foreign
coaches and outers life lives 34
inspirations
let's play ball
if you dream it then you can go and do
it well I I'm not a total believer of
that like if I believe that I want to be
heavyweight boxing champ for the world
I'm pretty sure I'd get knocked out my
first fight I try but uh there's some
things that you can do
um if you dream and believe it was just
building something or making something
then you can go and study to do a lot of
those things if it requires some
extraordinary athletic Talent then maybe
your dreams have to be curbed a bit but
that's why you have coaches and family
and friends it's like uh you've got that
show Netherlands Got Talent right yeah
yeah when you see those terrible singers
that go up surely you have friends that
can tell you do not audition for this
you are a terrible singer I know you
have dreams to become the next I don't
know the famous Dutch singers are but
you know you have good friends that tell
you no you're not a very good singer
finds another passion it's the same way
but if it's something that you can do
it's like yeah don't talk about it man
just go and do it
uh we have another question from
[Music]
right
even as a coach
um I knew that I wanted to have a good
four-year program yeah
um we can really teach you stuff and in
the first year and and second year and
and putting in the hard work and come
the third and fourth year you want to
start filling up the trophy cabinet yeah
so um so we know a lot about the game
and we've seen the past future prison uh
we've seen great players of softball but
we also
I want to make it a little bit your own
and and change it and and make it grow
and you know have every little kid in
the Netherlands instead of picking up a
hockey stick picking up a softball bat
you know uh that that's the dream really
um so you're watching Women's College
World Softball now on TV and how big
that's getting and yeah for me it's a
thoughtful crazy person I'd love to see
it in the Olympics on television
um you know that that that's the dream
all right that's cool maybe continue
with the story you just told us that's
exactly uh what you were many were
standing up to try to put your mark on
the game try to get it more exciting you
can try to get more people to play and
a little bit like like evolve the game
of softball like you said you get a lot
of competition from other sports coming
up what can we do as a parent as a coach
as a as a neighbor I'm just saying
um to lift up the sports how do we get
it back up you have to make it exciting
yeah one thing you got to realize is
that you are competing against other
sports and there's new sports coming in
I had one of my players she used to play
corpse ball like knowing you what coff
ball was 20 years ago but it's huge now
like it's similar to netball in New
Zealand but the thing is people are
inventing new sports
um Ultimate Frisbee this there's just so
many different sports going out of there
that you've got to adapt you've got to
adapt and I used to coach in Great
Britain for many many years and we'd go
to
these Expos at schools and there'd be
four or five different sports there and
I'd be there representing softball and I
fully respect all the other sports but
my job that day was to have these kids
go away just sell it to still to sit
there and go listen I want them to think
softball was the coolest sport that I
did today out of War four five so that
that's again competition coming from
within me means nothing I don't get a
medal out of it or anything like that
that's just something that's internally
driven to me to say I'm going to out to
these other sports today and the funny
thing is I know that none of these kids
were going to be playing because there's
not a club in their area that was
actually some bad planning on
um all right well there's no point us
going to these schools because there's
not a club nearby there's no coach
nearby or they had a club nearby but the
coach that ran the club was not uh
engaging or they're going to be on a
downer because they've just had an
awesome session for me going oh my God
the Sport's awesome and then I know
they're going to that coach who is not
very engaging and then the kids are just
gonna go well this isn't as fun what it
was at school yeah which is awesome you
know but I was aware of all those little
things when I was doing that
um but yeah it's one of the things that
I try and pride myself on is to make
sure that it doesn't matter what age you
are whether I'm doing 11 year old school
kid that are doing it for the first time
or if I'm coaching national team players
that have been playing for their
national team for the last 20 years my
job is to uh a make sure they're having
a good time and B make sure that they're
continuously learning but the funny
thing that they don't realize is that I
also learn from them you never stop
learning people think that I have all
the answers it's like I have most of
them I don't have all of them but guess
what the ones that I don't know I have
lots of friends and I'll go and ask
those friends I don't know everything
about pitching but guess what Manny and
I are good friends man he's been a
pitcher for many many years so if I've
got anything to ask hey Manny go and
answer this question yeah yeah don't
take me wrong I'll get in there and
pitch for a team well you've seen me do
it this year yeah yeah the the results
are sometimes is what they want to be
but Manny's a proper pitcher I'm just a
part-time pitcher that would get in
there and do it yeah just throw strikes
yeah that's that's what I told them I
was like I could throw strikes I could
also catch as well I have no problem
getting in there and uh playing catcher
but I'm not a proper catcher right it's
just one of those ones where if you can
do it just go and do it evolve in the
game if there's someone better you don't
do it yeah for sure yeah don't talk
about it just do it there's again there
good point then again in the four year
program I find that very exciting
interesting as you will know I do the
girls on the 12th about Maria we are in
the third year now
so I have my vision on four years
um do you mind explaining to us and the
young listeners and coaches to be at
home what is the four year program what
was your vision yes so well I'm done now
so I've got no yes
but you've executed your vision yeah so
in 2015 when I first came here uh you've
got a plan like everything you're doing
is you're planning but it's like all
right what are your goals and they
always talk about the smart goals and
make it measurable stuff like that yeah
the one that the one that I got wrong
and I got this from a New Zealand guy I
went on this course and this guy's a
genius he's an absolute his name's David
Neath shout out Dave need I hope shout
out we'll take you on Facebook as well
follow that guy he is a legend and I
remember him saying in the smart goals
the ah do you remember what the r stands
for nope realistic oh yeah yeah he's the
one that come and said actually that's
wrong and I'm like what and he's like no
you got to put a u n in front of it I'm
like you in unrealistic and he's like
yeah he's like you got to reach for the
stars he's like you've got to sit there
and just you know go crazy with your
dream well sort of like you go back to
the dreams and whatnot well not being
heavyweight champion of the world in
boxing because I'll get knocked out but
you know anything that you think you can
achieve Like A Champion yeah so it sort
of came around uh well hold on I'm
backtracking here uh so for this year my
unrealistic goal was like hey let's put
the men's team together let's enter
everything let's try and win the Premier
Cup uh the men's and the women's
no one's ever done it before sounds
unrealistic let's have a crack at it
yeah yeah so you know that's where the
idea idea came from last year uh but in
terms of the four-year plan you can also
trade that for succession planning
so each year you're trying to work out
how we're going to do it but then you're
also planning for you not being there or
certain players not being there so as
long as I'm assuming that you've already
had the conversations with the parents
and the kids to say hey you're going to
be at albemaria or whatever your Club is
at Olympia are you going to be here for
the next three four years because if you
plan on being there yeah then you know
what you got to work with and then you
know what pace you need to go but if
you've only got them for one year and
you want to try and teach them then you
may end up rushing yourself uh trying to
teach them everything but sometimes when
you try and teach them everything you
end up learning nothing because you're
rushing yourself yeah but if you know
that you got them for four years you've
got them for six months times uh you
know four weeks you know times two
sessions you got them for like 100
sessions a year you My Philosophy you
teach one skill one drill yeah and one
rule per session that's a hundred skills
100 drills and 100 rules they learn in
the game you times that by two three
four years that's a lot yeah that's a
hell of a lot about the game and then
that way you can just chip away at it
you can't give them everything at once
because your learning can only handle so
much and when you're a kid you don't
want to be spoken to for too long you
just want to keep playing but you've got
to somehow
I don't like this word but it's sort of
what you do you manipulate them you
manipulate them into how they learn and
say all right well this is the rule and
then you go and train the rule and some
a lot of it's just basic stuff like you
know bunting where you go on a bunt and
uh you know who's moving where and how
and why and uh yeah but the main thing
is is that you have that plan and the
most important part of your four-year
plan which is also known as succession
planning uh is being able to change it
that's the biggest thing I learned from
Australian softball uh not not when I
was younger but later is if when you're
doing something and it's not working be
willing to change it and that's where a
lot of the skill comes because that's
where you've got to feel it you've got
to well you can do it by asking the hard
questions directly but sometimes you
don't get the honest answers back but
you need to be able to feel it whether a
kid's feeling it or whether a parent's
feeling it and that's another big lesson
I learned is you've got to make sure
that you speak not just to the kids but
to the parents as well all right because
sometimes the kids are the parents don't
even match up with what they want it's
very weird but I've got some interesting
Tales I got examples about a lot yeah
but where's your training uh on the 12th
and that's a different ball game with
grown-ups but it's not a different ball
game with grown-ups or no it is it is
but the thing with a grown-up the
grown-up can tell you yeah an 11 12 year
old but you still have to deal with the
parents yeah I'll give you my best
example that I had and this is what set
me on my path
forever it was in Denmark I was coaching
pretty much every team at glad saxa this
was the year before many got there I
think and then we had ambition to be in
the first Division and then I was
coaching the under-12s and this kid who
was terrible
couldn't catch a fly ball used to cry
every time they got out and at the end
of the year the mum came up and thanked
me and you know they give you bottles of
wine or a six pack of beer or something
as a thank you and I remember going to
the mother saying oh yeah your son was
scared of the ball at the beginning of
the year and
you know now they can catch half the
balls and you know they're coming along
and Leaps and Bounds and they're good
and her face just re-quiled and just
looked at me strange and I thought oh
okay what have I missed here and then
she said to me says like oh no no no at
the beginning of the year he was one of
the worst at English in his class now
he's one of the best
so I'm like
are you kidding me she only brought her
son to the training sessions
because I only spoke English I couldn't
speak Danish so she wanted her son to be
around someone that was constantly
forcing her son to understand English
and here I am working my tail off to try
and get this kid better at softball and
had some speed the kid had speed was
just scared at the ball and you know it
wasn't that great at hitting and I used
to cry every single time they got out at
first base he used to run over to mum
and here I am going oh yep and the mum
didn't really care about how good he got
at softball was just like yeah no he's
caught up to the rest of the class in
English because like the Dutch they're
very good at English at a young age over
there and they start learning but he was
behind uh that's a cool story I was like
what so it made me realize and I was
only in my mid-20s at that stage going
it didn't matter how much I thought I
was influencing or doing the right thing
it's like hold on I need to speak to all
the parents here and say why why is your
kid here are they here to learn softball
is it just a crash class so you can have
two hours off and have some alone time
you know and it's like wow you're
surprised about the reasons why parents
bring their kids up you know sometimes
the kids don't like one of the other
reasons was because it was the cheapest
sport oh right yeah compared to handball
and football and the other main sports
they have yeah they like going oh no
this is the cheapest sport for my kid to
do and you're like oh it's like getting
socializing and learning at the same
time yeah it's crazy some of the reasons
why the parents are bringing their kids
to play your sport
yeah so you need to understand why the
kid is on your team ask both by talking
to their parents not and not together
yeah make sure it's separate you don't
ask them in front of mum and dad no you
know because sometimes you're like do
you actually like the sport and they're
like not really
like okay then that's your job to get
them to love the sport yeah yeah because
once you've got the skills the skills
stay forever you know even if you only
played for four years you know to learn
how to catch a throw ball coming at your
face at speed it's not easy ought to
hurt you know and then you played 15
years later you could tell someone
that's had proper training just the way
they catch and throw a ball you know I
haven't played for 20 years boom you're
like oh yeah that's awesome because I
have an example on that I have like a
father of a colleague of mine I think
he's beginning 50. he's he is starting
baseball with augmaria and he haven't
touched the ball for 20 years
that guy is hammering
every good balls in a batting case and
that is so cool when you see him catch
and throw it's a little bit stiff but
still bang and then you go and ask him
it's like oh yeah I played her years ago
two seasons there's a pitcher in the
1978 hoof class for hclv or something
like that hey you're like oh yeah okay
so you'll never forget it's impressive
to watch yeah and and then he has to ice
his shoulder for the next three days
we're woken up some muscles we probably
shouldn't have so another question but
so uh first of all you are a player of
course but then again you you decided to
be a coach so so what did you decide to
be a coach I didn't really decide to be
a coach
that's where people don't realize that I
actually gave the game of softball away
because I got softballed out as what
happens and I used to play cricket when
I was younger too so when I was 11 years
old I gave away softball played Cricket
for two years I made representative
