I’m going to explain an experience of a new coach and how he was received rather than define what a coach should be.
By the time my son was in 7th grade the high school had seventeen losing seasons in twenty years. The only winning seasons was when a player drafted high out of high school put the team on his back and carried them for three years. The parents owned this coach. It was a country club team. The most talented players usually went off to private and Catholic high schools to play.
When my son was in 8th grade a promising young assistant from a power house high school was brought in as head coach. The shite hit the fan because he established he was in charge. Parents would no longer have any control over the team.
But it didn’t help the team went 6-16 his first two years. The parents thought the new coach would make their kids winners. You can’t win the Kentucky Derby with a plowhorse. The talent wasn’t there.
This coach was at 8th grade practices a few times. He was at LL and Ripken games. He was aware of every kid 12-14yo who could play. He convinced the parents of these kids to play on quality summer teams, to get lessons, to attend his summer camp.
When my son was a soph it all turned around. They were cruising in first place until a car accident put two pitchers out for the season. But they won the conference the next two years. The talented players were now staying at the high school.
But on the sidelines was The Jury (of four). These were dads whose second or third kids were on the team. They had been around when they could control the coach. Of course these guys knew it all. They had coached years of rec ball in a terrible league.
The Jury tried to poison their kids against the coach. They tried to poison other parents against the coach. As a respected travel coach parents asked me what I thought. This is where it nets out into what you’re looking for in a coach.
I explained before this coach arrived the program was a joke. You could pencil them in for last place before the season started. A successful season was coming in 7th.
He brought organization and discipline to the program. His weaknessses are in game coaching and communication skills. But my son said he knows how to teach baseball in practice. But most importantly the team is winning and the kids are having fun.