Just took on a new coaching job. Help!

Sweet Lou said:

The NECC DVD can be purchased here - The New England Catching Camp - Online Store
The Wasserman High Level throwing e-book can be purchased here - High Level Throwing: Baseball Edition E-Book – $50.00
The Kobota defensive drills DVD here - DVD’s | Softball Skills.com

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^^^ This ^^^

And has been said by others: have a plan in place, and practice to the plan. Set time limits for any drill or skill development, and only deviate if they show proficiency in the skill early (IOW, it's ok to cut a drill short if they're all doing it well and correctly; but don't extend the drill, just hold it again the next day). It is far too easy to get bogged down on a single skill. Discuss it, demonstrate it, have them practice it, then move on.

Each skill taught should build on previously taught material, so look to create progressive practice plans.

GunnerShotgun:

You will get the least amount of return working on the following: Hitting, pitching, fielding ground balls, and the catching position.

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I agree with everything except the fielding ground balls. IMHO, you get the most benefit from working on fielding ground balls and catching popups.

If your players are mostly coming from the rec leagues or lower level travel, you may want to consider taking them all to watch an upper level 18U A travel team or college team practice (not the right time of year for college though). When players this age see what it is supposed to look like (in addition to being well instructed) it can help them tremendously.

Also find a team leader, someone who is not afraid to play hard and make mistakes and work with her to set an example. Creating a common team mindset to push each other to achieve a goal that you and the team have set will go a long way to success.

Don't be afraid to plagiarize. There are numerous online videos, articles, interviews with and references from the great coaches like Mike Candrea, Ralph Raymond, Sue Enquist, Joan Joyce, Michael Bastian, Sharron Backus, Carol Hutchings etc. available that may give you some interesting approaches and ideas...use their successes and failures as a guide so you don't have to start from scratch.

If it's allowed in MS you may want to do some scrimmaging against older teams as well to get them used to making decisions and executing real time. It seems like players this age tend to "play up" when facing opponents that they are not supposed to beat if they have the right mindset.

Peachy, one thing that already puts you ahead of many of your peers is you are humble enough to know there is a big difference between playing and coaching. The fact that you are aware of that, and seeking input, tells me you're going to be hugely successful!

Thanks, Ken! I hope you're right!

An update: We had our first practice yesterday. Considering how undercoached they have been in the past, it went well. I'm genuinely excited to see how we progress. We've got a long way to go. Thankfully, our varsity girls graciously took them under their wings. We'll probably end up scrimmaging in a few weeks. Until then, we have so much mental work! I just finished creating a quiz to give them Tuesday. Depending on the results, we may have a whole practice inside a classroom versus outside. Is that a totally wild idea or what? Lol! Thanks, again!


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peachyvolgirl said:

Thanks, Ken! I hope you're right!

An update: We had our first practice yesterday. Considering how undercoached they have been in the past, it went well. I'm genuinely excited to see how we progress. We've got a long way to go. Thankfully, our varsity girls graciously took them under their wings. We'll probably end up scrimmaging in a few weeks. Until then, we have so much mental work! I just finished creating a quiz to give them Tuesday. Depending on the results, we may have a whole practice inside a classroom versus outside. Is that a totally wild idea or what? Lol! Thanks, again!


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Care to post or PM a copy of the quiz?

I know a lot of this is super simple, but keep in mind, these are kids that got run-ruled every game last year and the kids who, when running bases yesterday, were told to run from 1st to 3rd and ran straight across the diamond...


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It sounds like a perfect situation for a young person to start as a head coach. Working with middle school aged kids will avoid most of the unavoidable drama that at least one parent brings to every high school team. Having played travel, HS and some college fully qualifies you in the knowledge of the game department. The one skill set that you may have instinctively or you may need to develop is the ability to teach. You will be teaching softball and obviously need to know of what you speak but the ability to teach those skills is an entirely additional thing. Some kids respond well when you are stern with them, others shut down. All of them will lead you to believe that they understand what you have just taught them but not a single one of them will retain that knowledge tomorrow and you will have to repeat the lesson all over again (usually 3 to 5 times until they actually absorb it).
A written practice plan is a good idea. Designing your practices to be as efficient as possible will amplify the beneficial results. Don't line up 14 kids at short and hit them grounders, one at a time, that they throw back to you. Take the time while you are writing your practice plans to try and always have as many people as possible doing something other than watching someone else practicing.
Last thing, as I've seen others suggest, steal anybodies else's idea, drill or whatever. Use it and adapt it to your needs and feel not one little bit guilty for doing so.

Anybody have any suggestions about how to conduct a classroom session? We have a two hour time frame for most practices. I figure a 45 minute study session could do them a world of good. Where should I start? Should I have them take notes? Lecture or discussion?


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I would have some video to show them if possible. It's a lot easier to understand things when you see them in action.