First Colony Little League Coaching Guide

FIRST COLONY LITTLE LEAGUE COACHING GUIDE

Change History

Date Author Description

20-Jan-04 Rodney Walther Minor changes in preparation for Managers Meeting 17-Dec-03 Rodney Walther Update Majors for new continuous batting order 30-Nov-03 Rodney Walther Make consistent with Coaching Clinic presentation 18-Nov-03 Rodney Walther Updated links to other resources 06-Nov-03 Rodney Walther Original version

Contents

Purpose...... 3

Terminology...... 4

Qualities of a Great Coach...... 5

Manager Responsibilities...... 6

Communicating With Players...... 7

Communicating With Parents...... 9

Communicating With Umpires ...... 11

Teaching the Mechanics: Fielding...... 13

Teaching the Mechanics: Throwing ...... 15

Teaching the Mechanics: Hitting...... 18

Teaching the Mechanics: Baserunning...... 22

Managing a Teeball Team ...... 23

Managing a Rookie Team...... 25

Managing a Peewee Team ...... 28

Managing a Minor Team ...... 32

Managing a Major Team...... 36

Suggested Drills / Games...... 39

Other Resources...... 40

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Purpose

This document is intended to give FCLL managers and coaches detailed guidelines for communicating with players and parents, organizing practices, and setting a good example at games. It is ideal for the first-time manager, especially at the Teeball, Rookie, or Peewee level.

If you have never coached/managed youth sports before, this is required reading. Even if you have coached kids before, please read this document to pick up new ideas and more effective strategies. This document explains how to:

• Communicate with young kids in an effective, positive way

• Instruct the mechanics of fielding, throwing, hitting, and baserunning

• Be a good team leader at practices and games

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Terminology

In Little League, a team is led by a manager. The manager is usually known as “Coach Bob” or “Coach Johnson”. The manager is almost always a parent (usually a dad) of one of the players. The manager has other parents who serve as coaches. When this document uses the term “coach”, you can mentally substitute “coach/manager”.

Both men and women can be excellent coaches. However, since the vast majority of Little League managers are men, we will use the terms he/him/his in this document. It is merely a simple convention and not intended as a slight against women coaches/managers. In addition, girls participate in Little League (more so in the younger ages), but we will use he/him/his to describe a player simply because the overwhelming number of players are boys.

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Qualities of a Great Coach

Being a coach/manager of a kids’ athletic team may be one of the most important jobs you’ll ever do. Just as an elementary school teacher teaches more than English and Math, you will teach more than how to play baseball. You will teach kids how to be responsible, work hard, delight in success, handle failure, and exercise good sportsmanship.

Because you serve in such a prominent and important role, there is immense responsibility that comes with coaching/managing. Your behavior must, at all times, be of the highest standard.

A great coach will:

• Care about all the kids individually in his charge

• Ensure player safety in all aspects of practices and games

• Teach the rules and mechanics of baseball in a way that is correct and clearly understood

• Foster a team environment by building camaraderie between the players

• Understand his priorities and put his ego on the shelf

• Earn a reputation among players, parents, and other coaches as a “great coach”

• Have his kids return year after year, loving the game of baseball, and requesting to play on his team

How does FCLL judge if the coach is great? ok? poor? Most of this judgment comes from parental feedback. Managers that have mixed-up priorities and out-of-control egos are recognized by the parents and other coaches. Managers that are great with all the kids (including the strong players and the weaker players), lift everyone’s game up, and conduct themselves with great character are recognized and respected by players, parents, and coaches. First Colony Little League constantly assesses the volunteer coaches and managers to make sure they are meeting the high standard the players deserve.

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Manager Responsibilities

In addition to his role as leader of his team, a manager must also be part of the overall “team” of First Colony Little League. The manager has responsibilities within the league. These include:

• Attending league meetings such as the Coach’s Meeting in January

• Attending coaching clinics and reading the FCLL Coaching Guide

• Learning the rules of baseball, plus FCLL-specific rules as listed in the FCLL Handbook

• Identifying a Coach of Record to assist during practices/games

• Recruiting a team parent (“team mom”) to communicate with parents, coordinate snacks, pictures, fundraising, team party, etc.

• Recruiting volunteers from the team to help at practice and games, such as base coaches, field coaches (in Teeball and Rookie), pitching machine “pitchers”, dugout monitors, umpires, etc.

• Finding a team sponsor for the team (sometimes the league has enough sponsors that step forward, but it’s better when someone associated with the team will sponsor it)

• Checking out the FCLL-supplied equipment, taking care of it throughout the season, and checking it back in to league officials at the end of the season

• Attending Umpiring Clinics (esp. Peewee and older)

• Helping umpire games in the Minor/Major divisions (or finding person(s) on the team willing to help umpire)

• Staying informed about the status of games and any rescheduling

• Communicating the proper code of conduct to the team’s coaches, players, and fans in order to prevent any problems during the season

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Communicating With Players

Even if a coach knows all there is to know about baseball, he cannot be effective unless he can communicate it effectively to his players. Here are some communication tips:

1. Remember that they are kids. You can’t expect to teach them the same way you might teach an adult.

2. Kids learn by seeing the right way, trying it, and being praised when they do it right (or at least doing it “more right”).

3. When talking with a kid one-on-one, always get down to his level by getting on your knees. If you need to talk to him individually, use a voice that only you and he can hear.

4. When giving correction on a skill, use the Oreo method. Say something positive as you arrive, give the correction, and say something positive as you leave. Example: “Brandon, man, you’ve got a strong arm! But you’re not getting all the power I know you can get. When you pull your arm back, don’t just stop at your head. Make your arm like an “L”. Get that ball back behind your head. See what I mean? OK, now try again, buddy. Let’s see that rocket arm!”

5. When addressing a discipline problem, it’s ok to use a firm DAD voice. “Put the bat down, now!”, “Stop climbing on the fence” “Cut it out. Don’t push in the line” are fine things to say to your team. Sometimes, all it takes is to say a player’s name firmly. Remind your team that you’re not just a coach, you’re also a dad (and expect to be listened to). They totally understand that when they are told to do something (or not to do something) that is related to their behavior, they must listen. Enforce discipline by having a kid sit out for a brief period. Yelling is not appropriate.

6. When talking with a group of kids, you have to get their attention first. Having them circle in front of you and “grab a knee” is an important part of team discipline.

7. During the first few practices, make part of that circle time a time for kids to learn/know their teammates’ names. The kids will call out their teammates’ names by the 2nd or 3rd time.

8. When you’re working with kids one-on-one or in groups, call them by their first name. If you don’t know their name, ask. They’re not embarrassed and neither should you be. This is true for all your helping parents – anyone working with the kids should call them by name.

9. Make sure the kids listen while you’re talking. Don’t let them interrupt.

10. Don’t talk too long. They stop listening much sooner than you think (over a minute and you probably have lost ‘em!)

11. Show them what to do. Don’t just talk about it.

12. Ask them what they should do instead of telling them what to do all the time. This is especially true for infielders, making them think about what to do with the ball before they field it.

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13. During practice with fielders and runners, occasionally holler “Freeze”. Then go around and point out things that you like and things that can be improved.

14. Have your players always run on and off the field. Make them understand that when they step on the field, their attention should be on baseball.

15. Make things a game or a contest. You cannot believe how kids respond to a contest! Create contests that give weaker players and stronger players an equal chance to win.

16. End practices with a team yell like “1,2,3, Astros!”, “Gooooo, Giants!”, or “RrrrrrrrrrRockies!”. Be as excited as them to do the yell. See if they can make far-away people turn around by yelling as loud as they can!

