The nine P's for a positive season:
Priorities
For a successful season, you should commit to theses three priorities, in this order, for ALL players;
|
1) Safety 2) Fun 3) Development |
Patience
The ability to go over things again and again, never losing enthusiasm is a must for a great coach. Every great athlete had a mentor who had the patience to teach the fundamentals of the sport.
One of the greatest experiences of coaching is to see the least talented suddenly blossom, all because you never gave up on the player. The player will not forget how they became successful and will take the same values into their lives.
Persistence
It is difficult to differentiate between patience and persistence, they go hand in hand for a coach. You must persist and you must teach your kids to persist. Persistence in simple words, is never giving up. Each of us has failed at times but what is more important than failure is what we do after we fail. The greatest thing about defeat is that it is a powerful learning tool.
Players
You are likely to have a broad spectrum of talent on your team and you need to make sure each of the players, talented and less talented, have an enjoyable experience and receive the best instruction possible. You will need to have age appropriate expectations as well as individual-specific appropriate expectations. Remember that not all players are at the same level of maturity or development. For each player, try to achieve quick and realizable accomplishments in the simplest form to start out then increase challenges as appropriate. Above all, remember the advice of John Wooden, former UCLA basketball coach, who said, "Young people need models not critics." In coaching, you should follow the 3 D's; Describe, Demonstrate and Drill. Try to use constructive criticism with positive reinforcement. Don't criticize the player, criticize the technique instead.
One
of the best ways to find out what skills your players need to
practice most is to ask them.
You'll
be surprised at their frankness.
Set aside some time before a practice to have a team meeting in
which each player gets to evaluate his or her strengths and
weaknesses. It is a window into their feelings and
understandings that can give you an idea of what drills to emphasize
and how to explain things they may not fully understand.
Preparation
Prepare for practice and games ahead of time. Make a detailed schedule of events for practice that involves all players. Before the games make a lineup that identifies how all players will be rotated into and out of the game to ensure adequate playing for all. It is a good idea to assign an assistant coach the responsibility to make your planned substitutions to ensure they are made, not forgotten in the "heat of battle."
Participation
Ensure a full and fair measure of play for all players during games and during practice. Allow all players to be starters at some time during the season. Try to have players spend some time at their favorite position, first in practice and then even in games. Keep kids involved when they are not in the game, possibly as first or third base coaches or by keeping a scorebook in the dugout. Give different kids a chance to make up the starting line up and the batting order throughout the season.
Practice
Conduct a well-organized practice according to your prepared plan. Keep practices fresh and exciting. Avoid boring or repetitious drills. Keep all players involved and active, not standing around or waiting in lines. Helping all players to develop and improve and feel a part of the team is the key to their having fun. Practice game-like situations with base runners and fielders. Stress each player's responsibility in given situations to help promote the team concept. Seek and/or devise and conduct effective and innovative drills. A number of books as well as the internet can provide plenty of specific information!
Playing
The game is for the kids; try to let them play it without over coaching. Instruct them during practices and let them play and produce in games. Avoid interfering with any player's effort and participation. For example, there is a great tendency on the part of some coaches, trying to win, to "take the bat out of the hands of their weak hitters" by not allowing them to swing at any pitch, good or bad figuring the weak hitter is more likely to walk than the get a hit. They quote the old saying that "a walk's as good as a hit" to justify this action. But this is not helping the player develop or improve. Instead, teach and encourage your batters to swing the bat at good pitches and to lay off bad ones. They'll develop and will ultimately have a lot more fun and be more productive.
Parents
Parents are an important piece in the success puzzle. You must be pro-active in dealing with parents to avoid potential problems. Prior to the season hold a parents meeting and discuss what you believe your role as coach to be and what your objectives for the season are. Explain your philosophy and your priorities. Explain what you expect from the players and from the parents. Discuss how you will handle playing time and player substitutions, position assignments and the batting order. Recruit assistant coaches from attending parents whose philosophies, objectives and priorities are consistent with yours. Discuss your practice schedule, practice duration and practice plan and what procedures are to be followed if players must miss practice or if practice or games are rained out. Once you have established a schedule, do everything you can to stick to it. Try not to run late. Explain your philosophy about completing homework before practice. Find out if there are players with special needs or circumstances. Discuss special car pool or transportation needs. Make sure parents have your name and your phone number (and you, theirs) and encourage them to call you if they or their child has a problem. It is often helpful and fun to print a simple newsletter each week highlighting the previous week's game(s) and players' accomplishments and alerting parents to upcoming special team events.
Click the button above to go back to the web page or
web site you were at before comming to this page
[Official Little League Rules & Regulations] [Parents] [Players/Kids]
Learn How to:
[Hit] [Pitching] [Infield] [Outfield] [Catcher] [Baserunning] [Coach]
Copyright © 2000 Brookside Little League, Inc. All rights reserved
