About Coach Craig and Coach JB (me)
When my best friend at work asked if I'd like to help him coach T-Ball I eagerly accepted. Coach Craig Ouellette and I have been good friends since I moved to Florida in 2004. Our season started a few weeks ago and we had our first game yesterday. Craig is the head coach of the Reds, one of 4 teams in the Hunter's Creek T-Ball league. As an assistant coach I am writing this blog to record the learnings I've made throughout the process in hopes that it may serve useful to new T-Ball coaches and parents.
One thing you should know about me is that I am a very competitive person. Even at at my work whee they make you take a test to see what your top strengths are, Competition ranked number one, no surprise to me. My others are (Relator, Achiever, Restorative and Futuristic). I think the Competition strength stems from having been involved in sports my whole life. As far as baseball goes, I've played through college and play/coach softball now at age 34. In all aspects of the game I've played to win.
Winning
I have been told by many that little league baseball is not about winning, it's about learning the fundamentals of the game, the social interactions of a team, how to be a good sport and ultimately about have fun. As hard as it is for me to admit, I have to agree with this,... sort of. I agree that at this level there should be little focus on the outcome of the game and more focus on having fun. I like the team huddle that Craig does after practices and games where we all put our hands in and yell "Big Red Machine" on 3. He is an outstanding motivator for young kids and I look forward to learning from his years of coaching young kids.
What I've observed after our first game, is this: Kids even at age 4-6 show the will to succeed and they are reinforced by their coaches and parents. Just listen to the cheer of the parents when a kid hits a ball anywhere in fair territory, or watch the reaction from the coaches on both sides of the field when a kid hits a ball in the outfield. Kids pick up on this positive reinforcement and show an eagerness to play. I realized this when Andrew, our first baseman, asked me if we were going to get to hit again. This question coming a half an inning after he belted one to the outfield. Unfortunately it was the last inning, so I told him, "I wish..., just so I could see you hit again." Realistically not all of your kids are going to be asking you this question. Unless you have a squad of outstanding young talent, there will be some kids that do not start off as strong. As a coach or parent, it is important to stay positive. If they strike out, tell the kid, "good try", and keep encouraging them. While we are not on the field preaching to the kids the importance of winning, we can't forget our commitment to them. We are here to help develop there physical skills as well as their social skills. I think sportsmanship is one of the most important aspects of the game at this level and if we can teach that we are all winners!
Confidence
One of the things I have learned throughout my life is that confidence breeds success. Knowing you can do something is critical to achieving repeatable results. Fear, doubt and disbelief are all obstacles that get in the way of a kid's ability to execute the fundamentals of the game. Being confident allows the kid to focus on the immediate task at hand without any distracting negative thoughts. Since most of the kids are new to the game, confidence needs to be built. I have seen it start to develop in some of our kids already. Early success his helpful. However, I have seen some setbacks wih a few kids that we will need to work through. For example, one of our kids was hit in the face in practice and left the field with a bloody nose. In yesterday's game it was decided that we would have the coaches pitch from a knee about 35 feet away from the kids. If they missed 3 times we would Tee the ball and give them 2 swings. I really liked this approach because it helps develop the players at a young age. I noticed when the kid that left practice with the bloody nose approached the plate, he stood very far away. It was obvious that the kid developed a fear of the ball. Each pitch I threw he would back away from the ball. There is a positive and a negative to getting hurt at such a young age. The negative is the obvious blow to the kids confidence. The positive is that the kid is now paying more attention to the ball in the field and at the plate. "Keep your eye on the ball" is a critical message that needs to be ingrained the head of each kid. My plan for next weeks practice is to ensure I help build back the confidence of that kid by giving him extra repetitions in the field and at the plate.
2 Practice Tips
1. Assign Positions:
Determine the kids fielding and throwing strengths and assign them positions early. You will want to give them primary and secondary positions. Consider putting your best arms on the left side of the field to account for a longer throw to first base. This is important for a couple of reasons. First when you have your first game they will know where to go on the field instead of needing a coach to position them each inning. Believe me this will speed the game up. Second, the kids will begin to understand the responsibilities for that position sooner. Hopefully you won't have the entire team jumping on top of each other to field a ball. Finally, this will allow you to begin practicing situational drills which will get your kids understanding the game faster.
2. Batting & Base Running Practice:
When taking batting practice have the kids run out their hits to first base. It will be good to have the rest of the team in their assigned positions with your assistant coaches helping them with their area of responsibility. Now, leave the runner on 1st base. When your next batter hits the ball have him run to first base and advance the run at first to second, etc... This is needed in the first few practices to get the kids comfortable with paying attention and running the bases correctly. The draw back is each kid only gets one hit in this drill. If you have enough assistant coaches consider taking one or two kids aside while this is going on and practicing off the Tee in the outfield (away from the action) and subbing them back into the field after they get enough repetitions. Maybe 20 swings a kid.
Conclusion
Overall the coaching experience at this level has been fun and educational. I really like the coaches and the kids on the team and look forward to developing these kids into better ball players. Stay tuned for my next blog post.
