It’s never a bad decision to coach little league baseball. If your children are playing, this will be a great way to spend more time with them. If not, then you’re doing your community a favor by helping the local little league enjoy playing baseball.
But it’s not as easy as you might think. Before you dive into coaching little kids, you should prepare yourself for the challenge. You should also ensure that the kids will be safe at all times. This means you’ll have to take extra measures to protect them, like purchasing a baseball mouthguard for each player.
If you’re serious about coaching little league this year, here are some guidelines you should keep in mind.
Read your league handbook
Because little league baseball isn’t just a favorite pastime but also a serious sporting event for all communities in the country, organizations in charge of these events have already produced manuals and rulebooks for coaches. So, the first thing on your agenda is to familiarize yourself with your little league’s handbook.
Your handbook will tell you what information you need to get from your players. And most of these required data would be about their medical issues. Before you let children play in your team, be sure that they’re in good condition to play.
Chat with the kids’ parents
You also need to speak with all of the parents of your players. They need to know how you plan to coach their children. They also want to know how you’ll go about letting each child play in the field. Basically, they want assurance from you that their little ones will be safe when they’re under your care.
What you don’t want to tell your players’ parents is your strategy for every game. When it comes to their kids, most parents want them to be at the center stage. So if you tell them your game plan, except that they’ll try to change it to put the spotlight on their children.
Just give them an idea of what you’re planning to do, but stop short of revealing your whole strategy. Never give your players’ parents an opportunity to walk all over you. You need to let them know that you’re the boss of your team.
Keep it simple
You’re managing kids here, so avoid using baseball jargon that they might not understand yet. Also, kids have a short attention span, so avoid revealing your game plan and just give them instructions. Keep everything simple and direct.
Be a good role model
You’re not only a coach of a little league baseball team. You’re also the role model of all those kids. Be sure that you’re in your best behavior on the field and in the locker room. This means you can’t swear, scream at the umpire, or even vent your frustration by throwing your cap or kicking the cooler.
Remember that you’re working with kids, and not professional baseball players. Be careful with your words and the way you handle an error or defeat. Your kids are always watching you, so it’s up to you to show them how a great coach is supposed to behave during a game.