teams in uh Sydney Yeah but I
with the
base with the softball baseball
upbringing it doesn't help your cricket
game helps with a couple of shots but
not the full range of shots so I went
back and forth between the two and then
when I went to Denmark I was only going
over there as a player I knew I was
playing for a second division team but I
didn't care I was just going to live
having an excuse to go and see a country
go and live with some locals uh I'd
given away the game again at that point
I'd played another couple of years of
cricket back in New Zealand and when I
got there after one week they looked at
each other and went uh you're a little
bit too good for second for this league
and I'm like yeah but I don't I'm not
here you're the club there exactly
here's a fun fact for you I actually
emailed I don't remember which club it
was but I emailed a Dutch Club as well
but the Dutch Club says oh you must be
here next week because the season starts
next week oh yeah and then I said no no
I'm not coming over for a month and
they're like oh we're not interested
then so I was like okay cool so I says
listen I can't be over a month is that
okay and the Danish Club said yeah
that's fine just come when you can we'll
take you know we'll take it any help we
can get so I actually was it was one of
those another sliding doors moment I
could actually came have come here
instead but uh yeah I ended up going
over there and then after a week they
sort of says oh listen you're uh one of
our best players were you coaches and
I'm like uh I only just came here to
play and then I sort of seen what they
did for training I'm like oh yeah okay
I'll just and because obviously my dad
was a coach I just had to go in my head
and go all right I'll just do what a dad
used to do and then I just used to
do what he did and put in a bit of my
own flavor in there and then I ended up
helping out the women's team and then we
put in some Juniors and ran a one of
these summer activity things and then
all the kids signed up and the club just
started yeah yeah one of those sort of
things and then I sort of thought about
it went oh we've got three decent
players here and the women's team's not
too bad but they just didn't have
coaching and uh
the funny thing was what many was
talking about before is uh they word got
round and the Ella Road penguins with
Martin Holmberg and Sam Woodcock and
Steve McFarlane they came up to me and
says hey will you come and Coach our
team next year and that's the part that
really started pulling my heartstrings
because they had a proper legit team
like they they were good yeah and I was
kind of that's that was the first part
that confused me because I was like hold
on I'm only in my mid-20s here
I've never really coached before but
word got around that you know I must
have known what I was doing or something
because I was just winging it at that at
that stage you had some talents yeah and
uh but I still sort of all set on
playing but I'm also a very loyal person
and glad sack's a softball Club you know
took me in they treated me right uh and
then I thought well you know what how
about I do this the other way I'm gonna
take this team we're gonna go in the
first Division and play against the
Penguins but we were nowhere near as
good as them so I actually caught that's
when I called my father and my dad had
just sort of recently retired sort of
and uh I said listen what are you doing
next summer there's this really good
team over here uh they're looking for a
coach I says they've asked me but I'd
prefer to stay at glad sex and I said
well how about you do this you come and
play for my team in the first division
uh because we needed extra players and
he was still young enough to help the
team out uh and he brought over my
younger brother Zach as well
and then he would go and Coach penguins
an odd coach glad saxer we only won like
three games all season and Penguins I
think made the their equivalent of the
Holland series final and lost it the
funny thing that happened though and
they only bet that annoyed me it wasn't
really an annoyance but they won the
European Cup
that was the one that was at EHS
Bulldogs I think oh yeah so he won the
cup but they all went out and partied
left the cup behind and remember when
the clubhouse burnt down yeah yeah
unfortunately they left the trophy in
the clubhouse
had a trophies lost forever
but uh yeah he uh basically went one for
one went to one European Cup and won one
and
uh yeah but I stayed loyal to my club
and won hardly any games but you know
what I still have no regrets in that
department because I love glad Saxon
softball Club I've always been a one
club man no matter what country I went
to uh which is very rare I guess these
days I have no qualms of other people
doing it it's each to their own but it's
just something I like to try and pride
myself for so why is that
uh to Karma
it's just something that's I don't my
dad hasn't instilled it in me oh maybe
he has I I don't really know the reason
why I've just always been a loyal person
uh I think that loyalty is accomplished
by and seeking for one Club
if they treat me right then if I have no
reason to go anywhere else all right
then I won't I'd rather sit there and go
through the tough times or try and build
something or it's just a personal
it's just something personal Within
Myself that I've always wanted to do I
have
no idea why maybe yes maybe because it's
it's keeping it simple as well not
difficult like yeah well if there wasn't
if there was a time for me to do it it
would have been to go to penguins and uh
well maybe I wouldn't have won it with
them maybe I would have made a coaching
mistake being so young uh if I had a
trans you never know you know so it's
one of those things that didn't happen
stable glad sector I think it's it's
awesome because what I can tell right
now at a lot of clubs there's a lot of
switches going out because they're all
like in the same group of people and uh
well you played there for four years you
play there it doesn't matter you go to
the other team
I think we miss real loyal people and
loyal teams we had a couple guests
before you on the podcast
on the coachball podcast and um one of
the guys was uh Peter Peter kulumi and
he was an old school coach from from
Harlem as well and he did a lot of
training and he started off young as
well and he told us that he really miss
uh teams on the field right now that are
built on friendship you know guys who
are playing like 10 years together 12
years together and they are not the best
at at the sport but they are the best
team and teams win games you know and
that's that's what I I kind of missed in
the last couple of years playing in the
hoofclass everybody was a little bit
occupied by winning a trophy and I was
just out trying to play ball have fun
with the team you know and I I can see
that in you as well yeah and I guess
that's why I was a little bit sad after
Holland Series this year because
there was only three original members of
the team when I first came here in 2015
Muriel of logos Brenda beers and Rachel
Von vane uh Rachel and Mariela are
finishing okay eight years service for
your sporting career that's a long time
eight years service like you know and
and Brenda beers continues so Brenda's
in her ninth year at the club so we talk
about friends that are staying together
loyal yeah loyal and uh that's that's
the part that pulls up my heartstrings
because I just love seeing them stay at
the club for so long it'll be quite
funny actually I have a funny story
because Brenda is from ogmari as well
yes and uh Jesse as well and when they
were like uh I think at the beginning of
the ladies with Maria so they probably
were like 17 18 19 years old some of
that I've did the pitching training with
her with the girls with Jesse Yeah with
Jesse and she was Strong's mom she can
throw bullets man at that time I was
like holy [ __ ] yeah I don't want to say
but I think they're too harder than I
did at the point but
Brenda was catching awesome you could
see the talent already oh look it was so
cool that actually when the training was
over I could actually ask Brandon
Abraham gonna throw a couple of balls on
you can I throw a couple pictures and
she was like yeah sure listen that's how
they get better though as well having
the likes of yourself pitching to them
you know getting used to just having 60
65 70 miles per hour throwing
consistently uh but where's she from
Brenda egg Bond on C or something like
that somewhere on the west coast out
there but we got lucky when [ __ ] her and
Rachel transferred and they transferred
late and I think that was through Sandra
hovener yeah so also a great coach yeah
so well she assistant coach with me uh
at one season two seasons and obviously
we're talking about Sandra yeah and I'm
surprised you want to get her on this
podcast yeah we're trying yeah
on the 12th and also Pirates I guess all
right and uh shout out to Sandra well I
did her winter school I did her winter
school because of her because she
assistant coached here and like I said
I'm loyal so if you help me I'm going to
help you I'm like well what are you
doing she's like oh I'm staying here
this winter so I went and helped there
and yeah there's lots of talent yeah
here at hogavard or whatever it's called
up there yeah
I played the herons yeah the black and
yellow team yeah yeah I mean they're a
competition and they're good they're
really good and it starts off because
then we go to a little bit of coaching
already because they're on the 12th and
they are their team is a season further
away than my team and so after like like
last year we played them and we could
actually tell that we were gonna beat
them they were too good but then again
talking about a friendship steamer you
can have all the the best players in the
world but if you have like a team of
girls who willing to go the actual mail
Witcher we caught up and we had these
close games and then in the end we
actually tied a game and we we
accelerated like a victory you know and
you can tell the difference because
Sandra is really into the basics uh the
perfect Basics uh pass ball I'll just
take your extra bass get off the base
after a pitch
um Fly ball look where you where you're
gonna stand you're gonna go all the way
okay but you're gonna stay at your base
and she's so good at that yeah so I
never got to see Sandra play but I heard
so many good things so then I found out
that it was a lie that I actually did
get to see her play
when I first moved to New Zealand in
ninety four I think it was uh the Dutch
women's team the national team Tour New
Zealand
she was in that team they played it by
fields at North Harbor Stadium she would
have been young uh but I got one of the
balls from that game you know so I was
Netherlands vs North Harbor I think it
was but we had Gina Weber I think
playing for North Harbor at that time
but uh yeah so when she came to coach at
Olympian we just you know you just
checked away and she's like you know
I've been to New Zealand like oh what
year I was like oh and then she says oh
we talked here I was like I was at that
game and she's like no way I was like
yeah so yeah it's a small world it's one
of those things where it's a small cool
okay uh let's uh talk about
so uh maybe it's an idea because we just
talked about Jesse that we are going to
bring her in yeah we have her here
all the trick plays you have in your
mind which one is your favorite and when
and how were you able to use it cheers
okay let me do it uh again again because
it like started halfway there we go
hey Stan thank you for all the coaching
work you did for Olympia the past
Seasons I do have a question for you of
all the trick plays you have in your
mind which one is your favorite and when
and how were you able to use it cheers
that's a good question
looking forward
[Music]
we have quite a few I try and teach one
or two as a rule each year remember I
was a one skill one drill you know I try
and do that every training session uh
even subconsciously I don't tell the
girls what we're doing you just put it
in there and they eventually get it I
didn't do any this year for the first
time ever I had them uh yeah I wrote
them out but we didn't do any I think
because we had a couple of young ones
and it does require a lot of work a lot
of brains and some of the I wanted to go
back to Sandra I wanted to concentrate a
bit more on basics for a lot more of the
squad But to answer the question
ironically it was what we were talking
before we went on air yeah the first and
third and and the girls know this one
the one that you were talking to me if
you if you did it to the senior girls
the ones that have been at Olympia a
long time they will laugh if you were
the if you were to coach them on Tuesday
and says all right we're going to do
this uh Brenda Jesse Mari or Murray's
finished now Rachel they know they'd
know how to do it what to do because
they've already been skilled up
explained explained so when you have
Runners on first and third it was a
men's play that was done about 20 years
ago any old men's players will know it I
don't know if the younger generation
will but uh they used to if if they knew
that they couldn't be thrown out at two
in a first and third situation Runner or
one stealing two to try and score that
runner on three what they'd get the
runner on one to do is instead of
running to second base they'd just go
out and start running onto the grass
yeah and aim foot towards the center
fielder and if the throw does yeah I'm
looking to use the radiation we didn't
do this with the men's team Anthony
Bowman will know it he'll know this one
all right I explained before uh
broadcast
um when you go out there and you just
run out and sometimes they don't even
bother trying to get you out at two but
if they do throw the Border two then you
just sit there and look at them and then
because they have to make a play on you
and you have the right to sort of like
stay and sit there but if you do make a
move the rule is that as long as you're
making an effort to go either to second
base or back to first then that's it you
have the one meter one yard play you
know to avoid attack but uh unless
there's a play being made on you you can
run wherever you want you can run all
the way to the right field pole if you
want to
it doesn't matter you can run wherever
you want in the game of sophomore of
course it's not advised because a good
team will tag you out but if you're
playing against even a decent level team
there's some teams that just don't want
to mess with your speed have you got two
absolute speedsters where they're like
no give up the base then that's it you
put that Runner out there
um we talked about Stephen McFarland
before he he taught the Penguins how to
do it yeah
um and actually Mike glad sex a team was
not quite good enough with our Enfield
to be able to it wasn't worth trying to
try and combat it a bit of just
concentrating on the next batter
and you could do that you could often do
that if you had a weaker better coming
up and you're trying to force the play
out in the field but uh yeah you you
train that Runners on one and three uh
the runner on one running out onto the
grass and just hanging out there and if
no place being made then yeah you just
slowly walked a second but if there's a
crowd there your team's basically being
punked
it's a it's sort of being disrespectful
without being disrespectful saying your
team is not good enough to defend our
running game all right uh yeah but
that's that one but another one of my
favorites for the juniors yeah for the
under 12s and under 13.
