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  Keep Practice FunThe most important thing to remember when running a baseball practice is to keep it simple and make it fun for the kids. This can be accomplished by having an agenda ready for each practice and by breaking up the practice into “station work.” You want to make sure that the kids are not just standing around. There are hundreds of drills that you can implement into your practice. Keep the players “on the hop.” Back to top  Build Credibility with Players and Parents Having a prepared agenda builds instant credibility with the players, parents and assistant coaches. It helps you establish a consistent philosophy about the way you intend to teach the game of baseball or softball. Having the agenda ready for each practice also keeps you organized and focused on what you are trying to accomplish. You should also consider handing out sheets listing your expectations of the players, and expectations of their parents. These will give everyone a clear understanding of what you as the head coach expect from each of them and also gives you the chance to set up some rules and simple conduct expectations on and off the field. This further builds your credibility with the players and parents. Back to top Station Work In order to break a practice into stations, you will need help from assistant coaches, parents, siblings, and anyone else able and willing to help. Once help is found, station work will result in a fun and energetic practice. One coach can be assigned to throw batting practice, another to working on soft toss drills, a parent can oversee the timing drill, a sister or brother can roll ground balls, and so on. Each station should last approximately 15 to 20 minutes before switching groups to new stations. See our sample practice below for some ideas. Back to top Work Ethic Setting up your practice schedule and agenda ahead of time shows the players and parents your commitment to practice and illustrates the work ethic you are trying to instill in them. Being organized and breaking the practices into station work allows the players to work on specific mechanics and get a better understanding of the hard work and commitment it takes to improve their skills. If your drills are easy to grasp and fun to execute, the players should also want to work on them at home out of a desire to improve themselves and emulate the work ethic you have illustrated in your coaching. Coupled with a desire to learn, establishing a good work ethic results in self-motivated players and productive practice time both with you and at home. Back to top Practice Duration The duration of practice is not nearly important as the quality of practice. Set up a good agenda and stick to it. There are many factors involved in determining the proper length of practices, but for ages 6-12 I recommend that you not exceed 2 hours. After 2 hours your players will be burned out, have no attention spans left and therefore be unable to concentrate and comprehend whatever you are trying to accomplish. Back to top Encourage your Players Hitting a baseball or softball is the hardest thing to do in sports and all the more reason coaches should be encouraging to their players. Coaches should explain that a hitter with a .400 batting average has gotten 4 hits out of every 10 at bats. A great hitter in the Major Leagues needs to get 3 hits in every 10 at bats. Players should be given encouragement in every drill, every practice, and every game. Give them positive reasons to keep coming and playing this great game. Baseball and softball come easy to some but are difficult for others. Players that baseball and softball come easy to are more likely to keep coming back to the sport because they have enjoyed success. The players who have a hard time with the sport are the players that have fewer successes and really need your encouragement. You certainly need to encourage the good playes as well, but make a concerted effort to encourage and motivate the less skilled players. When you need to discuss a player’s weakness and areas in which they need improvement, pull them aside and talk with them in private rather than in front of the team. Yelling, chastising and rediculing players in front of their teammates is not advisable; it may lower their self-esteem and will certainly diminish their motivation to work to improve. Back to top Teamwork It is vital that the coach emphasizes teamwork! Players love to feel part of a team and everything done in practice should be team oriented. Run as a team, hit as a team, field as a team, practice as a team, cry as a team, laugh as a team. You get the picture! Many players are overly concerned about their personal stats: their batting average, their E.R.A., etc.. Stats are important, but the players who worry about them too much are not going to function well with the team and need to be dealt with immediately. Players should be willing to do anything for the team, whether that means a sacrifice bunt or moving runners over. As important as it is to baseball and softball, learning to work with a team also gives the player great experience in preparation for school and future jobs. Most employers look for team oriented people that work well with others. In teaching the importance of teamwork you are you not only preparing your players for baseball, you are preparing them for life. Back to top Conditioning The conditioning of your players is a very important part of getting ready for the season. The players need to know how to stretch properly and how to otherwise prepare for a season of baseball or softball. Since the longest distance that anyone playing baseball and softball has to run is 360 ft. (the distance around 90 ft. bases), running the bases or running 360 ft. sprints will serve the purpose of conditioning. Running the bases is especially effective though, as it not only gets players in condition to play but also teaches them the proper way to make it from base to base. It is also important that you teach your players to start out slowly when throwing a baseball or softball. Arm conditioning is a crucial part of the game that we love to play. Show them how to strengthen their arms through long tossing and by using weighted balls. Back to top Educate yourself Educate yourself about the game! Read books, practice when you can, ask questions, get involved—do anything that you can to learn more about the game. Nobody knows it all and everybody can learn something from everyone else. Back to top Sample Practice This sample practice is for a team of about 20 players and can take place in a gymnasium or on a field. Each group station lasts for 20 minutes with 2 minutes allowed in between stations. Total practice time is 2 hours.
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