Brian Gotta

Below is an excerpt from my definitive guide to coaching youth baseball, Winning Secrets.

I remember once when I saw a kid walking off the field after his game. I asked him, “How did you do?” He said, “I threw a one- hitter, but they made a bunch of errors and let in some runs. I had a home run though.” I guess he didn’t realize I wasn’t asking how he did personally, but how the team had done. Far too many kids don’t have the team-first attitude. They’d rather go 3 for 3 and lose, than go 0 for 3 and win. This attitude usually starts at home and is not corrected by the coach.

I’m going to go out of my way, from the first moment our team all gets together, to explain our team-first philosophy. This means that anything we do is for the good of the team, not necessarily the good of the individual. I want kids to buy into the fact that when the season is over, even five years down the road, they won’t remember a certain game where they made a great play or hit a home run, but they will remember winning a championship and celebrating on the field with their teammates. They must understand that if everyone is only looking out for themselves, thinking of themselves first and what’s best for them as individuals, we won’t be successful. But if they’re all doing anything they can to make the team better, to help the team win, we’ll be champions. It’s a message I learned and preach in business: If we succeed as a group, we’ll prosper as individuals.