teaching them how to steal home
making sure that they're keeping an eye
on the pitcher and Catcher And if the
catcher's not paying attention to them
learning how and they do it in baseball
all the time but it's softball it's a
little bit harder because you have to
make a decision to get back to your base
every single pitch but teaching those
kids when you teach the kids especially
because you're there and you can manage
it but you're sort of like teaching them
they think they're being sneaky and then
you know what actually since you should
try and especially the speedsters you
should send them home and even if they
get tagged out at home so they can work
out what their boundaries are but as
long as you plan ahead and tell them say
listen you're probably going to get
thrown out here but it's okay we're
going to have a go yeah because if you
say that you know we're going to try and
be sneaky and they get tagged out then
they you know can sometimes cry or you
know my coach got me thrown out I worked
hard to get the third base here but uh
if you tell them like listen you're
probably going to get out but let's have
a go away let's have some fun here and
they get tagged out and if I mean
imagine if they make it if they make it
how happy they're going to be but if
it's close they're like whoa that was
close that was so cool that was fun to
try and if they succeed but it's also a
genuine thing to try because if you've
got you know one of your kids there
that's their first season and they've
had like 20 strikeouts and you know that
they're probably not going to hit safely
and it's one of your cheeky kids that
can do it it's a legitimate option of
trying to score that run you know it's a
close case this is going to go home very
happy and not only that the whole team's
watching and then when you do it at
training you go and train it again and
train properly show them what you're
looking for and you just flick that
switch in their head to go hey there's
lots of sneaky stuff you can do in this
game so one of the things that New
Zealand softball's been good at over the
years especially in men's the women's uh
also the women's Got Brains but the
athletic abilities gone down over the
years uh with the women's uh because a
lot of that's our best athletes getting
lost to rugby and rugby league and uh
netball other sports that are paying
better in New Zealand uh but yeah we do
have a lot of smart ball players in New
Zealand I actually find the trick plays
uh awesome for the kids just to keep it
exciting well they're fun to learn so
even with the seniors like with the
Olympia women's team it's good fun to do
a new one because it takes a while
the reason why I don't like spending too
much time on it because
a they're hard to do and B at such a low
percentage play like I don't want to
spend a lot of time on a play that
you're only going to use one two three
percent of the time and out of that
percentage using it it's still got a low
percentage of working yeah but sometimes
people want to work on them because
they're sexy cool plays to do but I want
to spend too much time on it but it's
good for them to know because you know
yeah it's uh bend the rules think
outside the box think outside the box
there's some that I didn't teach the
girls this year uh that I wanted to but
yeah it's a good question Jesse awesome
cool yeah
um
so what are we gonna do now we we've got
like four we're like yeah we have one
more money in there
four five seven minutes oh questions
yeah now we have one last question but
then again uh he celebrates also uh yeah
we got um we we have a little story
about uh Manny and you we we we can we
don't have to record that we can just
throw it back on us throw it back later
on him or just ask me what the story is
and then I can uh I can elaborate yeah
well it's it's awesome if you're that's
like a legendary story about you guys
like like how you become coaches
together and why do you fit so good so
well I know we can just play it now
let's play it because the the long one
is uh go now so uh we're gonna listen to
many a little bit
and uh now you're coaching together and
but how did you become
um or how did you guys fit so well
together as coaches what's your secret
together
oh do you want the truth or yeah true
for nothing but the truth
I don't know I don't know who's gonna be
listening to this but um I'll I'll tell
you the story before he's probably not
gonna listen to this no yeah well this
is a guy that we yeah I'll tell you the
story anyway so
um we were playing in the in the Danish
league and um there was a guy there
who um
had a bit of a grudge against Stan and
and Stan's dead
um he was a chick guy I won't mention
any names
that's all right yeah so um he he um was
talking a bit of um crap about uh
Stanley and and Barry obviously well
mostly Barry
and um we we played a game we played the
All-Stars versus the the chick uh the
Danish national team so we put together
a team of um myself Stan at the time was
playing his brother
um his dad and we've got a few mates in
and then we had a few other players from
the the Danish league and we played the
uh national team so we we gave them
actually uh very good games we beat them
um
but unless we found out that this guy
was talking a bit of crap about Barry
and um I said
I went and asked then I said right Stan
next time we play them
um I'm gonna hit him twice I says
because I don't like he's talking crap
about Barry and uh and and your family I
really like you guys so when we play
them I'm going to beam them twice so
that that that apparently uh we didn't
play them for a month after that and and
that talk got all around the league and
everything like this so the the day came
that we played this team and with this
chick guy in it and um I says well right
boys today's day you know what's going
to happen so he came up with his first
step back in the first pitch I think I
had him in the ribs and uh he complained
a little bit to the Umpire and said oh
he was going to hit me and things like
that and I said yeah well there's your
one mate stop talking crap about
um Barry Dooney
so um that was all very well but I said
I'd hit him twice so he was telling the
police he's going to hit me again and
stuff and
um what happened he came up for sick in
that bat
but what I did was I threw a drop ball
for the first pitch on the outside
corner of the plate and he he jumped
right out of the box thinking that I was
gonna hit him
oh my God it runs about laughing a
little bit and even the umpires laughing
a little bit going what are you doing
he's not going to hit you but the very
next pitch I hit him again so
um yeah so of course uh it was quite
funny but a lot of commotion
yeah a lot of commotion happened
I think from them we've just had a
really good mutual respect with uh one
another and one another's family so
yeah so it's kind of based on loyalty to
each other
yeah loyalty and respect
loyalty and respect man it goes a long
way awesome absolutely
that's a great story
it's a true one too I see you're nodding
yeah 100 true that one uh yeah all the
details are correct well it felt like it
happened yesterday yeah I think everyone
in any Danish people are listening to
this they know who uh that that person
is and actually even his from memory his
own teammates didn't really care that we
popped him twice I think his own
teammates were sort of like a year we
get sick of him as well but he's from
our club so we have to sort of look
after him but yeah and yeah it was more
to do with my father I think because he
was coaching Penguins my team was you
know like I said we only won three games
we weren't any threats to anyone but
yeah yeah and I don't even know what it
was about when I heard about it I'm like
oh no I don't really care but Manny was
like no I won't have anyone speak badly
about you know because I'm out of time
and effort we put in yeah and we didn't
really bad mouth anyone so we don't know
where it was coming from and then Maddie
just goes yeah nah I'm gonna hit him oh
yeah okay twice
but the funniest part was when the
second time came up you're still like
coming up there shaking going telling
the Umpire he's going to hit me again
he's going to hit me again and then he
as he pitches and he jumps out backwards
out of the batter's box and he throws it
outside ball like you know missing the
plate by a good few inches and the
separation was just so funny that like
everyone was laughing at him and so he
just comes in and then you're thinking
he's like oh well no maybe he's got a
pitch to me and he was just lying about
the second one and then the very next
pitch boom it's too good and he's going
to the Empire I told you I told you you
know you got to reject him and I think I
put played myself first base
just so I could be near to the action if
something didn't kick off and then uh
because usually I was playing The
Outfield
and I remember coming running in because
he was trying to get him rejected sort
of thing like no no no it's only the
second guy he's hit in like you know 16
betters because he was betting six
seventh or eighth in the lineup because
he was a useless player and I'm like and
you can't eject someone for only hitting
someone you know it's the second better
hit and 16 at bats
it's just a coincidence yeah there's
more locks on the fire there it was so
good it was so oh it was funny yeah it's
one of those it'll never get old that
story you could tell that as many times
as you want well if you're the person
involved it's not funny but at the end
of the day don't talk smack about anyone
just keep your mouth shut and you'll be
perfectly fine it's a good lesson don't
pop your mouth off even you know or yeah
just keep it amongst your club or
something but if you want to speak out
about it just make sure you're willing
to wear the consequences awesome all
right this awesome story you can fight
on coach Bill
[Laughter]
all right great let's uh talk a little
bit of a let's listen a little bit more
about too many
and then um
when you're yeah you you guys are are
heading back home man heading back home
overseas yeah
because I heard about Stanley but I
didn't quite uh uh heard it from you
that you're also going
yeah
yeah so so um yeah I'll be going back to
New Zealand as well yeah and now talking
about the departure right what is the
one thing you're gonna take back home
from Holland what is the one thing the
first thing you're gonna say to your
friends in New Zealand well man about
the dutchies
cheese this cheese
oh yeah
um
yeah well I I never really was but I
will be really sad because I'll never be
able to order a cheese platter again
um you know
give me your address and we'll send you
some
oh if you could I'll be so grateful like
uh um I'm thinking about filling up half
my suitcase full of cheese
um it's not gonna get to the Border I
guess
yeah exactly they'll Chuck it all out
but if anyone from Netherlands coming to
New Zealand and you want to bring some
cheese down I'll really much appreciate
it so we got a place to stay if we bring
some cheese
very cool very cool all right quick if
you bring some cheese man awesome yeah
no thank you thanks man we're going to
wrap it up um do you have a question for
Stanley is a final thing a question name
his top uh well his has all starred
Dutch team in each position awesome
there you go honestly yeah
so after all the years of coaching up
here in in the Netherlands name your top
10 best players that are going to start
we're not together yeah we're going to
do this and we're also noting it for
further podcast questions to other
coaches as well because this is yeah
that's a very good question thanks yeah
cheers boys I appreciate it yeah thanks
for your time thanks for your time no
worries
and that's many many
that's a good question but actually you
get it let's have a second to think
about that yeah let's uh yeah so the
first thing we want to ask you is what
are you gonna bring to New Zealand from
Holland well I can't because I need to
eat it straight away
you could say the obvious fruit waffles
yeah those things are always great but
no my favorite that I'm gonna miss it
could be your wooden clocks not it's uh
I'm gonna miss Turks of pizza oh yeah
that's my favorite yeah I mean we have
similar things in New Zealand it just
doesn't taste the same yeah but Turks of
pizza over here a piece of specific is
there's a Cafe De hook on the North side
yeah there's a little place outside that
Pub uh just a standalone and I used to
go there when I used to live on close to
Strat I used to go there all the time
especially after uh games against DSS
Sparks or Terrace vocals because you're
traveling in the same direction on the
way home always just stop off at that
Pub have a couple of beers have a Turks
of pizza
and then when I moved to the east side
you know that was I could still do it
but then obviously DSS uh aren't in the
golden League anymore so and Terrace
vogels out in the golden League anymore
so seldom get to do that trip but yeah
you're gonna miss those Turks of pizza
moments uh bit of Ballin not gonna I'm
not gonna miss burning my mouth
yeah my mouth's gonna get arrested from
that uh but I'm gonna miss the shopping
in general
vomar is my favorite just going into the
vomar because the groceries are so much
cheaper here than they are in New
Zealand I don't know if you ask Manny
that one but the price of groceries is
ridiculous really yeah so why is that
really bad I have no idea because we've
got so many sheep and cows you'd think
that cheese and dairy and milk would be
a lot cheaper but I think it's because
they charge us what the price they can
get for it when they send it to China I
don't know you'd have to ask the powers
that be but uh all I know is it is very
expensive when you go do your weekly
shopping
actually it's not very good okay and
that's one thing I missed going to the
Decima Albert Hine yeah all the shops
that you have here are really good in
this moment little Aldi those other ones
are good too but uh yeah I really miss
just doing the it's just a small mundane
riding a bike you know riding a bike we
don't have bike Lanes or if we do the
it's very Steep and the cars aren't
respectful over there in New Zealand you
know if they hit you if they knock you
over they just uh yeah you're you're a
pest if you're riding a bike uh plus the
it's too hilly it's so hard to ride and
we don't have as many electric bikes
either so Direction Pizza it is Turks of
pizza is my vote that's what I'm gonna
be missing instructors and of course oh
and that's another thing that the beer
is uh half price it feels like it's half
price here the wine you know you get you
can get a bottle for three four Euros
you know it's all five six seven euros
for the cheaper ones in New Zealand so
and we I drink a lot more when I'm here
than when I'm in New Zealand and we have
like the Australian wines here you
should say that it's cheaper in New
Zealand the the wines from New Zealand
can sometimes be cheaper here than what
you pay for in Australia New Zealand
it's ridiculous the other way around it
is ridiculous yeah I don't know how or
why but uh yeah that's one thing and
yeah well that's probably a good thing
about me going home is I won't be
drinking as much because it's just too
expensive uh
and then again World politics
economics just stick this softball yeah
just one rule book stick to softball and
we got another friend uh of ours uh
Anthony Beaumont still keep the the
lineup in mind yeah yeah
I'm I'm buying some time for you I'm
thinking maybe you're just doing an
Olympia one not a uh a Dutch national
team one maybe just the Olympia one too
I don't know if that's actually the
question yeah I'm gonna upset some
people from my own team
I can understand that yeah that's all
right okay I will try to call um
Anthony
let's take a look
he's probably sitting at his phone
watching it for
like like an hour when is it gonna rain
did you message him did you text him to
say hey sorry man we're running a bit
late no no
all right though
I'm ready all right yes
this is
a success coach yeah
forever all right yeah
um we ask you to preparate uh some
questions or one question for uh Stanley
so um yeah let's hit it
yeah yeah I have one question
um
Stan
um you have been pretty successful with
adults and uh also with the ladies and
men so yeah I guess you know how to
coach but what's the biggest difference
and what would be the biggest difference
coaching adults versus kids
that's a good one we already talked a
little bit about that one Yes actually I
mentioned it earlier and did I get into
the specifics of that yeah so first and
foremost is don't go ahead until you
know the kid and the parent so you've
got to make sure that you work out what
the parents want out of you first and
then also separately find out the kids
look do you really want what Dad wants
or do you really want what mum wants uh
yeah and the other thing is is you just
gotta make sure you really well we say
keep it simple at the adults if we're
saying keep it simple at the adults then
you've got to really keep it simple with
the kids as well uh so again what I was
talking about before one skill one drill
one skill one drill every training
session one skill one drill one rule as
soon as I as long as I hit those with
the kids then that's it they're learning
yeah and then the main thing is is once
I'm finished with that assuming that
like a uh session is for one hour making
sure you revisit it for the one minute
before you start practice so whatever
you cover that day make sure that the
first minute or two minutes is
reinforcing whatever rule or skill that
you taught them and then after that it's
up to them what they spend uh in their