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Communicating With Parents

It is very important to establish a good line of communication between the manager and the parents. Managers want parents to understand what the team can expect from the manager and what the manager can expect from his players/parents. Parents want to know that the manager in charge of their son isn’t a yelling lunatic.

One of the best ways to accomplish this is to hold a team meeting. This can be approximately 1 hour long and should be held immediately after the team is formed (and before the first practice). Do the following to ensure an effective team meeting:

• Greet parents and players as they arrive. Try to put names to faces.

• Run the meeting in an organized way, with an agenda/plan (first impressions mean a lot)

• Discuss your background, your goals for the team, and what the players/parents can expect from you

• Discuss your expectations from the parents (e.g., be prompt at practice/games, be involved through some volunteer role, be the model of sportsmanship at games, play/work with kids outside of practice)

• Cover the basics, especially for first-time parents (when/where practices will be, when/where games will be, equipment the league provides, equipment they need to provide)

• Get medical release forms signed

• Take questions as you go

• Introduce the players (if you can learn the names right away, you’ve got a good start)

Team meetings should occur for all age divisions. Obviously, as kids get older, the players and parents know the ropes a little more. You still need to make sure you set expectations. In Minors and Majors, playing time is definitely a topic to discuss.

Your first practice will be attended by all parents. This is definitely the practice to have well- planned. At practices, actively talk with your coaches so everyone understands what the goals of the practice/drills are. Don’t wait for parents to volunteer; just ask them to help. And start with the first practice!

During the season, be available to listen to parents. However, talking with a concerned parent should not occur during practice or during a game. It should not occur with kids around either. At the Teeball and Rookie level, there should be no need for parents to complain about playing time if you adhere to the lineup guidelines we recommend. If they think little Johnny is a real stud and should always play shortstop, even during Teeball, they need to get a grip. And you’ll need to tell them, diplomatically of course! Note that involving parents as volunteer coaches will help reduce complaints.

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Another area to discuss with parents is their behavior at the game. As the leader of the team, you need to be a model of sportsmanship. Parents will follow the manager’s lead. A complaining manager will often have loud, unruly spectators. A steady manager will have parents and players that accept the authority of the umpire, even if they disagree with a call. Make it your goal to be the best sportsman out there. And don’t let any of your loud obnoxious parents go unchecked. Discuss these expectations with your parents up front.

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Communicating With Umpires

FCLL umpires are volunteers who give of their time to make the Little League experience complete. Some are certified umpires with years of experience. Some have umpired a fair number of games. At the Rookie/Peewee levels, you typically have dads who are inexperienced with umpiring and maybe even inexperienced with the game of baseball. No matter how experienced the umpire, he will sometimes blow the call.

We expect you to treat all umpires with respect and to accept their decisions on judgment calls. As the manager, you should be the only person communicating with the umpires. Your parents in the stands should not even address him, especially on tough calls.

Can you ask for time to speak with an umpire about his call? Sure. And here is the best way to do that. Start by building a rapport with the umpires before the game starts. When a call goes against you in the game, wait until the play is over. When your coaches and parents start screaming (“he missed the tag!”, “he pulled his foot!”, “he dropped the ball!”), immediately quiet them down. Show your team that you are in charge of the situation. Then ask for time from the umpire. Once the umpire has granted the timeout, walk to the umpire (no running out of the dugout and charging the field). When you get to the umpire, use a normal voice to ask him about the call (no screaming at him as you approach him). You have two goals when speaking with the umpire:

• Possibly get the call changed, either due to a proper interpretation of a rule or because the other umpire might have had a better view (missed tag, pulled foot, etc.)

• Reinforce to the umpire that you respect his authority

Sometimes you will have no chance to change the call. This is when it is a judgment call by an umpire who absolutely had the best view of the situation. Your best bet there is to not challenge the ruling but to get “clarification”. Don’t question the call itself. You might ask “Did he beat the throw or did my first baseman pull his foot?”. That is a subtle way of saying “How could you possibly call him safe?” without challenging the umpire directly. After he tells you why, thank him and go back to your dugout, quieting your parents as you go back. Don’t question these kinds of judgment calls too often.

Your best bet at getting a judgment call changed is to have the assistance of the other umpire, but only if he had a better view of the situation due to his angle. Again, ask for time and walk to the umpire who made the call. Explain to him that you know he called your runner out, but from your angle, it sure looked like the first baseman pulled his foot. Ask if he would check with the other umpire to see if he had a better view of this aspect of the play. An umpire who is approached in this manner, treated with respect, and ASKED (not demanded) to consult with the other umpire will typically check with his partner. Let them talk privately and make a ruling. Even if the call is not changed, thank the umpires and go back to your dugout. Understand that you are not “appealing the call” to the other umpire. There is no such concept in baseball. The home plate umpire does not overrule the field umpire either. The call is always made by the umpire with the best view of the play.

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To get a call changed due to the rules of baseball, you will need to once again approach the original umpire. Explain to him your understanding of the rule. If necessary, ask him to consult with the other umpire. Then let them make the call. It’s ok to plead your case, but do not stand around arguing the call, even if you think you’re right (and even if you really are right). In an extreme case, you can protest the game. This must occur before the next pitch. The worst thing is to stand around arguing, while players are idle and parents start throwing their two cents in. Do not allow your parents to start chiming in. Your role as team leader is most important at times like this.

Experienced managers that follow these guidelines DO get calls changed occasionally. The screaming idiot who charges out of the dugout will NEVER get a call changed.

A manager who constantly gripes about judgment calls (ball/strike, safe/out, and fair/foul) is not only wasting his time – the calls aren’t going to be changed – but is setting an extremely poor example of sportsmanship. Does this mean you don’t react when a “bang-bang” play at first base goes against you? If you wince and groan when the call happens, that’s pretty normal. But to then berate the umpire from the dugout is going too far. To complain that the umpire cost you the game is going too far.

Finally, never question the impartiality of the umpire. It is one thing to think that pitch was a ball (and boy, is that umpire blind!). It is quite another thing to publicly tell the umpire or your parents or your players that the umpire is cheating for the other team. Even telling the umpire to “call it both ways” implies that your team is being cheated. This type of umpire abuse and undermining of our league volunteers will not be tolerated. Umpires have the authority to eject players, coaches, or fans for umpire abuse.

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Teaching the Mechanics: Fielding

Teaching a player to field properly is important not only to the player’s development and to the team’s success, but also to the player’s safety. Kids that are unable to field a ball can be in danger when strong-armed players throw to them or when balls are hit to them.

a. Fielding grounders (basic): Teach the kids the “alligator hands” method. Keep legs apart (not too little, not too much). Get legs centered over the ball, glove foot slightly ahead of the ball foot. Knees should be bent and rear end should be low (don’t bend at the waist, but don’t squat either). Glove should be down on the ground and open. “Ball hand” should snap shut over the glove to cover the ball like alligator jaws. Then the ball should be sucked up into the player’s midsection in preparation for a throw.

b. Fielding grounders (drills): To help players get better at watching the ball into their glove, get a sharpie and print big numbers on some baseballs. Have them take the shortstop position and field a grounder with alligator hands. They should suck the ball up into their midsection, and as they pull the ball out of their glove, they should look at the ball and call out the number as they make the throw to first.

c. Catching a thrown ball (basic): It’s real important to teach the kid to have the arm/glove in the proper position. Have the arms somewhat extended (but no locked elbow) with the glove in front of the kid, thumbs together, fingers to the sky, centered on his body and below eye level. If the throw is below the waist, the fingers have to point down to catch the ball as a basket catch. For the basket catch, the pinkies of each hand point to each other.

d. Catching a thrown ball (drills):

i. Start with a Koosh ball, with the kids in front of you and no glove. Have them get their glove hand (minus the glove) in the proper position. Then toss the Koosh ball to them. This is very non-threatening and fun. They shouldn’t snatch at the ball. This is a soft-hands drill.

ii. Move up to tossing tennis balls or whiffle balls while the kid has a glove on. The kids need to learn that the glove is just an extension of the hand. You want to work on the position of their hands. Watch for problems like snatching with the glove, glove too high covering the eyes, or (very common) stepping to the side and away from the ball.

iii. Move to the soft baseball when they show confidence with the tennis balls.

e. Catching a popup (basic): The truth is that it’s not much different than catching a thrown ball, except the glove is raised maybe 12”-18”. The glove should stay in front of the body. Don’t let the kids stretch their arm out over their head. The kids need to learn to move to the ball and not merely stand still and stretch out. Use tennis balls or Incrediballs. Make sure to use two hands.

