inevitably improve dramatically from the ages of 17-20. I mean they will literally get better every single day if that have that mindset and approach. If I have a team of humble, relentless, selfless, wholehearted, team focused, self improvement focused, tenacious, fierce, confident young men…we will win. If I have a team of players that understand what it means to control what they can control on a day to day basis…we will win. If I have a team of players that will do anything for each other day in and day out and a team that does not accept and expect anything but the absolute best out of themselves day in and day out…I promise we will win.
DO WHAT IT TAKES
When you are able to put together a group of players like this, will these good qualities alone beat our opponents? No, of course not. My players better be in the gym, they better not be skipping reps or sets, they better not be trying to find the easy way out, they better be trying to outwork each other as well as themselves each and every day. When we have this type of fabric as the foundation of our program, we will win more than we lose, even if we are not the more talented team.
So, is your son good enough to play in college?
I think the majority of parents should be asking themselves the following questions:
- Does my son show up on time every day?
- Does my son always give 100% effort?
- Does my son always do what the coaches tell him to do as well as make efforts to go above and beyond what they tell him?
- Does my son take initiative?
- Is my son confident in his ability? Does he believe he can play in college?
- Is my son a good critical thinker?
- Is my son a good and/or great student?
- Is my son a good person?
- Is my son intelligent?
- Does my son show consistent efforts to improve himself in every way he can day in and day out and strive to be the hardest worker he can be?
If so, all the baseball talent details will definitely fall into place and I guarantee he will be able to find a college that believes he can add value to their program.
Teach your son from a young age to control what he can control and to have a mindset of greatness and positivity. Teach your son how to have championship thinking mechanics and structures, and success will chase him.
-Coach Isaac
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