Running Your Practices

(Excerpts taken from http://protips.dickssportinggoods.com/sports-and-activities/baseball/baseball-coaching-tips-for-your-first-practice)

As a coach, you only get one chance to make a first impression. Get your team on the right track with these tips starting with your first practice of the season.

Whether you’re taking your first shot at coaching youth sports or you’ve been doing it for decades, the first practice of the season is a big deal. You will meet new kids (and parents), and you will have to quickly discover where they fit on the baseball field. You want every kid to be a better player and person by season’s end, and that starts with a strong first practice. Here are some tips to get the season off to a great start.

WHAT TO BRING

First, there are a few basic items you should bring to the first practice:

·        First Aid Supplies

·        Water for the entire team

·        Bats, balls and other baseball/softball coaching equipment

(Reference the Baseball or Softball Coach’s Checklists for additional recommended items)

INTRODUCTIONS

Once every kid has arrived, gather your players together and introduce yourself. Tell them how long you’ve been coaching, your experience with the game, and maybe a few fun facts about yourself (favorite team, player, superhero, food, etc.) Next, take a minute to introduce any assistant coaches. Then, go around and have each kid say their name, age and answer a fun question. Keeping it short and sweet will help make the kids feel at ease.

COVER THE BASICS 

The first practice is the perfect time to go over the basics. Review the rules that are specific to the league and age group, things like stealing, leading, sliding, etc. Chances are you’ll have kids that have never played the game before, or maybe just as many that have played travel baseball with very different rules, so take a few minutes to go over the responsibilities of each position.

STARTING PRACTICE 

For younger players, say up to age 12, consider opening practice with light stretching. Not only will this teach the kids a valuable lesson on getting loose, but it also gives you the chance to share the itinerary for the day’s practice. If you don’t tell the kids up front what is planned for the day, there is a good chance they will spend the entire practice peppering you with questions about what’s next. Lay it out up front. You may also want to work in some warm-up drills. For younger players, it can be as simple as running the bases — it’s actually a great way to start and end practices.

WHAT’S NEXT? 

Because you are likely meeting some of your players for the first time, and because it’s possible some of them have never played the game, focus on basic drills during the first practice. Cover a little bit of everything. Consider breaking the kids up into groups of four or five. Send each group off with a coach to work on different fundamentals: fielding ground balls, catching fly balls and hitting basics are good places to start.

NEED A DRILL?

Reference the practice plan available for download on the MLL website, search within the Little League University video library (http://www.littleleagueu.org/search#user_type=coach) or contact your Little League Coaching Coordinator.

ENDING PRACTICE 

Before you send the kids home, take a few minutes to recap what you went over in practice that day.  Focus on one key takeaway (ex: step into the throw). Remember, these are just a few suggestions to get you thinking about what to do during your first practice. It’s ultimately up to you to decide how to run it, and you could come up with something completely different. Either way, the best thing you can do is develop a plan ahead of time so that you’re prepared to run a smooth, efficient first practice. Consider writing out a practice plan and sending it out to players/parents in advance of the practice. This way, everyone will have an idea of what to expect.