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f. Catching a popup (advanced): An outfielder or infielder first has to get to the ball. They should drop-step if necessary and run to the ball (do not backpedal!). Once lined up for the ball, the player should remain behind the ball, catch it while coming forward, and be in a position to fire a powerful throw with a crow-hop step. You can adjust a pitching machine to shoot fly balls to the outfielders.

g. Fielding grounders (advanced): As kids get older, teach them to do a cross-over step to get to a ground ball way to the side of them. You can teach footwork and glovework (including backhanding balls to the “ball side”) by having the players line up and tossing grounders to each side of them, stretching their range wider and wider until they have to dive.

h. Fielding position (drill/game): This is good for Teeball and Rookie. Have the kids line up. Holler “ground ball!” and watch them go the proper fielding position. Point out what you like so they can see other kids. Holler “line drive” and watch them go the proper fielding position. Then holler “fly ball”. Rapid-fire changes make them learn to get into the proper position quickly. You could maybe make a Simon Says game out of it.

i. Soft-hands drills/games:

i. Toss a Koosh ball to players without a glove. They should not snatch the ball, but rather catch it softly with their glove hand, cushioning the ball as it is received.

ii. Take an old ping pong paddle (without the handle) and attach a strap on back. The player wears the paddle as a glove. Toss grounders to the player, who has to use good form and soft hands to bring the ball up into the tummy. If hands aren’t soft, the ball will bounce off the paddle.

iii. Play catch with water balloons. This emphasizes soft hand cushioning and the use of 2 hands. It’s also fun!

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Teaching the Mechanics: Throwing

Kids have a built-in instinct to throw a ball. The key to teaching good throwing technique is to break bad habits and instill better habits. Constant correction is important.

a. Throwing the ball (basic): Kids will have some pretty horrible throwing mechanics when they start. Some will try to shot-put the ball. Others will bring the ball to their ear and fling it. Some will pull way back and catapult the ball. We want to be very consistent in how we teach the kids how to throw. The arm should be pulled back directly into an “L” position, with the upper arm parallel to the ground and the forearm perpendicular to the ground. The shoulders should rotate so that the glove (lead) shoulder faces the target. The ball should be held comfortably in the fingers and preferably with ball facing directly behind the thrower (in upper levels, pitchers are told to “show the ball to the center fielder”). They should step with their glove leg and bring the arm forward with a good wrist snap at the release.

b. Throwing the ball (drills):

i. Wrist-snap: Put kid with glove knee down, ball knee up, sitting up high, and ball elbow on ball knee. Without lifting the elbow, have the kid snap the wrist to throw the ball. Don’t care about distance or accuracy. Proper hand position after the throw is fingers pointing straight down.

ii. Upper Body: Put kid with ball knee down, glove knee up, sitting up high. Put ball on the ground near the ball knee. Have the kid pick up the ball and quickly move the arm to the proper “L” position. The shoulders should be rotated so that the glove shoulder faces the target (fix this right away… kids often face their chest to the target and try to throw!). You can expand this to reaching the proper arm position while standing up (ball in glove). You can also add the throw, making sure to get proper wrist snap.

iii. Target: make a contest to see who can throw the ball to hit a target. For Teeballers, make it a BIG target like one section of a backstop. For older ages, make the target smaller (try stacking a couple buckets and make it the First Base Bucketman – have the kids line up from shortstop and see who can hit it); this can be done in teams or individually. There is a coach who used a pitching machine to shoot fly balls to the outfield; if the throw back hit the pitching machine on the fly, he gave the kid a dollar. He only gave out $2 in 4 seasons, but he had kids that cared about their throw, and he was seeing laser beam throws instead of rainbows. This game was born out of frustration with chasing down cruddy throws from the outfielders. A reward other than money is probably better, but it’s all he had the first time he came up with it.

c. Throwing the ball (advanced): Teach the crow-hop step so players can effectively make the longer throw. This is probably for Peewee and up.

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d. Coaches sometimes fall into a habit of telling kids to start practice by grabbing a ball and “warming up”. Teeballers and Rookies are incapable of warming up with each other. A parent/coach should throw with them and constantly work on correcting throwing/catching form. Older players need to be taught that “warming up” really is warming up, concentrating on slowly getting the arm loose and making line drive throws to the throwing partner. When kids are messing around, making sloppy throws, chasing the ball, making rainbow return throws, etc., this “warm-up” is not productive.

e. Here’s a quick breakdown of the main points of throwing. It’s also the basic elements of pitching

i. Grip

1. Hold the ball comfortably in the fingers, preferably with fingers across the horseshoe seams. Of course, the thrower doesn’t have time to examine his grip before every throw.

ii. Body Position

1. Thrower should stand sideways to his target, with glove shoulder facing the target

2. Thrower should look at the target

3. Feet should be apart (not too much and not too little)

iii. Starting the Throw

1. Lean back slightly on the ball foot

2. Bring glove leg up (slightly for throwing, much higher for pitching), with glove hip and glove shoulder facing target

3. Ball hand should be gripping ball inside the glove

iv. Arm Back

1. Keep ball elbow high, keeping forearm perpendicular to the upper arm (and also perpendicular to the ground)

2. Keep fingers on top of the ball, “showing the ball” to a person standing directly behind the ball shoulder, on the opposite side of the target

3. Point glove towards target

v. Step & Throw / Follow Through

1. Push forward off ball foot

2. Step towards target with glove foot

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3. Throw the ball overhand, releasing at full arm extension with good wrist snap (watch to prevent elbow collapsing down which will cause a shot-put)

4. Throw should follow through and thrower should now have his chest facing the target

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Teaching the Mechanics: Hitting

There’s nothing like the feeling of smacking a ball and reaching first base safely. On the other hand, striking out a lot can be exceptionally frustrating. The key to successful hitting is finding what works for an individual batter and then getting him many repetitions to build the muscle memory and confidence.

a. Kids should not pick up a bat. Teeballers and Rookies will swing any bat they have in their hands, and others will be in danger. Have players wait for coaches to hand them the bat.

b. Kids must wear a helmet when swinging a bat, even off a tee. If there are a couple other kids waiting their turn, they should probably get their helmets on as well. This is true for games, practice and in a batting cage. For Rookie and above, players must wear a batting helmet with a faceguard.

c. Make sure the bat isn’t too heavy for the player. The player should be able to hold a bat at their side with a straight arm (elbow locked) and lift the bat up parallel to the ground. They should then be able to rotate the bat left and right easily. A 25”-26” bat is as long a bat as Teeballers should use. Rookies generally swing a 26”-28” bat. Peewees typically use a 27”- 29” bat, and Minors/Majors usually swing a 29”-30” bat. Bats that have a higher negative number on the label (-12, -11.5, -10) are lighter, and usually more expensive. Don’t pay a lot for a bat, especially in the Teeball/Rookie years.

