First-time coach - what have I done??

[Momo'sDad]

A few months ago, I attended a league board meeting with a proposal to improve the league by changing the way the t-ball program is managed. My thought was that improving this program would lead to better retention in 8u/10u/12u and in my mind, improved retention meant that the league would be strengthened over time.

It wasn't my intention when I got there that evening, but I somehow ended up on the Board with the t-ball assignment.

Somehow, though, I couldn't leave well enough alone and now I'm going to be coaching a 10u team.

I've never coached before (was an assistant on DD's first t-ball team 4 years ago, but that doesn't count). I've never played before. There are a lot more rules that I don't know than rules that I do know. Player evaluations are this Sunday. The league draft is Monday.

Did I mention that I've never coached before? What do I do??

 

[FPMark]

Does your league require ACE certification for coaches? If so they should send a book with lots of tips for new coaches and drills you can use for practice. If they don't require it, you can still get certified on your own. The book is geared toward first time coaches. Try this web site: ace.usasoftball.com or you can go to the asa website.

Also while at tryouts look for the girls that can throw the best. They are probably the ones that can hit best also. If you can get a couple of these on your team, one of their dads might make a good assistant. You will need a couple of good assistants.

One word of caution though, don't get too many assistants. Two or three is plenty. You can have parents help out during practice, but you wont want ten people in the dugout on game day. Choose wisely.

Good luck! Once you can breath again, you may find out it's fun!

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

First of all, take a deep breath and relax. This is suppose to be fun, right? Here's some help:

1) The tryouts - take good notes on all of the players and rank them. I like athlete's, kids that are focused, ballers, kids that have older siblings in the league, talk to the parents at every opportunity (you are not only looking for players but parents who are supportive of you and maybe could be assistant coaches).

2) The draft - #1 understand the rules of the draft. Compare your notes of the best players to what your coaching peers think are the best players. Be very prepared and have options. You need pitchers, 1B, and a good catcher (if you have dropped third strike). I also look for kids who can hit even if they are not as proficient in catching, fielding, throwing (those you can teach, with hitting it is a lot more difficult to teach in a season). Look for the diamond in the rough in the latter rounds of the draft, kids with little to no experience but look like they have lots of potential. Also, draft the kid with a parent who can help you coach, preferably one that has been in the league a few years. You need coaching help.

3) Once you have a team, read the league's rules / supplemental rules. Practice as often as possible, delegate admin responsibilites to other parents so you can focus on coaching the players and games. You need to educate yourself on the basics of fielding, throwing, catching, batting, defensive and offensive strategies. Multiple drill stations are critical to prepare your players properly. "Trust but verify" anyone's opinions on anything and everything softball skills related. I can't tell you how much mis-information is floating around the fields. My favorites to stay away from are: "squish the bug"; "hit down on the ball"; "belly button to the pitcher"; "get the lead runner every time"; "use a donut in the on deck circle"; "softball is the same game as baseball"; etc. Good intentioned parents and former youth baseball players especially will give you partially incorrect advice and sometimes flat out wrong advice. Have an open mind but then go verify what someone is telling you makes sense. Look on this website and others that show elite players mechanics and compare that to what you are teaching and seeing with your players.

Remember half the coaches out there don't know what they are doing, so don't worry about it. Lots of patience and a good attitude will take you far in coaching youth sports. You will do great, good luck!

 

[KevinC]

You know volunteer organizations are like a black hole: one you get close you get sucked in and can never get out.

I’ve only been coaching rec ball for a couple of years but hear is my 2 cents:

1. Relax you are going to have a lot of fun. Goals for 10U rec ball are to (a) have fun, (b) become better softball players, and (c) win some games (winning is more fun than losing, right?).
   
2. Get yourself some help. If you know any 10u parents that have been assistant or head coaches before call them and if they are willing to help make sure you get their DD on your team. Your league may have a list of parents that said they would volunteer during registration.
   
