So you’re the new coach. Ok, now what?
Coaching a team sure seemed like a good idea, maybe even
easy…until you started thinking and getting into it deeper. All
those players, parents, the draft, practices…and those game
decisions…ugh. Maybe coaching 3rd base might not be so easy...
What were you thinking?
SOLUTIONS:
Rule #1 – Relax, It will work out! You’ll probably even turn out
to be good at it. How do I know? Why would I think this?
Well, first you are searching for information. Websites like
ours with articles like this are sure signs you are at the very
least trying, instead of sitting on your hands, ducking your
head and relying on your Little League experiences from long
ago. And because of…
Rule #2 – You will be organized… And yes, you will have the time
to do it. As a matter of fact, there is an article that I
strongly urge you to read. It is about how to organize your team
and yourself and is titled, “Plan To Succeed.”
Please finish this article before you jump there (I’ll include
the link at the end of this article).
Rule #3 – You will have fun! Look, the more fun you have, the
more fun your kids will have…and yes, the opposite is true.
Personally, I think that some of the best things about youth
baseball are the adults! I also think they are some of the worst
things about youth baseball. I mean this because as we get
older…we tend to forget how to have fun and play games. Life
just does that to us. Here we are trying to solve problems on a
baseball field like we do at work…UGH! We get tight, our kids
play tight. We say ugly things in the dugout…well, you get the
picture… Let’s move on (This lesson either hits the mark or it
doesn’t).
One final thought (from someone who is privileged to be in
baseball for 350 days each year)… IT’S JUST BASEBALL! BASEBALL
IS JUST A GAME! (It just happens to be the best game ever!)
Rule #4 – You are here for every player! If you are in this game
for any reason other than those kids… every one of them… GET OUT
NOW! (This was paraphrased and stolen from a speech given by a
friend, Gordie Gillespie, the winningest coach in college
baseball history! He is absolutely correct!)
You will get more joy with that attitude than you can imagine!
Every player who doesn’t share your last name is not here for
the entertainment and support of you and your son! (You have
probably seen it happen). Coaching your own child is a trick
indeed. I hope you will truly enjoy it (though it can test your
mettle). But, I can assure you that embracing an entire team of
kids can really give you an idea of how good a coach and person
you might be or can be! Personally, I can tell you that the
early influences of my youth coaches are indelibly stamped on
me…That’s how important you are.
Rule #5 – Winning is important…It is just not everything. I
determined something many years ago. Take this for what it’s
worth…
Few 10 year olds have a grasp of the concept of winning! Half of
the 11 year olds have a grasp of the concept of winning! Almost
all 12 year olds have a grasp of the concept of winning!
Every? All? No. I guess I wouldn’t include all players on some
hot team of 9 year olds who travel the country vying for the
many “World Series” out there (how many worlds are there
anyway). Those teams and families have adopted a lifestyle. It’s
a language spoken at the dinner table. They are probably more
the exception than the rule anyway.
You simply need to have a strong grasp of the competitive nature
of your league and your team.
Rule #6 - You will be the boredom police. Looking for a great
way to turn a perfectly good baseball player into a soccer
player? (God forbid)… BORE HIM!
A young boy begins his day by opening his eyes with a first
thought of…”HEY, WHAT’S FUN TODAY!” And we dare to bore them?
Remember my comment on how we tend to want to solve problems in
baseball as we do in the office? They are kids. It’s a game…and
games are fun… It’s fun OR THEY FIND A GAME THAT IS MORE FUN!
Rule #7 – Ask for help from other parents. Women are right…Men
do not ask for directions. We need to be rock steady and have
all the answers…yada, yada!
Personally, I have never had a coach come up to me after a game
and ask me anything on how or why I played a situation the way I
did! I MEAN NEVER!
WHY? Because this is baseball…and we are guys. We played Little
League (20 TO 30 YEARS AGO). We watch Pro Baseball on TV…UGH.
What a bad idea to try and teach a group of kids to play the
same way the greatest players in the game do. So, we don’t
ask…and that cheats our kids.
SOLUTIONS: Aside from reaching for information such as reading
articles such as this and finding videos, books, etc (did you
check out our video and book library?)… Why not incorporate and
embrace some of the parents. Have a parents-only meeting for 10
minutes after one of your very first practices. Let them know
who you are and how you envision the season (in general).
A team mom is worth her weight in the dozen roses you had better
buy her at the end of the season.
Make note of the dad(s), hopefully plural, who hang around the
fence during practices. Many really want you to ask for their
help. They don’t want to horn in so it’s up to you to ask
because they may not!
Some parents are better served as your scorebook keeper instead
of your BP (batting practice) pitcher. Another may be most
comfortable helping you set up the dugout and raking and lining
the field before games.
Yet others really want to be on the field hitting fungoes or
infield.
The bottom line is that I believe that adults play better when
they work together…and as a byproduct, you will all be richer
for actually developing relationships with your new-found
friends.
WARNING: There is one rule I highly recommend… You are the
coach, they are the team's parents. One guy has the final say
so. You, the coach! This is a no lobbying area, disputes are
handled away from the kids and the action and decisions of
management (you) are final. There are no politics, just honest
decisions made by you…the coach!
Note: Baseball is the greatest game in the world to
second-guess!
