Across the United States there are literally thousands of Little League coaches who work with hundreds of thousands of children in organized recreational baseball leagues. Certainly a very high percent of these adults love the game of baseball, are strong family members and are solid members of the community in which they coach. Still somewhere along the way many of these coaches seem to lose track of why they became coaches in the first place and occasionally even lose track of the purpose of baseball to begin with. A quick review of what every little league coach should know can help all coaches to bring perspective and common sense into what they do and really make the time they give truly valued by youth players and their parents.
1. Little League baseball is a sport. No matter how basic that sentence seems to be, for some coaches it may be the first one they forget. When it’s the last inning and their team is down by a single run, it can be easy enough to simply lose track of the fact that what is going on out on the field is an organized sport for children and not professional baseball.
The reason for Little League primarily is to provide structure and support for an activity that can give children a chance to develop muscle strength, coordination and have some fun with their friends. Practices and games can provide the kind of exercise that keeps kids healthy and a little competition helps kids to learn both how to win and how to lose but mostly how to enjoy the game. What every Little League coach should know is that once you have stepped outside of those parameters, you begin to give kids a counter productive experience .
2. Little League baseball is a team sport. On every Little League team there are some good players, players that because of natural gifts, an early start playing baseball or lots of home workouts, have extended their abilities beyond the average player. Good for them. What every Little League coach should know is that you are coaching a team of young ball players in a community program. No matter how good a few of your players may be, they, like everyone else that comes to practice, is part of a team.
All team members deserve the same practice time, the same playing time and the same on field opportunities regardless of previous training. If this method of equality is used by coaches then besides learning who is the best player on the team, everyone learns that everyone has something to contribute and should have an equal opportunity to contribute.
Competition can bring out both the best and the worst in people. What every Little League coach needs to know is that there is really very little chance that he is coaching a future Major League Baseball player. Pretty much everyone on the team is going to grow up and do something other than play baseball for a living. If that’s the case then doesn’t it make sense to train all the members about team work rather then to teach a few players how to be Little League stars?
3.What you model, kids will learn. One of the most difficult things for some coaches to keep in mind is how very crucial their own personal behavior during practice and during games really is to the young people on their team. It’s far too easy for coaches to think that their actions, words, gestures, or volume are lost on the kids. It’s too easy to think that 10 year olds are oblivious to or understanding of adult behavior.
Kids see what they see and hear what they hear. If the actions and the words are delivered by a coach who they like, they begin to believe that certain behaviors are somehow permitted on the ball field even if they have been taught that they are most definitely not permissible in daily living.
For some coaches the hardest part of coaching is getting themselves to the field for practice after a full day at work. For other coaches harder still is hitting an endless streak of pop ups for fielders to run under. But clearly for many coaches the part of their coaching task which is overpowering may be remembering that throughout every practice and every game their behavior is on display and will be seen by children as an example of adult behavior. That’s why included in what every Little League coach should know is the understanding that what they model in front of children is what those kids will learn and take home with them.
4. Getting parents on board. Understandably, one thing that keeps some folks from coaching at all and causes headaches among those who agree to coach is parents. Every parent wants the best for his or her child, but some go over board in making sure that they express these feelings, regularly, to the coach. Parents can do a lot of silly and regrettable things at Little League games. They too can forget what the game is really about. For the good of the team and for their own peace of mind what every Little League coach should know is how important it is to get parents on board with the real purpose of Little League play.
This can be done through group meetings, letters home or if need be individual chats with parents who seem to miss the point. By sharing from the outset a clear understanding of the procedures you will use in terms of practices, time on the field, opportunities to play skill positions and pitching options coaches can remove lots of problems down the road. This approach can remove the likelihood of mid game temper tantrums by frustrated parents. It will also mean that your policies will get at home support from parents.
There is a lot that is really enjoyable about coaching Little League baseball. What Little League coaches need to know is by remembering what baseball is all about and sharing that knowledge with kids and parents the year can really be enjoyable day in and day out, for everyone.
