Coaching Youth Baseball

We really need to take a deep look into what is our #1 goal and purpose for our kids playing in our youth baseball leagues and organizations. I think I know what most of you would consider the #1 goal for youth baseball. The question is whether that goal is best for the "Big-people" or the kids who play? So, I am going to give you my suggestion for the #1 goal to help the most kids in youth baseball go away with a great experience. https://www.coachandplaybaseball.com/

Here is a list of ten bullet point items you can implement in your leagues, baseball practices, games, scrimmages right now. If you truly want to help your players totally enjoy playing youth baseball then you will listen in and check off how many of these ten items that you might already be doing. If you have not tried any then it's time to begin using some and folding them into your everyday practices, scrimmages and ballgames. Kids need more opportunities for unstructured play and here are 10 ideas for you to try. coachandplaybaseball.com

One of my biggest objectives for bettering youth baseball for the kids is to show coaches how to implement unstructured play, unorganized play, free play and things of this nature. Well don't take it from me…listen to a couple of the biggest names in college baseball coaching talk about the need to provide more opportunities to implement unstructured, disorganized play in youth baseball. You will go away with a new outlook and approach to your youth baseball experience. https://www.coachandplaybaseball.com/

I have known several youth baseball league presidents over the years and they all have shown to be very nice, hardworking, dedicated and the desire to provide a good experience for the kids and families that they work with. Only thing is they are nowhere close to well trained, player development people. In fact, they had little to no baseball coaching experience. Yet they are picked to continue the youth baseball format that they have been handed down.

The league admin are told to just carry on the same format as always regardless if the players are 1) having fun and 2) getting enough reps to increase their baseball and athletic skills. The use of lunatic is not directed at these dedicated people who lead our organizations. Rather "lunatic" is used here more to reference to how idiodic it is to force our kids to play boring games and rarely if ever have on-field baseball practices. The people who think that is the best system we can come up with are lunatics. coachandplaybaseball.com

One of our listeners sent this to me…"Listening to your podcast has really changed my perspective on youth baseball. I coach 11-12 year olds in rec league and in the tournaments. I was "that" coach focused on winning district tournaments. I used to think 12u was the end-all-be-all of baseball. Boy was I wrong. I'm 100% resetting this year to player development. We've had a bunch of practices and I've been using your drills and scrimmage games. Kids love the scrimmages. Our league is also going to run coach-pitch sandlot games on the weekends to give kids more playing time. Thanks, and keep up the good work!" coachandplaybaseball.com

There might be some things you think and believe to be true in youth baseball that might not be. Listen in to hear Dave talk about some of the "myths" that are commonly circulated in the youth baseball arena. I bet most of these "myths" you have heard of and probably directly affect your current situation. Well, here are the seven discussion topics and we wrap up with a solution that you don't want to miss. www.coachandplaybaseball.com

Are you tired of slow paced, boring, unproductive ballgames? Want to open your youth baseball world to unlimited player development and player enjoyment? Then you will want to hear the features and benefits of my accelerated High Tempo© baseball development formats. Here we go looking into a completely different way to approach youth baseball. See for yourself if you want to stay same old, same old. Or are you ready to jump start your kids into high octane, action packed games and practices. www.coachandplaybaseball.com

Youth baseball parents and coaches are in a vicious cycle of trying to accumulate "status symbol points" watching their kids play ballgames and giving up the status points and allowing the kids to develop more during on-field baseball practices. Listen in as Dave talks about how the 'Big-people' are locked in and obsessed with status points and at some point got to give it up and let kids have more on-field practice opportunities. www.coachandplaybaseball.com

We complete our 100-point youth baseball coaches checklist with this episode. We cover several topics of interest and concern especially digging into how to coach hitters during competition and coaches demeanor during ballgames. In addition, we also discuss the problem of playing too many ballgames and neglecting on-field well organized baseball practice. We say, "Develop, develop, develop, but where is the development"? coachandplaybaseball.com

Our 100-point baseball coaches checklist continues and we hit a bunch of topics that commonly we have to deal with as youth level coaches. We also try to answer a really big question that I cannot get a fair answer to that makes sense to me. Want to know what that question is then tune in and maybe you can help give us an answer. I doubt if you can but let us know your best shot.

