COACHING  HOME PAGE Goals Emphasizing The Basics: Defense Offense Pitching & Catching Team Management Managing and Coaching What To Teach Communication Preparation Meeting Agenda Games Agenda End of Season Agenda Coach Them With Confidence! Not Fear! Idea Batting Order DRILLS PAGE Bad ADVICE Most Common Mistakes Made by Coaches by John T. Reed   Coaching    Tee Ball

Managing and Coaching Being a manager requires a commitment: (1) a commitment of time, (2) a commitment to learning and improving ones' skills at managing, and (3) a commitment to a being a role model. (1) Let's talk about the commitment of time.  There's not only the time for practice and the time for the games. There's as much if not more time in mental preparation. Managing a team doesn't require a fanatical approach but it helps! Seriously, it requires a commitment, a commitment to give our very best. (2) Now let's cover the commitment to learning and improving one's managerial skills.  Managing successfully in any organization requires continuous personal development. Baseball is no different. I believe that a manager must be a student of the game if he/she is going to give their team and each player a chance to succeed and a chance for a quality baseball experience. Here are some primary sources for learning and improving skills: College baseball: Go to games, go early and watch the drills, go to practice, pay attention to what's happening away from the ball, listen to the coaches and to the players. Pro Baseball: Go see a MLB game or watch one on T.V. Reading: Reading includes both books on instruction and books about managers. Here are a few good books: -The Mental Game of Baseball by H. A. Dorfman and Karl Kuehl  -The Mental ABC's of Pitching by H.A. Dorfman - The Complete Baseball Handbook by Walter Alston - Coaching Baseball Successfully by Andy Lopez - How to Hit/How to Pitch by Bob Cluck - Play Better Baseball by Bob Cluck - Men at Work by George Will - The Man In The Dugout by Leonard Koppett -Last but not least - Baseball for Dummies 2nd Edition Video: Instructional videos help focus on key aspects of play be it fielding, hitting, throwing, etc. The Internet: Obviously you have taken this step. Clinics: Go to as many clinics as you can. Watch the drills; listen to the instructions and pay attention to how the players and instructors go about teaching. I highly recommned the Al & Al Clinic Click Here More Info As you take in information about the game, incorporate what you've learned into your current instructional portfolio. Always be adding more knowledge, more techniques, and a deeper and fuller understanding of the game. (3) Finally, a few comments on the commitment to a being a role model. Any group, family, business, or sports team looks to the leader or in this case the manager for direction. The manager sets the tone and is the guiding influence on the character of the team. This type of influence cannot be taken lightly. When all is said and done and the season is over - what do you want a player to take with them that they can relate back to you? Think about that. What gift or gifts do you want to pass on to your players? commitment to excellence, doing one's best appreciation for what each individual has to offer, knowing that we all have something unique to share and that's what makes us a team realizing that life gives us all second chances, and third chances and to get those chances we must learn from our mistakes and confidently keep on trying a genuine sense of enjoyment for something   Copyright © 2000 Brookside Little League, Inc. All rights reserved jontanderson@juno.com [Official Little League Rules & Regulations]   [Parents]   [Players/Kids] Learn How to: [Hit]  [Pitching]  [Infield]  [Outfield]  [Catcher]  [Baserunning]  [Coach] [Baseball Humor]  [Baseball Terminology]  [Site Map] [Sign Our Guestbook] [Privacy Statement/Disclaimer]  [Terms]