With the new year on the horizon, here’s a brief list of the best advice I can give parents and players to make sure your baseball family has the most enjoyable and rewarding season possible in 2026!
FOR PARENTS:
- Stay Present!
- Ask anyone with kids still playing sports in High School or beyond and they will tell you the most special years are happening RIGHT NOW in Little League! Spend zero energy worrying about playing time, positioning, or their stats and just enjoy the ride!
- Never Coach From The Stands!
- Every piece of “advice” you call out to your ballplayer, no matter how pure your intentions or how accurate the information, only makes their success less likely. Cheer your heart out, but let the coaches do the coaching.
- Never Say a Negative Word To or About an Umpire!
- A sad fact: there is currently national shortage of umpires and referees because of the amount verbal (and sometimes physical) abuse they have been taking from parents and coaches in recent years. Be part of the solution and just zip it during games. Not one groan about a safe/out call. Not a single “awww, come on, ump!” whine about a ball/strike call. If you’re going to say anything to the ump, say “THANK YOU” after the game.
- Model Outstanding Behavior!
- If you’re full of anxiety in the stands, the players will be full of anxiety on the field. If you’re complaining about the ump from the stands, the players will start complaining about the ump on the field. If you’re treating the other team like your mortal enemy and barking at their other team’s parents, players, and coaches, your players will follow your lead. So, lead by example.
- The Car Ride Home!
- Studies have shown that the car ride home is often a young player’s LEAST favorite part of their youth sports experience. After the game simply say, “I love watching you play” and nothing more. No box score recap. No play-by-play of key at-bats. No technical instruction. Nothing but “I love watching you play.” If they want to talk about the game, great; let them bring it up. And then just listen. If they don’t want to talk about the game, that’s totally fine too; there’s no upside in forcing the conversation.
FOR PLAYERS:
- Be a Great Teammate!
- Become the player who has everyone’s back and is the first to pick up a teammate who might be down on himself.
- Control What You Can!
- Game-by-game stats are unpredictable, uncontrollable, and unimportant (in the grand scheme of things). Effort, attitude, and hustle are areas of the game you can excel in EVERY SINGLE DAY, no matter what.
- Set Goals and Work Hard!
- Achieving success in baseball (and in everything else worth doing in life) is difficult! Do not expect anything to come easily or be handed to you. Have a great work ethic at every practice and game and you will improve over time…guaranteed!
- Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone!
- Be excited about trying new things, even if (especially if) they’re difficult at first. Trying new things takes courage because new skills are usually don’t click immediately but the struggle is what builds grit and resiliency.
- Have A Short Memory!
- Bad swing? It’s over, move on. Bad inning? Start thinking about the next one. Bad game? There’s another one in a couple days. Always be thinking about the next play, not the last one.
- Listen to Your Coaches!
- They are there to help guide you. Listen intently and respectfully. Work hard to apply what they are teaching you. Thank them after every practice and game.
- HAVE FUN!
- Getting to play the greatest game ever invented with your friends on beautiful fields in incredible weather is an absolute gift. Enjoy every second of your time in Little League, because it won’t last forever!