Life is a Contact Sport: Lessons from Coaching Little League

Several years ago, I had the honour and privilege of coaching little league baseball (partly because my grandson was playing and they were short coaches)—a new experience for me and one I took very seriously. I wanted to do right by these kids, help them learn the game, and guide them toward success. I literally spent hours researching practice routines and strategies. What I didn’t expect was just how much coaching a group of 12 and 13-year-olds would teach me.

One of the first lessons I learned? They don’t listen. Not the way I thought they would, anyway. They don’t take direction like adults, and they definitely don’t see the game the same way their parents do. While parents might be focused on winning, stats, or skill development, the kids had one thing in mind—having fun.

At first, I resisted that. Shouldn’t they take it more seriously? I was. Shouldn’t they want to improve? But the more I watched them, the more I realized that their way was far wiser than I had given credit. They were in the game for the experience of playing. Winning or losing mattered, sure—but not as much as just being out there, swinging the bat, running the bases, and laughing with their teammates.

And that’s when it hit me—life is a contact sport.

You Have to Be in It

Syd Banks once said, “Life is a contact sport.” You don’t grow from sitting on the sidelines, watching, analyzing, or waiting until you’re “good enough.” You grow by being in it.

The same was true for my team. I could coach all I wanted, but I couldn’t make them do anything. I could point the way, encourage and support them, but ultimately, the doing was up to them. If they didn’t practice throwing at home between games and practices, no amount of coaching would make them better. They couldn’t keep using the next game as their practice.

Life works the same way. You don’t grow by waiting for the perfect moment, the right circumstances, or the ideal conditions. You grow by stepping in, trying, failing, learning, and continuing to play.

Well-Being is Our Default, But Participation is Key

There’s a beautiful truth—our natural state is well-being and peace. We don’t have to “achieve” them; they are already there, like the sun behind the clouds. But to experience them, we have to engage with life. We have to participate.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of waiting. Waiting until we feel ready, waiting until things calm down, waiting until we have more confidence. But the truth is that confidence comes after participation, not before. It’s a byproduct of taking action. Clarity comes through experience, not ahead of it.

Whether in baseball, work, or life, the only way to grow is to play. Show up, take the swing, and trust that your natural resilience will carry you forward.

There are no shortcuts. But the beauty is, you don’t need them.

Keep swinging. Stay in the game.

Cheers,

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