Dugout Culture: 5 Powerful Lessons From the Greatest Place in Sports
High fives.
Fist bumps.
A pat on the rear end after a big hit.
Grown men doing all of it without a second thought. Welcome to the dugout.
I’ve played or coached baseball since I was five years old. I love everything about the game. But my absolute favorite thing about baseball is the dugout. It’s where I feel most comfortable, most “myself.” It’s a cocoon of baseball.
There’s something about dugout culture I’ve never found anywhere else. After more than 30 years in the game, I’ve realized it teaches young athletes lessons that go well beyond the box score.
Here are five of them.
What Makes Dugout Culture So Special
I’ve always been obsessed with getting better, as a player and as a coach. Every time I think I know everything, someone who knows more teaches me something new. And I love putting it to use.
But the dugout is different. In the dugout, I’m among 15 or 20 like-minded people who share the same goal. Sometimes we’re serious, working through an on-field puzzle. Sometimes we’re goofy, joking about something that has nothing to do with the game.
I can rarely remember a bad experience in the dugout, even when I was at my worst. I remember the laughs. The jokes. The hugs. The triumphs. Maybe that’s revisionist history, but my fondness for the dugout is almost hard to explain.
There’s a reason it matters. Team cohesion and team performance tend to feed each other: cohesive teams perform better, and performing well builds cohesion (AASP). Dugout culture is where a lot of that cohesion gets built.
Lesson One: Dugout Culture Gives Young Athletes Belonging
Everyone in the dugout is chasing the same thing. That shared goal is powerful. For young athletes, it’s often the first time they feel truly part of something bigger than themselves.
Belonging isn’t a bonus. It’s the foundation. When young athletes feel like they belong, they’re free to compete instead of worrying about whether they fit in.
Lesson Two: You Can Be Yourself
In the dugout, I can express myself in a way that’s natural and unfiltered. Good old-fashioned ribbing isn’t just tolerated. It’s invited.
That’s what healthy dugout culture looks like. Young athletes get to be themselves when everyone is watching. (That’s a big part of what I help my clients do.)
Lesson Three: Empathy Runs Deep
When something good happens, there are high fives, fist bumps, and encouraging words. There’s also the sincerest kind of empathy.
Why? Because everyone in that dugout knows what it’s like to be stuck in a crippling slump. And everyone knows the unvarnished glory of a big hit.
That’s dugout culture at its best. Young athletes who learn this kind of empathy become better teammates.
Lesson Four: Forgive Fast and Get Back to Business
Arguments and fights happen in the dugout. Not often in my experience, but they happen.
When they do, they’re usually forgiven quickly. We need to get back to business. Teammates are tight. And we can’t afford to let negative emotions hang around.
That’s one of the most useful mental skills dugout culture teaches. Respond rather than react, then let it go. One bad moment doesn’t get to ruin the next inning.
Lesson Five: Check Your Ego at the Dugout Opening
This lesson is for me.
As a mental performance coach, I’m in the dugout less often now. When I am, it takes a discipline I rarely needed as a player.
I’m at my best when I’m unemotional, objective, and observant. My job is to notice the details of player behavior. What does their body language look like? What about their facial expressions? Are they consistently using their routines?
Staying composed in the dugout, or while watching a client’s game, is flat-out hard. Baseball conditioned me to react emotionally. Share a teammate’s outrage at an awful call. Let out a primal roar after a big hit or a big strikeout. Fire someone up when they need it.
Sometimes those reactions still slip out. But now I need to be a role model. If I react to a bad call, I’m letting the uncontrollable visibly get the best of me.
If I roar for one player, I might look like I’m playing favorites. If I try to fire someone up, it might not be what they need in that moment.
So my default is to observe with intense focus and ask questions to understand what a player is experiencing. I use what I learn to build quick, in-the-moment mental strategies, to shape our next one-on-one session, and to get better at my craft.
The Role of a Baseball Mental Performance Coach in Dugout Culture
I believe a mental performance coach belongs in the background. I’m only important if a player decides I’m important. Imposing my will or suggestions on a player isn’t my job.
I’m not an on-field coach, and my relationship with players is different from theirs. (I wrote about the on-field side in Coach-Athlete Relationship: 3 Powerful Lessons From Friday Night Lights.) I’m a resource, not a rule-maker. A confidant, not an outspoken leader.
That support role doesn’t always come naturally. I still want to be one of the guys. I want to give my opinion. I want to clown around. I want to berate an umpire now and then.
But that’s not my job. My job is to stay quiet, stay in the background, and step forward only when there’s a good reason. Put simply, I need to check my ego at the dugout opening.
Why I Still Love Dugout Culture
Even from the background, I still love being in the dugout. I love the energy. I love the collective pull of the team. I love all of it.
Baseball is the greatest sport there is. And the dugout is the greatest place to be in all of sports.
If your young athlete is struggling to find their place on the team, or to stay composed when the game gets emotional, that’s exactly the kind of thing we can work on together.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is dugout culture?
Dugout culture is the shared atmosphere among teammates in the dugout during practices and games. Healthy dugout culture is supportive, honest, and fun, with a clear shared goal.
Why is dugout culture important for young athletes?
It gives young athletes a sense of belonging, teaches empathy, and helps them move on quickly from mistakes. Team cohesion and team performance also tend to reinforce each other.
What does a mental performance coach do in the dugout?
Mostly observe: body language, facial expressions, and whether players use their routines. A mental performance coach asks questions to understand what players are experiencing and uses that to shape mental strategies.
How can coaches build a positive dugout culture?
Set a shared goal, welcome good-natured humor, celebrate effort and success, and resolve conflicts quickly so negative emotions don’t linger.
How can young athletes handle emotions in the dugout?
Focus on what you can control, respond rather than react, and let go of bad moments quickly. Routines between pitches and innings can help reset the mind.
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Michael Huber, MA, CMPC® holds a master’s degree in sport psychology. He helps young athletes ages 14 to 22 be themselves when everyone is watching, including learning how to navigate overthinking under pressure. Learn more about Michael