d. Develop a good stance. Let players find a comfortable stance and something that works for them. But all good stances share some common elements:

i. Feet parallel to the plate, about shoulder-width apart, with weight evenly balanced

ii. Feet close enough to hit the ball with the sweet spot of the bat (for Teeballers, recommend setting up the player’s feet behind the tee so that the ball is 4”-6” in front of the front foot)

iii. Hand and eyes steady

iv. Bat held loosely in the hands, not squeezed tight; some people recommend lining up door-knocking knuckles

v. Hands held back (some people say behind the ear, some say a little lower, some say a lot lower)

e. With older ages, kids sometimes come up to the plate and merely reach a comfortable stance. But that’s not their effective batting stance. It’s ok for the batter to come up and find their comfortable position, but then they must actively do the steps to get to a ready stance. “OK, that’s comfortable. Now, Ready!”

f. Develop an effective swing. Once in a ready position at the plate, the batter should “load up” the swing by shifting the weight somewhat to the back foot and then take a very small trigger step with their lead foot (anywhere from 0-4 inches). Thrust the hands directly to the ball – the bat will automatically follow. Follow through on the swing. After a successful follow- through, the batter’s toes and belly button should face the pitcher.

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g. Use catchy phrases to help the kids understand what to do. Some of these phrases include:

i. “Squash the Bug” – As player swings, the back foot should pivot and automatically squash an imaginary bug

ii. “Show the pitcher your number” (keep the lead shoulder tucked in closer to plate as the player loads)

iii. “Chin to chin” (in ready position, chin touches front shoulder; during swing, the chin rotates to the back shoulder)

iv. “Load Up” (build up some potential energy in the stance in order to turn it into kinetic energy on the swing – this explanation will help the kids understand ☺).

h. Break the swing down into stages. Maybe give the kids different numbers for the different stages. Say “1” means comfortable, “2” means ready, “3” means load, “4” means take timing step, “5” means hands directly to the ball, and “6” means roll the wrists and follow through. Of course it’s hard to stop at different stages, but the kids need to see and experience the different stages. You could come with some cool names instead of numbers.

i. Good batting drills:

i. Place ball behind back foot during stance. If batter properly “squashes the bug”, he’s going to automatically kick the ball with his heel as his back foot pivots.

ii. Lower the tee all the way down. Have the player get on his knees. Get into ready position. Do NOT swing but rather thrust hands directly at the ball on the tee, knocking it off with the knob of the bat. Repeat this a lot to build muscle memory for “throwing the hands” at the ball.

iii. Broomstick Hips – Get a broomstick and place it behind the batter’s back, having him secure it with his elbows. Get up to the tee and have him rotate his hips to hit the ball with the broomstick. Don’t do this too long, because kids sometimes complain that the broomstick hurts their arms after a few swings. This drill really helps isolate the lower body hip rotation.

iv. Sometimes when a kid isn’t swinging hard, hold out your glove where a ball might be. For Teeballers, first move the tee away. Tell the kid to “smack my glove” to see if he can hit it out of your hand. If he’s swinging hard, it will fly out of your hand (the further the better). If he’s swinging too easy, you can hold the glove and have him try again. Kids light up when they hit the glove out of your hand, especially when you show mock surprise and horror. If you’re not careful, it is possible to get hit with the bat. Just make sure you’re ready and that you’ve figured out how far away to be. This is good for Teeballers, Rookies, and Peewee players.

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v. Position player next to chain link fence. Player takes ready position facing the fence (think of the fence as the imaginary line between the pitcher and catcher, on the outside of the plate). Player should be a bat’s length plus a few inches away from fence – use “bat on belly button” method to determine distance. Batter should swing at an imaginary ball on the tee placed appropriately. If the swing is “sweeping”, he’ll hit the fence. That’s what we’re trying to detect and avoid in this drill.

vi. Use a Hit-n-Stik to get a lot of swings without chasing a lot of balls. Don’t swing this device. It is supposed to remain stationary.

j. Common batting problems include:

i. “Stepping in the bucket” – lead foot bails out toward third base for a righty; try overcorrecting and severely close the stance, then bring things back to normal when batter starts having some success; another thing to do is place an object (glove, bucket lid, but NOT a ball or bat) in the spot where batter keeps stepping incorrectly. It’s a reminder not to step there.

ii. “Sweeping” – Extending arms too early and sweeping at the ball; work on drills for throwing the hands to the ball

iii. “Dead Legs” – Not using any lower body as the player swings. Use the Broomstick Hips drill to isolate the lower body.

iv. “Happy Feet” – Moving the feet (usually away from the plate) just before making the swing. This loses balance and power. It usually indicates a lack of confidence and sometimes fear of being hit with the ball. Try doing rapid soft-toss from behind a protective screen. Don’t give the player much time to think, just pepper him with easy soft-tossed balls so he can just take quick rips and doesn’t have time to dance. One coach told the batter to hop up and down while he pitched it. The batter saw in an exaggerated way that moving while the ball is coming makes it tougher to hit the ball.

v. “Monster Step” – Stepping too big with the front foot. The trigger step should be 0”-4” at most. Too big of a step loses balance and lowers the swing plane. Place an object (glove, bucket lid, but NOT a ball or bat) in the spot where batter keeps stepping incorrectly.

vi. “Timid Swing” – Failing to really swing hard and/or follow through. Typically, the player is merely trying to meet the ball instead of driving it. One thing that works is to tell the player to swing as if a giant monster was heading at them. Another thing to try is the “smack my glove” drill.

vii. Not watching the ball – marked by a huge swing and inconsistent contact; for Teeballers, try marking balls with a number and have the kids call out the number before hitting. For older players, mark a ball with stripes and had them say whether ball was stripes or plain after they swing.

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viii. Watching the ball on the tee too much... especially if the batter tries to line up his swing by constantly touching the ball; try having the batter close his eyes before he starts his swing

k. Fake the occasional throw to a batter. It’s a good way to spot stepping in the bucket, monster steps, dropping hands, etc.

l. For older ages, intentionally throw balls they should not swing at. Throw balls behind them or over them to get them used to reacting to horrible pitches.

m. Make sure the kids don’t sling the bat after hitting it. They should just drop it to the ground.

n. Peewee players and older should learn how to bunt. To bunt, a batter should pivot to point his feet at the pitcher (keep good balance though!), slide the top hand up the barrel of the bat, and “catch” the ball with the bat.

o. For bunting, draw a big circle in front of the plate. If the player bunts inside the circle, he is rewarded. This reward can be extra swings or just recognition as a top bunter.

p. Players in Minors and Majors should be able to bunt without showing the bunt too early. They should be able to bunt to both the first base and third base sides. Since the catchers are stronger, the bunt must be far enough so the catcher doesn’t have an easy play.

q. Players in Peewee and up should be able to fake bunt. The fake bunt should look like a regular bunt (ok to show fake bunt just a little sooner than usual). The fake bunt should be pulled back at the last second. The batter should “sell” the fact that the pitch was a ball.

