Coaching Little League Baseball

By Guest
Updated: July 13, 2012

Little league baseball can either be a good experience or a bad experience. I think that a lot of it depends on the coaching. I can still remember when I was a kid how much I didn’t like my first coach in baseball. It almost made me not want to play again. I felt like the coach didn’t really allow me to learn the game of baseball, especially since I wasn’t as good as the other players. If you’re looking to become a little league baseball coach, don’t be that coach.

There are many ways to become a little league baseball coach. I think the most common way is volunteering. Whether it is one of your kids’ teams or just a random team, you can find one. Now obviously depending on the age group you will need to coach the game a little bit differently. My focus is more on leagues that are less competitive. That’s mainly because that’s where I got my start.

Have fun and give importance

If you are coaching young kids playing for their very first time, a lot of them are going to have no clue how to play the game of baseball. So the most important thing you can do as a coach is have fun. It’s the only thing that is going to make them want to come back and continue learning so that they can one day know how to play. Even if the kids are a little bit older and have a good concept of the game of baseball, most likely there is still going to be that kid who doesn’t play as well as others. Make sure he or she feels just as important as the rest of the team. Give them the same opportunities as you would anybody else. You still want the game to be fun, so make it that way!

Every player is equal

I think it’s important as a coach to allow the players to play every position. This not only will make it fun for the kids but it will allow you as a coach to find out what positions they are best at and you can lead them in that direction. Also, give them equal playing time. No kid should get less playing time. The batting order should be switched around as well. In little league baseball you don’t need to bat the best batters at the top of the lineup. There’s no problem with mixing it up a bit. As you do these things, all the players are going to enjoy it more because they will begin to learn what they like and don’t like.

No need to get angry

Finally, don’t get upset at any of your players. If this isn’t a competitive league, high school, college, etc, there’s no reason to get upset at the way a kid is playing. You have to find a way to teach them to do better without making them seem like they are doing something wrong. Easier said than done but it’s possible. This also will go a long way with the parents. They will see the respect that you have for their children and that is always a positive.

Following these tips will make your coaching experience fun and successful. Who knows, you might even learn a thing or two.

Author Bio

This article was written by Charlie, a sports enthusiast. Charlie or a.k.a the iMovie Guy is a regular blogger and film professional. His dream is to film sports professionally one day. Currently his blogging hobby is to help beginner video editors understand editing software.