own time because they're not going to
get good just from their one hour
coaching session and that's why the kids
that have parents that play are just so
much better because they get to sit
there and throw it home they also get to
discuss it after games they get
discussed you know how you know what did
I do how well did I do so they have
advantages in that regard so another
thing that I used to make sure that I
did is I knew which parents did play so
the ones that did play you knew that
they had extra help when they went home
so they didn't need your attention as
much they're more probably criticizing
and analyzing the coach than anything
but then making sure that I spend that
extra time on the kids that don't have
parents that play that's a good one
fair enough
fair enough thank you that's a nice
answer I I think a nice answer for uh
for uh Paul Holland to learn from also
yeah you have to identify no well
information and knowledge is everything
the more information and knowledge you
have
um into the not the private lives but of
the parents and also like you know they
may be good at another sport but you
know some of them have been a former
really good football player you know
like I'm pretty sure isn't it volkstad
wasn't he like a professional footballer
from back in the day and stuff like that
because you yeah like I see I don't know
why no information like this because I
even delve in so when I was with the
national team I sort of like look in and
I want to know you know or the national
team what do their parents do what were
they good at and then you know I just do
it from asking you know so I know stuff
about players that haven't even played
for me you know because you just sit
there and try and work out what makes
them tick what makes them work you know
what do they have their knowledge on why
are they such Ballers
um yeah there's loads of different
reasons why the way they are or if they
get nervous before games you know you've
got to find out the reasons why
um and that's from asking a lot of
questions without trying to seem too
intrusive we can do that yeah coaches we
ask of course a lot of questions but
then again if do you also have to ask
parents from grown-ups a lot of question
as well
does the grown-ups should suit it for
for themselves no no you have to do that
it's up to you to go and extract that
information but also it's the the
setting and environment that you're
doing as well like what works for me
yeah well you guys know I like having a
beer so most of my work started at the
bar all our workers coaches and we have
a pretty big coaching staff in Olympia
with the women's team you know all our
planning is done you know around a jug
of beer once the girls all go home you
know they've got their one hour not nine
hours to go home but we would spend half
an hour an hour sometimes two hours you
know planning preparing how we're going
to do things updating each other you
know sometimes I'm not a training next
week I've got this to go to I've got
this part you know oh this player is not
going to be here and another thing I
used to do with our team is I wasn't in
charge of all the girls the girls got to
choose who their favorite coach was so
just let a coach know and then the coach
will come and speak to us I think with
the men's team we had a leadership group
yeah that's why I said go and speak to
your team captain of your position
communication because I don't want to
deal with 14 different people's lives
you know I only want to deal with you
know whatever the problems are through
the the leadership group and then that
sort of divides my time up by four
whereas if I try to do it all myself
it's not possible and that's another
thing that uh youth coaches need to work
out as well if you do have that parent
that does know you know how to play uh
ask you don't have to say hey I need
help there's a different way of saying
it's like going hey if you do have some
spare time yeah whatever time they can
give they say oh no I'm busy with work
and says oh but I can do three sessions
a year take it perfect if that's three
hours of listening to a different voice
or if they're a specialist a short stop
or a catcher or they do something that
you can't you've got to tap into it um
but again you just got to know and ask
and keep your ears open it's your ears
man you've got to keep your ears open at
all times all right well thanks and uh
thanks a lot to Intel hey uh question uh
for you and so can we call you another
time
of course you can all right oh watch out
because we will do awesome can I call
you in time
[Laughter]
it's not one of those numbers where I
have to pay like I don't have to pay two
Euros per minute to speak to you do I
uh the bill will come later okay sweet
all right thanks have a nice evening
ciao
okay bye
cool okay cool awesome that's a good
answer as well it's it's it had like
three different answers in one yeah what
I pick out is just try to get the extra
help divide your time by making more
people important in your team yes and
make sure you have your planning right
for the next week is that a little bit
of the exactly it perfect and uh players
tend to have favorite like when you're
running the Olympia women's team we have
what four or five coaches well and team
manager but sometimes the girls like the
team manager they don't like any of the
coaches so if they don't like any of the
coaches that they've got no one to go to
they might just bottle something up but
like Lars is our team manager and he's
been there a long time but uh you know
sometimes the girls would like to speak
to Lars more than what they will myself
or Manny or Niels or you know it's just
it just depends and that's why it's
important to try and have a female in
your coaching group uh not just males
you look at some of the other coaching
groups they have nothing but males yeah
uh well you know there's something that
males there's some women things that
happen that only women can deal with
yeah that's why I was Fighters I always
try and have a female member of Staff uh
in the group yeah minimum one yeah but I
think also with the boys team a female
uh crew member can help a lot I can
actually relate to that because
um I have made two of my girls uh
Captain not one I made two Captain
because the same reason you might not
like one so you can go to the other and
I gave them both a job one is doing the
the warm-up and it's the the dynamic
warm-up you know just to keep it simple
and the other one is
um how do you say that
um thinking about one drill to do
and I do the warm-up I'm preparing the
the materials and I'm watching the group
you can see who is who's good today
who's who's tired and so you don't have
to worry about personal issues but make
them important and make sure you don't
have to deal with everybody yourself
it's a double whammy it's one like it's
feel important and they should but two
it lessens your workload so even with
the duties I don't even go one step
further than that and I'd give them the
lineup board and then combine them
together and say this is the thing you
do today is like give me your lineup
yeah say you know put a line up together
and actually I do it with uh my teams
even notice did I do it with you guys
yeah yeah I say give me your finals team
at the end of the year so I give them
all a sheet of paper and I say hey if
we're playing Holland series tomorrow
give me your winning life well actually
I get I asked them to do me too I say
put one where you have to be in it and
give me a second one where you're not
allowed to be in it that's cool and we
do that at the beginning of the year
like after the first or second trading
session but you know how much that helps
me it allows me to know what the players
are all thinking and I keep them all
because there's always someone that's
close oh it's fun to work with yeah and
because you don't know what it's going
to look like at the end of the year it
could be injuries or you know someone's
inform out of form that there's always
one that's either bang on or very very
close and then I have to go all right
who's this one you know yeah yeah I
think it was one year Rachel van Veen
got a spot on yeah it's kind of funny
but it's also gives us information to
what the players are thinking about who
should be playing where and how
um but for me as a player I thought it
was really difficult because then you
had to compare yourself in a realistic
way to other players in your team it was
really hard yeah but it brings some
realism to as well just there and having
to rank yourself amongst the team that's
why I get two so it makes it easier when
you have to put yourself in when you
have to put in one should be hard and
one should be slightly easier yeah so
um but yeah that's a cool one I think
I'm gonna do that next year and you know
the other thing it does teachers the
Juniors the 10 11 12 13 year olds how to
write a lineup at a young age yeah think
about it yeah I get the name you have
the pieces of paper you make them or
write it and then they're like oh what
what's left field oh that's number seven
oh okay well no but it starts teaching
them you know what the numbers are and
the positions and you know so it's not
too young to start teaching them how to
be a coach and and what the numbers mean
and you know well that's what I told uh
what we're talking about before uh uh we
started the podcast and um last last
tournament I played hoodie on the 12th I
made this this box with uh nine uh oh
the numbers on it of each position you
know they had to pick one so I had a
completely different lineup every inning
and man oh man the questions I've got
where's number three
um I have number four where's that um
number seven is it the left or the right
field and I was like
it's on the board so I put on the board
and they could actually see where I have
to be and if if you if you can imagine
everybody going out on the field and the
board hanging there and it was the
opposite way oh so they were all hey I'm
here oh it was hilarious but the thing
is eventually they'll get it right yeah
you do it a second time and a third time
and uh and one of the things I've pride
myself for being in Olympia is like I
said we keep a lot of it simple in what
we do is for the first half hour 40
minutes the coaches we can sit there and
say nothing we do a little bit of Team
talk at the beginning and they go off
and what you would have experienced it
with bins how we just do the same thing
and then don't see them for half an hour
and they know the first half hour of the
warm-up and just go through it the thing
that annoyed me sometimes is them
knowing when to chime in because once
they've done their warm up some of them
would go off and sit off and do nothing
but I was training them up like no be a
good teammate divide them in two and hit
to each other and stuff like that and
you know that's the part we have to
coach to train them how to be a good
teammate and help one another out but
yeah in terms of the Juniors they're
only as dumb as we treat them if you're
willing to train them up you can train
them up as early as possible as you want
and uh then you can go even further
we're like okay if there's games that
don't mean anything hey you go coach
third you coach third you coach first
coach just got to sit here and they dug
out and hang out with the players and
I'd even do that a couple of times this
year I put Neil's Meeker he'd go and
Coach Third Base I'd just sit in there
and do nothing he'd go coach the men's
team at third base as well because you
need to we call it time in the saddle
you need time in the saddle at some
point to uh you know and the thing is if
you've never done it before and you tell
Niels was excited to be in there he's
like going poor because you know you're
the head coach now you're the man and
then you sort of forget little things
like that you you know you don't take it
for granted then when you sit there and
you see Neil's having so much fun you're
like okay I better go back take over now
he's having too much fun out there
so um you're a professional coach
professional yeah well
I'm not that's not like football we're
earning Mega amounts of money but have I
been doing this for the last 20 years uh
as yeah this is what I've been doing for
the last 20 years okay like I said I had
to take a huge pay cut when I left Great
Britain softball when I was at Great
Britain when I was in Denmark yeah I was
on back in New Zealand yeah I was on a
proper wage uh coaching softball yeah
but you know that usually entails either
coaching multiple teams or going out to
the schools here and there all right
lots of different things that come with
it whereas here I've been fortunate
enough to have made enough money where I
can just look after it yeah and uh enjoy
my time but it's another reason I've got
to get back to New Zealand I guess
they're only profit money again
so talking about time so how do you
spend like a day a day as a as a coach
here in Olympia describe a typical day
please uh well I spend most of my time
relaxing during the day I I love having
spare time so I you know watch my
Netflix I watch a lot of other sports so
I'll watch NFL NCAA different college
sports uh catch up with my Rugby in New
Zealand Cricket so there's so much sport
going on worldwide I could easily sit at
the pub and watch sport for 8 10 12
hours a day but you know obviously can't
drink for that much so but I can sit at
home you know rugged up and watch it so
I'm a very big Sports enthuser all right
it's also like a hobby for you yes yeah
and there's lots of other sports I did
play as well so I I didn't just play
softball I also played rugby league
growing up a bit of Rugby Union Aussie
Rules Football uh touch uh Indoor
Cricket there's so many other sports
that I used to play uh growing up
especially when I was 18 19 20 21. every
day it was just uh spin doing Sport and
I didn't have as much spare time as what
people think here because I took on the
men's team as well this year Monday
night training Tuesday training Thursday
training Friday game day Saturday game
day so Plus anything that goes with it
to do it properly you get exhausted and
there were not once but twice this year
where I was very tired uh yeah so you'd
think how can you get tired when you
know and I don't have to do it nine to
five no but it's also differently ah
yeah they're always responsibility as
well yeah and you just knows what's the
players you know any question that a
player has you know there's port 13 in
the men's team 16 in the women's plus
the coaching staff and the board and
you've got to you know look after
everything make sure it's all right
planning for the premiere cup uh trying
to get the men's team to the European
Cup next year as well so yeah there's
people don't realize how much there is
plus other players that want to play in
New Zealand or you know inquiring about
coming to Olympia next year it's the
head coach has to have all those
conversations and there's so many
conversations there that's one thing I'm
not going to miss I'm not going to miss
uh the many many conversations that are
needed
um sorry for the podcast here yeah well
no this this is the part that I love
because it's something a little bit new
and you know I've done some interviews
with kobus and some back in New Zealand
and it's just good fun to uh we'll help
you new podcasts that you're setting up
which I I remember you talking about it
earlier this year and I was excited for
you going yeah do it yeah yeah just go
and do it don't talk about it that's
what I learned so it is what I did yeah
so I meet new people and it's only going
to get bigger and better as you get uh
you know well you want this is your
third one you said yeah yeah and but
that's what I'm saying once you get 15
16 17 you know your sister and what
you're doing and get some bigger names
than me on here that won't be hard
champion of with the ladies and Champion
with a man in one season the national
champions
as well yeah that's great
because she had this very nice yeah the
sound board
[Music]
[Laughter]
[Applause]
I look forward to the day that someone
does do it well I don't know who the
Knicks coach is that is able to do it
because well for starters you have to be
able to be willing to take on two teams
but that was one of the reasons why I
did do it because I was like it's insane
nobody's gonna do it anymore no you
never say never it's just um it's one
thing to try and do it but it's like
having the capability to do it yeah so
this was a kind of a highlight of your
life I guess but what is the biggest
accomplishment that you had in uh in
your sports career for now is it's a
good one uh non-softball wise is playing
for my country in Aussie rules uh it's
just oh yeah sorry that's another sport
I used to play Aussie rules and when I
moved to Country New South Wales I used
to playground I used to grow up playing
rugby league but then I also played
Aussie roles and I'm sorry uh you have
to explain it it's a bit similar to
Gaelic football you know they but we
play with a rugby ball and it's yeah I'm
not gonna explain this too much sorry
Google it just Google AFL
um Australian Rules Football but it's a
sport that I used to play
a lot it was it's a pretty tough sport
to play I didn't deal out any of the
damage I was the one that had the damage
done to me but I was a skill player so
as long as I could take the hits then
eventually you get to enjoy it
afterwards
um so that was a big highlight softball
wise
uh probably coaching in a men's and
women's World Series so got had the
opportunity to coach Great Britain with
the men in 2013
and also had the opportunity to go with
the Dutch woman in 2016.
