You can look at a swing and see that something looks wrong, you may be able to say what exactly is wrong, you know that a 1-2 count is a good running count, you know that when the game is tied and there is a man on second with nobody out, and you are the home team you should bunt with your 8 hole hitter, you can argue your point about why the 1st pitch is the best pitch to squeeze. You know all of these things, but….

Can you coach?

Most people know all of the above, the average baseball fan can tell you all of these things, and even a little more, but I ask again, can you coach? Obviously you will not say you are a bad coach, but your opinion does not matter.

Watch you players, watch how they respond to you, watch their eyes when you are talking, watch how they perform the fundamentals you are trying to coach; if they are looking around, chances are they are not listening to you Why? Because they think you are a fraud. They might not even think you are a fraud, they might simply think you can’t get them better. Remember, it doesn’t matter what you think, it matters what they think. If they are not performing the fundamentals the way you want them too, either you did a bad job explaining them or you recruited or kept the wrong players, either way, it is your fault.

The first step to being a good coach is understanding, no, completely understanding what you are trying to teach. The next step is having the ability able to explain it, in a manner that the players can completely understand, and then motivating them to do it at the level you expect it to be done.

One thing to remember is great Head Coaches have great Assistant Coaches. Again, if you do not, then that is your fault too.

The most important thing to remember is saying the same thing you just said only LOUDER, does not help.

I moved to Lexington, Kentucky in fourth grade and I played my first season of Soccer that same year.  I played for a coach named Gary, and Gary looked more like a defensive line coach than a soccer coach.  That first year, I am not sure how much technique I learned but I played hard and had fun because coach was passionate about coaching.  He loved teaching and he motivated us with his energy and never once did anyone question his knowledge because kids were playing hard and having fun. 

Our first year we were only ok, but year two we won a state championship for our age division.  We did not have the most talented team, as a matter of fact there was a team that beat us by 10 the year before with the same players and the next year we beat them 2-1.  Why? because coach motivated us properly for the game.  There was no special secret, everyone knew they had better players but we had become a better team.  We relied on and believed in each other and we played with more energy and passion then they did.  We built from that game, there was no let down the next game because Coach taught us that every game was that important, and we needed to play every game with that same energy and passion.  We did and we became a great team with average players.  

The ability to motivate a group of players is more important than teaching them every little intricate detail of the game.  Do not get me wrong, I believe fundamentals win championships but so does fun.  When kids are having fun, they learn more, and when they learn more, they will play better.  Motivate your players with your passion for the game and you will have a team that gels and loves playing for you.  Your passion will become contagious, so bring it to the park everyday. 

When I was young and first learning the game, just like all of you I was taught how to run bases.  At practice our coach would put us through paces of how to round the base, slide, take a secondary lead, etc…

What I was taught:

One thing that I remember was the part about touching 1st base.  It was explained to me I had to touch the inside of the bag with my right foot.  Like any little league player I was eager to please my coach and be the best at rounding 1st base.  What I realized was that I sometimes had to stutter step or take unusually large steps in order to hit 1st base the way he wanted me to.  I did not argue, I just did what we were being told.  Through the years all the way through college, I was taught to do this and just like little league I was still stutter stepping or putting my body in weird positions to accomplish this goal.  So, where am I going with this?

Do this:

Although I agree about touching the inside of the base, which helps you get a better line to second as well as a push off the base, what I am going to tell you is not to worry about which foot you hit the base with.

HUH?

That is right, it does not matter at all.  I want you to run to 1st base and no matter what foot you are going to hit it with just put that foot on the inside corner, push, and get to 2nd base.

What does this do?

It enables you to keep your normal stride, which is faster than a stutter step or a bigger step just to get your right foot on the base.  A stutter step will slow you down and a big step will also slow you down and put you at a higher risk for injury. 

Picking up the coach before you touch second base may seem very obvious but it is something I have seen messed up more times than I care to remember and before you know it the runner is rounding the base too far and getting picked from behind or he runs through a stop sign and gets thrown out at third base.  Either way there is a very easy system I like to use that will put a stop to these silly mistakes.

I like to use a system called “Look, Touch, Look”.  This explains the exact order of operations I want the runner to follow.  

Look-Pick up the coach 20 feet before you hit the base then get your eyes back to the bag so you can hit it correctly.

Touch-Hit the base on the inside corner, it does not matter what foot you use.

Look-Pick up the coach immediately after you touch second base to make sure nothing has changed.

The last “look” is very important because the right fielder may have bobbled the ball and the coach wants you to come to third now, or he may have cut a ball off that the coach originally thought was going to get passed him and the coach wants you to stop.

Each coach will have their own signals but I like to two hands up if I want the runner to round the base a few steps.  Also, I like to put my left hand up and the right hand pointing in the direction of the base if I want the runner to stop right on the base.