- Oct 26, 2019
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That player sulking at the end of the bench is going to alienate her teammates if it is a consistent behavior. It’s a pretty big turnoff in a group environment. I wouldn’t have a whole lot of confidence in that kid that they were going to be successful moving forward. Being a good teammate means being a good teammate regardless of how things are going for you individually. If you want it that way then there are individual sports like golf or tennis I would recommend.I'm with you on everything here related to being a poor teammate. We don't want that.
I have a bit of a different perspective on body language. I don't think it matters. Unless it does.
Body language is an outward thing; it's about communication and it does not necessarily reflect the person's actual state of mind. It does not reflect their actual attitude or their focus going forward. It could mean something, but it doesn't have to.
If a player strikes out, slumps her shoulders and goes to the end of the bench in the dugout and plants herself there with a scowl on her face until the next time she has to do something, I don't think it makes any difference as long as she can perform the next time. Her teammates will learn to give her space in those moments -- something a lot of people need and something we often don't afford those who need it, which I'd argue is way more likely to negatively affect performance.
Negative body language might be a sign that someone's in a bad mental state. It also could be someone's way of handling/processing failure.
I’m not saying the coach shouldn’t get to the bottom of it and see if it is a bigger issue, but when you make an error that hurts the team I’m going to need you to get your butt off the bench and cheer for your teammates.