so to be able to go to both the men's
and a women's world series is pretty
cool get to experience you know it's and
for New Zealand you did the under 23
yeah as the head coach down to 23s for a
couple years we went to the Canada Cup
and obviously with covert we were
restricted and then I got asked to jump
on board to be the assistant coach of
the women's team and to go to the
Olympic qualifier with them in Asia so
that was another highlight yeah and we
were a lot closer to qualifying that
what people realized but I only was with
them for like three four months and we
took on an Australian pitching coach
Kelly Hardy and we just had a really
good crack at it but we didn't have much
time together and I would have loved to
have maybe been there well you can't I'd
love to have been there a year earlier
all right it's just ironic because I
thought I would have been after 2016
with the Dutch team I thought I would
have been going with an Olympic campaign
with the Dutch national team but then
that all just got thrown out the year
after that coaching unit got broken up
for I don't know I still don't know the
reason why to this day
um but yeah so to be given a late
opportunity to go with the New Zealand
team I was like this is weird because
you know how quick time can change is
that still something you admire or
willing to do in the future is that is
that one of your goals going back to New
Zealand trying to get into the the head
Squad are they apply they interviewed me
for it so after I the the head coach
stood down from the Olympic they
interviewed uh myself and Roman Gabriel
for it and Roman got it uh so I was
actually the first bit of rejection that
I'd had or the first thing I'd lost in
so many years I was it was actually good
to feel human again because I was just
so used to being told yes for everything
that uh I went for and actually told no
um but I actually didn't mind either
because I knew that would be another
commitment for another two three four
five year cycle and then Miriam actually
rang me up after I just got declined
like a week later to say hey can you
please come back and Coach here and uh
with the lodian's VISA declining then I
was like okay well yeah the opportunity
is there to come back and I never do
anything twice this is the first time
that I've ever come back to something
and push the repeat button so that was
new in itself pushing the repeat button
and you're always wary about when you
leave the club in such good
uh stairs and in such a good position
where in 2018 that team that we had and
you know where we you know the things
that we were winning was uh you were
championed with that team right yeah in
2017-18 so
for me personally this is four years in
a row winning the Holland series that's
awesome because I yeah because I left so
yeah for me personally it's four years
in a row and
I guess the freakiest stat that I worked
out the other day
uh one of the things that I am going to
be proud of as I think uh in 2015 I lost
the Holland series to Peter Van darling
and then I think we've been in like it's
either 15 16 or 17 maybe even 18. I
don't know finals
and we've won all of them in a row
yeah don't get me wrong we've lost
tournaments like you know we've come
third and fourth but whenever we've been
in a final
uh like the 15 16 finals we've been and
we've won all of them that's amazing oh
like I had to check it because I was
like you know what the first thing that
comes in my mind now
it's mindset
yes playing finals uh what I was taught
growing up in baseball softball is you
need to learn how to win
that's that's that's a little small to
say yeah but that's the mentality you
need to win a final and for me
personally I've never that great of a
player to be able to actually own or
dominate a final but I was always one of
the guys starting a final or whatever
and I can tell you one thing the mindset
was always good yeah unless we need to
learn to win we spend time on that and
we do it from the beginning of the
Season actually like we told we speak to
the girls and say well I said to the men
as well like this is what we want where
do we want to be at the end of the
season and I told him and I actually
brought the girls part into it I said I
want us to be champions of the premiere
cup and we want to win both and we're
trying to do something that's never been
done before but the guys knew right from
the outset that that's the end goal and
what do we need to be and I would
constantly be updating them every other
training session where where we sit well
we have to do what are the rules this is
what happens in final Series so no stone
was left unturned they knew and there
were some of the guys were like let's
just win everything it's like it doesn't
work like that it's like you can't you
know you are going to get beat at times
actually it was mind blowing because
every time every C every training and
every game after the game he know
exactly what we're positioned about in
the competition and what we had to do to
accomplish a goal that we said it was
mind-blowing well it actually helps you
know if if you have a proper coach and
proper time because I understand that a
lot of coaches are doing it for a couple
hours a week and I I don't unders I
don't get it if you want to be committed
to something and maybe that's because we
don't have like wages for coaches uh in
in softball or youth to be how do you
say
um
yeah most of the coaches in youth are a
parent or somebody who used to play when
he was younger and he was to make a
commitment like the the podcast we had
here before uh with Mike this work and
Peter those were guys who actually lost
the game and loved the sport went to a
training and they were both like oh okay
well I'm new in town uh can I help you
guys out I have a little bit of
knowledge of the game I am enthusiastic
to to to teach and that's how they came
into the sports you know and if you have
like like in your position you have all
the time in a day and I understand
that's still hard work and laid out but
if you have time to think about where
you are where you want to be how to get
there
um which what do I need which what is
the plan and if you can point that out
for yourself and for your team I think
that is worth more than your wage in
Gold 100 yeah you're 100 right and I
know the other coaches have nine to five
jobs and you know then they have to go
and do training for two three hours
um but that's another one of my sayings
that's not my problem
true it's you know it's it's uh it's a
big Advantage it's a huge Advantage yeah
um and there's no guarantees but maybe
that is the little bit of the edge
that's needed to get you over the line I
have no idea I don't know what the other
teams are doing so I can't comment
um all I can do is just look at our
record of what we've done over the you
know body of work that we've had with
the team and uh look at the end of the
day statistics don't lie over a long
term so you know if it is hitting 400
ahead is hitting 400 you can complain
about one or two games but when you have
a 36 Game season yeah you can't complain
with the 120 batting average you know
you can complain of a bad Strike Zone
for one day but you can't complain over
the vampires aren't that bad not for 36
games well you're a pitcher you might
disagree but
I've agreed it disagreed a lot over the
years but yeah you know then again last
last podcast with Mike we have a little
bit chat about statistics yeah and
statistics he wasn't believing it he
didn't believe in statistics it was more
about feeling because for example if
your guy is hitting bombs and land race
and and they all get caught by short and
whatever
the guy's on the ball but his statistics
will say okay so here's one of my
philosophies so here we go there we go
yeah Mike listen I agree with that but
also disagree a little bit as well all
right so softball to me this is one of
the things I tell people
is nothing but mathematics plus human
intuition
so that's the extra yeah it's the two
it's well mathematics is statistics
right yes so it's nothing but statistics
plus human intuition so you give me a
whole bunch of stats and then that's it
but then you need to go and know the
player behind that and work out who can
work Under Pressure who can't because
there's two games within the game but um
come on man you can't tell me that if he
looks at the stats and uh they've both
had 100 at bets each and one player is
hitting 400 and one's taking 130 you
know what are you gonna do okay maybe if
that guy can hit 130 Under Pressure then
yeah you may pick the 130 player but you
know that 500 player you'd have to think
that you know he's got there or she's
got there because they actually know how
to play the game but uh yeah stats can
be misleading but then that's up to you
as the coach to be able to read between
the lines you know if one player got
that 250 300 batting average because
they went four for four against the
bottom two teams and you know when eight
for eight then that's up to you to read
that subtract that from there and go
okay then what did they do against the
top three teams oh over three over three
one for four so yeah okay one for ten
but you'll find most players like that
but that's why you need your special
players that's why you need your Jesse
varnell's your Muriel of locals you know
you bring the beers because they're the
ones that will only go one foot four or
two for four and do the special things
and hitters seven eight nine you know
we'll be lucky if they get one hit
um that's why another one of my mantras
is special players must do special
things that's nothing new that's
um taken out of Jose Mourinho Jose
Mourinho man if you're on the big bucks
yeah you got to do the special things
that's the reason why you get paid the
money yeah um it's the same with your
players if you're from the national team
then yeah when it comes to the business
end of the season then it's your job to
get In Those runs don't look at Hitler
seven eight nine they're not in your
national team so uh yeah it's but I
understand where he's coming from but no
it's just uh get your stats and put the
human intuition involved and he should
be able to get it wrong right yeah we'll
take that away yeah another question as
well so maybe just to take away this
question and uh together
um so what I reckon this year was that
um in so so what I um
oh yeah noticed so what I noticed this
year
was that it was a lot of difference
between the other coaches that I had the
years before there is that you're uh
like uh a really positive coach and that
you don't really address the negative
things but only the positive things for
yeah most of the times but yeah don't
you don't you get like then uh filter
out fifty percent of all the things that
you can
can communicate
I get angry oh you get angry uh yeah but
the first question I ask myself each and
every time is
uh is this going to make the team better
if I say what I really think and 95
times out of 100 probably now yeah it
ain't gonna help so if it isn't going to
help the team what's the what's the
point of pointing out something that
they've done wrong what you can do
though and that's why I have my book is
I write it in the book and then when I
finish
and we go to the bar I'll have a quiet
word one-on-one and if there's a problem
then I'll address it you know to the guy
and say hey why did you do this you
should have done that and then if they
give me a valid answer then I'll go okay
or sometimes you have to meet in the
middle
um I had one in the Holland series final
actually with uh Brenda where I held up
Alison spearness at third and Brenda
just came tearing around and we got in a
jam and that was in the final and so we
talked it out and I said give me a
percentage how much is it was your fault
how much of it was mine this is uh 80 20
and like oh yeah 89 or 80 yours and
she's like no 80 mine and I was like
yeah or the 20 is on me because I sort
of I punked I tricked her in a way but
she should have known that Alison I
wouldn't have been sending her home but
you know even at a Holland series final
we're still discussing after we've just
won all in Syria we should be
celebrating it but here we are sitting
there
not arguing but like we're still
discussing all right well what do we get
wrong this is after we've just won a
championship like that's how
perfectionist we are that's the passion
yeah and getting everything right well
because I feel bad because you know am I
hang her out to dry or you know who's
but we talk it out work it out and move
on with it but if if we had got angry at
each other
if we had been yelling and spewing at
each other we still had three outs to
get to win the game that was only the
bottom of the six where we made that
stuff up not I not her we made that
stuff up but we still had three outs to
get and Allison was huffing and puffing
because her Fitness was no longer there
but we'd plan to bring Jesse in for the
seventh anyway for two hitters but uh
yeah like it's just at some point
there's just no use arguing there's a
time and place to get it right and it's
not baseball baseball they sort of you
know ride up in each other's faces and
like give it to each other but their
their athletes worth millions that's the
reason that's the reason why we are
addressing this
um because we do youth like b-ball and
now soccer on the 12th and as a coach I
noticed that I can get more out of the
the kits when I'm saying hey uh good job
on this but next time try to do that a
little bit better or they make a huge
error they pick up the ball and they
throw role at first and it's perfect but
the runner is already on the way to
second I go like oh yeah hell of a throw
that's amazing good recovery so I'm not
trying to highlight the negative I'm
highlight the positive and what we had
in the podcast before
especially the difference between like
softball and baseball in baseball we
played baseball as well
ever guys yes so maybe that's the
difference I have to ask you and for
your answer on that but boys will be
boys there will be well amazing if you
throw that ball from short to First with
a hundred mile an hour and the runner is
safe by inches
you're gonna get peep you gotta get some
[ __ ] over it yeah you know yep so
the one thing I'll say when it comes to
coaching the youth uh especially if
we're talking about positivity and
keeping it positive yeah another thing
you can do is you can let them know when
they've done something wrong still in a
positive light and that is by being
animated with your body
all right so when there's a mistake made
it's you know you can either yell at
them verbally you know they go no you
messed up your throat but you can also
do something with I don't know if
there's cameras on here but you can sit
there and like look at your play and go
ah and then like put your hands on as if
to say you know that's Universal support
you messed up but if you're doing it
smiling and going ah you know just throw
your hands up in the air like I don't
care but if you could do those quick
actions the kid's gonna look at you
again oh I've messed up haven't I you're
like you're like oh yeah and he's like
don't worry about it you know and just
you know but you can do all that rather
than just you know what are you doing
you know you just sit there smile and go
oh no you just shaking it's like you're
gonna just like ah get off the field
you'll you know but you don't sit there
and go what are you doing you're useless
you can sit there and do it in a fun
positive way and then when you get off
into the Dugout saying hey what did you
do you know what should you do next time
I should have done that and if they can
correct it and you extract it from
themselves you're like yeah okay so next
time just make sure you do that and the
way I um coach up with the kids I've
said this I don't do this in all of my
when I'm back home in New Zealand and
I'm coaching the coaches how to coach
