For Parents

Dennis differs from many coaches in that his lessons go beyond technique and into teaching the strategic and mental aspects of the position. It takes more than a strong arm to be a successful pitcher. The best pitchers have:

• Confidence in their ability to make the pitch they need
• Poise to stay focused on the task at hand
• Creativity to adapt their style when necessary
• Discipline to keep emotions from taking over

Dennis weaves all of these fundamentals into every pitching lesson. Make note of these traits and think about how they will help your son on and off the field.

Keeping Perspective on the Big Picture (or Sports Parenting 101)

Besides the game of baseball itself, Dennis is especially passionate about the parents’ role in developing the student athlete. He has seen - over his twenty years as a coach and parent - the full spectrum of parental involvement, from totally “hands-off” to completely absorbed, from the “just have fun” to the “win at all cost”. Combine that with the perennial stories of parents arguing with umps and coaches to the outright brawls with other parents and it’s easy to see how kids can get a distorted impression about the purpose and value of sports. Sports should be an integral – and positive – part of a child’s development. He will learn self-esteem, confidence and teamwork and forge friendships that will last for years. As parents, it’s our responsibility to gently guide that process – pick them up when they fall, pat them on the back when they achieve, keep their education and extra-curricular activities balanced and watch the big picture.

As adults we remember these moments with an uncomfortable fondness:

• your last second breakaway lay up bounces off the rim and out
• a long touchdown run is called back because of your holding penalty
• after practicing your gymnastics floor routine for months you get out on the floor and forget your next move
• two out, bottom of the sixth inning, one run lead; you throw your best fast ball and it gets blasted over the fence for a walk off homer.

Sure, we can laugh at it now but there is a little bit of the child hidden deep in our being that revives the pit in our stomach. After all, these were some of our first experiences with failure as children. If we were fortunate enough to have parents who understood that it was a game first, we learned and grew from the experience.

Now we are adults and we watch our children practice, participate and compete at all levels of organized athletics. Our reasons for encouraging participation in these activities are………what are they exactly? They need to win all and lose none? Or, they can lose some but “as long as my kid makes the all-star team it’s ok?" How about they can win some and lose some but it really doesn’t matter because “my child also plays on a travel team which is really the better team and the one that really matters."

The learning never stops for our children. Level or caliber of competition has little bearing on the lessons that will be taken home from actually competing. Creating a shield for our children by never letting them feel disappointment and frustration would be a wonderful thing but we know it is not possible. Disappointment and frustration are critical stepping-stones for your child to follow in his journey to adulthood. From adversity comes learning, improvement and ultimately success. There is no time frame for success. Each of our children has their own schedule, their individual timeline, to reach a goal. A goal we as parents certainly should share in establishing with our children early on. Where there is an ultimate destination there are detours and obstacles on the way. These bumps in the road of life are more easily handled with a parent’s help. We are the co-pilots in our children’s lives. Our undying support and loving guidance is something that will always be remembered by our children - more than any one at-bat, shot, or kick. As much as learning never stops, neither does love and support from parents