Hello!
I coach Little League baseball for 9-11 year olds. I speak English and Spanish, and I like to give my players encouragement and celebrate their efforts, things like "way to go!" or "great work!" in English, or "eso!" or "andale!" in Spanish.
I have a player from Japan, who is relatively new to the country and the language. He is a heck of a baseball player, but beyond that he is the exact kind of team-player every coach dreams of, just always volunteering to do the hard jobs nobody else wants to do, and leads by example. He is the youngest and smallest player on the team, but has had the biggest impact this season so far.
All that to say, I'm pretty certain he understands when I'm being encouraging, but I thought he might enjoy if I gave him something he may be familiar with from coaches in Japan. Or even something that Japanese baseball fans say when there's a good play. I want to celebrate this player and make sure he's feeling welcome and part of the team (the kids love him), but I know it can be so overwhelming when learning a new language.
What phrases or words of encouragement can I use to celebrate our MVP? I'm starting to get a sense of his humor and I think he will find it hilarious if I try some of these out.
Thanks so much in advance!
by hmbse7en