because that was my job in Great Britain
and in New Zealand was coaching the
coaches South coach I'd always say look
softball and baseball for the kids is
just like learning your six times tables
or your five times tables like you know
your six times tables right mathematics
are you asking me now to do it but you
know you know you're five times table
yeah right I'm like softball's like that
we all get there eventually but when
you're learning as a kid you know when
you get given it and you go home and
then there's a that one smart ass kid
that already knows it straight away
already and already knows their seven
times tables you're like what we haven't
even learned the seven times tables yet
you know there's some kids that are just
going to be able to learn it but we talk
about how much our game is repetition it
is a game is a game of repetition but
the difference is some kids can learn
immediately yeah you give them their six
times tables they know straight away and
they'll go on to their seven times
tables where some kids are like oh they
need like three four days to learn
they're five times tables they're a bit
behind or you know so when they do make
that mistake they make it again they
make it again but eventually they'll get
it right just sometimes it takes them
three four times to get it wrong and
finally enough it's the kid that has the
baseballing softballing parents that
usually doesn't even do it wrong the
first time they already know how to get
it right but the main thing is is that
you sit there and be patient with them
and understand that sometimes it's going
to take longer it's going to take longer
it's frustrating when you're a coach but
then there's nice ways that you can go
about it and getting that kid to learn
yeah and again even if uh they don't get
it and I'm laughing with it and I guess
that's the difference between the
American style coaching but the
difference with the American style
coaching is their travel ball programs
are severe the parents are paying 5 10
15 grand for them to be part of elite
teams because that's going to save mum
and dad 200 000 in free scholarships
when they get a free ride for their
baseball softball program so it's more
of an investment so when they're
investing those kind of amounts of money
yeah well yeah it's an investment so
they're going to be really harsh on that
but that's one of the reasons why I love
being in Europe and I love being back in
New Zealand because I love being able to
live my lifestyle the way that I do
um without the pressure I don't mind the
pressure though like I can go and do it
at ease yeah next I like going to
nightclubs and having fun well not now
but like you know 10 years ago and 20
years ago same as when I was in Great
Britain you know when I have to do my
work and Coach the national teams I do
but then when my private likes my
private life well my friends know me you
know I like having a good time and you
know going out seeing the world
um going to the pub and going to the
nightclub uh you know whereas gosh if
you do that in the states you're under
the microscope and everything you do is
looked at and I'm like nah man I'd
rather just live my life and have an
easy time but uh well I'd have no
problem going to an NCAA school either I
can sit there and push the repeat button
and people's people the sports and Sport
yeah there's a different different
approach and oversee how they teach the
kids than we do here
everything you were talking about we
call it at least I think I call it like
sport wise
sport wisdom Sports
smart about the kids some some kids you
you teach a certain drill twice and
they'll be like oh yeah they got it and
I was talking to Ranier a couple weeks
ago about uh again again
I don't know where it was exactly but it
was like um men versus ladies we have
this drill
um we're going to start a new drill and
the last couple years at agmaria we had
this girls uh training us Cindy
oh Cindy and their visa hold your horses
we got Cindy as well yeah there we go
you coached the game I definitely did
um before you go I would like to ask you
got started over Hill Court uh
uh no nay okay the girl Community editor
you can give me editor okay we have a
Cindy yeah you're a famous coach known
to this Champion thanks and wish you all
the best
all right there we go hey so we got
Cindy as well here there we go
hasten this is Cindy first of all I want
to thank you a lot for sharing your
software knowledge with us I think the
Dutch softball scene has been able to
learn a lot about how you coach the game
I know I definitely did
um before you go I would like to ask you
uh two fun questions of conscience
actually uh one would you rather be a
legendary player or a legendary coach
second one would you rather retire as a
forgotten coach with a winning record or
a famous coach known to lose
championships thanks and wish you all
the best
oh that's a tough one buddy
the first one's easy
first question is easy
uh I never cared for playing too much oh
don't get me wrong I did I love the game
and I did like playing but I'd never do
the extras because like I said I played
Aussie rules I played other touch rugby
uh waves Cricket yeah I played so many
different sports that I never focused on
one so I never did any extra training
for softball but because I had an
upbringing with it because of my dad I
knew
yeah you never know everything but you
know I knew enough yeah to get by uh so
definitely as a coach because
as a coach I'm willing to put in the
time into my players because they do
care about people
but as a player no so I'd rather be if
it's an option a legendary coach rather
than a legendary player that's an answer
yeah as opposed the next question uh
the would I rather be forgotten about
but when
because one of the things I've said to
Olympia as I was leaving I was like all
I want to do is be remembered you know
that's the one thing that you want to do
you just want to make sure that you know
when I leave that when they're having a
beer they're like oh that was cool we
had to Stand Here For Those Years you
know and sit there going yeah he was fun
and enjoyed a beer and you know had a
good time yeah with the team
in saying that though I wouldn't take it
at the cost of losing
like I said to you just before the
amount of finals we won in a row uh no
I'd rather take that and not be
remembered
and as long as everyone else gets
remembered yeah I don't mind being the
sacrificial lamb of not being remembered
as long as that the players will be
remembered people and I still mention it
um Eva vortman Jeanette usting they are
all the start of the 2015 team they've
got this club to where they're at uh
Brenda beers
Mario love logos Rachel invade or that
that nucleus there as the other players
and we had some good add-ons some
special players that came in between
Australians Ellen Roberts tarly Moore
um the Great Britain players uh polish
Steph Pierce Emma wo check you know
we've had sir Pauline Prada from France
you know uh Stephanie Toft from the
Gators she also helped this team in the
first year of showing them what it looks
like and you know she won the College
World Series there was lots of different
things that happened for us to get where
we did yeah some of it's luck but some
of it we planned for but you know the
softball Gods I don't believe in God but
the softball gods have been looking
after us uh so you know it is what it is
but we sort of worked hard to get where
we where we did as well great well
there's a lot of people that we have to
tag on Facebook
we were in a question and we noticed uh
Cindy of course yeah yeah just just to
to get by you've been coaching both men
and ladies and what we experienced when
we had a new drill by uh by by Cindy and
the Visa is that they were explaining
the drill all the boys were listening
all the men were listening to it and we
just start doing the drill and it went
wrong couple of times but you start
doing the drill after like 20 minutes
we get the hang of it and we continue to
play the drill but I know this with the
girls when I explain the drill and I
want to get started I'll be like oh no
no wait um is it true that we're gonna
do this to that person to that person to
that person today yeah okay so shall we
get it go along no no no no and then the
next girls so for my question for you is
because
the one of no guy is gonna tell the
coach uh I don't understand it
[Laughter]
she could get quite angry with you why
don't you understand it it is basic
softball and we were like okay
and it's funny because he was like well
I'm not saying it's the female of the
team that regard it's the analytical one
it's the analytical one where it's just
sit there you must know everything
before they commence yeah why is that
I'll tell you why is because they don't
want to look stupid
they want all the information beforehand
so they can go out and try and get it
right the first time rather than looking
like an idiot whereas the guys are just
like going yeah I'll have a crack at it
yeah give me a crack and I'm going to
stuff this up and then I'll eventually
get it right so I'm gonna flip in this
bowl this on Fierce base uh oh it's
supposed to go with three oh yeah so so
one of the things that I tell the girls
uh when I'm coaching them is especially
the new ones so like I said like that's
why I try and keep it simple and then
everyone we do the same thing and then
it's pretty hard to get wrong if you're
doing the first quarter of training the
same
uh but one of the things that I try and
tell them when we're doing a new drill
or if they're new to the club and it's
new to them I say you go to the back and
just be monkey see monkey do watch the
people in front of you and then just
copy with what they do don't go in the
front because if you get it wrong then
you know it doesn't matter if you get it
wrong
but then they just feel a bit insecure
if they do get it wrong enough and they
can build up yeah yeah but they're just
you know going oh yeah especially if
you're coming to a team that's
successful and winning you don't want to
mess up their trainings we have a hard
time sometimes attracting players to the
club because they said they go oh but
you guys win a lot and it's like yeah
but that's why we're asking you to come
here to help us to keep winning a good
example and that was Franca Van Dyke you
know she had a choice of us at another
club but then she's like oh am I going
to be a star I'm like well if you hit
the way you did it quick the season
before put up the same statistical
numbers then yes you are my human
intuition tells me that yes you're going
to be a starter nothing's guaranteed but
like I said you know judging by the
mathematics plus your human intuition
this is where I see you fitting into
this team and chills the number two
hitter at the beginning of the Holland
series and had two RBIs in game five in
the number five hole you know and
transferring to our club yeah so that's
you've got to be happy when people are
doing things like that but she's another
one that will want you know information
going all right how do we do this and
has a very analytical mind and
everything she does
um because she's very smart at her job
you know I I forget what she does but
she's very good at her work well so are
you I remember talking to you well again
I remember talking to the radio about
one of the reasons why he wants to stop
because he's concentrating he's
concentrating on developing his business
he told me the amount uh how much you
want it to be uh you know whatever child
yeah you have uh you're telling me your
Ambitions with that and uh you know
softball has to go on the Wayside so you
can concentrate on that then yeah all
the power to you
um so yeah it is just one of those ones
where you know it's coming so you try
and explain as much as you can before
you even start the drill uh and you I
try and revisit so a lot of the drills
that I've done over the years I don't
reinvent the wheel I go back to them but
I don't have to I have such a big uh
sack full of drills and games yeah only
have to revisit them once or twice a
season you know what I do maybe that's
that's the um actually I'm not an
example and four build yeah an example
yeah it's I have three basic drills on
uh on on on
a paper and I blastified it so it's in
the game bag whenever I am sick or not
being able to be there a parent or any
other can get into the to the material
bag take out one of those three drills
and do them and they all know how the
drill Works actually play poker with
them which one are we gonna do which is
three that's like you said um um in
uh with your posture and how you explain
things and how you want to keep your
kids and focused and aware
um I think that's the the way to address
the Under 12 the youth in in as well as
baseball and b-ball so
um that's a good tip by you and and a
good difference also how to
um talk to a group of guys or talk to a
group of girls it's different it's a lot
easier to talk to a group of guys I can
tell you that oh yeah well that's the
discussion that we had uh the last
couple of podcasts as well so I'm eager
to hear maybe not the Olympia guys
maybe they'll imagine but Olympia women
have had me for six years now so they
know how we work but those are the guys
I only had them for one year but I'd
slowly mold them into the team that I
want them one of the things annoyed with
the men's team this year we just argued
too much with with with coaches no not
with coaches with umpires amongst
ourselves and oh yeah yeah so yeah you
think so that's a boy thing a little bit
too much yeah it's a male thing but um
and happens but it just happened a
little bit too much more like and we got
there in the end but it's important to
have those conversations as well you
can't let it Fester it's good that's one
of the good things is that we were
confrontational for it but sometimes
like I said they could have actually
just let it be and then talked about it
after a game not sort of like in-game
and stuff like that but it happens in
games yeah it happens I have a question
about that yes because
um you were also announced to be the
best coach of
this year actually from the Khan base
Bay what I haven't heard that yeah you
are I'm not having like uh but you were
like uh pronounced the best coach of
yeah you almost last year yeah it was
last year but it ends still there's a
new uh oh they are they often have they
they didn't not yet oh you're saying
that they're going to give it to me no
okay I'm gonna cut this because it's
kind of weird no but
um they gave it to you but you still are
it because there's no new uh best coach
announced now it was voted it was voted
amongst the coaches for this year this
year yeah the coaches got given it which
is kind of weird because it could be a
it could be a popularity contest who
wanted it this year no it hasn't been
decided yet
yeah that's what I meant yeah you're
still it I thought you said that I just
it was announced or something that I
wasn't this year I was like surprise it
hasn't been voted on yet so we still
have the rainy uh yes I'm the coach of
the year for now for one more month
maybe yeah yeah that's a good way to go
home right I don't know who's got it uh
this year but uh they'll probably send
it after you then it is yeah it is kind
of funny because I said that I was
joking with Manny and Neil's I was like
um well when we were talking about
having the men's team put together for
this year and I was like well I'm gonna
have to be uh gonna have to do something
special to try and get it because like I
said we won the last four Holland series
that I've been here but the side thing
is they've given me coach of the year
the last three years yeah that I've been
here as well so if if they do give it to
me this year then well that's what I'm
saying I'm going to do something
extraordinary so yes I'm like let's try
and you know well the premiere couple
you were going to but I'm like if I can