One Last Important Suggestion Regarding Communication:
Get all of your parent’s email addresses and use them for two
things:
Communicate – Communicate – Communicate. Not necessarily
lengthy, just frequent. Subscribe all your player’s parents (and
maybe players, if they are a bit older) to our Baseball Tips
Newsletter. It is a quick read 2 times each month. We do not
rent or sell their names and just want to supply our 14,680 (at
last count) baseball families with some added knowledge and fun.
Of course, they can delete us easily if they so choose. (You can
add them individually. The sign-up box is just below our logo on
the www.baseballtips.com home page). Rule #8 –Good Teams
Practice Well! Every league is different. Some restrict practice
times. Others have limited fields. Some coaches have limited
time as well. HAVE A PLAN! Plan tomorrow's practice today. Plan
next week, this week. Planning is the operative word. I don’t
think that any drill should take longer than 20 minutes! (OK,
excluding BP – more on that later).
TIME ANYTHING & EVERYTHING! If you will keep a watch, you can
get their blood flowing even more. More as in, “OK guys, 10 more
minutes, let's do it right. Pick up the pace…Ok, 5 more
minutes…Keep it going”…you get the idea. And it becomes more
fun! The blood is pumping, the kids are focusing. Just be sure
to tailor it to your player’s age and skill level.
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW! Teach something new each practice.
As importantly, review and drill a particular skill taught in a
previous practice using one of your 20 minute segments.
Quality repetitions are vital and incredibly important! Too many
coaches teach a skill and then next season, they teach it again;
once a year…need it or not! If you think about how
counter-productive this is, you will never do it…or do it again.
ARMS – ARMS – ARMS! There are more throwing errors than fielding
errors! It may not sound correct and it is not my opinion…It is
a fact! Teach proper throwing and work on arms every practice.
Have them constantly throwing to or at a target. (The exception
will be when teaching one of your pitchers a new pitch.) You
begin by throwing to a tarp, net or fence. The reasoning is that
accuracy will not be great until a skill like a new pitch is
learned. Accuracy will follow proper mechanics and you can avoid
unnecessary shakes in confidence.
THE LAST 10 MINUTES OF PRACTICE IS JUST FUN! Preferably doing
something that requires players to use oxygen. Leave them with
their tongues hanging out. I learned this many years after I
began coaching.
Many players think baseball is boring…and that is why they leave
the sport too soon. They are kids…and kids want to run, play
games, have contests, run races, hit balls, etc. You know…fun
stuff.
Well, drills can get boring if that’s all there is to a
practice. But drills are really important, vital lifelines to
improvement and success of both player and team…or not!
But let’s not forget the fun aspect and the prime reason most
kids play. (It is play ball, not work ball, right?)
Get creative! Here are some of my ideas. (Do not limit yourself
to these, got it?)
Relay Races – ½ of team at home plate and ½ at 2nd base with
hats on backwards. 1 simple relay race. Then 1 race backwards,
then 1 final race for all the marbles, running sideways (or heel
to heel side-kicks like basketball teams do....you may have some
better variations).
Ball In The Trash Can – Find a trash barrel from the dugout or
near the practice field and place it on home plate on its side.
Now take your team to a distance where most all players can
throw to the target at least on a bounce or two.
Now toss them a short fly ball where they can make like they are
the centerfielder throwing the runner out at home. They ooh, aah
and cheer on close throws (there are always a bunch of these). I
have no idea why but they really like to do this…Go Figure!
Home Run Derby – Find a spot where about ½ or more of the team
can hit one over the fence and soft toss 3 per each player (soft
toss, also known as flip drills, is the drill our automated
Wheeler Dealer machine does automatically. It can be seen on our
training aids page if you are still unsure how to do this.) Have
a second round, then have a finals. Maybe the player who comes
in 2nd gets to go after all the homers. Watch ‘em cheer for each
other.
Basketball Game – If there’s a court or a hoop nearby, simply
produce a hidden basketball AFTER dividing them up into teams.
Announce a 10 minute game. Watch ‘em go. Totally unexpected…and
a lot of fun
Water Balloon Toss – Pick a hot day and have a supply of filled
baseball-sized water balloons (make sure they are small balloons
to begin with so they remain taut). Partner them off in lines
(like you do when warming up their arms) with players about 6 to
8 feet apart and with a partner on one row having the balloon.
USE 2 HANDS! Express to players that in baseball, every ball you
can catch with 2 hands should be caught with 2 hands. Also,
display how the pinkie fingers of both hands should be near and
parallel to each other with hands being parallel and held below
the waist.
SOFT HANDS Explain that all infielders must have soft hands.
This begins when both arms are outstretched (elbows are not
locked) and then cradled toward the body as the underhand toss
comes toward you. Water balloons will require special focus on
soft hands to keep from breaking.
READY…GO! On coaches command… Player underhand tosses to his
partner who catches and holds the balloon. His partner then
tosses it back to his partner.
After 2-4 rounds, teams with a full balloon step 2 feet further
apart. Repeat. Then 2 steps further apart! Keep going until you
have a winner.
Once you have a winner, coaches produce as many extra full
balloons as there are coaches and the winning team gets to
“blast the coaches.” Yes, turn around coach…and do use typical
precautions as boys will be boys. (Now you tell me that 10 or 20
years from now those players won’t remind you of how much fun
that was?!)
It’s not all about baseball…but it is all about fun!
Thanks for reading. Best of luck this season. Now get out there
and Have Some Fun! ----Coach JP
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