A SPECIAL PROGRAM OF DISTRICT # 8 NY DAN CAVALLO DISTRICT ADMINSTRATOR
District #8 T-Ball/Coach Pitch Training Clinic Overview District #8 is proud to sponsor this program for T-Ball/Coach Pitch Coordinators and Coaches. The goal of this Clinic is to show you the importance of setting a good program at this level of play, to help you to secure the interest of your players to insure their return from year to year and to aid you in how to encourage the enthusiastic parents into getting involved in Little League Baseball/Softball. This Clinic will also teach you new training techniques, guide you in setting up practices and drills and show you ways that will help make it fun for the kids. T-Ball/Coach Pitch divisions were created to give young players and their parents a fun, introductory experience to baseball and softball. The goal of every league should be to get the players, their parents and the coaches on the same page learning the game together. Players at this age are very active and have very short attention spans. They are very enthusiastic, they love to learn new things and they seem to learn best by doing. Recognition of these traits is a key ingredient in developing this Clinic. Although there are two separate divisions of play, they are so close in age that many of the concepts that will be discussed for T-Ball can be carried over to Coach Pitch. Therefore carefully review the concepts presented in this program and use them in the division you feel comfortable with, we feel that many of these concepts can be utilized in all divisions of Little League Baseball/Softball. We have gathered the information presented in this Clinic from sources within the district, from various printed media and from many internet sites. This program is intended to be a source of reference; the recommendations are designed to give you a starting point to alter and improve your T-Ball/ Coach Pitch programs. WMF Photography (315) 635-5622
League Coordinator Guidelines......... Pre-Season: Secure locations for indoor Practice Sessions Pick your Managers/Coaches as soon as possible Call a Coaches Meeting to go over the plans for the season Coaches Meeting Agenda should include, but not be limited to: a) assigning coaches to teams, handing out rosters b) setting up dates for Equipment Issue, Opening Day, Team Pictures etc. c) discuss and assign indoor practice schedule. Depending upon the number of teams in your league and the availability of indoor locations, you may want to schedule league practice dates as opposed to individual team practices d) discussion of league and division policies and objectives e) plan and set up the season game schedule Discussion of Game Play guidelines, rules & regulations and objectives......... In-Season: Monitor your program, be visible at practices and games Be accessible to managers, coaches and parents Above all, run your program. Make sure that all league policies and guidelines are being followed and insure that the kids are playing in a safe and fun-loving environment. All too often program coordinators disappear after setting up a division, don t let this happen to you, your job is not done once the season begins. As the Coordinator your responsibility is to oversee the program from beginning to end
Manager and Coach Guidelines Contact your players as soon as possible after you have been given a roster to introduce yourself and to let them know they are on the team. If possible, prior to the first practice, set up a parents meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to introduce them to yourself, the league and the concepts of Little League T- Ball. In many cases, this is their first exposure to an organized youth activity and you will find them to be very enthusiastic and anxious to participate. A discussion of team goals and objectives and their involvement in practices and games would be very beneficial toward insuring a successful season. Set up the practice schedule and guidelines. Practices should be no longer than 1 1/2 hours and should be planned in a manner so that all of the kids are involved at all times. Different practice stations should be occurring at the same time, with parents assisting at each station. Guidelines for practice setup and drills will be presented to you later in this booklet. Keep in mind, in almost all cases this is the kids introduction to not only baseball/softball, but also to a organized team sport. Your responsibility, above all else, it to create a fun and enjoyable experience for these kids. Teaching them the concepts of team play, team participation and sportsmanship is equally, if not more important than teaching the basic concepts of playing baseball/softball. At this level, the measure of success for coaches is the amount of fun and enjoyment all of the kids on the team feel, rather than the number of all stars that are created. Create a safe and caring environment for the kids to learn, practice and play. Make sure that all players are instructed on safety. Be approachable and make every player feel important. Be patient and remember that players improve at different rates, and above all, remember that the game is for the kids and must be fun for them. Bee Tee Enterprises Trophies and Awards 454 South Main Street North Syracuse 13212 315-458-1437
Practice Setup Guidelines Indoor practices should begin soon after league registrations end. Practices should be well organized and conducted in a manner where all of the kids will be participating p in some type of drill at all times, the one thing you don t want to have happen is players standing around with nothing to do. Parents can be very helpful in overseeing the various practice stations, they really want to be a part of their child s experience, so get them involved. Recommended Indoor Practice Setup (a diagram is on the following page): 1) A exercise and Warm up Area 2) A Batting Station with Tees set up approximately 8-10 ft. from a wall 3) A Throwing Area set up 8-10 ft. from a wall with a target to throw to 4) A Soft Toss and Catch area where players are about 5-10 apart 5) A Base Running area, kids at this age love to run The Outdoor Practices can be run similar to the Indoor Practices with the same type of stations set up, only now you will have more room and can expand the drills. Outdoor practices should also include some fun activities like: timed races, relay races, throwing balls into a bucket or even a kickball game. Other skill drills and fun activities will be presented to you in the accompanying Tips and Tricks Booklet. Remember, whenever the players stop smiling, you need to look at what you are doing.. We are not trying to make major leaguers out of these kids, we just want them to get turned onto the game and have fun. Scholastic Sports 1-800-400-TEAM
Increasing Your Volunteer Base Historically, in Little League Baseball/Softball, the games most attended by parents are in the T-Ball division. This is, in almost all cases, their introduction at having their child enrolled in an organized youth sports program. They are excited, enthusiastic and very willing to become involved to help make this a positive experience for their child. As administrators, we must make every effort to encourage their participation not only for this first season, but also for the many seasons to come. As mentioned earlier, a pre-season Coach & Parents Meeting is a must. This meeting will introduce them to the objectives and concepts of the T-Ball program and Little League Baseball/Softball. Their participation and involvement at the team and league levels should be encouraged and solicited. A discussion of how and what they can do to help should take place, and the concept that Little League Baseball/Softball is truly a family participation experience should be emphasized. Some of the recommended ways to involve the parents are: a) have them assist the coaches in organizing and running practice sessions b) have them assist the coaches on-field during games c) appoint a different Team Mother for practices and games to provide snacks and drinks for the players d) assign parents to monitor the bench area during games e) ask for suggestions for fun activities for the players at practice sessions f) involve them in organizing an end of season party for the team g). and most importantly always include them in any discussions or activities Life Touch Sports Portraits Phone:1-800-852-0674 x117 Cell: 607-759-2960 Email dservy@lifetouch.com Webpage http://www.lifetouchevents.com League Direct
...... Other Thoughts Be sure to set up the local game rules for each division, with respect to the number of innings played, time limit, keeping score and batting order, etc. It is recommended that the number of players on a team, especially for the T-Ball division be limited to 8-10 players. Some leagues have a special T-Ball Day at their major league field, where the players are introduced over the load speaker at the start of the game and every time they come to bat. Also, kids at this age also love sitting in a real dugout. A recommendation on for coaches.... close each practice ce with a quick team meeting, have each player tell you what his/hers favorite part of practice was and then you share with them what your favorite part was. This gives you an opportunity to communicate and be positive with them. Safety is a key issue. Even though they are just little kids, they are playing with a bat and a ball and they sometimes do not pay attention when throwing a ball and they love to pick up a bat and start swinging without being aware of who is around them. Teach them good safety habits and insure that all of the adults are monitoring them at all times at every practice and game. The primary goal of the T-Ball/Coach Pitch divisions is...... Fun, Fundamentals, Fun, Teaching, Fun........... and then some more FUN! 304 West Second Street East Syracuse, New York 13057 (315)256-5251