Shetland is an instructional league to teach players in kindergarten the fundamentals of baseball and softball by the simplest method possible - letting them play the game. If this purpose is kept paramount, Shetland can be a valuable addition to the more formally organized leagues for older players. Emphasis must be on instruction, not on the league championship.
Shetland coaches are allowed on the field to offer instruction during the game. The rules require that players be given the opportunity to try different positions, and that all of them get to play in every game.
Players in this age range have a short attention span in any single activity and games must move rapidly. Only the basic fundamentals of the game should be brought out. It is not uncommon for players of this age, initially, to be unfamiliar with which is first base, which is third base, and which field is left and which is right. Lack of knowledge indicates merely that the player has not yet been introduced to the game and has no relationship to the player's potential athletic ability.
Shetland players are coached on a path to learn the necessary tools to move forward with Pinto or 8U Softball in their upcoming season.
Shetland provides an excellent opportunity to teach basic catching, throwing, batting and fielding, and a love of the game of baseball without making the experience a course of intensified instruction. The best approach is to let the teams play with little thought to victory or defeat, but merely for the joy of participation while, at the same time, learning the fundamentals of teamwork, group discipline and sportsmanship.