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Teaching the Mechanics: Baserunning

Kids love to run. Your job is to take their love of running and mold it into smart baserunning.

a. Learning the basics: At the Teeball level, you have to start with the basics of what the bases are called and what direction to go in.

b. Players should run with pumping arms (like a locomotive) while leaning forward.

c. Teach the players to run all the way through first base and not simply stop at first (this is huge!). Players must stop at second base and third base and not run through. If Teeballers/Rookies want to slide at home, they will – and you probably couldn’t stop them if you tried.

d. When running through first, pick a point about 10 feet past the bag where they should run to. Eyes should be on the first base bag while running, not on the batted ball. Runner should step on the base with either foot, but don’t jump at the bag.

e. Players should round the bag when they know there is no play at the base they are headed towards. To round first base, the runner should begin curving out (like a banana) about 15 feet before the bag. Put some cones or a big coach in the way so the runner must run in the proper direction. The runner should hit the inside corner of the base and be pointing directly at second base.

f. To get the proper leadoff, the runner should have his left foot on the base and his right foot generally pointing towards the next base. The runner should look as if he is in starting blocks. Eyes should track the pitch from pitcher to catcher. As ball crosses the plate, the runner may leave. He should blast off the base with the left foot, crossing over to point the body directly at the next base, keeping his eyes on the ball. If he judges it’s ok to keep going to the next base, he’s already in position. Runner should avoid crabbing/shuffling off a base. When leading off 3B, runner should be in foul territory.

g. Get a stopwatch and time kids all around the bases. Then give them another chance to improve their time. Since you keep the stopwatch, the kids can always “improve”!

h. Baserunning is an excellent way to end a practice. One fun activity is a team baserunning relay. Put half the team at home plate and half the team at second base. Make sure to make the groups fairly even speed-wise. Give the lead runner in each group a baseball. When you signal “Go”, each group proceeds to round all 4 bases. As each person returns to his original position, he hands off the ball (don’t throw it!) to the next runner in his group. First group to round all the bases wins. Kids usually want a rematch. Make sure the kids round the bases correctly and touch all the bases.

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Managing a Teeball Team

1. Overview

a. Your role as a manager is to introduce the kids to the basics of the game. The goal is that they get through the season feeling like baseball is fun. Players should learn their basic mechanics (fielding, throwing, hitting). In addition, players should learn the very rudimentary basics of the rules (direction to run the bases, batter hits the ball to a fielder and it’s a “race to the base” – if the throw beats the runner the runner is out, otherwise he’s safe).

2. Communication

a. Use terminology that works with kids (catch grounders with “alligator hands”). Catchy names are best.

b. In general, Teeballers mostly have no clue of any baseball terminology. You must assume they don’t know any basic terms so you must explain them. Be aware of using baseball jargon during games that they’ve never heard in practice.

c. Try to work 3 kids at the most in a group. Don’t have a bunch of kids just standing around waiting.

d. Say glove hand, glove leg, glove knee and ball hand, ball leg, ball knee for consistency in drills (works great for teaching both righties and lefties)

3. New Concepts

a. Everything is pretty much new to a teeballer. You really can’t expect to teach more than the fundamentals at this age. They can’t really intellectually grasp the larger concepts anyways.

b. Tag plays are a bit of an advanced concept for Teeballers. Make sure to show them how to put ball in glove, cover with other hand, and tag player (but don’t swing at them).

c. An advanced concept here is the difference between tag plays and force plays. This is always a good case for questions (“what will YOU do with the ball?”)

4. Drafting the Team

a. There are no tryouts at the Teeball level.

b. Ask your kid if he recognizes any names on the draft list.

c. Draft players/families that you know. Once you run out of people you know, make blind picks. One recommendation is to stay away from kids with the same first name. If you already have one Brian on your team, don’t draft another one (this is so scientific ☺).

d. If a kid has expressed a desire to play on the same team as a friend, honor that request.

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e. If someone drafts your kid’s best friend, ask to trade with him. Typically, the other manager was making a blind pick anyway and doesn’t care.

5. Game Day (lineups, strategy, and attitude)

a. Involve all the parents (in the dugout, as coaches on the field) – there is no unqualified parent on a teeball field.

b. Put together lineups that are completely fair (rotate kids through all the infield positions)

c. Avoid a defensive lineup where you have a potentially dangerous situation (kid on mound with super-strong arm throwing to first baseman who can’t catch at all).

d. Have your kids always try to make the play. Go ahead and make the throw to first base even if they fumble the grounder. As they get older, they’ll learn when to throw and when not to.

e. Since you bat first-to-last and then last-to-first, it’s fun to have the first/last batter who consistently hits the ball and doesn’t strike out

f. Don’t bother trying to “win” (which doesn’t have ANY meaning at this level). Do not even mentally keep score. Seriously.

g. Be mega-positive at games and at the post-game talk. Have kids and the coach sign a game ball and present it to a player of the game. Obviously, all players should get one ball throughout the season.

h. If you want to correct things (“remember to center yourself over the ball on grounders”), do it right away. If you do it later (like at a post-game talk), it doesn’t help as much and can come off as nitpicking.

i. Applaud both teams for good play and give a high-five when a kid on EITHER team makes a nice play.

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Managing a Rookie Team

1. Overview

a. Much of Teeball applies here too. With Rookie, you teach the skills even more. The goal of Rookie is to continue to make the baseball experience fun, while learning the rules and developing good baseball skills that will serve them as they get older.

b. After the scatter-brained days of teeball, Rookie players should really start to get some mental discipline. Make sure that players understand it is important to pay attention – this should improve throughout the season. Not paying attention can be dangerous.

2. Communication

a. Use terminology that works with kids (catch grounders with “alligator hands”). Catchy names are best.

b. Try to work 4 kids at the most in a group. Don’t have a bunch of kids just standing around waiting.

c. Say glove hand, glove leg, glove knee and ball hand, ball leg, ball knee for consistency in drills (works great for teaching both righties and lefties)

d. The kids that have played before are your team leaders. Make them understand that they should set a good example for the other guys.

3. New Concepts

a. Although some Rookies played Teeball, quite a few have not. Repeat everything learned in Teeball. Continue to use a tee to improve batting.

b. Rookies should be able to make tag plays. Make sure to show them how to put ball in glove, cover with other hand, and tag the runner (but don’t swing at them).

c. Rookies should be able to understand the difference between tag plays and force plays. This is always a good case for questions (“what will YOU do with the ball?”)

d. Rookies should be able to catch popups. This was probably impossible for a teeballer. A pretty good 7-yr-old Rookie can catch a popup and turn a double play when the runner fails to tag.

4. Drafting the Team

a. There are no tryouts at the Rookie level

b. Ask your kid if he recognizes any names on the draft list

c. Draft your players for a variety of reasons: kids that you’ve had on your team before, family friends, good ballplayer, classmate of your kid

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d. When in doubt, you might want to choose a player who is in the same league (American/National) as your kid. This matters once they hit Peewee.

5. Game Day (lineups, strategy, and attitude)

a. Put together lineups that are fair. This doesn’t mean that everyone has to play every infield position, but that’s ok too. Over the course of a season, a player should probably play all the positions at least once.

b. It’s fine to set up situations where you think you might get a nice defensive play. Pair a strong pitcher and first baseman. But make sure your first baseman, shortstop, and pitcher aren’t always the same 3 guys just moved around. But does everyone have to play every position? Maybe not. Maybe you think that it’s absolutely important that whoever’s at first base needs to be able to catch a ball (a reasonable position). Maybe you don’t care too much and put players at first base regardless (beware the other infielders with strong arms though). You have some flexibility here.

c. If you have a couple strong players, they shouldn’t have a lock on the infield. They should play outfield as well.

d. Players need to learn to get the ball back to the pitcher. An outfielder can throw the ball to second base before it is relayed to the pitcher. Don’t let the fielders hold the ball and freeze up!

e. Innings are over when three outs are made or you bat 10 players. You might want to separate the real weak kids so you don’t go down 1-2-3 in an inning.

f. One way to put together a batting lineup is to evaluate how best to lay out the 12 players you have in a batting order (contact, power, speed). Then keep the same lineup all season, merely rotating who is the leadoff batter. That way, everyone knows the batting order (“Michael always follows Robert”). Plus the kids get to switch off and be leadoff hitter or cleanup hitter or the last batter in the lineup. Print the lineup on a large sheet of paper and post it in the dugout.

g. Don’t argue with the dad umpires. First, they are trying to do a tough job they probably haven’t even been trained for. Second, there is no reason for you to blow a gasket over ANY foul/fair, safe/out call. It is Rookie ball!

h. Don’t bother trying to “win” (which doesn’t have ANY meaning at this level). Do not even mentally keep score. Seriously. You’ll get to keep score in Peewees. Don’t get worked up over “winning” at the Rookie level!

i. Be mega-positive at games and at the post-game talk. Have kids and the coach sign a game ball and present it to a player of the game. Obviously, all players should get one ball throughout the season.

j. If you want to correct things (“Remember! Hot potato… get that ball back to the pitcher!”), do it right away. If you do it later (like at a post-game talk), it doesn’t help as much and can come off as nitpicking.

