The 4 Minute Rule for Coaches

I have never understood why baseball coaches talk to the kids for 45 minutes after a game. It happens in little league, it happens in high school, it happens in other sports too. Why?

Not only is the coach's speech way too long, but the coach does what I call talking "at the players" and not talking "to the players". He or she does all the talking ( or yelling at them) and no one else gets a chance to talk.

Keep it under 4 minutes. I've been doing this for years. Not to make the parents happy (which it does), but for several reasons. The players already know what they did wrong if they lost or played bad. Their attention span lasts about 4 minutes, and what you are telling them is better to talk about the next day when everybody has a chance to go home and sleep on it.

Let the players do the talking. Let them vent or compliment each other on a great effort. Point out the good and bad of the game, and let them tell you what they need to work on the next day at practice.

I have always taught coaches to talk with their players, not "at them". Believe me, this develops a team atmosphere. They may yell at other players, complain to you, or bring up something you haven't thought about that would help the team succeed. Doesn't that sound like what happens at home with your family! My point exactly.

Keep it short coaches. Go home and come back tomorrow ready to work.