Baseball Confederation of Oceania LEVEL 0 BASEBALL COACHES ACCREDITATION COURSE Prepared by Baseball Confederation of Oceania (Continental Division of the International Baseball Association) BASEBALL’S BILL OF RIGHTS FOR YOUNG ATHLETES 3 LEVEL 0 COACHES ACCREDITATION COURSE 5 Theory - Section one 5 Coaching Effectiveness 5 COACHING DEVELOPMENTAL FORMAT 7 Practice Organization 10 Practice Plan for Youth Players 11 Fundamentals Skills Check List 11 Base Coaches Responsibilities 12 Sport Science 13 Conditioning 14 Basic Rules 15 Section Two 20 Throwing Mechanics 20 Catching a Thrown Ball 21 PITCHING MECHANICS 22 Catching Skills 24 Base Running 27 Infielding Skills 27 Outfielding 30 HITTING FUNDAMENTALS 31 2 BASEBALL’S BILL OF RIGHTS FOR YOUNG ATHLETES ONE: SIX: The right to participate in sports regardless of The right to play as a child and not as an adult - ability - non-selectiveness of community community league organisational philosophy based sports. promotes equal participation, employment and skills development. TWO: The right to participate at a level that is SEVEN: commensurate with each child’s developmental The right to proper preparation for the level - field and rule adaptation for various participation in sport - the use of specific lead age levels. up activities and technique application for more effective skills acquisition. THREE: The right to have adult leadership - youth EIGHT: baseball coaches guided through the The right to an equal opportunity to strive for Australian Baseball Federation’s National success - entire side bats through each Coaching Accreditation Scheme. offensive half inning and defensive rotation each turn in the field. FOUR: The right to participate in safe and healthy environments - the use of special equipment NINE: such as sponge balls, batting helmets, The right to be treated with dignity by all those protective catching equipment, rules to involved - non-s specialisation in youth protect pitchers. baseball engenders positive self-image among participants. FIVE: The right of each child to share in the leadership TEN: and decision - making of their participatory The right to have fun through sports -everyone sport - player’s evaluation of the league bats and everyone touches the ball program and subsequent rule adjustments Adapted from: Bill of Rights for Young Athletes, Youth Sports Guide for Coaches and Parents. AAHPER Publications, Washington DC 1977. 3 BASEBALL COACHES GUIDE Sixteen-hour introductory course for baseball coaches, tee ball coaches, teachers and community youth leaders. Foreword This guide forms an introduction to the Federation’s integrated baseball coaching course. It was developed so that community youth leaders, teachers, tee ball coaches and coaches in junior baseball would have a better understanding of the basic skills required to participate in the sport of baseball, and, of course, in Tee Ball. The modified game of Tee Ball is the most popular game in the world and, if children are going to be introduced to the game, it is important that they are taught the proper fundamentals. This not only improves their performance in the game; it also leads to greater enjoyment of the game. Acknowledgments: The Baseball Confederation of Oceania is grateful to the following individuals for their contribution to this introductory guide: Ray Brown, Development Officer, Baseball Confederation of Oceania Chet Gray, Executive Director, Baseball Confederation of Oceania Wayne Durbidge Resources. Ray Brown Development Officer Baseball Confederation of Oceania Illustrations by How to Play Baseball and Nancy Osinksi Espinoza Additional illustrations by webball Level 0 Coaching Accreditation Course 4 Level 0 Coaches Accreditation Course The level 0 Baseball Coaches Accreditation Course's prime aim is to introduce the novice baseball coach with the understanding of coaching guidelines and fundamentals. The course is divided into two sections. The first section deals with the theory of coaching, this section covers coaching effectiveness, practice organization, sport science and conditioning. The second section deals with the fundamental mechanics of baseball, throwing and receiving, pitching, catching, base-running, in-fielding, out-fielding and hitting. Theory - Section one 1. Coaching Effectiveness 2. Coaching Development 3. Practice Organization 4. Sport Science 5. Basic Rules Coaching Effectiveness 1. Why are you coaching? a. No one else b. My son or daughter is playing c. I enjoy working with kids d. I want to contribute to my community 2. Why youth aged players are participating a. To try a new sport b. Their friends are playing c. Their parents make them 3. Responsibilities of the coach a. To treat each player with respect b. To give each player the opportunity to participate c. To be a good role model d. To ensure that safe conditions are used e. To know the rules and skills f. To teach your