It is important that every baseball coach starts coaching for the right reasons. Every coach should have three primary goals: 1) increase every player’s skill set so they are better players by the end of the season; 2) strive to make every player’s time with the team a fun experience; and 3) be fair in both positions played and innings played. If a youth baseball coach can accomplish these three things, the season was a success.
As I stated in Lesson #1, it is not where the player starts, but where he/she finishes. It is a coach’s duty to make each player better. I have run into many coaches that use their talent to win ballgames, but don’t necessarily put effort into improving the skills of their players. For example, if a ballplayer has problems swinging the bat, some coaches will put that player at the end of the order and only have them only bunt. So, instead of spending the extra practice time trying to make the player a better hitter, the coach will put the player up there to bunt and hope for a walk. In addition these coaches will also, often times, try to hide that player defensively. In other words, they will try to place the player in a position where they will not have to field a ball. This cheats the players and diminishes the sport. This sort of thing harkens back to the old days when coaches assumed players either “had it” or didn’t. Those that didn’t played the minimum and sat on the end of the bench. But with today’s coaching techniques we know that players, given the chance, can improve; they can learn to hit and field, given the proper instruction and the opportunity. And they deserve that opportunity.
Many coaches coach for two reasons: 1) for the ability to play their son or daughter for as many innings as they like at the positions they want and 2) to win ballgames. These are the wrong reasons. For some reason, there are many coaches at the youth level that only care about winning ballgames. Why? Maybe because these coaches feel like failures if they lose and, in addition to that, most youth leagues will pick the coach with the best overall record to coach the all-star team for that level of play. So, it comes down to prestige; it is more prestigious to win ballgames than to teach baseball. And it then comes down to maturity. How big of a deal is it to be the country’s youth baseball coach with the most wins (woo woo!), compared to being a coach who truly looks out for all of his players and their personal development?
So, I am asking all coaches to buck the system. I had a very simple system. I played my regular season games to teach baseball. I played my tournament games to win ballgames. But, even when striving to win, I wanted to allocate fair playing time. Why shouldn’t all the teammates be able to participate in the challenge of play-off baseball?
I am also asking leagues to buck the system; leagues should make it more prestigious to teach baseball than to win ballgames. I want to win as much as anyone. But there is a right way and a wrong way. Coaches at the youth level shouldn’t have winning as their top priority. Prestige is defined at the group level; leagues define what is prestigious within their ranks. If youth leagues start recognizing their coaches as teachers, then teaching baseball becomes prestigious, and a new trend in youth coaching will begin.
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Friday, July 24, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Lessons from a Youth Baseball Coach: Lesson #1 First Steps in Coaching
I was a youth baseball coach for many years. I entered the coaching arena because my son started playing the sport late and I found that his first coach did not give him enough playing time to increase his skill set. I was also frustrated by the way his first coach ran practices. I found that he was only making progress when he worked directly with me. So, out of frustration, I became a head coach his second year in baseball.
The first thing I realized very quickly was my inability to transfer my knowledge to the players; I knew how to play the game, but I didn’t know how to teach the game. My assistant coach and I began to attend all the coaching clinics possible. Coaching clinics can be a little frustrating because you will find they are not consistent in the mechanics they teach. I found that the mechanics that came with the simplest instructions and the least amount of movement were the best; simple instructions alleviate frustration for both the coach and the player. In addition, simple translates into success faster. Success translates into fun.
The second thing I learned very quickly was the style of coaching has to be molded directly to the age group you are coaching. The younger the players, the shorter the attention span. For example, a coach should not spend more than 5 minutes on any one drill for 7 or 8 year old players. Show them the proper technique, let them practice that technique a few times, and then move them on to another drill. Do not be frustrated and think that there is no way they can pick up any technique that quickly. Young players will constantly amaze you if practices are organized, fast-moving, and fun.
The third thing I realized very quickly was the importance of having fun yourself. The more fun you have coaching, the better coach you will be. Fun is contagious; players will learn quicker if they see the coaching staff having fun teaching them. A coach’s job is to teach baseball, make the game fun, so players will stick with the sport, and to be fair with playing time. Youngsters practice to play; so, reward practice with playing time.
The last thing I learned very rapidly was fairness. Be fair with the players and be fair with your own son or daughter. Make an effort to treat your son or daughter no different than you would treat someone else's son or daughter. The easiest way to accomplish this is to have someone, not attached to coaching staff, observe, and give you feedback. In that respect, I was lucky. I had a spouse and grandparents that never missed a game. I had real time feedback immediately following every game. If I was too hard on my son, I heard about it after the game. Remember, you want your son or daughter to have fun and stick with the sport because of the fun and not because you want them to get a college scholarship. In addition, be fair with playing time for all of your players. Mistakes are a reality of baseball. The only way to alleviate mistakes is playing time. So be fair. Remember that it is not where a player starts that is important, it is where they finish.
The first thing I realized very quickly was my inability to transfer my knowledge to the players; I knew how to play the game, but I didn’t know how to teach the game. My assistant coach and I began to attend all the coaching clinics possible. Coaching clinics can be a little frustrating because you will find they are not consistent in the mechanics they teach. I found that the mechanics that came with the simplest instructions and the least amount of movement were the best; simple instructions alleviate frustration for both the coach and the player. In addition, simple translates into success faster. Success translates into fun.
The second thing I learned very quickly was the style of coaching has to be molded directly to the age group you are coaching. The younger the players, the shorter the attention span. For example, a coach should not spend more than 5 minutes on any one drill for 7 or 8 year old players. Show them the proper technique, let them practice that technique a few times, and then move them on to another drill. Do not be frustrated and think that there is no way they can pick up any technique that quickly. Young players will constantly amaze you if practices are organized, fast-moving, and fun.
The third thing I realized very quickly was the importance of having fun yourself. The more fun you have coaching, the better coach you will be. Fun is contagious; players will learn quicker if they see the coaching staff having fun teaching them. A coach’s job is to teach baseball, make the game fun, so players will stick with the sport, and to be fair with playing time. Youngsters practice to play; so, reward practice with playing time.
The last thing I learned very rapidly was fairness. Be fair with the players and be fair with your own son or daughter. Make an effort to treat your son or daughter no different than you would treat someone else's son or daughter. The easiest way to accomplish this is to have someone, not attached to coaching staff, observe, and give you feedback. In that respect, I was lucky. I had a spouse and grandparents that never missed a game. I had real time feedback immediately following every game. If I was too hard on my son, I heard about it after the game. Remember, you want your son or daughter to have fun and stick with the sport because of the fun and not because you want them to get a college scholarship. In addition, be fair with playing time for all of your players. Mistakes are a reality of baseball. The only way to alleviate mistakes is playing time. So be fair. Remember that it is not where a player starts that is important, it is where they finish.
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This blog is meant for entertainment purposes only. Baseball Armory - "The Baseball Blog" and its editors are not responsible for the safety or effectiveness of any information, or claims made, within a post. It is the total responsibility of the reader to do his/her homework with regard to any information contained within a post. It is the total responsibility of the reader to make sure they have all of the proper equipment, attire, and instructions to ensure the safety of all participants. It is also the total responsibility of the reader to understand that all posts are solely the opinion of the author and it is the reader's responsibility to ensure all information is correct and accurate before they use the information for any purpose.
Baseball Armory proudly offer a large selection of Akadema Professional Baseball and Softball Products including baseball and softball gloves by field position, size or design series, wood and aluminum baseball bats, youth baseball and softball gear, batting gloves and baseball apparel and accessories at a discount price. This is the best place to buy a professional level baseball glove without paying the price of a custom made glove.
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