Lessons from Coaching Youth Baseball – Lesson #1: First Steps in Coaching

July 29, 2009

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I was a youth baseball coach for many years. I became a coach because my son’s first coach did not give him enough playing time to increase his skill set. The way his first coach ran practices, also frustrated me. I found that he was only making progress when he worked directly with me. Thus, out of frustration, I became a head coach his second year in baseball.

I knew how to play the game, but I didn’t know how to teach the game; the first thing I realized, very quickly, was my inability to transfer my knowledge to the players. 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. Also, simple translates into success, faster. Success translates into fun.

The second thing I learned very quickly was the age group you are coaching determines the coaching style. 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. Don’t let frustration lead you to 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. The job of a coach is to teach baseball, make the game fun, so players will stick with the sport, and to be fair with playing time. Kids practice to play; so, reward practice with playing time.

Fairness was the last thing I learned, very rapidly. Be fair with the players and be fair with your own son or daughter. Attempt to treat your son or daughter no differently than you would treat every other player on the team. The best way to accomplish this is to have someone, not attached to coaching staff, observe, and give you feedback. In that respect, I was lucky. My son’s grandparents and my wife never missed a game. I had real-time, immediate, feedback after every game. I heard about it after the game, if I was too hard on my son. Please 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. Additionally, try to 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, when allocating playing time, be fair. Remember that it is not where a player starts that is important, it is where they finish.

The first of many lessons that can be learned from coaching youth baseball. All of the lessons can be found at Baseball Armory – “The Baseball Blog”. Baseball Armory – “The Baseball Blog” is sponsored by Baseball Armory. Baseball Armory is an online store that contains quality Akadema softball and baseball gear. Akadema produces high quality baseball and softball equipment, including Infield and outfield gloves, catcher’s mitts, metal and wood bats, cleats, turf shoes, batting gloves, sunglasses, apparel, equipment bags, glove care products, and miscellaneous baseball and softball accessories.


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