Mistake – Too many kids are standing around with nothing to do.

Solution – Set up small group stations with coaching supervision and instruction. When no help is available, coaches should stick with all-inclusive team drills and game play. For example, batting practice should have separate stations. Some players do batting tee work, others flip work and some live batting practice. Coaches should have the other players field batted balls in batting practice, so players engage and develop defensive skills.

Mistake – Talking too long.

Long drawn out talks are excellent ways to bore kids. Attention spans are often short to begin with and especially when kids expect activity.

Solution – Keep instruction short and to the point. It is best to give brief explanations before having players work on a skill. Coaches should continue that pattern for the length of practice or until game play.

Mistake – Forgetting the main reason kids play any youth sport - for the fun, not just the “W”.

Solution – Many coaches do not understand where fun comes from. Fun for kids includes caring adults, activity, challenge, improvement, competition, achievement, recognition, and socialization. Coaches, who can provide as many of these as possible fulfill kids’ desires of enjoyment. Notice that winning is not a priority for youth to play or for having fun.

Mistake – Spending too much time on one aspect of the game.

Solution – Add variety to the practice agenda. Spending too long on the same drills usually leads to apathy, fooling around, and negative attitudes. Coaches should keep the segments short. They should teach the skills of hitting, throwing, fielding, pitching, and base running at each practice.

Mistake – Telling players what they are doing wrong or what to do instead of showing them. Words often go over players’ heads or in one ear and out the other.

Solution – Coaches should add pictures, demonstrations and video analysis to instruction. Visuals go a lot further than words. Showing players make a huge difference to athletes learning.

Mistake – Failure to challenge each player to their ability. Many of the best players gravitate to other sports because the game comes too easy at first.

Solution – Challenging athletes is what sports are about and important for player improvement. Using softer and safer baseballs can help the challenge of young players. With safe baseballs, coaches can hit and throw faster to players. Players play with less fear and coaches have fewer injuries to deal with.

Mistake – Waste practice time. Many coaches fail to teach during warm-up time and throughout practices, which is when the fundamentals develop.

Solution – Have a written plan for practices, keep to it and use every minute possible to teach. Coaches should not wait to begin just because a player or two is late.

Mistake – Do not include interested parents in baseball instruction and fail to give kids baseball homework.

Solution – Coaches should not be afraid to pass on their knowledge of the game to interested parents. They should always give everyone ways of practicing with their kids at home. Players develop quicker when everyone teaches the same things, so coaches should coach the parents, too. Of course, this knowledge passing should be at the end of practices and games, so as not to have distractions and too many “chiefs” during practice.

Mistake – My way or the highway approach. Coaches must understand that the modern athlete often has their private coaches, too.

Solution – Coaches must not insist that their way is the only way. They should be open to working with other coaches, so kids are not left to decide who to follow.

Mistake – Selective coaching. Many coaches coach some players on their team and deem others beyond hope.

Solution – Over the course of the season, coaches should give equal attention to all. Coaches should understand that all kids are worthy of their effort and are never beyond hope.

Mistake – Playing some players more than others. 

Solution – This solution is obvious and the most necessary of all the above. Coaches must find ways of giving equal time to all over the course of the season. Nothing creates more player and parent dissension than more playing time for some. Unequal time is a sign of a win at all cost coach and is only for high school baseball and higher.

Finally, a couple of other mistakes deserve mention. Giving false praise and entitlement to ballplayers is not a beneficial thing. They both give players the belief that approval comes no matter their effort levels.

1.     Dress like a coach – wear shorts/sweats, a t-shirt, athletic shoes, and of course a baseball cap! Parents and players will take you more seriously.

2.     Study, study, study! – Spend time reading articles and books on coaching. Search YouTube for videos on proper mechanics. Research different drills. Attend as many clinics and training sessions as you can. Become a student of the game.

3.     Think of yourself as coach first and Dad second – The minute you step on the field you are no longer a dad. You’re now Coach. Play the role. But the minute you’re off the field remember to be Dad first to your child.

4.     Sandwich your criticisms – Positive comment, critique, positive comment. “I loved your effort on that play, now I just wish you would get your glove on the ground, but great effort getting to the ball!”

5.     Communicate with the parents – Keep them informed through various means. Team meetings after games and practices, via regular emails, through the use of a team website such as a Shutterfly Share site, and personal one on one talks. Greater communication leads to fewer issues with parents.

6.     Plan your practices – Well planned practices allow you to be efficient and get the most out of the little practice time you have.

7.     Become an umpire – There is no better way to learn the rules and see how the view is from the other side, than to do it yourself.

8.     Set goals for your season – Create a checklist of what you want your players to learn this season and review it often. Create goals that give your players something to work towards.

9.     Be a good Manager – Managers need to manage. Make good use of your volunteer parents and assistant coaches. Have your team mom handle the administrative work. Place assistant coaches in charge of drills. Ask for help! Delegate what you can so you can focus on what you do best.

10.  Be positive! – An analysis of practice tape of legendary UCLA Basketball coach John Wooden showed 87% of his comments to players were positive. A 5 to 1 ratio. Wooden is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in any sport.

11.  Repetition, repetition, repetition – Set a goal amount for repetitions of an action in each practice. 50 swings, 40 throws, 40 ground balls, etc. They don’t have to be all complete swings or throws or even done in the same drill. For example 10 ground balls rolled by a coach in front, 10 back hand, and 10 forehand, and 10 off a bat would be 40 ground balls.

12.  Focus on the effort, not necessarily the result – Greater effort will usually lead to better results in the long run. If a player hustles after a ball, but ends up dropping it. Praise him for his hustle! Don’t chastise him for dropping the ball!

13.  Focus on the fundamentals – You can’t run before you learn how to walk. Especially early in the season, focus on the fundamentals. As the season moves on your focus will shift more to game type situations, but to get there, your team must have a firm grasp on the fundamentals.

14.  Keep practice drills moving and energetic – This ties into planning your practices. Keeping your players moving and standing around less makes it more fun and reduces the chances of them misbehaving.

15.  Lead by example – Be the person you want your players to be. Your actions and words speak volumes on and off the field. Don’t cuss. Be on time. Hustle. Speak well about the other team and officials. Say please and thank you. Be positive. You get the point.

16.  Reward your players – A game ball to the player who was a shining example of hustle or sportsmanship. A Coach’s Award certificate for the player who played the best defense. An end of season banquet with awards for the best defensive player, most improved, etc.

17.  Look good during warm ups – Sometimes the game is won before it even starts. Players should dress to impress with their jerseys tucked in, hats on straight, and their socks pulled up. Warm ups should be structured, lines should be straight, players should hustle, etc. A team that looks good during warm ups can be intimidating to the opposing team giving them a psychological advantage before the game even starts.

18.  Know the rules – You can’t play the game if you don’t know the rules. Know and understand the Little League rule book plus there’s also local rules that will apply. The rules may be different for each division. Study them and teach them to your players.

19.  Safety first – Talk about bat safety from day one. Take safety into consideration for each drill. Ask parents to be an extra set of eyes and ears. Keep a first aid kit and ice bags handy. Review the league safety manual and attend the safety training sessions. The safety of every player is your responsibility.

20.  Make it fun! – We play baseball because it’s fun. Don’t get in the way of the fun, instead try to give them as much opportunity to enjoy the game as possible. Your success at the Little League level is measured in the amount of kids that come back season after season and not in the number of games that you win.