By Brian Gotta, President of CoachDeck

There are many reasons kids quit playing sports. Over-competitive coaches, fear of injury, feelings of failure and other issues can cause kids to opt out for other, non-athletic interests. But how do we explain kids who are still interested in sports, but just not baseball? Why do so many kids who love sports and love competition choose to channel those feelings in other directions?

The answer you’ll hear most often is that baseball, by nature, is a slower game than, say, soccer or lacrosse. Parents of kids who quit baseball say things like, “He just needed more stimulation. There’s too much standing around in baseball.” And there is plenty of truth to that, because in soccer, hockey, lacrosse and basketball it is much easier to scrimmage. Even the most inexperienced basketball coach who has eight kids show up for practice can fill much the allotted time with a 4 on 4 game. The kids might not have learned much from a fundamentals standpoint, but when they get in the car to go home, they’ll tell their parents they had fun.

One can’t really run a 4 on 4 scrimmage in baseball. So if that same coach has a baseball team and eight kids show up, he may spend that time pitching batting practice to one kid at a time while the other seven chase balls and throw them in. Compared to a fun scrimmage, a practice like this seems like drudgery. By and large, kids don’t quit baseball because they’re bored at games – they quit because they’re bored at practice.

Don’t get me wrong. Practice isn’t supposed to be just amusement. But think about a job you may have had (or currently have), that was actually kind of fun. Sure, you were working and getting things done, but it was more of a pleasure than a chore. Why can’t we make our practices the same way? Just because we’re teaching fundamentals doesn’t mean we can’t make it enjoyable as well.

Here’s an example of what I mean: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked by a baseball diamond and seen a coach with eight kids out in center field, and, one-by-one, they step out from the line so he can hit them a fly ball. If they drop it – no big deal. They just pick it up and throw it in. If it’s a bad throw the coach might tell them to make a good throw, but there really are no consequences. Meanwhile, seven kids are always standing still, bored stiff.

Instead, why not divide that same group of eight kids into two teams? The kids get one point for their team by making a good catch and another point for a good, one-hop throw. First team to thirty wins. Now, in exactly the same drill, all eight kids are competing, and when that score is 24-23 and the ball is in the air, they’re cheering and excited. And when the drill is over, they want to do it again.

But maybe most importantly, what you’ve also done by conducting the drill in this manner, is to simulate game competition. Now, when one of those players has a fly ball hit to them in left field with a runner on third and one out, they’ve been there before. They’ve experienced the same pressure in a practice setting and thus, are more likely to perform.

We’ve tried to build this coaching philosophy into CoachDeck. Beyond being a simple pack of 52 good, fundamental drills, each card has a unique, “Make it a Game,” feature that turns an ordinary drill into a fun and exciting competition kids will love.

We believe this is one of the reasons that leagues using CoachDeck are reporting that more kids are coming back to play year-after-year. This obviously means more registrations and a healthier bottom line for the league. In this way, leagues using CoachDeck tell us they don’t look at CoachDeck as a luxury, but as an investment that pays dividends.

Which is all nice. But our bottom line is that more kids are playing baseball – and sticking with it. If we can have a little to do with that happening, than that makes coming to work a little more fun for us too.