What it is

Hustle and Attitude is my youth recreational sports philosophy born out of a decade of coaching my sons’ and now my niece’s baseball teams. 

Key tenets:  hustle and attitude are two things all children can do in youth sports, regardless of skill level or athletic ability.  Often, I tell the players that these are the only two things they can do wrong that will really get my ire up (although, depending on their age, I might not say ‘ire’). 

• Hustle involves always being on the move and being active in the practices and games.  We hustle to first base even on ground balls we are sure are going to be outs.  We jog in and out of the dugout  – in fact, the rule is that, whenever you are on the field – whatever field or court we are playing on, you are at least jogging.  Hustling involves diving for loose balls and making maximum effort while playing.
• Attitude involves remaining positive in dealing with coaches, teammates, opponents, officials, and parents.  It involves not getting too high when you succeed (act like you’ve been there before) and not too low when you fail (shake it off).

I believe that recreational sports (as opposed to travel or select teams) provide every child that signs up the opportunity to play, to play every position for which they are capable, and have fun in a non-threatening environment. 

Hustle and Attitude is a philosophy that puts the child athletes first.  Hustle & Attitude involves encouraging children to enjoy competing in sports and have a desire to come back and play the next season.