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k. Applaud both teams for good play and give a high-five when a kid on EITHER team makes a nice play.

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Managing a Peewee Team

1. Overview

a. This may one of the most fun baseball divisions for kids. We start keeping score at this age. It’s an appropriate age to introduce keeping score, playing to score runs, and learning about winning and losing.

b. Peewee players should be proficient in fielding (grounders, popups, and thrown balls), throwing (with distance and accuracy), and hitting (hard grounders and line drives). All players should learn to bunt. It’s especially a good skill for weaker hitters, because they can get some hits and it improves their tracking of the ball to the plate. Catchers should be able to regularly catch the machine-pitched ball and make a decent (if not good) throw down to 2B and 3B. During their time in Peewees, players should learn how to run bases correctly and to get signs from a coach.

c. Games are exciting because the ball gets put in play a lot. Plus, the fielders can make plays and get outs. There are glimpses of future talent as well as the bonehead plays that make you laugh.

d. You teach the kids lots of new stuff (baserunning, stealing, bunting, throwdowns from catcher, and getting signs from a coach), while continuing to reinforce the basics of fielding, throwing, and hitting.

e. If a kid plays a season of Peewee and doesn’t make some great defensive play and get a clutch hit, something’s wrong. And we know what that something wrong is. Managers at this age sometimes swing the pendulum too far to the “gotta win” position and end up fielding teams where the weak kids are completely shut out. This should not happen.

2. Communication

a. Kids are getting older and can be more responsible. Give them more responsibilities (hang up their bat bag, put balls in bucket, etc.). Kids shouldn’t use the pitching machine, however.

b. Try to work 5 kids at the most in a group. Don’t have a bunch of kids just standing around waiting.

c. Say glove hand, glove leg, glove knee and ball hand, ball leg, ball knee for consistency in drills (works great for teaching both righties and lefties)

d. The 9-yr-olds are your team leaders. You will usually have at least 2-3 really good ballplayers in this group. They can make plays and understand what’s going on. Make them understand that they should set a good example for the younger guys.

3. New Concepts

a. At the beginning of the season, be sure to repeat everything they should have learned in Teeball and Rookie with respect to basic mechanics. Continue to use a tee to improve batting.

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b. Plays at second base should now be a throw/flip from the SS to the 2B or from the 2B to the SS. They shouldn’t run to the bag themselves like they do in Teeball and (often) in Rookie.

c. Introduce bunting. It’s a good skill for everyone. Your weaker players will benefit from having some success at the plate. It will also improve their eye-hand coordination. However, don’t just bunt a guy all year long.

d. Introduce stealing. You also need to teach rounding the bases and how to take a lead. You can try to teach sliding. At a minimum, make sure they slide early to a base to avoid injury.

e. Introduce signs from the third base coach. Batters should have signs for “bunt” and “fake bunt”. Runners should have signs for “steal” and maybe “fake steal”. Don’t do delay steals in Peewee.

4. Drafting the Team

a. Be at all the tryouts. Have a system in place to evaluate players. Know what characteristics you care about.

b. Objectively judge the players during tryouts. You may want to give a player a better/worse score based on your knowledge of him.

c. Before the draft, assemble your tryout notes so you know the general rank of the players. Know what you might do with your first pick and have several alternate plans.

d. Draft a good catcher, shortstop, and first baseman.

e. Draft good defense and strong hitting. Look for the guys that had a bad tryout but have potential. They can be a late round steal.

f. Choose other players based on a variety of reasons. Many times, you already know many of the players in the draft due to previous seasons.

g. Treat the draft seriously. A manager greatly influences the wins/losses of his team by the effectiveness of his draft.

5. Game Day (lineups, strategy, and attitude)

a. Put together defensive lineups that capitalize on your talent while plugging all the players in. Does this mean that the lineup should be totally rotated in some completely equal way? No. Find combinations that will get you outs (e.g., a strong SS and 1B) and play those combinations. But no one should totally dominate a position every inning of the season.

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b. Try a few different defensive combinations. Mix in the weaker kids regularly (the competitive part of you can wish for nobody to hit it to them). Of course, you MUST play everyone in the infield at least once/game. Some coaches try for 2 times/game in the infield and are mostly able to achieve that. Sometimes a weaker player might only play once in the infield, especially in a tight game. But then the coach would make a point next game to get them 2 innings in the infield.

c. If you have a weak second baseman, consider putting a quick, strong player in right- center field so singles don’t turn into homers. Try to avoid placing two weak outfielders next to each other. Put a speedy, heads-up guy between them who can chase the ball to the fence while the other fielder is just realizing the ball was hit past him. Right-center field and left-center field typically have the better outfielders.

d. With respect to a Peewee batting lineup, here’s a strategy for putting a lineup together. Look for a leadoff hitter that has good speed and decent contact. The second batter doesn’t have to be quite as fast, and he should be able to bunt. Number 3 and number 4 hitters should have the best average on the team, and the number 4 hitter should have the better power of the two. Numbers 5-8 can be decent contact hitters. One theory is that 5- 8 should like 1-4, except the players aren’t quite as strong. The bottom of the lineup will likely be 4 guys who struggle. All things being equal, try to rotate that last batter among those 4 so he didn’t bear the stigma as the worst batter on the team. In addition, look for decent speed in your last batter. Remember that if he gets on base, you “turn the corner” to the top of the lineup where you should have good speed.

e. Here are some other ideas to make Peewee fun:

1. Give kids nicknames – you can even print the nicknames (e.g., Slugger, Fireball, Clutch, Crash, Dusty, Sparky) on shirts instead of the kid’s name

2. Have someone write up interesting game reports with all the kids’ names peppered throughout. It is an extremely popular feature. See examples at www.redstone- tech.com/dbacks2002, www.redstone-tech.com/pirates2001, www.redstone- tech.com/rebels, and www.redstone-tech.com/tigers).

f. You may want to have choices for the situation where there are runners at first and third. The offense will typically steal the runner from first to second. Often this goes uncontested. Depending on the skill level of your players, you may introduce options such as:

1. Pump throw from catcher (may catch runner at third base leaning)

2. Throw down to second base to get the stealing runner

3. Trick play where catcher throws to pitcher or shortstop in a way to get the runner at third leaning

g. Don’t argue with the dad umpires. They will blow calls, but that’s too bad. Teach your kids that calls sometimes go against them. Don’t blame losses on the umpires.

