About 3 months ago, a random Instagram video caught my attention. It was an interview with John Gerges, a popular coach in Sacramento’s youth baseball scene. His team had just won a championship, and I couldn’t help but draw parallels between his ideologies and effective esports coaching. To become a successful esports coach, you’ll need to nurture young gamers. If a high school coach can instill greatness in a group of bright-eyed teenagers, you can do the same in your esports players. But before we get into lessons you should borrow from his work, let’s get to know more about this coach. Who is John Gerges? John Gerges is the Frosh Baseball Head Coach of Jesuit High School, an all-boys educational institution in Sacramento. He is in charge of leading the high school’s entry-level baseball team for first-year students, providing them with an opportunity to develop their skills before potentially moving up to junior varsity (JV) or varsity teams. John Gerges and his boys have participated in several youth tournaments, including the 13u Gold March Madness Baseball Tournament, which they won on March 23, 2025. Parallels Between Traditional and Esports Coaching Based on the fact that the typical esports age limit is roughly 13 years old, we can draw direct lines between youth baseball coaching and esports coaching. Both fields will require you to instill the following qualities in your players: Teamwork and strategy: the ability to collaborate as a group to execute a game plan. Mental resilience: adapting to difficult or challenging situations, especially when dealing with loss or setbacks. Discipline: the self-control that allows one to keep working towards a goal in the face of difficulty. Leadership: the ability to influence, guide, and organize other members of the team. John Gerges's Philosophies: Key Quotes and Teachings with Applications to Esports Based on the recent video interview with John Gerges, we picked up valuable lessons that align with competitive gaming. It’s about team effort—not you At the start of the interview, John Gerges was asked to make a statement about the Championship his team just won. He didn’t launch into a rant about how well his tactics worked, like we see modern coaches do. Instead, he started off by mentioning that it was a “team effort.” To apply this philosophy in esports coaching: Set clear team goals Prioritize team-building exercises Empower your team by showing regular appreciation using words like “good job.” Create fighters John Gerges expressed how much he loved the fighting spirit and heart his team displayed during the final game, especially when they were down by 2 runs. It’s good to have a game plan, but as most esports players know, setbacks happen. Only mental resilience can help your team execute a game plan in the face of adversity. Teach players to trust the process and take it one step at a time Encourage them to turn anxiety into excitement and competitiveness They must always remember that it isn’t over until it’s over Every player can get the job done According to Coach John Gerges, “every single guy in this lineup can get the job done. I believe in every single one of them.” This statement displays the importance of recognizing potential in every player, no matter how small their role is in the squad. Aim to motivate players but never to intimidate them Always include fringe players in important team decisions Practice like you play When asked about how they were able to come back to win in the face of defeat, one of the youngsters responded with a John Gerges quote: “practice like you play.” By encouraging players to give 100% during training, you’re conditioning them to play that way, even under pressure. The more you focus on plays, tactics, and rotations in training, the easier it will be to pull them off on game day. As an esports coach, you should: Create a practice environment that mirrors gameday intensity Encourage communication during training Be as consistent as you want them to be Final Thoughts John Gerges is on track to help guide the next baseball superstars from Sacramento. While his world may be different from ours in esports, the lessons he teaches are surprisingly universal.
