Baseball Basics

Baseball Coach’s Essential Teaching Manual
(The Abbreviated Version)

Every coach will bring a certain amount of knowledge and skill level to their coaching assignment. Some coaches will have extensive backgrounds in playing competitive baseball or previous coaching experiences, while others might be good meaning moms or dads that last picked up a baseball 30 years ago when they played little league. It does not matter at what level the coach has played or coached before, but what they will essentially teach their players and in what manner they will manage the team.

For any coach, the following five items should be introduced, taught, reinforced, and held in high esteem. The five, in order of importance:

FUN. Seems obvious, but when players have fun, they tend to try harder and encourage one another more. This kind of environment may not promise an undefeated season, there is still a skill level requirement of excellence needed there, but it will help players move forward in their development in the game. Understand, it is not the responsibility of the coach to come to practice with puppets and dressed as a clown. Fun here means, a controlled environment that is based around encouragement, high fives, and expectations of player and coach efforts to improve. Attention to the details of the next four items will assist in this first item being accomplished.

OFFENSE. It again will seem quite obvious, but being able to teach the offensive end of the game is the most critical item on this list. Though defense and pitching may win championships (in some people’s minds) hitting and scoring runs make the game exciting and fun. Think of the defense as the process of getting ready for gym class - everyone needs to have the right shoes, gym shorts, and tee shirts or they can not participate. The offense is the dodgeball game you play in gym class. Specifically, when teaching the offense, attention should be about simplifying how to hit (including bunting), how and when to run, and sliding.

DEFENSE. Just kidding about defense not being important - it truly does win games (maybe even important ones). Essentially, the items that are critically important in teaching defense are (in order) catching the ball, throwing the ball, knowing where to throw the ball after the ball is caught, and pitching the ball. Now, certainly there will be coaches out there that will disagree with the sequencing order, calling for a heavy emphasis on pitching first - this is a great point if the players are slightly more advanced, however, pitching is an extension of throwing so it would seem logical to get the essentials of how to throw the ball mastered before teaching players how to pitch.

TIMELINESS. In a game that has no time clock, why would this be so important? Baseball has been called a cerebral game - lots of thinking and then action. For players to get a better grasp on the game, time has to be spent on learning the essentials. This DOES NOT mean that the above items need to be drawn out dissertations. Studies have shown that humans learn better when they are given smaller tasks more frequently. So in the design of practice time, short sessions followed by a review later in the practice may expedite skill development and also keep players more attentive - AKA more fun!

MANAGEMENT. Any successful business owner will tell you that their success relies on - having a good product/service, training people to produce/provide the product/service, and communicating effectively throughout the entire company any changes that need attention. Successful coaches follow the same guidelines with their assistant coaches, players, parents, and (if applicable) administrators. Setting specific guidelines regarding practice and game expectations, acceptable behavior requirements, and timely player reviews should make coaching more enjoyable for you and your players.

Sometimes it's the simple things.

Recently, I was watching a local high school baseball game and a few things became "smack you in the face" obvious. Things like first pitch selection of both pitcher and hitter, the overall mechanics of pitchers, a reactive versus an instinctual approach to the game's situations, and a visual lack of enthusiasm of a vast majority of the players.

I am certain I could write a detailed account of all of the above with personal insights and examples of how "today's players" feel like they are entitled and their mere presence on the field allows them the title of baseball player. I am not sure what real benefit that would render.

Obviously, I will not be using this space for those topics, however, I do want to brush over an idea that could intertwine with those and other baseball issues. The idea is a game of simplicity.

The game of baseball is hard. The teaching and expectations of effort should not be. My point is that baseball is not unlike any video game or corn hole match. The more times simple strategies and techniques are practiced, the easier the game gets.

In a video game, if the player continues to play the same game they learn what is coming next. They may have failed a few times on specific levels to find that information but eventually, they will know where the problem areas are and how to get to the desired destination. In other words, if they pay attention, the game will show them all of the necessary information they need to succeed.

In corn hole, the easy strategy is to score on your first throw to put pressure on your opponent. If your opponent throws first (no matter what he scores) just follow it with a point of your own. A consistent approach will allow for aggressive play later in the game - especially when your opponent does not score.

A player's skill set of being able to duplicate a consistent tempo and release of the bag is learned prior to competition. When it is time to perform, it is a matter of consistency and persistence.

In other words, both the video and corn hole games become easier when exposure to success is practiced and effort toward paying attention is mastered.

So, assuming we have unlocked the formula for success we must now ask - how does all this relate to the baseball field and specifically, why am I spending so much time on my viewing of a recent baseball game?

I never want to be critical of coaching on any level of baseball. It has been my experience that coaching can sometimes be a thankless and unappreciated position. Between parents who prefer to complain instead of volunteer and players that do not take ownership over their poor performances, coaching can take a toll on anyone's sunny disposition.

With that said, however, I feel that making baseball easier should fall on the shoulders of the coach. Like a player that just shows up for practice, without any other preparation, a coach is overmatched if his only game plan is getting everyone some swings and some ground balls during practice.

The best coaches incorporate situational baseball and on-field strategy during their practice sessions. They talk about the "what do you see" moments and "how can we stop this" from happening to us. Getting players to think their way through situations allows them to watch for the subtleties during the game.

The best thing a coach can do is to offer his players the best chance to compete. By preparing players in situational strategies, they can fail during practice but learn for the game - just like their video game. In addition, the technical side of the game (hitting, throwing, fielding) are also the responsibility of the coach during practice.

This last point about practice is a slippery slope. In my opinion, too much time is wasted during many practices. The idea of having "stations" during practice is outstanding ONLY if there is adult/coach supervision by someone who understands the concept and principle of the station. If this is not the case, a station can be counter productive in development.

It is also my opinion that practices can have a bigger impact on player development if the focus is on quality and not quantity. (I will be writing a post on some practice plans that challenge and have player development specifically in mind- under two hours).

Instinctive baseball players feel the game but are not instinctive baseball players out of their mother's womb. They learn to see what is happening on the field and anticipate the potential outcomes of situations that occur during the game. Add that to their innate ability to understand their strengths, they can play a more aggressive, yet calculated, game.

Imagine, if you will, if you had a baseball team filled with instinctive players. Try to visualize what kind of problems that would present to your opponents. I encourage all coaches to make time to teach the instinctive game of baseball every day during team practices and competition.