try one or three right yeah but what I
wanted to mention that that you are the
coach of the year still now but do you
also know that you have like a kind of
an authority uh within the game as well
because I have like an example uh where
it stands out completely
do you know it from yourself that you
have like the authority on the field
yeah
yeah but I don't really care about it
too much all I want is my uh my coaches
to like me the fans from Olympia uh and
the players as long as I do goodbye
and it doesn't matter from the top to
the bottom I don't care if I'm speaking
to the president of the country to some
homeless guy outside decabout I still
treat people of the same amount of
respect yeah
um which could sometimes be a good thing
and a bad thing but uh it's mainly a
good thing yeah and I will I will give
the example as well because we were
playing at the new van app and it was
like a game with a lot of arguing uh uh
and chit chatting at you
yeah and um at a point there was like a
a really a large argument about some
play and the rules weren't quite like uh
um obvious and Crystal or clear but then
yeah well the sort of the uh the
opponent said well it's a new rule we
have to apply it and then everybody
looked like so to you about you uh
you're reacting like that and you were
like like okay well
um that rule yeah we tried it a lot of
times with with the girls as well but it
isn't in Holland it's not really built
into the system yet so the W BSC you're
talking about yeah the new picture
catcher all yeah and they were trying to
sneak on a Runner for their picture and
I'm like no all the other European
nations have taken on but your nation
has decided not to for whatever reason
all right and then I said to him I says
listen I'd allow it if if it was allowed
but I try to otherwise I'd be doing it
yeah I told them I said look if that
rule was in I'd be using it to have
Manny uh run for and Anthony I'd be
abusing the rule like that's what you're
doing it's not abusing it's just using
the rules whatever the rules are yeah
and then I told him I said no otherwise
I'd let you and yeah you're right they
all looked at me and I was like no I can
tell you now that that's that's what's
going on right now yeah and the other
teamwork and yeah they were looking at
uh Stan and they said okay okay and
they're going back in there in in the
cave
yeah and then it was the DP Flex a lot
of the teams are like going can't do
that and yeah some of the umpires that
were umpiring our games were sort of
just doing it to help out yeah you feel
bad because I'm like no no I'm not going
to cheat on you guys all right but I'm
telling you this is legal what I'm doing
but I'm not abusing it or you know doing
anything but and you feel bad but most
of the umpires you know they're doing it
every now and again there'd be a game
where you know it's one of the parents
knowledge is power
yeah then again knowledge is power and
especially with Statistics yeah but is
that also an advice that you can give
like new coaches as well get a scorer
train up one of the parents to be a
scorer uh the new way of doing it is
electronically
um Nils Meek has been doing it for our
club uh and well we have two scorers we
have Kalinda that does the paper scoring
and Nils does uh all the electronic but
one thing I would do is because you know
what doesn't matter what age you are
when you're 10 11 12 13 years old you
want to know how good you are yeah you
want to learn and like going hey you
know what does 250 mean well they know
that 330 is better than 250 you know
going oh yeah the problem with that is
of course if you're a kid that bets 110
120 but then don't show it to those kids
just you know the kids that do want it
and that are doing good it's like here
there you go well then you can sit there
and one on one say listen your 110 we're
going to do this to get you to 150 next
year yeah you know and Chase those
numbers too because that's well at the
end of the day like I said a lot of what
we're doing is statistical data and what
I what I noticed with the with the kids
is that I really want to know during the
game What's the score uh are we in front
or behind yeah and of course they're
always either tie or behind we're never
upfront yeah that's that's a little bit
of a trick we talk about giving the kids
something to do that's why you take your
big whiteboard take your whiteboard with
your marker and get the and draw it up
manually you know with you so you can
just rub it out but give them a Job
saying yeah put up the score so the kids
can check it out who's got beer or who's
got the run you know there's there's so
many lots of little things that you can
do but it's you as the coach what you
train them up to be yeah but the problem
is that so many coaches they're the one
all and uh you know there's no one else
to help them that that's when the game
doesn't become fun you do end up doing a
half-assed job because you're having to
do the uniforms watch the uniforms
there's probably scoring as well you
know doing absolutely everything getting
their lunch ready but it's like you know
what I [ __ ] a lot of those coaches
haven't asked for help or they haven't
asked the right people to help or they
haven't asked everyone wanted to help
that's the main thing that you can't do
these things on your own you need help
and uh that's a good tip and another
thing is that I say to everyone I even
use this to people when you're going out
to nightclubs and trying to you know
chase women when they're younger if you
don't ask you don't get yeah so if
you've got to sit there and be the shy
one they won't go up and talk to the hot
girl at the club it's like guess what
you're never going to have it but if
you're willing to go up and say Hey you
look nice you know they could have a
chat yeah you know can I get you a drink
they're like going nah I'm not I don't
don't fancy her it's like oh yeah okay
but you know you asked you didn't get
but what happens what happens if they do
say yes you know it's like oh okay then
okay you need to be able to have it but
a game as well but it's the same if you
coaching the team man if you don't ask
the parents you know oh okay yeah what
happens are my family owned an orchard
oh so you can bring apples and oranges
to uh the game yeah it's like yeah okay
there you go there's your apples and
oranges taken care of probably just
saved you 400 euros in the budget for
the year you know you don't know what
these people do but um if they've got
something yeah use it you're not using
them you just you using what they have
access to yeah
so you're talking about uh scoring for
and do you score yourself as well or do
you let anybody else score now we've got
two people that do it Collision DeVries
is our team scorer she does the paper
version and nilsy Mika does the the
spray chart yeah he does the electronic
scoring where you can sit there and have
the spray part uh chart ready for it
these are a lot of these are a lot of
little things that people don't know
that we do in our team that some of the
other teams just don't do so we have all
the information at hand straight away
and for the season over multiple Seasons
we used to do it by hand my first year I
was here but now that the tablets are
getting better uh there's ones that you
can pay for they're a lot better but we
still do it the Dutch cheap way and use
the free versions but uh there are some
better ones out there what's the big
advantage of uh electronic scoring
because I think the big Advantage is
that you get information of your
opponents yeah that's what it's all
about yeah not only your own players but
your own oh no we were against the
pitcher because that's that's on the
paper gives you information about your
own players yeah but the the electronic
will give you information about the
teams you're playing and it's instant am
I right yeah and and you know which
which pitches they're hitting off you
and where yeah so you can you manipulate
your field yeah according to where they
hit the ball we all have our tendency
this is something that that's new I
believe for Holland wise well MLB you're
doing it at bat by at bat they're going
back and checking their swings and like
you know after every at-bat like that's
the new extreme we don't do it uh
as much as that but uh
yeah that's foreign
they're smart enough to realize what
they want to be doing for the season but
why not at under 12s as well you can
start teach them that if you have the
capacity with the appearance to do that
yeah but start trading them up how to do
it because you know what it'll be fun
for the parents to start doing it as
well you might find that the parents
could end up being top better because
you know any of those half hits are not
errors there they're going to be uh
differently but you know what if that's
the if that's the trade-off if that's
the trade-off that the kid's gonna
automatically be top better than it's
you know
the commitment from parents for the
season the boys yeah and then you know
what then you get a buddy you say all
right train someone else you need to
give every parent a a part in your team
yeah a job or whatever you can ask
pretty much yeah if they want if there's
10 kids there's going to be 10 parents
maybe 20 maybe only 12 13 14 15 if
there's a few divorces in there and
whatnot but if you go and ask them you
don't even need all of them half yeah
half of tens five if you get five
volunteers yeah you're set you can sit
there and go one assistant coach one
scorer and one in charge of lunches one
in charge of Transport you know just one
team manager there's just so many
different roles that are needed in our
sport it's one of the best and worst
things about it is all the extra help
you need same as the equipment the
amount of equipment we need you know
it's 300 for a bet 150 for a glove you
know it's not cheap it's not a cheap
sport to blame it's about the prices for
the mouthpieces oh the guard pieces yeah
yeah man they're like 45 years 45 years
Rose for yep for the little field again
it all adds up there's checks in the
field yep that's a lot oh yeah yeah but
then again you know what's a horse
riding costume
it's cheap maybe cheaper to play
softball so um I've a a really small
question sir a forward so what are your
strengths my strengths yeah uh people
in communication just knowing people
yeah yeah I grew up not poor but grew up
reasonably poor and uh I lived I've
lived in nine different countries
traveled over 80. you developed some uh
your skills yeah you just know people
so what are your weaknesses
professionalism
all right
um I do that you wouldn't say I do the
minimum standards when it comes to being
professional
I'd do it when I have to I don't like it
like when I'm coaching national teams
I'll cut my hair and have my hair or
prop
erly done but uh yeah when that's why I
love the club environment because you
still get to be yourself as much as
possible but when you're coaching your
national teams uh well that's a good
thing for me though it makes me be
professional
but it's not my true personality all
right and then next year what you're
gonna do in New Zealand enjoy life
watch watch softball maybe even go back
to playing a little bit yeah why not
yeah I'll go play some low grades yeah
yeah just the cool thing is that maybe
uh we can even see you if there's like a
live broadcasting something like that
you know because uh like five years ago
there was an on the field any
broadcasters you can even buy now uh
it's called the movie cams or something
like that yeah you can buy that stuff
for like 1500 Euros
and then you can live stream uh look
look at them talking as if kiwis all had
1500 Euros spare not everyone has
successful businesses like you do mate
that's even in New Zealand Dollars 1500
that's a lot of money for for a lot of
people yeah yeah luckily my family are
okay now but like there's a lot of New
Zealand families that are doing it tough
at the moment
yeah
well hopefully they will uh keep getting
better in the future right time will
tell yep time will tell okay talking
about time
yeah we have a great question here what
do you see yourself in five years from
uh now five years back home yeah your uh
girlfriend's coming with you and uh are
you married
girlfriend just yet plans
she's told me her ring size
I know her ring size is 50. she's told
me plenty of times you're getting there
yeah I'm not well if you had to ask me
five six years ago yeah but uh we may
have to to get her into the country it's
pretty hard to get into New Zealand at
the moment we already got to climb once
so we're applying again yeah strict
rules and because we aren't married and
we don't have kids then they're sort of
like going are you in a really in a
relationship and we're not financially
independent so yeah we have to uh try
and work out what we need to do to get
her to move into New Zealand we can just
get her a job you know she's highly
employable so we might have to just do
that route yeah uh so we'll see what
happens there but in terms of where will
I be in five years that's the beauty
about the life that I've lived I've
always just sort of you know uh I'm
playing one two three four years ahead
uh but I don't go I never really planned
five years ahead
um the last four year plan that I did
have in place was here so if I did go to
do uh another coaching gig it would be
something that I can see Merit end and
something that excites me but it becomes
less and less now so it's pretty hard to
get excited about
different coaching a lot about a
different sport
yeah one thing that has interest me is
rugby league so I was decent rugby
league player I was just too small but
again I had the brains for rugby league
so uh yeah rugby league would be
something I'd be interested or Aussie
rules I'd be interested to go and coach
and Aussie rules as well because that's
another thing because my body was a lot
smaller than others you had to be smart
otherwise you'd be getting knocked out
so you'll learn all the way yeah and
with softball it was easy like when I
moved to New Zealand yeah and I moved to
Auckland the Auckland league in my era
was ridiculous good yeah you know all
the names yeah like Donnie Hale
um Brad Rona Dio nokonoku nathanuku Pat
Shannon hi Shannon
um Roman Gabriel uh you know they're
just absolutely packed with Talent oh
Brad did I say bread roller yeah I can't
remember yeah so Brad roner's from North
Harbor
um DC yeah sorry Thomas Cameron yep from
Ramblers as well uh Daniel Lam hunt
who's playing baseball in Germany at the
moment yeah there's and you you played
in that league with those guys yeah you
just go back you just go by yeah it's
just another player like I was one of
the better players in my team uh but
again like I said I was even back then I
was just so used to partying and
because I was so smart I knew I was
never going to be as good as those guys
you know I was I was 60 kilos those guys
are 90 kilos 100 kilos 105 kilos of
muscle they just tap the ball and he
goes flying over the fence and the good
thing was I used to play center field so
I used to sit there and just bang and
you didn't have to go running for the
ball half the time yeah because if it
goes up in the air oh yeah it's gone or
if it goes that high up you could run
you pretty much only need one outfielder
I could run all the way to right field
and leftfield by the time the ball drops
yeah uh yeah but it was good fun to play
against those guys I didn't know them
much uh I didn't
yeah I never really socialize with them
I like I said I was a wine club man uh
we used to have the um yeah oh gosh I
don't know if I should say that uh we
had very good looking people at our club
you know we uh our friends and our
girlfriends and our girlfriends friends
so we'd always just go straight to our
parties afterwards and you know yeah
like we're a 500 Club you know or
sometimes a little bit less like you
know we'd win 10 lose 10.
