Pre-Training Routine
Understand the session drills. You need to know the drills quite well because there isn’t much time to look them up when you are on the field and when the players are getting restless waiting for instructions.
Dress like a coach. If you look like a coach, the players may show you more respect and it will give you some confidence as a coach.
Arrive early and get setup. If you don’t arrive early or on time you will find yourself always running behind which will take away from the training session experience for the players and you.
In-Training Routine
Be organized. Being familiar with the session and arriving early will help to get you off to a good start. Having the training material handy will help you stay organized and give you one less thing to think about in case you need to check something or make an adjustment to keep the players interested.
Be enthusiastic. Ultimately, it’s your personality and enthusiasm that will have the biggest impact on your players. You obviously enjoy baseball or you wouldn’t have become a coach, so don’t be afraid to show your love for the game and for the players you are coaching.
Be positive. You are going to help players more by staying positive and looking for good things that a player has done than criticizing a player for making a bad play.
Be loud. To get and keep the players attention and to make sure they hear your instructions, use a firm, clear, and loud voice.
Coaching Methodology
Stop. To deliver a teaching point using one of the teaching techniques—Command, Question and Answer, and Guided Discovery—you need to stop the activity and get the players’ attention.
Demonstrate. Most people learn best if they can see what it looks like.
Rehearse. Let the players try, to make sure they understand before you continue.
Continue. Once you can see that they understand, continue the activity.
Training Session Plan
Dynamic warm-up. The warm-up is to get the players (and coach) moving and loose. The standard warm-up is used at the beginning of every training session. Time: 5 to 15 minutes. See Dynamic Warm-up Exercises.
See Skills and Drills for practice activities.
Game: The game is an opportunity to try out the new technique and to just have some fun. The game can be used at the end of every training session. Time: 30 to 35 minutes.
Post-Training Routine
Key points. Reinforce key points of session. Remind the players what was worked on.
Went well. Discuss what the players did well in the training.
Needs improvement. Outline areas of improvement. Try to avoid singling out individual players in team discussions. Instead talk to the players one-on-one.
Clean up space. Remind players to pick-up all their equipment and garbage. Remove all your equipment and garbage. Put WRSSBA equipment in bin. Rake, cover, turn lights off, and so on. Basically, leave the field in the shape you would want it left in if you were the next team to use it.