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h. When the wacky stuff happens (one runner passes another one, batted ball hits a runner, etc.), and it seems to happen a lot in Peewee, the umpires should make the call. If you think you know the rule, it’s fine to ask for time and calmly explain to the umpire why you think you’re right. But running from the dugout while screaming is childish. Umps will try to make the best ruling. The bottom line is that the ump has to rule, and your teams need to get playing right away.

i. Use your baserunning as a weapon. Stealing bases is ok. Faking a bunt with a runner on second in order to draw in the third baseman is ok. Likewise, use your defense as a weapon. Work with your catchers to make good throws to nail stealing runners. Have your shortstop cover third when the batter shows bunt.

j. Know when to throttle down your dominating offense. If you are killing a team, you need to know when to stop your constant stealing and taking extra bases. It is a sign of good sportsmanship.

k. If you are in the last inning and have no chance of winning (or the other team has no chance of winning), that’s a great time to fill your infield with some your younger/weaker players and get them some playing time. Don’t continue to put Joe Stud at shortstop in a game that is out of hand.

l. Make sure that your players always go through the post-game congratulations saying “Good game”. It is unacceptable to say “Bad game” if they lose or something derogatory if they win. This is cause for immediate discipline.

m. Peewee games are fun because with keeping score, there is something on the line. And since everyone can contribute, players can have a great game personally. Reward a player of the game with a signed game ball. At the Peewee level, make the game balls really mean something. And it always seems to work out that everyone gets recognized with a game ball... and everyone who gets a game ball deserves it. Of course, you have discretion as a manager. Try to “save” the stronger kids towards the second half of the season. If one of your weaker players makes a nice hit or a great defensive play, talk about how important that hit/play was at that point in the game. If you want to award multiple game balls, go for it.

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Managing a Minor Team

1. Overview

a. The Minor division is where the game more closely resembles the regular game of baseball. In the younger ages, they played baseball. Now, more than ever, they are baseball players.

b. Minor players are proficient in fielding (grounders, popups, and thrown balls), throwing (with distance and accuracy), hitting (hard grounders, line drives, bunts), and baserunning (good leads, steals).

c. In many cases, Minor players have not experienced live pitching before. An important goal of Minors is to learn to hit the ball off a live pitcher. For 4-5 guys on the team, they may learn to pitch.

d. Minor games are typically more boring than Peewee because pitching is erratic and batters don’t hit as well off live pitching. A Peewee game may have the ball put in play every other pitch. In Minors, the ball might be struck every 5-10 pitches.

e. With the physical skills fairly consistent across the teams, the Minor game becomes more mental and strategic.

2. Communication

a. Players are responsible enough to do many tasks asked of them.

b. Although it’s best to work with smaller groups, you can work with a lot of Minor players at the same time.

c. Make sure players and parents understand how you will work the lineup defensively and who might pitch. You may not know who your pitchers are at the beginning, but you may eventually find that you’ll have 2-3 main pitchers and a couple other second-tier pitchers. You will probably have a staff ace who will pitch a lion’s share of innings. It all depends on the team you draft. Let your players/parents know your intentions, whether they are general or specific.

d. The kids who play ball on outside tournament teams are your team leaders. They are quite often your pitchers. They need to demonstrate poise on the field.

3. New Concepts

a. Introduce pitching to the players. Start with four-seam fastballs. Concentrate on a simple technique. Try out all the players as pitchers on the side, not necessarily pitching to live batters. Some players may have already pitched before. You will need them.

b. After teaching the basics of pitching, and once you think a pitcher has shown some proficiency, have him pitch to actual batters. This typically causes the pitcher to be wild, until he gets used to having a batter there.

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c. If you have a pitcher that can throw a decent fastball, also work with him to throw a changeup. This can be a “circle change” or a “choke change”.

d. Depending on the quality of your pitcher, you may want to develop signs for the catcher and pitcher for the type of pitch and its location. The manager or coach should call the pitches, giving the signs to the catcher, who then relays the signs to the pitcher.

e. Since players should have proficiency in all aspects of the game, mentally expect your players to be able to make the plays.

f. Sometimes a coach will introduce a “swing no matter what” sign to his team in Minors. The batter is instructed to swing, no matter what. That frees up the batter to swing without having to think first. This is useful when a pitcher is throwing consistent strikes and the batter is hesitant to swing. Better to go down swinging than watching all the pitches. The payoff is down the road, when the player has more confidence he can swing against tough pitchers.

g. Emphasize the concept of “backing up” the play. Outfielders especially need to know where to go when a ball is hit. Expect your players to be paying attention. It’s ok to get on them a bit to remind them to back up a play.

h. Catchers and infielders should learn to do pickoffs at 1B and 3B. Outfielders need to back up the play.

i. Work on your relays from the outfield. Outfielders need to hit the cutoff man. And the cutoff man needs to be in the proper position with respect to the base and must learn to catch the ball on his glove side as turns to make the relay throw.

j. Batters will sometimes back out or get “happy feet” when they face kid pitching. Make sure the kids know to turn their back to the ball as they get out of the way of an errant pitch. Comfort at the plate comes with success... and success comes with many opportunities.

4. Drafting the Team

a. Be at all the tryouts. Have a system in place to evaluate players. Know what characteristics you care about.

b. Objectively judge the players during tryouts. You may want to give a player a better/worse score based on your knowledge of him.

c. Before the draft, assemble your tryout notes so you know the general rank of the players. Know what you might do with your first pick and have several alternate plans.

d. Draft a strong pitcher. When in doubt, choose a pitcher.

e. Draft a good catcher. He will be there to prevent wild pitches and to throw out runners.

f. Choose other players based on a variety of reasons. Many times, you already know many of the players in the draft due to previous seasons.

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g. Treat the draft seriously. A manager greatly influences the wins/losses of his team by the effectiveness of his draft.

5. Game Day (lineups, strategy, and attitude)

a. In Minors, it’s pretty reasonable to begin plugging guys into certain positions. Each player should probably learn 2-3 positions. You will likely use only 1-2 catchers. You may use 3-5 pitchers.

b. You do not have to play everyone in the infield. Some coaches still aim to do this, and that’s fine.

c. With respect to a Minor batting lineup, here’s a strategy for putting a lineup together. Look for a leadoff hitter that has good speed and good contact. He should be a good baserunner (fast/smart). The second batter doesn’t have to be quite as fast, and he should be able to bunt. Number 3 and number 4 hitters should have the best average on the team, and the number 4 hitter should have the better power of the two. Numbers 5-8 can be decent contact hitters. One theory is that 5-8 should like 1-4, except the players aren’t quite as strong. The bottom of the lineup will likely be a couple guys who struggle. If possible, look for decent speed in your last batter. Let him know why he’s last (lower average but good speed). Remember that if he gets on base, you “turn the corner” to the top of the lineup where you should have good speed.

d. As a manager, use plenty of strategy to win games. It’s ok to steal, fake steal, and delay steal. It’s ok to bunt, fake bunt, and take a pitch. Just don’t have your team stand there with their bat on their shoulder all game long.

e. For signs, you should probably use an indicator.

f. It is important to know the Little League pitching rules and to properly track your pitchers. A rule of thumb is that Minor pitchers should pitch no more than 50 to 60 pitches in a game, excluding warm-up pitches. Keep track of your pitch count.

g. You need to know when you should talk with your pitcher (to correct mechanics, give him a breather, and have him settle down). You need to know when to pull your pitcher. And you need to be a good communicator with your pitcher. Often, a pitcher gets real down when he’s pulled from a game.

h. Kids will only learn to hit the ball if they are committed to hitting instead of walking. Have your kids prepared to hit. Don’t let them keep their bat on their shoulder just so your team can get a walk. The occasional “take” sign is fine. Just don’t have the kids wait until they have 2 strikes before they even think about swinging.

i. You may want to have choices for the situation where there are runners at first and third. The offense may steal the runner from first to second. You will probably have a few choices, such as:

1. Pump throw from catcher (may catch runner at third base leaning)

2. Throw down to second base to get the stealing runner

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3. Trick play where catcher throws to pitcher or shortstop in a way to get the runner at third leaning

j. Don’t argue with the umpires about ball/strike, fair/foul, and safe/out calls. Many umpires for Minors are learning to call games. They will have inconsistent strike zones, but you and your players need to understand this. We don’t want you to run off our hard- working volunteer umpires. Don’t blame losses on the umpires.

k. Know when to throttle down your dominating offense. If you are killing a team, you need to know when to stop your constant stealing and taking extra bases. It is a sign of good sportsmanship.

l. If your team is losing real badly, that is often a good time to put in another pitcher to get him some live action. You don’t have to stick with him long, maybe just a few batters. But it’s a good way to see what he’s like in a game situation.

m. Many managers in Minor and up do not give out game balls. It is difficult for all kids to earn a game ball because of the limited opportunities.

