By: Coach Tony,
My philosophy of coaching is very important to me, and I make sure I give a copy of it to every parent during my beginning of the season team meeting. My coaching philosophy goes like this. I believe that kids are playing sports to have fun, butif they only wanted to have fun they would play sandlot ball. They are on an organized team to learn and improve their skills. However, it is the coaches responsibility to provide the material in a way that the kids can best retain. The one thing I have learned through working with kids in my job and through coaching is that, first and foremost kids like to be entertained. Therefore, I try to run my practices in a way that will keep the kids interested, and teach them something. I am a firm believer that a kid will learn as much as a coach is willing to teach, and despise the phrase, "they(the team) cannot do that". I was raised to see I can't as I won't. Another saying I like is, "discipline is not the enemy of enthusiasm". It is my experience that kids need and My strategy is to encourage EVERY BATTER to swing the bat. I really dislike seeing a coach, repeatedly make kids b
unt. How are they ever going to improve, or gain confidence, swingin the bat if they always have to bunt. Rational like, "Oh he's got good speed" or "that is the only way he can get on base" or "well if he is only going to strike out, we might as well try and have him lay down a bunt", this rational is absolutely absurd to me. I am not saying that I have never called the bunt for a basehit but not on a regular basis. I do believe in bunting ANY player if the situation calls for it (tie or 1 run game). All other things equal baserunning separates teams. The biggest thing I like to do is to teach my baserunners to have a brain of their own and think about base running decisions. If a player can make a decision on his own, it cuts down on time that usually is taken to hear what the coach is saying and respond. And as any coach knows indecisiveness is the number one cause of baserunning blunders. Team Rules 1)no gum-Choking hazard 2) no food 3) no mommy/daddy visits 4) help put all equipment away 5) leave discussion with umpire to me 6) STAY LOUD. Hope this is not too much, but I am an Italian that likes to talk(or in this case type)
Date: October 06, 1998 at 22:57
respond positive to organization and structure. And if a coach expects a player to come prepare, he must be prepared as well. If a kid is willing to put the effort in he will do fine on my team. Mistakes happen; the kids will make them; I will make them. But the one thing that I cannot tolerate is lack of effort. Not every boy can play any position, I am a firm believer in playing kids in positions that they will play in the future (this means no lefty 1b,ss,3rd) and in positions that they are ready for. My players know that if they do not come to practice ready to play down in the dirt, hustle defense, then they might as well not even bring their bats. I like to grind the fundamentals. You know little things like making sure every kid on the kid has good throwing mechanics. Nothing drives me more crazy (other than ball caps worn backwards) than kids that cannot throw the ball the proper way.
However, with a guy on third I like to leave the fat of my runner in the hands of my batter. Some of my baserunning rules are, 1)Always know where the ball is 2) There is a fine line between aggressive and stupid 3) Think double until they hold you to a single. At the plate I encourage contact, hacking away at anything close until you get something you can drive, with strike zones changingwith every umpire you cannot wait for the umpire to strike you out.