The Hidden Dangers of Negative Feedback from Parents in High School Baseball

Can harsh words from parents truly shatter a young athlete's spirit? Uncover the deep psychological impacts of negative parental feedback on high school baseball players in our latest episode of Baseball Coaches Unplugged. With 27 years of coaching experience, I, Ken Carpenter, share real-life scenarios and expert insights on how critical comments can erode a player's confidence, love for the game, and overall mental well-being. Learn why statements like "How could you miss that play?" often backfire, causing more harm than motivation.

Join us as we discuss effective strategies for parents to support their kids positively, even after a tough game. From nurturing their mental game to fostering a healthy team culture, we explore actionable steps that can help young athletes bounce back stronger. Whether you're a coach, parent, or simply passionate about baseball, this episode offers valuable perspectives on creating a supportive and empowering environment for young players. Discover how to turn every setback into a comeback with the right approach and encouragement.

Join the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast where an experienced baseball coach delves into the world of high school and travel baseball, offering insights on baseball coaching, leadership skills, hitting skills, pitching strategy, defensive skills, and overall baseball strategy, while also covering high school and college baseball, recruiting tips, sports coaching, and fostering a winning mentality and attitude in baseball players through strong baseball leadership and mentality.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

You're locked in to Baseball Coaches Unplugged, presented by Athlete One. I'm your host, ken Carpenter, and on today's podcast. Imagine a high school baseball player who has a tough outing and when he goes home after the game, mom and dad do not allow him to eat dinner. Mom and dad do not allow him to eat dinner. Sometimes players are subjected to, after pitching a game and not pitching well, having to go home and dad makes them get back on the mound at their home and throw more pitches. Parents, your actions before, during and after a game has a huge effect on your son's ability to play the game. Today we're going to focus on the psychological effects that negative parental feedback can have on high school baseball players after a bad game and stick around to the end to see some positive ways that parents can support their kids and make them better baseball players and love the game that they grew up playing.

Speaker 2: 1:12

Welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged with Coach Ken Carpenter, presented by AthleteOne. Baseball Coaches Unplugged is a podcast for baseball coaches With 27 years of high school baseball coaching under his belt, here to bring you the inside scoop on all things baseball, from game winning strategies and pitching secrets to hitting drills and defensive drills. We're covering it all. Whether you're a high school coach, college coach or just a baseball enthusiast, we'll dive into the tactics and techniques that make the difference on and off the field. Discover how to build a winning mentality. Inspire your players and get them truly bought into your game philosophy Plus, get the latest insights on recruiting, coaching, leadership and crafting a team culture that champions productivity and success. Join Coach every week as he breaks down the game and shares incredible behind-the-scenes stories. Your competitive edge starts here, so check out the show weekly and hear from the best coaches in the game. On Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

Speaker 1: 2:09

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Speaker 1: 3:07

Welcome back to Baseball Coaches Unplugged, where we dive deep into the issues that impact baseball players, coaches and their families on and off the field. I'm your host, ken Carpenter, and today I'm going to tackle an important subject the impact parents can have on their child's mental game, especially after a bad performance. Now, we all know baseball is as much a mental sport as it is a physical. A player's psyche is a huge part of their performance. When that player is a teenager, it's even more fragile. Their identity, confidence, confidence and sense of self are often wrapped up in the game, which means when they have a rough game, it can sting, but there's one thing that can make it sting even more, and that's hearing negative feedback from people they look to for their, their support, their parents. Picture this it's a tough day at the plate. Your son struck out twice, maybe missed a play or two in the field. He knows he didn't perform well. Trust me, as athletes, we all know the last thing he needs to hear on the ride home is how disappointed you are in him. Or, worse, to hear comments that make him feel like he's let you down. To hear comments that make him feel like he's let you down.

Speaker 1: 4:35

I've seen this scenario too many times. A parent's frustrated or maybe too invested in their kid's success, starts voicing disappointment right after the game. How could you miss that on that easy play? What were you thinking on that last strikeout? You're better than that. These comments, whether they're meant to motivate or out of frustration, do not help. In fact, they do the opposite. Here's the psychology behind it.

Speaker 1: 5:04

When teenagers hear criticism from their parents, especially after failure, it reinforces a sense of inadequacy Instead of building resilience. It chips away at their confidence. The negative thoughts start to stack up I'm not good enough, I'm a disappointment or worse, I'm failing, not just as a player, but as a person. Over time, this can make them dread playing the game, because they're more focused on avoiding failure than actually enjoying the game. So what can we do instead? How do we, as parents and coaches, help these young athletes bounce back and rebuild their confidence after a rough outing? The key is support, positive reinforcement and a healthy perspective on performance.

Speaker 1: 6:00

Here are a few approaches parents can take. First, listen before you speak. On that ride home, your son probably doesn't need a post-game analysis from you. What he might need is silence. Let him process the game himself. If he wants to talk about it, he will. And when he does, listen without judgment. Let me say that one more time Listen without judgment.

Speaker 1: 6:29

The goal is to understand, not to critique. Second, encourage effort, not outcome. Focus on the positives, even in a bad game. Did he hustle on the base path? Did he support his teammates? Acknowledge the work ethic, the grit and the resilience. This builds a growth mindset, one that's focused on improvement, not perfection. Third, remind him that one bad game doesn't define him as a player or a person.

Speaker 1: 7:06

Teens are in a stage where they're constantly forming their identity. A bad game feels huge to them because they don't have the life experience yet to know it's just a small part of their journey. It's your job to keep that perspective in front of them. Let them know failure is part of the process. Every great player has a bad game, sometimes even more than one. Finally, be their biggest fan, not their biggest critic. Be the person who reminds them why they love the game in the first place. Show up for them emotionally, not just physically. Tell them you're proud of them for showing up, for putting in the work and for playing the game they love, even when it's tough.

Speaker 1: 7:54

Baseball is a tough game. It's one of the only sports where you can fail seven out of ten times at the plate and still be considered successful. Doesn't happen in any other sport. It's a game of patience and resilience, two things that teenagers are still learning to master. So the next time your son has a rough outing, remember that your words carry weight. Be mindful of how you react, because your response can either build his confidence or break it down even further. Instead of focusing on the mistakes, focus on the process. Help him see that success in baseball, like in life, is about bouncing back from failure stronger than before and, trust me, when he knows you've got his back. No matter what, he'll play better, not just because he's a better athlete, but because he feels supported, confident and ready to take on whatever the game throws at him.

Speaker 1: 9:00

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the Baseball Coaches Unplugged. If you found today's episode helpful, make sure to share it with other parents, players or coaches who could benefit from this message. And remember baseball is about more than just the wins and losses. It's about developing strong, confident young athletes who will carry those lessons with them both on and off the field. If you enjoyed today's episode, please be sure to subscribe to Baseball Coaches Unplugged and, if you get a chance, leave us a review. It helps us to grow the show. And please tune in every Wednesday for a new episode. We're proud to be partnered with the netting professionals, who are improving programs one facility at a time. Contact them today at 844-620-2707. And you can also visit them online at wwwnettingproscom and tell them. Baseball Coaches Unplugged. Sent you, as always, I'm your host, ken Carpenter, and thanks for joining me on Baseball Coaches Unplugged. Sent you, as always, I'm your host, ken Carpenter, and thanks for joining me on Baseball Coaches Unplugged.