3. For the player evaluations bring a pen, clipboard, and a folding chair. I assume your league will have some system for ranking players. There will be a few girls that are “all stars”, a lot of girls in the middle, and a few that have a long way to go. In addition to the scoring system your league uses make notes on girls for your own use during the draft. I would take a girl that can put the bat on the ball and can’t throw or catch before taking a girl that can’t make contact because I think it’s easier to teach throwing and catching than hitting.
   
4. You’re going to need at least two pitchers. Three would be better. Don’t count on getting more than one decent pitcher. Take girls that have interest in pitching and can at least throw the ball pretty hard – hopefully they'll be able to throw strikes with a little coaching.
   
5. During the draft get your pitchers and potential pitchers first and then best players available. Listen to what the other coaches have to say about girls and parents. If a coach doesn’t want to take a player he had last year because of the parents take notice.
   
6. Don’t freak out during your first practice when you realize that your team can’t throw, catch, or hit. Everyone else is in the same boat.
   
7. Work on the basics first and don’t overload them with too much too early.
   
8. In practice avoid having 11 girls standing around while you work with the 12th. Use all the help you can get to have small groups working on different skills.
   
9. Regarding the rules try to get a rule book from your league (getting an ASA rulebook is harder than getting Super Bowl tickets for some reason). For 10U your league may have revised some of the rules to simplify things and keep games from getting out of hand. In my experience most coaches have not actually read the rulebook but think they know all the rules.
   
10. I think ACE certification is a good idea too and will only take you about an hour one evening to watch the videos and and take the test. You don’t need ANY softball knowledge to pass the test – they give you the answers in the videos.

Post back after you’ve drafted your team and I’m sure the fine people here can give you a lot more help.

 

[chinamigarden]

At 10U pick the kids who can throw the hardest and run the fastest. This is the same thing MLB looks for in prospects. The rest can be taught.

Make your goals simple. Don't be discouraged if during your first practice you are teaching things like, which way is first base and when do we run there. Just take that all in stride.

The only way you will know if you are successful is If the kids sign on to play another year, you did your job.

 

[Momo'sDad]

Thanks so much for the tips, everyone! Although I didn't have a chance to reply previously, I did study everyone's posts and kept all this information in mind during this morning's evaluations.

I was glad to see a number of quality players coming into the 8u program for this season, so I'm sure they'll have a much better time overall than they did a year ago.

One of the biggest challenges I'm facing in 10u, though, is that I know so few of the players. I'm the only first-year coach in the group and as of right now, I do not have a manager or assistant. A few of the coaches have partnered up with other coaches whose daughters would be 1st- or 2nd-round picks and I don't have that luxury.

There are two ace pitchers in the division, and one is a coach's daughter. One of the other teams has one solid pitcher already as well, so that leaves three teams to draw for two pitchers. I saw a few girls with great throwing arms who could potentially be developed as pitchers, but if I'm unable to draw the ace, I could be looking at having to start my daughter on Opening Day.

I wonder if the other coaches are agonizing over this as much as I am right now? The draft is tomorrow night and we only got to look at 50 of the 61 girls available. And Momo needs help with her book report.

 

[KevinC]

I think you’ve got the right idea - even if you can’t draft a “pitcher” get some players that can throw hard and hopefully you can get them interested in pitching.

At your first practice I would tell your players that everyone who is interested and willing to work on pitching will get a chance to pitch and the ones that work the hardest will get more time on the mound.

Hopefully your DD actually wants to pitch – I wouldn’t push her into it.

 

[Momo'sDad]

Thanks. Yeah, I've been jotting down my notes to go over during the initial team meeting and one of the high priority items is to talk about how we'll manage the pitching, regardless of whether we get the ace.

My daughter's a dominant 8u pitcher, but based on what little I've seen so far, that will not translate automatically to 10u. A year from now, yes, but I don't know that she's got the accuracy to hang with the older girls yet. While she can throw hard, I don't consider her to be in the same league as the aces who both throw fastball and changeup on demand. I don't know what the other two #1s throw, but according to scuttlebutt, they're both reasonably accurate for this level. She seems to like the pressure, but the pitching situation was the primary reservation I had about having her play up a division this year.