Baseball Coaching

Do you mean head college or head high school positions?

BaseballByTheYard

many cases it is not what you know but who you know. It is just the way it is. I assume it is a college job and they want the coach to teach or serve in some administrative capacity. I knew a guy who coached high school and was very successful. He was in his early fifties applied for 2 jobs Not even an interview.

The jobs I am talking about are high school jobs. I am certified to teach Biology and General Science.

Are you an assistant right now trying to move to a head coaching job or are you a head coach now trying to find a different head coaching job?

I'm going to assume you're the asst. moving towards being a head coach because that would be the more traditional situation I think you're asking about.

It's tough getting your own team because the toughest job is trying to find a teaching position to go with it. If they don't have a teaching position open the chances of them giving you a serious look is not going to happen. Why waste time looking at someone you can't hire for the big job? Always remember that you are a teacher first and stress that in an interview. Look at the paycheck and see which one you get paid the most for and stress that in an interview. They don't want to hire a clown who's going to give them problems during the school day but wins baseball games. Stress your teaching ability and how you can use coaching skills in the classroom.

You have to read the principal (and others who might be in the interview process) and see if they are athletic minded or academic minded. An interview is you looking as good as you can but figure out what appeals to them and slant yourself to that. The current job I'm at the principal was HUGE into technology so I stressed how I would use it in the classroom. He loved it and could care less that I can teach a monkey how to hit or run a spread offense in football.

Get out there and get yourself known by other people. Go to camps, go to clinics, talk to other coaches and network. You never know when you go to a camp or whatever who you might be talking to.

The worst part is you're going to hear "we want someone with experience". It will drive you nuts because you are shouting in your head "HOW CAN I GET EXPERIENCE IF NOBODY GIVES ME A CHANCE?????" and I think the vast majority of us have said that ourselves. You just have to stick with it.

When I moved from Kentucky to North Carolina I had 9 years experience as a head coach. I had some big successes in there as well but I didn't get a sniff at a head coaching job which puzzled me. But while people in Kentucky might have heard of me or could find people who did know me I was coming to a place where I was a nobody again.

While everything I've just posted may sound nice it's just window dressing in all honesty. There is no firm definitive answer here. Each school wants what they want and you really have no idea what that is. The only thing I can really tell you that will help is keep at it and don't let the frustrations from it get you too bad. It will happen and there you will be back on here asking a whole new set of questions because I don't care how successful or prepared an asst. coach you are, you're really never fully prepared to take the big seat. It's something you have to learn just like you had to learn how to be an asst.

I wish you luck in your pursuits.

Coach2709,

Thank you for your advice and you are right on about everything you said. My situation is I have been a head coach since I started teaching and now I am having a hard time getting a head job. I don't know if it is because I moved to South Carolina from Mississippi and now I'm trying to go back to Mississippi. You are right about it being frustrating and causing to think about not coaching anymore.

Scooter- I am in you exact situation (minus the state championship) Congrats on that. I have personally got on the horn and got kids scholarships. I try and get a dozen different HC jobs a summer for the past 4 years. My main excuse is "We are looking for someone with head coaching experience.) I want to strangle those AD's. Why? Because in my mind they are going to hire a guy who could care less about baseball, and are doing it because they are football guys at heart. In Texas, EVERYTHING plays back seat to football. I wish some guys would move on in baseball and give us who REALLY want to be head baseball coaches our shot.

Coach 10 - I hate to hear about your situation, it used to be like that in Mississippi but it is starting to get away from hiring just a football guy with no interest in baseball to coach baseball. My biggest problem is (1) I dont know what these ADs or principals want and (2) I have been to a few interviews and have had the assistant coach from the year before get hired, which I am like why even give me an interview. Those two things are what I hate about it.

I also hate how people use the you need experience card, I think that is a load of **** because how are you suppose to get experience if no one is giving you the chance.

I guess in the long run, I just dont do a good job at hob knobing because I believe worth is valued in what you can do not in who you know.