Coach with "raw" skills.

The best thing a "new" coach can do is understand that he doesn't know anything. Unfortunately you don't realize this until 2 or 3 years in.

You need to always keep your mind open to learning and understanding a new or different way of doing something, even if you like the way you do it better.

Perhaps most of all is you must learn to communicate with all types of kids. Because what you know doesn't matter, it's what you can communicate effectively to kids that makes you a good coach.

While I do believe that some people are naturally better coaches than others, being able to coach is also partially learned. The first thing you need to remember as a coach is communication. Not only do you have to communicate with the players, but also other coaches, umpires, and parents. As a coach you also have to have a thorough understanding of the game of baseball. Without that understanding and knowledge you are unfit to be coaching young athletes (at least when you get to a higher level of play). I think it's also important that the coach is a good role model for the players. When I coach, I always try to avoid conflict with other and especially try to control my temper with umpires which oftentimes can rub off on young players.

No matter what you do as a coach somebody will disagree with what you do. A player, a parent, etc etc. In the atmosphere today it is tough. However if you want to be successful you have to know from day 1 you can not please everybody and if you try you will not be successful. Also be fair and consistent in what you do. If you are the head coach when all is said and done you are the one who makes the lineup card each game.

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Originally posted by Will:
No matter what you do as a coach somebody will disagree with what you do. A player, a parent, etc etc. In the atmosphere today it is tough. However if you want to be successful you have to know from day 1 you can not please everybody and if you try you will not be successful. Also be fair and consistent in what you do. If you are the head coach when all is said and done you are the one who makes the lineup card each game.

Good advice, consistent being the key word...when I first started a wise old man told me the following about fairness: "fair is not equal and equal is not fair" in other words don't treat everyone or every situation the same!

The funny thing about being condistent. If and when you make rules make sure that rule applies to everone. If they do not do not make them . It is funny we hear the term discipline. but you always will find that there are some that think discipline is great for everybody else but them.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
The funny thing about being condistent. If and when you make rules make sure that rule applies to everone. If they do not do not make them . It is funny we hear the term discipline. but you always will find that there are some that think discipline is great for everybody else but them.

I respectfully disagree....scenario: player a is never late, never a disruption, always works hard, etc, etc, etc and somehow manages to miss a team meeting. player b is always just barely on time, doesn't work very hard, is a bad teammate, etc, etc, etc and somehow manages to miss the same team meeting.

Does the same action here have the same consequence?

Yes they have the same consequence. Why wouldn't they? You can't have a team meeting at the start and basically say "hey guys we got these team rules but if you're a good kid then don't worry about them. They don't apply to you. Now you bad kids - you got another thing coming. You better not mess up or you will be punished unlike the good kids."

All rules apply to all people equally.

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All rules apply to all people equally.

If you are going to selectively enforce a rule do not make it in the first place.

Sounds great in a vacuum...have you ever needed the benefit of the doubt in your professinoal life...i mean EVER...my guess is that if you are a good worker who produced for the company you got it...if you weren't those things, then you didn't...it's called productivity over problems...the people who tend to complain about "fairness" are the people who don't produce...just the way things are.

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I respectfully disagree....scenario: player a is never late, never a disruption, always works hard, etc, etc, etc and somehow manages to miss a team meeting. player b is always just barely on time, doesn't work very hard, is a bad teammate, etc, etc, etc and somehow manages to miss the same team meeting

I think the key is not to paint yourself in a corner, as a coach. Don't have too many rules; the rules you do have should be broad in scope and allow you "wiggle room" if need be, yet don't portray you as one who plays favorites. Rule making and enforcement is a bit of an art, IMO.

My college coach, who is arguably one of the best in the country, told us in our first team meeting in August (paraphrase): There are different rules for different people . . . If you're the Friday night starter who is 9-0 w/ a 2.60 ERA and you miss curfew on a Monday night, . . . slap on the wrist. If you are a part-time defensive replacement, batting .167, and were arrested on DUI in the Fall, and YOU miss curfew on Monday . . . your punishment is more severe.

For me, at 18, hearing that was a breath of fresh air. The real world operates that way. Prior to college, most coaches I had in every sport at every level enforced rules differently depending on the value of the player(s) in question, though they stated in the first team meeting, "everyone will be treated the same, regardless of who you/your parents are." As players, we all knew who was treated differently. I still have a great deal of respect for this coach 12 years later b/c he was upfront with this on day 1.

I know from experience this type of rule enforcement is much more tricky to effectively encact at the sub-collegiate levels.

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Originally posted by bsballfan:
Sounds great in a vacuum...have you ever needed the benefit of the doubt in your professinoal life...i mean EVER...my guess is that if you are a good worker who produced for the company you got it...if you weren't those things, then you didn't...it's called productivity over problems...the people who tend to complain about "fairness" are the people who don't produce...just the way things are.

This may work for a little while but it will eventually blow up in your face. Plus we're talking about high school kids who haven't matured enough to understand the difference that you're talking about that goes on in the grown up world.

Using your example another factor is the timing of events. Using player A who misses the meeting is a first time offense. The punsihment won't be that severe. You might tell him to go run 4 poles and don't do it again. It's punishment albeit not that harsh. Player B who has the history of breaking rules is going to get punished more severely due to the fact he hasn't learned anything yet. In fact this might be the straw that breaks his back and he gets removed from the team. That makes a huge difference in what is perceived as being punished and looking the other way. But I will guarantee that when Player B broke his first rule he probably had to run 4 poles just like player A.

Player B has too much history to just give them the same punishment. This creates a look of favortism and is why some say that it's not fair. We can say what we want that when a rule is broken, you serve your punishment and it's done / forgotten but it's a not what really happens. In the judicial world, professional world, educational world, athletic world what you do in your past follows you. This is where people don't understand fairness. Those people think they can break rule after rule and it not be held against them on the next one. I see it everyday in the classroom and they get it from home.

You have to have rules and you have to enforce them equally amongst all. First time offense doesn't have to be that harsh and could possibly be just a talking to. But that fifth offense needs to be taken care of and therefore a more severe penalty.