Lessons From the Field: Teaching Foundational Life Skills Through Baseball

Lessons from the Field: Teaching Foundational Life Skills Through Baseball

I'm a baseball nut.  I played baseball when I was younger, from age 6 until college, and I continue to follow my beloved Tigers.  Baseball is one of the few sports I'll watch on TV even when my team isn't playing.  I'm fascinated by the strategy, the clean lines, the black-and-whiteness of ball vs. strike, fair vs. foul, safe vs. out.  So this blog post by Kevin Christofora intrigued me.  It explains nicely how the game I love can be used to teach young people important life skills.

Christofora begins by explaining how mistakes are a part of life.  In a game where a .300 batting average (30% success rate) can lead to a spot in the Hall of Fame, mistakes are more commonplace than success.  The author explains how, in life, the preparation for a big opportunity and the effort put forth can make the difference.  Even in failure, preparation and effort help to mold a persona that will eventually lead to success.

Further, Christofora talks about winning as being much more than just "beating the other team."  Rather, he points to self-respect, as well as respect for teammates, coaches, and opponents, as keys to success.  In life as in baseball, much can be learned from the people we work with, the teachers we learn from, and the competitors we square off against on the field, in the workplace, and in the classroom.

Recognizing a goal, putting forth a sincere effort to reach that goal, and respecting the people we encounter along the way, are keys to success in baseball and in life.  Kevin Christofora draws some interesting if predictable parallels between the two.