Voices of the Crowd

I have had the opportunity over the last 17 years to coach and watch a variety of sports at various levels including- middle school football, high school basketball, freshman baseball, pee-wee baseball, youth softball, and little league baseball. All of these experiences have been very rewarding, however, with every team there are voices from the crowd. These are the voices of parents, grandparents, friends, and sports fanatics. With some teams it may be that outspoken dad that does not agree with the position that his son is playing -- the mom that storms the dugout to take her son home because the coach isn't playing her son enough -- the dad that is constantly yelling advice to his son about how to hit, pitch, shoot, or throw-- the irrational mom that is shouting at the ref about a call in the game-- the grand-parent that is trying to get the attention of their grandson in the dugout to see what kind of candy they want from the concession stand-- the fanatics that are shouting for a certain player to go in the game -- the student body that is harassing the players from the opposing team-- I could continue to list a few more, but I think you get the idea. These voices are all distractions to the game. I am sure that in your line of work you face distractions. I think it is very critical to learn how to handle these distractions. The first thing that is important to know is that you are not going to please all these voices- this is a fact! Second- most of these voices have good intentions in mind, but don't always approach the situation in the right way. One thing I have learned is that parents and fans want what is best for their child or team. I believe the best way to handle these voices in the crowd is to focus on the task at hand and block them out. Once you start listening to the voices in the crowd your mind starts to wonder. This would be like trying to drive and talk on your cell phone at the same time. Your focus is not 100% on the road and as a result your not as aware of your surroundings. If you want to be successful, then you must learn how to get in that zone and focus on the task at hand. Lastly, set yourself up for success by minimizing as many distractions as you can. If it is a team, then talk to the players about mental toughness, and talk to the parents about positive player talk prior to the season. We must learn to deal with the voices in the crowd because they are not going away!