Expert: John McInnis - 2/28/2009

Question
my daughter just turned 5 and wants to play in the local tball league. I volunteered to coach because I am good with little kids. However, I am not very knowlegable in tball rules, tball practice ideas etc. I was wondering if there are some practice ideas you have for me, as well as skills they need to know.

Answer
Hi Lianna,

bravo for volunteering to coach and welcome!  It's been awhile since I last coached youngsters but I can give some advice that is very easy to follow:

Make it fun.  Do all you can to help your players enjoy the game and practices.  Your practice sessions should have a theme or ojective and try to balance giggles with learning.

Ask for help from the parents whenever possible. IF you do this, make sure you know EXACTLY what you want them to do and tell them exactly how to do it.  

Make a practice/planning book for your team.  I have a plan book that I created for each practice.  I list exactly what equipment I need for each drill, how many volunteers required, the objective, the length of time, those players who do well, those who need more work.  I detail how the drill will take place, I diagram the player and volunteer positions, indicate direction flow, target areas, etc.  It should be detailed enough that a parent volunteer can understand your objectives, should you be unable to attend a practice.  I also keep notes on player behaviour, skill improvement, weaknesses...anything that can help you for the next practice.

Get a chalkboard and use for both pracice and games.  I used it to describe drills, problem areas, where to hit the ball, where to stand, etc.  At game time, I put the batting order on it and hooked it up so that ALL players can see it and thus wouldn't ask me "when do I bat?".  Mind you, at 5 and 6, they should be able to recognize their names and it will get them use to looking at the list for later years.

Here are some websites that you should bookmark:

http://t-ballcoaching.com/tips.htm  An excellent website just for you!  This is the site you should go to right now.  It has all you'll need to organize yourself right away.

http://www.coachtips.com   A good site for new coaches who want more depth to their coaching skills.  Well worth the time to visit and read.

Last tip:  Listen to yourself and know that if you don't like what you are doing, your players won't either.  Don't let others tell you what to do that you would not do on your own.  There is only one coach - the kids will figure that one out sooner than some parents.

I wish you well in your first season and hope you enjoy the experience.  

Yours in baseball,

JohnMc