Case Study: Coaching Youth Baseball

Coaching youth baseball

Jason McCawley

SPHE 318 Fall 13
20 December 2013
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Anyone who has ever stepped foot onto a baseball diamond with the intention of playing the game in some type of competitive way knows how hard and frustrating the game which has become known as our “National Pastime” can be. For anyone who has ever placed a whistle around his or her neck and grabbed their bat, glove and a bucket of balls in order to coach, or help coach a baseball team knows that this frustration level can quickly rise, but to see a group of eight year olds, some of whom may have never played the game before that first practice, the joy of seeing the play improve and the players take pride in the game, those feelings make all
the frustration, sweat and hard work so worth it. One of the best feelings a coach can have, is when the season is over for that player, or group of players who for whatever reason (first time players, they have not played in years, skill groups all across the range of skills, etc, etc) started out the season not as a team, but a bunch of individuals, and the parents of all of those players congratulate the coach for a job well done, no matter if they lost every game, that, is perhaps the greatest feeling a coach will ever know.

As a baseball coach for a youth team, youth for the purposes of this paper being any player under the age of twelve, a coach must remember that winning and losing are not the only things which matter.
While it is important to teach the basic skills and fundamentals of baseball, it is also the responsibility of the coach to teach lessons which the players can use off the field as well. Of course, one would not take the position of a baseball coach unless
he

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or she had some thoughts to share as how to improve baseball skills. An acronym which can be used during the course of a baseball season is PASS (Power, Agility, Strength and Speed).

Power - This is one of, if not the most under trained aspect in all of baseball.
There is a false notion out there that this type of training is "football" specific. This could not be any farther from the truth. All baseball players, hitters and pitchers, must have explosive power. It does not matter whether we are talking about throwing, hitting, or running; all involve triple extension at a high rate of speed.

Agility - Simply put, agility is the ability to change the direction the body is traveling quickly and efficiently. It is utilized both in fielding and running basses. For example, a player on first has to be able to get back when a pitcher throws to first, even though his body movement is directed towards second; or when fielding a ground ball and the ball takes an unexpected bounce the player must change direction in order to field the ball.

Strength - Basic strength or functional strength is the foundation on which every baseball player should be built. You cannot hit, throw, or run if you are unable to move and control your own body weight. Strength is broken down into three main areas; lower body, core, and upper body. All three are dependent upon one another, so if you have a deficiency in one, there is no way to maximize your potential as a ballplayer.
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Speed - There is an old saying that speed kills. This is especially true on the baseball field. A player who is able steal bases has an immeasurable worth to his team. Many people believe you are either born fast or slow. This is true to a degree, but anyone can be made faster by teaching technique. Our speed progression is broken down into acceleration, top end speed, and deceleration. The most import aspect for a baseball player is the acceleration phase. This is termed the "jump", as in he got a good jump.

One of the most important things for any coach to remember, and perhaps even more so when it comes to younger players, is the simple fact that players will only get out of a drill, practice or season what they put in! There will always be players who are better, stronger, faster, etc, but at this age, a coach can still work with and improve players. Coaching in warmer environments such as Florida allows year round baseball. Players are able to go from Little League, to club play, to travel ball, right back to Little League without ever missing a beat.

There is something which has been said many different times over the years, by many different people, from former big league coaches and players, to the old guys sitting around a coffee or barber shop in small town America, who either love or played the game, or, often times, both loved and played the game. That something which has been said, is that baseball is perhaps the only sport left, at least, major American sport, in which the player has almost total

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control of his or her performance, and in some cases, the outcome of a game. Teaching young baseball players the basic rules of the game, the basics of swinging a bat the proper way, how to properly throw a ball to another player, and, how to catch not only that thrown ball from the other player, but also how to catch ground balls and pop-flies.

In closing, it is important to always remember that as a youth baseball coach, the most important job is not to field a winning team (although the wins are always nice and enjoyed by both players and coaches alike), but to teach and develop the ballplayers which have been entrusted to the care and expertise of their coaches. Not every player on a youth baseball team will go on to play high school or college baseball, in fact, some of them may not ever play another organized baseball game in their lives, but, for those of them who do continue to play organized baseball, their youth coaches are the ones who should instill the basics in them.

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References
Martens, R. (2012). Successful coaching. (4th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Voices, Y. (2009, June 28). Coaching youth baseball: Let them play baseball!. Retrieved from http://voices.yahoo.com/coaching-youth-baseball-let-them-play-baseball-3585723.html?cat=14