Communication: Coaching Multiple Cultures on One Team
If you ever find yourself entering our indoor facility, (aka our campus activity center, but it is more like a community activity center) or you happen to catch one of our practices, you will notice something different in comparison to other JUCO teams. We are not your typical JUCO team by any means and you will find that culture plays an integral part within our team. Our team is comprised of a variety of cultures coming together to play the game of baseball with players that come from all over the world and have grown up in different countries and lived in ways much different than here in the states. In our infield alone, we have a South Korean player who grew up in Japan, two players from Japan (and a student assistant from Japan), one player from Puerto Rico, another player from Australia, and a player from the Bahamas. We also have a catcher from Panama and a pitcher who is half Japanese half Korean, but grew up in San Diego and happens to be fluent in Japanese. I want to dive into communication and what that looks like in our baseball culture here at Hesston, as well as how I continue to grow in communication as a coach. Since we are bringing multiple cultures together on a baseball field, I think it is is important to have a vision behind it — there needs to be an understanding among coaches that there are going to be challenges, but these challenges can also create tremendous opportunities.
The Vision
This is the first year of coaching at Hesston for both the head coach and myself. Before we both came to Hesston, KS, we always talked about having multiple cultures within our program. *Sidenote: [One of my goals as a coach is to one day have four different countries represented in the infield at the start of a game]. When we first got here there were already three players from different countries: one from Panama, one from Australia, and another player from Japan. The table was already set for our vision. I believe diversity on a team inspires creativity which can ultimately lead to athleticism, and athleticism usually leads to better players. Most college programs have players from all over the country and with that you get different backgrounds and different perspectives, however when you have players from different parts of the country on top of players from all over the world, it brings a whole new set of dynamics. Part of our vision is to help grow these young men intellectually and give them opportunities to get outside their comfort zone.
The Challenges
Different cultures usually means different languages. Not only is there a language barrier but also there is the unique style of play or “language” each player brings. I believe you can tell a story by the way you play the game of baseball —I guess it is in its own way “baseball language.” If you ever want to put the “there is only one right way to field a ground ball,” method to a test, watch a Japanese player, Puerto Rican player, and an American player all take ground balls and you’ll find that each of their techniques are slightly different based on their cultural upbringing. I have grown more as a coach in the past six months than I ever have before because I have seen different ways to play the game of baseball based on culture. I’ve learned to not only coach technique but also watch technique I am not familiar with. I believe I heard Nate Trosky say “we are excellent at coaching the athleticism out of the athlete.” I have always agreed with that statement, but I can now say that I actually fully understand the meaning behind it. My best coaching often times comes from simply not saying anything at all, but just observing.
Now, we can’t just ignore the fact that there are language barriers. Having to explain simple concepts not once or twice, but also with a translator (our San Diego pitcher who is awesome at translating Japanese to English and vice versa) can be challenging, and sometimes we have to think outside the box on how to get these players to understand a concept when neither of us understand each other’s language. Practicing bunt coverages might take longer than your average college team because we have to make sure everyone really understands where to go, what to read, and how to react. These are challenges that every coach faces and being able to know that these challenges only create opportunity and growth not only for the player but for the coaches is what makes everyday exciting.
The Opportunities
The opportunities far outweigh the challenges. For one thing I am finally putting my four years of Japanese I took in high school to work and if I’m being honest, I hardly remember anything. Our Puerto Rican shortstop initiates every conversation with me in Spanish to help me learn it. I’ve learned to teach a swing verbally, visually and kinesthetically (which usually makes me sore for about a week). It is humbling knowing that I have to practice patience, not because players aren’t listening but because they honestly don’t understand what I am saying at times, because they are still learning the English language. But something happens when an individual finally understands what you are saying — It’s connecting, its relating and for me it is definitely rewarding. One of the great opportunities we get as coaches is to find a way to cultivate this connection amongst the team. One of the things that I will do is explain a drill or concept and know full well that some of the players didn’t understand me. In the beginning of Fall, these players were left out to dry (usually messing a drill up). Now, after I explain something, I can guarantee you at least two players will make sure the others understand. Everyone is very quick to help each other understand what is going on now. It has created an opportunity for the players to think about others first and making sure their teammates comprehend what is going on.
It is pretty incredible to have a team that is represented by many countries, on one diamond, with the same goal in mind. One thing that I have to remind myself constantly is there are always going to be challenges — coaching is challenging, baseball is challenging and building relationships is challenging, and in the end, these types of challenges are welcomed and embraced here!
