Playing Without Uniforms

I believe it was Nolan Ryan who once said that the difference between the way kids play today and the way we played is that now they only play with uniforms on.

Some of the best baseball I can remember playing went something like this... load up my bicycle, put the glove through one of the handles, bat across the handlebars, and baseball in my pocket. Ride down to the London Pool in Syracuse (Ohio), which was right next to two ball diamonds. After swimming for a couple of hours, we would have gathered up enough dudes and gals who liked to ball, and we would skip out on the pool for the next couple of hours, walk up the little hill to the ball field and began playing.

No uniforms.

No coaches.

No umpires.

No parents.

How did we do it, you might wonder? You mean there were no base coaches in the boxes telling us when to stop or when to run? Nope. We just watched the ball. In doing so, we developed a good feel for when we could take an extra base or when we should hold up.

You mean there were no umpires? How did we control the game? We had an agreement that catchers would call balls and strikes. All other calls in the field would just be obvious for the most part. Players know when they are safe and when they are out. Yeah, there may have been some arguments here and there, but it was good for us. Taught us conflict resolution.

You mean there were no parents there? Who supplied Gatorades? Who carried our bags for us? Who made sure no one got hurt?

(Of course you are noting my sarcasm, but I will answer those questions, still.)

Yes, there were no parents at those games. When we got thirsty, we went over to the water spigot behind the press box and got a drink. We carried our own gear, believe it or not. And sometimes one of us would get hurt. Non-serious injuries such as scrapes, bruises, sprains, and small amounts of blood we could handle. If anything was a little more serious like a broken bone or something, there was a phone at the pool or a pay phone nearby. Things happen. We knew how to get help if we needed it.

I can distinctly remember when my friends and I figured out the most efficient way to tag out a base runner who was caught in a pickle. Sure, it was fun and exciting to play "run-down." The defensive players would start near the bags and make several throws back and forth as the base runner would try to find his way safely to one of the bags. But one day we decided to "close him in." I said, let's make a goal to get him out with just one throw. If one of us has the ball and running him down, throw it ahead if he is running full speed with shoulders toward the bag. But, if he is looking back at the ball (which they usually are), then the fielder who is waiting to receive the ball should work in closer in order to box the runner in. Then, when the throw is made, the base runner will be surprisingly close to the fielder who catches the ball and it should result in an easy tag out.

We started doing that whenever we got into a run-down situation, and eventually that particular defensive play got a lot easier. It was just something we figured out on our own. Just by playing the game. We would also incorporate it into our Wiffle Ball games, which was a great way to get better at this skill, without even realizing it.

Of course, we still had team practices. In fact, I can remember practicing almost every night that we weren't playing games. I recall practicing about twice as much as we played games. And I recall playing those casual pickup games almost daily. In fact, the majority of the baseball I played between ages 8 and 13 was probably non-organized, pickup ball with no uniforms on.

If there is one thing I have noticed about players in today's game (both baseball and softball; in fact, it is even more prevalent in softball) it is that players look more mechanical, almost robotic. They have better looking swings. They can repeat the mechanics of pitching, hitting, and fielding... but they have very little "feel."

The best players in the game have a "feel" for everything they are doing while on the field. On the base paths, they have a feel for when to go and when to stop. They get this feel by becoming good at reading the flight of the ball, reading the defense and understanding the defense's limitations and weaknesses.

In the field, they have a feel for making plays, using whatever means possible to get the job done. Sometimes it looks good and sometimes it doesn't. But they just seem to get it done. They have a feel for where base runners are and where they are going to be according to where the ball is put in play. These fielders are a joy to watch. Over-coaching them destroys their athleticism. Let them do their thing. They may cause you some headaches, but they will make you smile even more.

Having a "feel" while playing the game only comes through trial and error. Getting out on the field and making mistakes, working through those mistakes on your own. Figuring out the best ways to get the job done, often through the process of elimination –– doing it other ways that are not as successful before realizing there is a better way to make a play.

In the batters' box, I have seen some beautiful swings. Some kids look perfect when they swing it, and in batting practice they crush it. But do they know how to compete? Competing is 100% what is going on in the batters' box during a game. Way too many cage bomb guys are brought down to earth in the batter's box. When a pitcher is trying to get you out, you have to think about more than your mechanics. Good mechanics are meant to assist you in what is MOST important during an at-bat. Your mindset. Your approach and plan to hunt and attack your favorite pitch. If the pitcher gets ahead of you, now you have to figure out a way to still get the job done by perhaps having to swing at a less desirable pitch. Can you still put that ball in play? Will you fight in the box? Will you compete?

Here's the point. Very little of that occurs during personal instruction sessions, or during your team's batting practice. But when you are playing a pickup game with no uniforms on, that is ALL that is occurring. You are forced to figure out how to compete!

I want players who know how to compete. I want players who have a feel. I want players who would be just as comfortable if they were playing the game without any coaches telling them what to do.

I realize that the culture we live in today is different than it was 30 years ago. I realize there are many challenges to kids being able to play pickup games the way we did. One of those challenges being that it seems ball fields today must be scheduled through recreation departments before they are permitted to be used. Pickup games are tough to make happen. But I believe we can make it happen. I believe we can find ways to "organize" pickup-style play for today's kids.

Perhaps that would be a nice thing to incorporate into an organization, league, or even just with your team. If you have three practices a week, make one of them "pickup" day. Invite another team to join you. All you need to bring is game balls and a lawn chair. When you arrive, let the kids have at it. They have to figure everything out, from start to finish.

There is only one rule on this day: NO COACHING ALLOWED from coaches or parents. Of course, we want the kids to coach each other up. This is how you will find out who your real leaders are. Don't be quick to break up arguments. Let the kids resolve them. Don't be quick to jump up and rush out there whenever a minor injury occurs (easy now mom, I did say "minor" injury, LOL).

This will be hard for many of you to watch. It will be tempting to shout coaching advice. There will be times when you want to interject or insert yourself in some way. There may even be times when the kids look to you for help. They may be uncomfortable just playing, without peeking over at you for your approval. Remind them that this is for them.

It will be messy. It will get outright ugly at times. Trust it. Trust that through all the messiness of it, they are in fact getting better. They are learning. They are gaining valuable experience that will help them in their next tournament. And, more importantly, they are gaining valuable experience that will help them in the rest of their lives.