players to: Sense - what is happening Decide - what to do Act - to carry out their plan 4. Communication a. To let players know what you expect b. To make sure your players understand c. To have rules that are for everyone d. Find out what they think e. Winning, where it fits in Level 0 Coaching Accreditation Course 5 5. Positioning of players - pitchers - catchers - infielders - outfielders 1: Pitcher 2: Catcher INFIELD 3: First base 4: Second Baseman 5: Third Baseman 6: Short Stop OUTFIELD 7: Left Fielder 8: Centre Fielder 9: Right Fielder Level 0 Coaching Accreditation Course 6 Coaching Developmental Format T-Ball age -6 to 8 It is recommended that this age group have a ten week program geared to the introduction of basic baseball skills. Coaches should understand that at this level winning is not important. To play, have fun and interact with others are the main reasons for participating. Coaches at this level should not be too demanding or too technical. Coaches should have a basic understanding of the skills, first aid and be prepared to let their players learn, have fun and participate, everybody plays. For T-Ball players there should be one practice and one game per week. Practice sessions should cover basic fundamentals of positions, how outs are recorded, base running, catching, throwing and how to grip and swing the bat. Practices or games should be no longer than one hour. Anything much longer than one hour will start to become boring to the player. It is recommended that they have a season of ten weeks with one game per week. Youth Aged - 9 to 12 It is recommended that this age group have a ten-week program geared to the understanding and development of basic baseball skills. Coaches must realize that at this age winning is still secondary. To learn, have fun, play and be with their friends are why players are participating. To coach at this level the coach should have a basic understanding of baseball skills, first aid, and practice organization. He must be willing to allow all his players to participate in all practices and games. This is the level that you as a coach will be the most influential in developing a players attitude on always doing his best regardless of the score. For youth league players there should be at least two practice sessions per week and one game. Practice sessions should have a structure that includes rules, sliding, throwing, fielding, base running and the introduction of proper batting skills. Practice sessions should be no longer than two hours. If two hours of practice time per week is all that is available, instead of practicing one day for two hours practice two days for one hour. Frequent repetition is better than stuffing all of the practice time into one slot. It is recommended that they play 10 to 18 games. A Division - 13 to 14 Years It is recommended that this age group have a twelve-week program geared to more advanced baseball skills. Players at this age level are playing because they enjoy the game and are good at it. Winning starts to become more important and players start to realize that they will not play equally, constructive criticism can start to be implemented. Once again, you as the coach must enforce the players desire to do his best and not worry about the outcome. At this age level there should be at least two practices and two games per week. Practice sessions should last 1 ½ to 2 hours. Along with the basic fundamentals, advanced skills such as drag and push bunts, hit and run, cut offs and relays should be introduced. Coaches should start developing a more organized practice schedule that will include individual skills for each position. This is necessary to make sure that the athletes are covering all the skills required to improve. It is recommended that they play between 24 to 30 games. To coach a team at this level a coach should have a good knowledge of the skills, a minimum of 10 hours per week to develop the skill of the players, knowledge of first aid, conditioning, stretching, flexibility, bio mechanics and able to organize a practice session. At this level discipline, commitment and an athlete's work ethic are essential to his development. Level 0 Coaching Accreditation Course 7 AA - 15-16 Years It is recommended that this age group have a 16 week playing program and a 12 week strength training program. At this level more advanced baseball skills such as run downs, cut offs and relays, pick offs and pitching strategies should start to be perfected, offense strategies, defensive strategies and strength training should be introduced. Players at this level are playing because they are good, they enjoy the game and they think they have the ability to play at a high level, such as university or professional. Because winning starts to become more important players realize that playing time will not be equal. Players at this level need constant feed back to their performance.