Every baseball player is unique and it’s important to understand and appreciate the differences between players at various age levels.
Consider the group of players you’re working with and the outcomes you want to achieve, and choose your coaching technique accordingly. In no particular order, here are the three coaching techniques that will give you some options to help meet the needs of individual players.
Command
The coach tells the player what to do and demonstrates it.
Example: “Try catching the ball holding your glove like this.”
Question and Answer
The coach leads with a question and requests an answer from a player.
Example: “There are players on first and third with two out. What happens if the ball is hit on the ground to you?”
Guided Discovery
The coach asks a question and issues a challenge.
Example: “If the ball is hit to the left fielder, as the pitcher, what should you do?” The player (pitcher) then demonstrates what to do in the situation.
Remember, a method that works well with one player may not be effective with another. So it’s important to be flexible, to set realistic goals and to give positive feedback as often as possible. It’s also important to remember that, no matter how wonderful a coach you are, it’s very difficult to force a player to be interested in your training session when they don’t really want to be there.