um so we would come last but we couldn't
compete with the top tier teams because
we didn't have any Black Sox players in
our team uh but we would have guys like
Rob gray or um uh Hayden Smith heater
like we had some good players ourselves
like you know really good players but it
still wasn't good enough to win the
Auckland or North Harbor League yeah
there's just too many good players and
too many good teams back then well did
you do a Haka can you do a Haka yeah
yeah I can I delete it for the Aussie
rules team because I've got Pat Mary
blood of me but it doesn't look uh
fierce when someone's 60 kilos 64 kilos
leading 22 other guys you know I would
like I said I was a skill player I was
small so yeah I can do it uh but it's
not as fearsome as like you know guys
like Manny and people bigger than many
doing it yeah but yeah no I know how to
do it uh it's well everyone not everyone
but most people know how to do it but I
just because how do you learn that is it
something if you learn at school around
the street yeah like all my cousins uh
like my dad's part Maori but my mum's
Scottish but all my dad's brothers and
sisters married more maori's maoris I
should say and Sam Owens and Islanders
so you look at my cousins and they're
all they're all dark not not antilly and
dark you know but they're they're you
know dark brown is the is the color that
you should choose but so you'd look at
us and go no but I've got the Scottish
white skinny jeans but I could go Brown
in the summer but uh yeah you just grow
up with your cousins uh you know and
that's what you did yeah and the
different regions have different hackers
when you play your Schoolboy uh under
15s under 17s the different regions have
their different hackers and before games
they would the age groups used to be
awesome in New Zealand because they
would do hackers before games and get
themselves real fizzed up sometimes
there'd be doubles so they'd started
they'd start and they'd do a return one
and yeah and the you know the umpire's
like come on boys hurry up we've got to
play but it gets them it gets you fired
up I had the honor playing at zeissed
against New Zealand in a prep for the
world championship I had to honor of
actually starting a game of our national
team against New Zealand and I've
pitched for three Innings and I struck
out one yeah but the Haka in front of us
right in front of us there was there was
something yeah there was something and
uh later on I thought it should be
illegal
because they get so hyped up and it was
so like intimidating they was like oh
man they're they're already 10 runs in
front you know
we had to play if you think about it
like you know a couple couple hundred
years ago is not that long ago but you
know when they used to do it it's like
you're basically going and knowing that
if you fail you die yeah well because
you're getting ready to go into battle
and uh yeah so and when you do it it
does you actually sort of get into a
trance and you go to another place yeah
uh like remember I was telling you
remember I was telling you before about
like you know if I was to enter a boxing
career I don't know I'd have good
friends to say no you can't like if
there was ever to be a chance you know
if you do a hacker beforehand you could
you know for a temporary amount of time
you'd think you can beat Mike Tyson but
then once you get punched in the face
yeah it only works for so long and
that's why the frenzy you can get
yourself up into a frenzy as much as you
like but at the end of the day you have
to go and play rugby for 80 minutes you
have to go get 21 ounce in softball so
sometimes it can be detrimental because
you waste not I don't like what uses the
word waste but you expend a lot of
energy into the Haka whereas if a team's
looking at you going this doesn't worry
me then uh yeah game on then you've just
pretty much spent a lot of energy uh
into the wrong direction but if you can
use it for good then oh by all means or
if it gets into the game for the first
five minutes in rugby or rugby league
then boy it means do it but at the end
of the day you still have to play for 80
minutes and play with a lot of skill but
uh in terms of tradition it is a
beautiful thing it's a beautiful thing
to watch and it's been getting so much
better over the decades if you look at
some of the hackers in the 70s and 80s
some of them were embarrassing but they
are good now like really good and it is
it is an honor and you can feel like
yeah hold on it's an advantage for them
to get it but then my argument would be
hold on to the better team win or do
they win because of the Haka or you know
it's it's one of those why should you
say it a better teamwork but you got
your One strikeout and guess what you
could probably tell me the whole 10
minute you know you could turn that into
a 10 minute story right the one Striker
that's because I was starting as a
pitcher made shortstop and my third
baseman they made awesome plays yeah
yeah of course stay on the inside the
bug had in play and that's also that's
what you're trying to do right get out
yeah that's going to be hard to strike
out the black socks guys you just got to
work out all right where's the safest
place to pitch yeah that's it the only
thing I didn't want to do is yeah oh
Griffo didn't work yeah yeah
it was awesome man it was a real honor
and then some something I will never
forget that something uh amazing well
that's something I've never done so cool
okay let's do a short stop because uh we
have a short stop because it's a word
sure stuff thing it's nice everybody
left
um so we have also a home plate here
that's that's really great
um yeah and we have also like a word
funny word fun
and we call it like the touch plot the
home plate but then that uh that doesn't
work in English it doesn't work very
good in English sorry man yeah I'm sorry
but but as well but we want to know
what's your favorite song actually your
soundtrack my favorite song yeah
it doesn't have to be related to
coaching or my favorite song is Mike and
the mechanics the living is
all right that's a soppy slow song from
the 80s I've just always liked it you're
80s guy I am an 80s 90s guy here okay I
like my 80s music cool man okay same
here okay that's nice yeah do we have uh
something like that you want to let them
drop do you have some last things that
you have to um say to other coaches or
uh parents uh that they have to know
that we didn't ask you uh stick with it
uh it's just there's going to be some
days where you feel like you're getting
nowhere
um but then after a while if you stick
with it and gain knowledge from as many
people as you can the way that I uh
explain coaching
is it's either called The Funnel effect
or The Hourglass effect so the question
is is how big is your funnel or how big
is your hourglass and what I mean by
that is the shape of an hourglass like
some people could have a thin one now I
want a thin hourglass means that you've
had hardly any people to learn from all
right but if you're lucky enough to have
a large hourglass because you've learned
all that information and all that sand
is all your knowledge all right the
thing that annoys me is the people that
have a funnel or an hourglass that goes
white at the top and then is almost thin
at the bottom that is basically a player
that has been playing for 20 years and
then quits the game and does nothing and
doesn't share that information so they
funnel is that so The Hourglass that I
want to see is you obviously want as
wide as possible to come in and then you
want it as wide as possible to go out
you want them teaching as many people as
possible so the problem the other
problem with uh what I'm talking about
there is sometimes we have coaches that
have a thin funnel or a thin hourglass
but then they go and Coach everyone yeah
and they're coaching the wrong stuff all
right so what I'm trying to say is if
you're a coach try and make your
hourglass or your funnel as wide as
possible and if it's thin to be begin
with don't worry about it that's why I
say stick with it and increase your
hourglass or your funnel and fill that
up with as much information and you know
what if that only goes to one team then
so be it if it's still at the bottom but
just make sure you try and fill up the
top part first and if you are starting
early like if you're asking the parents
uh you know that have only done it for
their first year yeah then find ways to
make sure they can fill up that
hourglass as much as possible there's
various ways to do that obviously to try
and gain experience as the hardest of a
possible of all but you've got to find
ways to fill up that hourglass so you
can sit there and work out what the
bottom half of your hourglass looks like
does that make sense yeah yeah yeah it's
the easiest way to try and explain it up
with information yeah you can get it
online you can do some trainings you can
talk to your technical comedy of your
Club if there's ways to to get you
enrich your experiences
um there are many ways to yeah and the
other key word I'd say is
also is to listen to the podcast of
course well of course yeah actually a
lot of information this is one of the
reasons why you created this right to
help and and this will be Pat so this is
one of many tools that can be helped
with their sand in their hourglass so
listening to this is you know it widens
it that much maybe the podcast is that
good that it opens it up this much I
have no idea but everybody helps and you
know what you can sit there and listen
to this on the car ride into work from
work it doesn't well you can find a way
where it doesn't take up any extra time
instead of listening to music on the way
and hey push list of the podcasts get a
few tips here and there and cool maybe
that's what you get from Sandra Sandra
can give you the uh skill uh skills and
drills to do at trading sessions
awesome yeah that's nice wait okay
thanks so uh how can people stay in
touch with you if they have uh questions
or they want more information Facebook
Instagram yeah I'm not one of those ones
has private accounts I always believe in
I don't have two accounts yeah you're a
people guy yeah except one person and it
is who I am like I said it's a weakness
of mine because if you do scroll through
you'll find some of my younger days in
there but one of my arguments is like
that's who I was at that point in life
so why why would I bother hiding it if
you want to hold it against me then you
can you're more than welcome to but
that's what I did when I was in my early
20s or late 20s or whatever Facebook
yeah it's just it's who you are yeah
cool you shouldn't be able to shy away
from it okay uh I've I've learned one
more thing from you this year and that
that's one I want to ask you to explain
our listeners as well so can you tell a
little bit about us about the red hat
and the blue hat okay so that's from uh
well it's from reading the All Blacks
book uh and we talk about being in the
redhead and blue head State uh when well
in life but especially in sport and the
way I can relate to it in softball is we
talk about it as a pressure pressure
moments and I always talk about how
there's two games within the game and I
remember coaching a team one year and
they says oh we don't really like it we
just like playing for fun we don't
really like playing with pressure and I
just looked at him and thinking oh my
God you've never won anything have you
because if you know if you when you're
winning a lot of big tournaments along
with it comes pressure and the biggest
pressure comes between the pitcher and
catcher first right so what happens when
pressure builds in the body
redhead you start getting into a redhead
State uh and then obviously the more
that you can stay in a blue calm
demeanor
uh you're able to function better and
that's one of the things that we talk
about the Olympia way and that's a big
part of it is us being able to perform
in a blue head state of mind uh as long
as possible and actually
always like even when we know the
pressure's on it's like absorb it
acknowledge it work out what the next
players and move on uh it's something
that I try and do with my coaching as
well not just with the playing yeah you
do it it's yourself as well because you
didn't uh highlighted the new ven up
guys as well that you you just said like
well um I'm not I'm not understanding
anything about this because they're
talking not my language yeah
oh yes that's right I forgot that moment
they're like Stan you got to go in and
say something to this because my players
were getting upset at me and I'm like
going yeah and I'm like going why am I
upset I have no idea what they're
talking they're talking papier-minto
you're arguing over some small trivial
stuff that's like you know and they
would argue about things when I'm like
going guys they've scored 14 runs you
know when they've scored 14 runs it's
like there's nothing really to argue
about it's the same as when we complain
about umpires strike zones but then
you've made five errors during the game
and you're worried about a ball that
didn't get caught on the outside of the
part of the plate it's like you need to
sort out your own backyard before you
start complaining about other people's
so yeah that happens uh again blue head
redhead State uh again I think to myself
what's what getting emotional or caught
up in those moments that's a good one
yeah but you got to think about the next
place it's kind of like pick your
battles
yeah which one are you gonna get full
sense and which one are you going to
know the ebook yeah but set well sorry
for the men's Fridays or for the women's
Saturdays it's just a reflection of the
work that you do on Tuesday Thursday
night or Monday evening yeah so the work
gets done throughout the week the Friday
Saturday is your chance to express what
you know about the game what you've
learned about the game what our game
plan is uh but we're we're very clear
with uh the women's team about what our
plans are with the men's I was trying to
fill it out because I was learning the
guys as we were going through the season
I was like oh okay yeah and um we had
some speed in the men's team too like uh
there's some quick guys so yeah all I
can all right who's the guys that we
just put ball and play and let's get
them racing let's get them stealing uh
and because you can create pressure by
uh with your base running too so you
can't really create pressure I call it
rst so any of you uh coaches young
coaches out there uh the term I use for
base running is are you an r s or T it's
easy to remember because the letters go
one after the other yeah the r stands
for are you a rabbit
all right because you know there's more
allowances for the kids that are rabbits
uh the S stands for just standard all
right you're a standard Runner are you
standard player and the t uh stands for
turtle yeah so when we just talk about
it and the players are gonna be honest
with themselves they're like they're
like ah I'm a turtle and I'm like well
that's okay if you're a turtle then you
need to learn how to hit home runs or
you need to be very very smart on the
bass path because Marielle of logos was
she I consider a standard once she gets
going she's all right but uh she knows
when a Ball's Landing she can tell when
the balls hit off the bat
um because there's different variations
of it right if you're a smart base
runner but you're a turtle it's okay but
if you're a dumb bass Runner and a
turtle they're coach Killers those ones
but you'll find that a lot of rabbits
though are not the smartest base runners
because in their head they think they
can run the entire year they just think
they can run everything but they don't
know where the ball is going to land or
they just think they can get to third
when they can't so but when you get a
rabbit with brains their coaches dreams
but uh that's the way that I train uh
the Olympia girls and guys up and the
kids I don't change it that's something
I do the same with the seniors and I do
with the kids you know are you a rabbit
or a turtle I'm gonna take that whip
yeah and the kids but the thing is they
joke about it you know and like you know
they're on second base and you know
they'll be one of the players out there
and I'm looking scouring to say I'm
going to see in the home they're just
like hey remember I'm a turtle I just
remember yeah yeah they'll fully put
themselves like I think Michelle's one
of them uh the catcher you know
sometimes she'll like you know she does
a good base writing moment she's like
yeah yeah I'm a rabbit now
but they end up taking the Mickey out of
themselves and you can have fun with
them rather than trying to hide from the
fact okay no no you know I want to be a
rabbit I know I'm a turtle but I really
want to be a rabbit it's like no no it's
fine there's nothing wrong with being a
turtle
laughs usually they win the race right
yeah
all right yeah so it is I'll take that
in all right well thank you a lot we're
uh at the end yeah of this podcast yeah
thanks of enlightening us with your life
story yeah awesome tips
I I think I think I have like four or
five pointers for next season already
and the main thing is that
in a way
um feel that I'm on the right track
you've gave me so much more info about
training and about non for verbal
communicating with the kids and I think
that's the way it should be and it
should be fun for everyone to do a smile
cures most things yeah if you walk it in
you're smiling when you're leaving
you're smiling the trick is though it's
got to be genuine and the only way it
can be genuine is if you're enjoying
your life you've got to be enjoying your
life to be smiling that's why I'm
smiling and actually people noticed it
and look Vander Hoover noticed it she's
like Stan you're not smiling and it was
one of those periods where I was just so
tired yeah and then I looked at look and
I'm like you know what you're right and
because she knows me well she's seen me
here the entire six years and I just
smiled and I went wow this smile is fake
so yeah make sure you're smiling but
find out a way that your life's so
enjoyable that they're genuine Smiles
because that'll that'll reverberate
it'll reverberate into the kids into the
parents and uh it'll be good for
everyone cool cool nice takeaway thanks
brother yeah a lot
right that's a wrap yeah this is a great
interview I enjoyed every minute
everything ah cheers
[Music]
especially on the time
because I can really relate to the fake
smile yeah it's got to be genuine man
let's play ball
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