Coaching Made Easier

Spring is Coming!!!

When it’s so cold outside its hard to remember that spring is right around the corner.  With spring comes the crack of the bat and getting out on the field to knock off the cobwebs that developed over the fall and winter months.  League sign-ups will be starting soon and it’s not too early to begin your preparation for the season.  After the obvious things such as:

• Making sure your heart is in it (if you are reading this blog most likely your heart is into coaching youth),
• Making the decision to coach and,
• Making certain that your league is in need of volunteers (seldom a problem).

Your decision has been made and your league needs your help – it’s time to prepare yourself for the upcoming season.  Here are some suggestions:

• Dust off your gear:  get your clipboard ready, spreadsheets, stats software, and any other equipment you plan to use.
• Line up your assistant coach:  find that person who compliments your abilities.  If you do not understanding coaching pitchers, for instance, you may want to look for a coach who was a pitcher or at least understands pitching techniques.  If you are not administratively oriented find a coach who is.  You get the picture – it doesn’t do you any good to find a clone of yourself but rather a coach who is somewhat your opposite.
• Check with your league to see if there is anything that you can do to assist in the registration process – they are always anxious for additional help.
• Consider suggesting that your league hosts a coach’s clinic to assist the coaches in becoming better coaches.  There are many reputable people who offer this type of clinic including this writer.  For more information on my clinic contact me at info@coachingmadeeasier.net.
• Plan the agenda for your initial parents meeting – my blog post of September 5, 2008 discusses this meeting and there is a sample agenda included in that post.
• Start to sketch out your goals for your team for the upcoming season.
• Plan your first couple of practices.
• Encourage kids to sign up to play.

All of these things will give you a head start on the season.  While you are cooped up in the winter keep your sights set on the spring and take the first steps now to prepare for a rewarding season.

Grocery Store Tread Mill

As the draft comes to a conclusion you may not have a clear understanding of what kind of team you drafted. You’ve been looking at numbers associated with names that you may or may not know.  The numbers were developed by a group of observers during try-outs, etc.  You get my point.  Your role will be to develope this random group of players into a team.  The chemistry will be coordinated by you and your assistants.  Many things I discuss in this blog and in my book, Coaching Made Easier speak to the development of a “team”.

The reality of the players you have selected will, for the most part, show themselves on the field of play in games and in practices.  There are those times, however, where you get a foretaste of what you might have in store for you for the season.  I vividly recall the draft of the 1997 “Birds” team when I caught a glimpse of one of my players outside of the ball field.

I was checking out at a local grocery store when I noticed of one of my players.  We had had our first practice so I had met the players and their parents.  I recognized Little Johnny.  I remember when I met him that he was on the small side and seemed to have a lot of energy as is not that unusual for a 9 or 10 year old boy.  Little did I know how much energy.  As I was wasting time reading the ridiculous headlines of the rags that are racked in the checkout lanes, I caught some activity out of the corner of my eye.

Little Johnny had climbed up on the conveyor belt designed to carry food items to the cash register and was using it as his personal tread mill.  Boys will be boys so I was not alarmed that Little Johnny had climbed onto the check-out conveyor.  What concerned me was Little Johnny’s mom’s reaction to the scene.  “Johnny you better get down from there you might hurt yourself.”  There was no urgency in her voice and she did not seem upset by her son’s behavior.  The store clerk had to stop the conveyor and lift Little Johnny back down to the ground.

It was at that point that I realized that I was in for a long season with Little Johnny.  I was correct, he was a problem child from the first practice to our last game.  Little attention and discipline from his parents parlayed into a discipline problem for us.  It was the only time in my coaching days that I felt like I had a player that I couldn’t control – he was not used to being controlled at home.  Needless to say he got placed on our “never draft again” list.  There was nothing in Johnny’s numbers that would have predicted trouble.  As you play other teams take note of the attitudes of the players and note those that exhibit behavior that could turn out to be trouble for you in building team.

I would never lay all the responsibility of a season and our ability to create “team” on one little boy but that season was a challenge in many ways and this one small seed at least contributed to our poor showing – this was the only year that the “Birds” did not receive a trophy from the league as a champion or runner-up.  Be observant and keep good notes not only on good players but also on players that could spell trouble.

Intelligent Drafting is Not Just for NASCAR

In NASCAR racing, drafting is where cars line up in close order to reduce the effect of wind resistance on the car – this reduces energy consumption and makes the race team more effective. The process and good execution places the race team in a better place to win. NASCAR is not alone in the techniques of drafting. In baseball, drafting a good team positions you in a better place to win as well. As a coach the drafting of your team will probably be the single most important event in the development of your team – it provides you with the talent on which to build your team.

I developed a winning tradition in the league and many of my “tricks of the trade” are shared in my book. But if I had to pick an area that requires the coach to spend as much time as available in preparation it is in the draft. Leagues have various ways to handle the process but generally you will have time to review the draft list generated following the tryouts. Leagues hold this information close to the vest as it can be demoralizing for players and parents to see their son way down in the skill list or create ego problems at the other end of the scale. Most of my tips on drafting are basic common sense but the tips do work.

If at all possible get involved in the tryouts – this gives you and your assistant coach firsthand experience with the players and allows you to pick out those players you wish to go after in the draft. Keep a 3x5 card in your pocket to take notes as your memory will fail you as you see hundreds of players going through the process.

I was often accused of “stacking” my teams by opposing coaches but I can assure you that everything I did on draft day was totally above board and within the confides of the leagues rules.

Pay particular attention to your pitchers as you draft – pitching is a key to victories as you will wish to limit the innings you use your young pitchers. Nearly all leagues have rules governing this but with or without rules you would never want to damage a young person’s arm by over-use. Do not pay attention to how attractive a player’s mother happens to be but watch how attractively a player throws the ball from short to first. Be on the lookout for younger brothers of older players – they tend to have an abundance of skill as they usually have opportunity to play with the older brother and his friends. Look at those kids who took the extra effort to try out as a pitcher (most leagues set up a separate station for pitchers to throw).  Not everyone who tries out for pitching is an athlete but they at least have confidence in themselves – this self confidence can be coached and developed so pay attention to the players on the pitching tryout list. If your league times the players as a part of the tryout go for the faster players – speed cannot be taught. If your league spans two years - always pick players in the older of the two ages if everything else is equal. Age can be a differentiator at the early ages.

Be sure to get the free download of the first chapter of my new book here and read the pages on the draft. Happy drafting!