CoachMc writes "Coaching youth baseball for the first time? Where do start? Check out this article by Olan Suddeth. He gives some good pointers and suggestions on the first things to do as a youth baseball coach.
You
have never coached in your life, and you have never volunteered, never been
nominated, never been conscripted to do so. Relax! The fact that you are here,
looking for help, puts you ahead of ninety-five percent of potential
youth baseball coaches.
Rather than
focus on specific drills or practice methods (you can find those
everywhere), we will focus on concepts and other tips born of
experience.
Odds are, you'll have a list of players and
telephone numbers provided by your league(maybe after a draft).
The
first thing you'll need to do is to call all of your parents and
introduce yourself. Call a team meeting within the next couple of days,
at a time of day that will be similar to your practice times. It's a
great idea to ask to speak to the player themselves - two minutes of
talking to the coach on the phone can really fire up a player's
enthusiasm.
At your first meeting, shake everyone's hand and
introduce yourself. Spend five or ten minutes explaining your
expectations and general rules for the season, then take your players
aside.
What, you don't have any rules or expectations? You
really should try to clarify these before you ever meet your team.
Different coaches do things different ways, but the following are
suggested:
1. Players should attend every practice unless they
are ill or have another legitimate reson (school function, illness,
etc.). Your team will only have so many practices over the course of a
season, and even at the coach pitch level, they are all important.
2.
Players should exhibit respect for the coaching staff, the umpires, and
one another. Bad attitudes will not be tolerated. Explain clearly that
bad attitudes will result in discipline such as laps, pushups, reduced
playing time, etc - and stick to this. Sit your star shortstop if he
spends his life making his teammates miserable.
You'll have the respect of your players, have a happier team, and possibly teach the young man a valuable life lesson.
3.
Once they step on the field, players are expected to pay attention! My
daughter had a outstanding coach in her first two years of softball -
the man seemed to always coach the first place team, despite having
less talent, year in and year out. He once told me that holding the
attention of his players was the key. "On a team of twelve kids," he'd
say, "I'll have nine that can hit, eight that can field, and three can
can pay attention."
4. Related to number three, players are
always expected to put in their best effort. Let them know that they
can strike out, they can miss balls, they can make mistakes... as long
as they are trying their best. Baseball will be fun, but it is not
playtime. Players and parents alike should understand, that as a team
sport, baseball requires players to rely on one another. If someone is
goofing off, they hurt everyone on the team. We all understand that the
team is comprised of kids, but that doesn't mean they are free from
expectations. You expect them to do their part and to put effort into
games and practices.
5. Parents should be free to discuss their
concerns with you (and don't worry, they will!) - but only after
practice, after games, or with a call to your home.
Coaches.........Never, ever, have a confrontation about little
Johnny's playing time during a practice! Always after.
Field
any questions your parents may have, then take your team aside. Pull
them into a huddle, and speak quietly to them. Tell them that you are
excited about the season (you are, aren't you?), that you are glad to
have
each of them on your team. Tell them that you will win some games, you
will probably lose some games, but you will have a lot of fun and you
will learn some baseball. Ask them who has played before, and who has
not, but don't concern yourself too much with their answers at this
point - you are establishing communication with them by getting them to
talk to you away from mom and dad. You'll use your first real practice
to evaluate skill and ability, not the fact that Billy has played
t-ball but Scott has not. End your huddle with a nice "Go Team!" or
something similar.
If your league has not assigned assistant
coaches and/or a team mom, you need to recruit these now. Check your
league guidelines for the number of assistants you are allowed (can be
as few as one, can be as many as four - depends on the age group and
the league), but try to not turn away any parent who wants to help.
Just because you may only be able to keep x number of coaches on the
field during games does NOT mean you can't use parental help in
practices - use them to help you run practice stations, shag balls,
coach bases, etc.
Do not underestimate the value of a good team mom. I repeat, do NOT underestimate the value of a good team Mom. Having someone willing to call all of the parents for you during the course of the season to announce
practice
times, to set up pizza parties and trips to McDonalds, to coordinate
who brings after practice drinks and/or snacks... these things are
invaluable to team morale and to keeping your sanity (Even it is just
one of these things , but you will find more than one participate many
times if you ask).
On that note, don't neglect the after game McDonald's trip or the occasonal post-practice water gun fight.
Baseball
is and should be the focus, but remember that these are kids, and a
little fun goes a long way with them. We've had good years and bad
years with my children's teams, and these tend to correlate directly
with the amount of extra effort the coaches were willing to give.
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