The Change

I once heard of a pitcher who was nervous about starting a play-off game. The position players were steering clear of him, and the pitching coach was at his wits end over the pitcher’s behavior. The head coach finally got wind of what was going on and marched down to the clubhouse to talk to the pitcher. He looked the pitcher in the eye and said, “Son, either change your behavior, or change out of your uniform!”

As coaches, one of our main jobs is to help change the behavior of our players. After all, that is ultimately what teaching is—seeing the knowledge learned on the practice field successfully transferred to the playing field. The best way to do this is by coaches modeling the exact behavior they want their players to practice. The old phrase, “More is caught than taught” rings true. Other ways to change players’ behavior are through drills for their physical needs, mentoring for their mental toughness, and building them up emotionally. Spiritually, they need the guidance and direction of Jesus.

Just as the disciples’ character changed when they walked with Jesus, so should the character of our players under our tutelage. As coaches we should constantly evaluate our players and then shape and mold them to walk as Jesus did. At most, we will have them for only a few seasons, but the world will have them for the remainder of their lives. As coaches for Christ, we need to commit to modeling Christlike behavior for our players to follow.