The "business model" of the major youth baseball national organizations is "ALL-STARS". It is the main carrot that these national entities use to attract families. Unfortunately, the collateral damage from All-Stars is what turns many families away. We take a big long look into what it would take to shift from a national umbrella organization and just play as a local independent youth baseball operation. You could be a local league or a travel ball tournament team you should listen in and see if this might be a better fit for your baseball families to look into.

We have so many opportunities to communicate and interact with our players, parents, umpires and opponents. It is really good to have your coaching style, approach and philosophy on solid footing so we are able to handle the ups and downs of the baseball season. We continue through our 100 point checklist here and we end with a call to action for decoupling from your National Organization and starting your own local league free from dictatorship and the business model of major baseball organizations. https://www.coachandplaybaseball.com/

Wow, youth baseball coaches have a huge task list to cover in order to do their jobs effectively and leave a quality legacy. We continue with our coaches checklist and touch on several important bullet points on our 100-point checklist. Listen in and hear what vital topics we discuss on this one as we try and speak to coaches of all levels and experience. https://www.coachandplaybaseball.com/

Each youth baseball coach must work out their own style, philosophy and approach. We go over several topics in youth baseball coaching to ponder and chat about. Some you may be on the right track with and some of this might be new, beneficial material that you can use to coach your kids better. This is part one: 1-20 of my 100 point baseball coaches checklist. https://www.coachandplaybaseball.com/

Youth baseball age kids are truly not athletically equipped yet to perform the necessary baseball skills at a high level to be able to play baseball like MLB, college and High School ballplayers. Yet the 'Big-people' will not let go of forcing our kids to play "Real Baseball" rules despite the USABaseball/MLB American Development Model'sallowing us to take the off-ramp. We will be interviewing the 'Real Baseball' crowd to see why they are so convinced that ill-equipped kids must play "Real Baseball" or nothing else. https://www.coachandplaybaseball.com/

Does anyone conduct on-field baseball practice any more? Well if you are fortunate to have regularly scheduled on-field youth baseball practice here are some ideas for you listen to and see if they can benefit your teams. Most of them I use every practice and prior to ballgames.

Get your notepad and pencil and jot down some of these drill ideas and try them out at your next on-field baseball practices. https://www.coachandplaybaseball.com/

Youth baseball has a big problem by using "Real Baseball" rules with almost zero modifications or adaptations. Ever heard of "Sandlot" baseball? Well we are taking a look at starting with "Sandlot" style baseball and find some middle ground with "Real Baseball" rules and procedures. How do we make youth baseball act and mimic more benefits and features of 'Sandlot" baseball? https://www.coachandplaybaseball.com/

If you know the truth then are you ready to take a stand? Hear about the main purpose for youth baseball and here's a hint. It is not to please the 'big-people'. If it doesn't benefit the kids then we will not be doing that. The Berlin Wall stood over 40 years and through the leadership of Ronald Reagan the wall came down in two months. We can take a stand for our kids and we can do it quickly. https://www.coachandplaybaseball.com/

Youth baseball games brings a huge amount of entertainment to the adults. We talk about why adults are so infatuated about watching their kids play baseball. Yet have little or no appetite to make sure the kids practice baseball skills. It's like they have no concern for them about playing the game well or playing a long time---they just want to go to the ballgames every Tuesday and Thursday night. Coach and Play Baseball.com

How much "player development" actually is going on in youth baseball? Is youth baseball more about entertaining the "Big-people" or giving kids vitally important reps to build and develop baseball skills? Listen in and decide if you think we are just dressing up in our baseball uniforms or actually 'playing" baseball. Let's see if there are improvements to our youth baseball systems that we can implement immediately. https://www.coachandplaybaseball.com/