Why We Kept Losing Big Games
My under-12 team kept choking in the tournament semis. We’d play great all season, then boom – nerves kicked in, errors piled up, bats went cold. Parents were staring at their shoes, kids looked like deer in headlights. I knew I had to scrap my old approach.
The Experiment
First thing? Stopped changing the dang lineup every game. Told parents straight up: tournament time isn’t for rotating little Jimmy because Grandma’s in town. Picked our best 9, same order, every single game. Felt harsh? Maybe. But kids stopped stressing about “Am I playing today?” Started knowing exactly where they stood.
Next up: practice chaos. Instead of hitting easy grounders during infield? Made parents shout from the bleachers during drills. Loud. Called it “Pressure Practice”. Had kids run bases full speed with their helmets on, sun in their eyes, while teammates screamed nonsense behind ‘em. Dropped pop flies early on? Yep. Threw wild? Absolutely. But after a few weeks? They caught with trash talk raining down.
Third strategy? Bet everything on pitching depth. Didn’t just rely on my Ace. Made every starter throw bullpen sessions simulating high-leverage crap: bases loaded, nobody out, down 1 run. Tracked pitch counts religiously – even bought a clicker. Our dumbest mistake before? Burning our best arm in an easy first-round win and having nothing left for the final.
The Ugly (Before the Win)
- Parent Mutiny Week: Three different dads cornered me saying “My son needs mound time” during tournaments. Stuck to the plan. Lost one kid (Dad pulled him). Others stayed.
- “Pressure Practice” Disaster: Sarah cried after dropping five fly balls with parents heckling. Almost quit. Next week? Made a diving catch. Game changer.
- Exhaustion: Keeping the same lineup meant benching decent players. Hardest convo I ever had? Telling Logan – best attitude on the team – he wouldn’t start. But having him fresh off the bench for that final pinch hit? Pure gold.
How It Played Out
Quarterfinals against Ridgewood? Bases loaded, top 7th, screaming parents everywhere. Tommy on the mound – our #3 pitcher. Normally, he’d fold. He struck out their clean-up hitter looking. Frozen. Semifinals? Our bats stayed hot even under lights – drilled situational hitting weekly. Championship game? Used four different pitchers. Each one knowing EXACTLY when they’d get the ball. No surprises. Won 4-2. Saw kids laughing in the last inning. Laughing! They were loose. Took the Titan trophy home for the first time in 7 years.
Still use these three things today. Took our third straight district title last month. Simple? Not even close. Messy? Absolutely. Does it freaking work? Ask the hardware collecting dust on my shelf.