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Managing a Major Team

1. Overview

a. The Major division is where all the ballplayers have solid skills. You no longer have kids that are unable to catch, field, throw, or hit. Some players may be stronger than others, but you can be confident all players are capable. Of course, it doesn’t mean they won’t make mistakes.

b. Some Major players are downright excellent ballplayers. They regularly make all the plays, have the strongest arm, have the strongest bat, etc.

c. Major games are usually close, as good pitching and timely hitting are critical. That means the games can be fairly stressful (for the manager, the coaches, the players, and especially the fans).

2. Communication

a. The players are in middle-school. They have great responsibilities at school and can carry a significant level of responsibility on the field.

b. You can work with a lot of Major players at the same time. In fact, some things require working with them as a group. Many Major practices are scrimmages against other Major teams.

c. Your official coaches and many other dads have helped for years. Get their help to throw batting practice, work the infield, be the pitching coach, etc.

d. The parents have been with the league for a long time. They know more baseball than they ever had. And their kids are now good baseball players. Expect to be second- guessed by parents for your managerial moves more than ever.

e. Set your expectations for the players/parents about playing time, pitching, etc. at your team meeting. Keep this communication going and reinforce your expectations throughout the season. Some players (esp. 11-yr-olds) may have very little playing time. Those players and parents need a little extra communication.

f. The 12-yr-olds are your team leaders.

3. New Concepts

a. In Majors, you field nine players defensively. The other players are substitutes. There is a continuous batting order so all the kids bat. Managing the game is harder because you also have to manage the defensive substitutions.

b. Pitchers can throw breaking balls in Majors. Although a pitcher should not throw a curve because of the strain it puts on the elbow, throwing a slip-pitch, slider, etc. is a good idea. Location of the pitch is very important. A pitcher cannot just groove fastballs down the middle. Most Major batters can hit a good fastball. The changeup is still an effective pitch.

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c. The running game is less important. Catchers are stronger and will throw out the runner. Baserunners typically advance on hits and passed balls.

d. Outfielders are more important than ever. They need to cover a lot of ground, have a good glove, and have a strong arm.

4. Drafting the Team

a. Be at all the tryouts. Have a system in place to evaluate players. Know what characteristics you care about.

b. Objectively judge the players during tryouts. You may want to give a player a better/worse score based on your knowledge of him. You may know these players from many years of play.

c. Before the draft, assemble your tryout notes so you know the general rank of the players. Know what you might do with your first pick and have several alternate plans.

d. Draft a couple strong pitchers. Pitching is the most important thing in Majors.

e. Draft a good catcher. He will be there to prevent wild pitches and to throw out runners.

f. Choose other players based on a variety of reasons. You may want the best hitters, regardless of defense. You may want to draft by position need (“ok, now I need a first baseman”).

g. Treat the draft seriously. A manager greatly influences the wins/losses of his team by the effectiveness of his draft.

5. Game Day (lineups, strategy, and attitude)

a. In Majors, players generally have an assigned position. They may be the starter or the backup, but they generally know their position. Some players may have a couple different positions (e.g., SS and P).

b. It is important to know the Little League substitution rules and to properly track your players. Make sure everyone gets into the game the required amount, including games that end in the fourth inning due to a 10-run mercy rule.

c. It is important to know the Little League pitching rules and to properly track your pitchers. A rule of thumb is that Major pitchers should pitch no more than 65 to 80 pitches in a game, excluding warm-up pitches. Keep track of your pitch count.

d. Setting up your Major lineup may be difficult. You have to figure out which players to sit and which to play. You have to figure how to pair up substitutes and starters. You need to know what your options are for pitching and arrange substitutions accordingly.

e. You need to know when you should talk with your pitcher (e.g., to correct mechanics, give him a breather, have him settle down). You need to know when to pull your pitcher. And you need to be a good communicator with your pitcher. If he gets down after being pulled, you can’t afford him moping at another position.

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f. Don’t argue with the umpires about ball/strike, fair/foul, and safe/out calls. Although Major umpires are generally experienced, they can make mistakes. If their strike zone is consistent but you don’t like it, make sure the pitcher/catcher adjust. Even if you think you drew an ump who’s having a bad game, keep your composure. We don’t want you to run off our hard-working volunteer umpires. Don’t blame losses on the umpires.

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Suggested Drills / Games

These drills/games have been submitted by coaches and may be of use to you.

1. Around the Horn: Place a fielder at 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, and C. Have the other 5 players wear a helmet and run. Hit a grounder to 2B. On contact, the runner takes off and rounds all 4 bases. The 2B fields the ball and flips to the SS covering 2B. The SS then fires to 1B, who then fires to C. The C throws to 3B, and 3B throws back to the C. If done without errors, the defense will get the ball back to the C before the runner scores. If the defense wins, that’s an out. If the runner scores first (typically because of a mistake by the defense), that’s a run. Play until 3 outs and then switch. This is good for Peewee and Minors. You’ll think the Peewee team will never get the out, but they really do. This is a good game to show how important every throw is. Even if 1 of the 5 throws is bad, that’s all it takes to cost a run.

2. Game of Points: This is good towards the middle/end of the season. It’s good for Rookie/Peewee level. Have a scrimmage at practice. But instead of keeping score with runs, keep score with points. Split the team into two groups. First group goes on defense. Second group bats. Each batter gets 5-10 pitches. For a foul ball (Rookie), give say 5 points. For a meager grounder to the pitcher or 1B, give 10 points. For a sharp infield hit, give 20 points. For a smack line drive to the outfield, give 50 points. The bigger the numbers, the more excited the kids are. Keep a tally sheet. If the defense makes a nice play on the ball, give the defense 50 points. You could make up the points every time you play, and it depends on what you want to emphasize. Add up the points at the end to determine the winner.

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Other Resources

There are many resources for additional coaching drills/techniques. On the Internet, there is a good selection of baseball tips/drills at:

• eTeamz Tips and Drills: http://www.eteamz.com/baseball/instruction/tips/

• Kent WA Little League: http://www.kentll.org/coachcorner.htm

• Coaching Association of Canada: http://www.coach.ca/e/tips/tips.htm#baseball

• Nedco Sports / Hit 2 Win: http://www.hit2win.com/coachdrills.html

• Milford Youth Baseball (Coaching 101): http://www.milfordyouthbaseball.com/coaching/coaching101.html

• Little League Baseball “Skills & Drills” Video/DVDs: https://shopping.littleleague.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=7&cat=Books+%26+Video s

These links are provided as a convenience. First Colony Little League does not control or endorse any of these sites.

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