When my best friend at work asked if I'd like to help him coach T-Ball I eagerly accepted. Coach Craig Ouellette and I have been good friends since I moved to Florida in 2004. Our season started a few weeks ago and we had our first game yesterday. Craig is the head coach of the Reds, one of 4 teams in the Hunter's Creek T-Ball league. As an assistant coach I am writing this blog to record the learnings I've made throughout the process in hopes that it may serve useful to new T-Ball coaches and parents.
One thing you should know about me is that I am a very competitive person. Even at at my work whee they make you take a test to see what your top strengths are, Competition ranked number one, no surprise to me. My others are (Relator, Achiever, Restorative and Futuristic). I think the Competition strength stems from having been involved in sports my whole life. As far as baseball goes, I've played through college and play/coach softball now at age 34. In all aspects of the game I've played to win.
Winning
I have been told by many that little league baseball is not about winning, it's about learning the fundamentals of the game, the social interactions of a team, how to be a good sport and ultimately about have fun. As hard as it is for me to admit, I have to agree with this,... sort of. I agree that at this level there should be little focus on the outcome of the game and more focus on having fun. I like the team huddle that Craig does after practices and games where we all put our hands in and yell "Big Red Machine" on 3. He is an outstanding motivator for young kids and I look forward to learning from his years of coaching young kids.
What I've observed after our first game, is this: Kids even at age 4-6 show the will to succeed and they are reinforced by their coaches and parents. Just listen to the cheer of the parents when a kid hits a ball anywhere in fair territory, or watch the reaction from the coaches on both sides of the field when a kid hits a ball in the outfield. Kids pick up on this positive reinforcement and show an eagerness to play. I realized this when Andrew, our first baseman, asked me if we were going to get to hit again. This question coming a half an inning after he belted one to the outfield. Unfortunately it was the last inning, so I told him, "I wish..., just so I could see you hit again." Realistically not all of your kids are going to be asking you this question. Unless you have a squad of outstanding young talent, there will be some kids that do not start off as strong. As a coach or parent, it is important to stay positive. If they strike out, tell the kid, "good try", and keep encouraging them. While we are not on the field preaching to the kids the importance of winning, we can't forget our commitment to them. We are here to help develop there physical skills as well as their social skills. I think sportsmanship is one of the most important aspects of the game at this level and if we can teach that we are all winners!
Confidence
One of the things I have learned throughout my life is that confidence breeds success. Knowing you can do something is critical to achieving repeatable results. Fear, doubt and disbelief are all obstacles that get in the way of a kid's ability to execute the fundamentals of the game. Being confident allows the kid to focus on the immediate task at hand without any distracting negative thoughts. Since most of the kids are new to the game, confidence needs to be built. I have seen it start to develop in some of our kids already. Early success his helpful. However, I have seen some setbacks wih a few kids that we will need to work through. For example, one of our kids was hit in the face in practice and left the field with a bloody nose. In yesterday's game it was decided that we would have the coaches pitch from a knee about 35 feet away from the kids. If they missed 3 times we would Tee the ball and give them 2 swings. I really liked this approach because it helps develop the players at a young age. I noticed when the kid that left practice with the bloody nose approached the plate, he stood very far away. It was obvious that the kid developed a fear of the ball. Each pitch I threw he would back away from the ball. There is a positive and a negative to getting hurt at such a young age. The negative is the obvious blow to the kids confidence. The positive is that the kid is now paying more attention to the ball in the field and at the plate. "Keep your eye on the ball" is a critical message that needs to be ingrained the head of each kid. My plan for next weeks practice is to ensure I help build back the confidence of that kid by giving him extra repetitions in the field and at the plate.
2 Practice Tips
1. Assign Positions:
Determine the kids fielding and throwing strengths and assign them positions early. You will want to give them primary and secondary positions. Consider putting your best arms on the left side of the field to account for a longer throw to first base. This is important for a couple of reasons. First when you have your first game they will know where to go on the field instead of needing a coach to position them each inning. Believe me this will speed the game up. Second, the kids will begin to understand the responsibilities for that position sooner. Hopefully you won't have the entire team jumping on top of each other to field a ball. Finally, this will allow you to begin practicing situational drills which will get your kids understanding the game faster.
2. Batting & Base Running Practice:
When taking batting practice have the kids run out their hits to first base. It will be good to have the rest of the team in their assigned positions with your assistant coaches helping them with their area of responsibility. Now, leave the runner on 1st base. When your next batter hits the ball have him run to first base and advance the run at first to second, etc... This is needed in the first few practices to get the kids comfortable with paying attention and running the bases correctly. The draw back is each kid only gets one hit in this drill. If you have enough assistant coaches consider taking one or two kids aside while this is going on and practicing off the Tee in the outfield (away from the action) and subbing them back into the field after they get enough repetitions. Maybe 20 swings a kid.
Conclusion
Overall the coaching experience at this level has been fun and educational. I really like the coaches and the kids on the team and look forward to developing these kids into better ball players. Stay tuned for my next blog post.
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