Just wanted to see what your thoughts were on this concept...still playing 4 games per weekend but how about having a extra game that is "situational development" ie...offense executing bunts, defense making plays? starting with runners on etc....this not only teaches the game but also helps develop skills under a bit of pressure....Do you think this kind of format would be of interest to 13U,14U,15U teams coaches etc???Just thinking outside the box...Thanks
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28diamond posted:Just wanted to see what your thoughts were on this concept...still playing 4 games per weekend but how about having a extra game that is "situational development" ie...offense executing bunts, defense making plays? starting with runners on etc....this not only teaches the game but also helps develop skills under a bit of pressure....Do you think this kind of format would be of interest to 13U,14U,15U teams coaches etc???Just thinking outside the box...Thanks
We did a lot of semi-live situational scenarios in practice to work on the things that you mentioned.
This year my son's 14U team regularly did this during Spring, mid-week games. Part of the game would be "real", and then the coaches would put the kids in specific situations. It worked well because it was done between competing teams, as opposed to an intrasquad practice.
One of the biggest problems, if not the biggest problem, with 13/14/15u is the 4-5 games a weekend format. Can't have the pitching depth you need with a small roster. Position players can't get in the field time because they have to have big rosters because of the pitching need.
If you really want to be revolutionary I would suggest you come up with a way to keep the roster size small (max 14) so the kids get the playing time they need, while not putting pressure on the pitching side of things. Maybe give an option for PO's to sign up for specific games to get in the innings, even if they aren't on that team, and that way the position players can learn while no one kills their arms.
As soon as the notion of "winning a weekend tournament" goes away, all kinds of scheduling possibilities open up.
I agree with GO44 on this. You can work on situations and should in practice. Then put that to use in a game situations. That is what practice is for. If you want to set up scrimmage games do that on a weekend. Coaches can step in and critique situations. If it's an actual tourney then the kids simply want to play to win it. I suggest play 2 tourneys a month. One weekend to scrimmage / practice. And one weekend off so parents and players can have time to do other things they enjoy. JMO
Can't you use games a an opportunity to develop the skills described? If it's making the players better and the team better in the long term, isn't that whats it's all about?
I'm all for practice, working on situations, fundamentals, conditioning, etc. We even held a class, complete with testing. Practice is important!
However, I believe players actually learn more by playing actual games. The games are the best practice of all. Once a player knows what is expected and necessary, once he is ready to compete, the rest involves actual competition in real games. If you don't know what or how to do things, then you might need more practice, because your not ready for the games.
For young kids there needs to be training before the season and games should be considered practice. Learning and developing should be above winning. Then they will learn how to play winning baseball if the coaches continue to teach during the games. Not yell and scream, but teach! When one player makes a mistake, take a note, then talk to the whole team after the game. Make sure everyone understands what the mistakes were. Make sure everyone learns.
All that said, the younger a player is, the more time should be spent on practicing fundamentals and basics. Also think it is important to get across how you expect the team to behave. In fact, that might be most important of all. Coaches should spend some time an put together a play book. Doesn't have to be very long. Just enough to explain things in writing.
PGStaff posted:I'm all for practice, working on situations, fundamentals, conditioning, etc. We even held a class, complete with testing. Practice is important!
However, I believe players actually learn more by playing actual games. The games are the best practice of all. Once a player knows what is expected and necessary, once he is ready to compete, the rest involves actual competition in real games. If you don't know what or how to do things, then you might need more practice, because your not ready for the games.
For young kids there needs to be training before the season and games should be considered practice. Learning and developing should be above winning. Then they will learn how to play winning baseball if the coaches continue to teach during the games. Not yell and scream, but teach! When one player makes a mistake, take a note, then talk to the whole team after the game. Make sure everyone understands what the mistakes were. Make sure everyone learns.
All that said, the younger a player is, the more time should be spent on practicing fundamentals and basics. Also think it is important to get across how you expect the team to behave. In fact, that might be most important of all. Coaches should spend some time an put together a play book. Doesn't have to be very long. Just enough to explain things in writing.
This.
Outstanding post PG. I agree that games are the best way to learn, provided. Provided the coach uses the games as a way to teach instead of simply thinking W and L. I have lost games and won on the scoreboard. I have won games and lost on the scoreboard. When I figured that one out I became a much better coach. My teams were much better at the end of the season. My players were much better players at the end of the season.
Games are the best way to learn if you are actually coached in practice. They then provide the opportunity to put that into practice in game situations. They then provide the Coach an opportunity to actually Coach. If we have worked on the proper way to Sac bunt in practice and then the player is asked to lay down a Sac in a game - Opportunity to put it into practice = Learn. Opportunity for the Coach by observation first - communication second = Teaching.
But what happens when the player is asked to lay down a Sac and it's never practiced? How can the player learn in that situation? How can the Coach coach in that situation?
Games are an opportunity to put into practice what you have actually practiced. Therefore if your practice does not reflect what you are going to require in a game its pointless and meaningless. PG imo is 100% correct that younger players need to spend far more time practicing and learning and less of that time putting it into practice in game situations. As they progress those numbers should shift.
Your going to take to the game field what you have been taught in practice or have not been taught in practice. In game situations you will have the opportunity to show how well you have retained it and can execute it. The Coach now has the opportunity to observe how well he has taught it, how well the player has retained it and how well the player can execute it. He then takes that information and should use it to properly Coach his players in practice. During the game that should be his focus. During practice that should be his focus. How well can he communicate that to the player? Does his practice reflect that?
The problem IMO with too many players at the youth level and in some cases at the HS level is this. The scoreboard is used as the indicator of success instead of the actual results of the coaching. You can do a terrible job as a coach at the Youth level and sometimes at the HS level and still go home happy with the results of the scoreboard more often than not, and not even realize your players are not getting better. And you can go home sad with the results of the scoreboard but happy about the fact your players are starting to get it.
Yes you want to win. Yes you want your players to learn what it takes to win. You want them to learn how to win. You win by learning what it takes to win. Then you win when you can take that and properly execute it in game situations. If your not getting it in practice your not going to get it in a game.
Coaching at the youth level's is critical. Above all else make sure your son is actually being Coached not simply has a Coach. Some of the all time greats in this effort are kids Dad's. You don't have to be the Coach to be your son's Coach in the critical years before the HS years. JMHO
Great points above by all!
When I coached, preseason was all about reps and implementing basic strategy. Once the season began, our weekly practices were typically correcting and coaching situational and fundamental flaws that happened during that actual games from the previous weekend.
If we didn't execute a bunt coverage properly, we would then work on that during the next practice while it was fresh in the minds of the kids. We always tried to show them why the mistake happened and most importantly, how it should be executed correctly.
My philosophy was always to encourage and never yell while coaching during the games. If a player made a mistake, one of the coaches would pull him aside, help him understand how to correct it, pat him on the back and say get the next one.
So many coaches want to just yell out stuff that doesn't provide any instruction. Kids need instruction in order to improve.
