Coaching kids with little to no skill

Best of luck to you. 

Show them how to throw by imitating you or one of your best throwers.  I remember doing that to my son. I'd put him to the side and have him watch me throw.  Although he was 6 then he's now 17 and he's got a rifle for an arm. You may have to do the same.

Just a thought.  

Take them back to fundamentals.  Ready set throw drills, fingers up fingers down, etc.

Teach the sidearm kid to pitch.  Make the "throw like a girl" your first Diamond Dude.  Put the little league kid as backup 2B and make sure the rest of them have good groundskeeping skills.

Seriously, it probably depends on whether these kids are needed to compete.  If so, you probably have no option but to invest individual time with each until you determine that they simply will not or cannot improve.  Assuming they may be as young as freshman, you may want to determine what existing mechanics you can live with which would still allow them to compete.  Taking the sidearm as an example - might he pitch or possibly play 2B with the sidearm throw?  Might not get his to the next level, but I assume you simply want them somewhat able to contribute to the team.

Also either get involved somehow/someway with the youth program or start one yourself.

joes87 posted:

Take them back to fundamentals.  Ready set throw drills, fingers up fingers down, etc.

+1

Yup, gotta go practice the fundamentals!  Also like "ball to the wall."

But you don't want to treat them like 3yos.  One might try to find some competitive age appropriate games to play that incorporate some of the fundamentals so that practicing them won't seem boring to them.  

And for the coach(s). . . practicing patience.  

Question about the sidearmer: might it be that his natural arm slot is sidearm?

Might be OK for him to throw sidearm if he can play 2B for you . . .

Or pitch.

God bless you.

Did you see PG Staff's video of his grand daughter hitting a golf ball?  Might want to be careful with the throwing like a girl thought.  She can probably bring it 

As to your actual dilemma, IMO, your most difficult task will be getting them motivated if they don't have a desire to improve or make any real effort.  To be honest, I'd start by having a video practice and showing them the original Bad News Bears. Then tell them that that's them (now), but if they want to dedicate themselves to truly working to be better at the end of the season than they are now, you'll work as hard to get them there as they're willing to work.

Then, back to the basics.  Teach them how to throw, catch, hit run.  

Then, set clear and achievable goals around the fundamentals that you want them to achieve.  Set some rewards if they achieve them (maybe another movie night with them to watch Major League, etc).  Try to find some combination of motivation and fun to see if you can light a fire inside any of them.  I wouldn't expect miracles, but if you can leave better than when you got them, I'd call it a successful season.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the ideas.  They're great.  I like the movies, though we're a school so we have to get the rights to any movie we show, but I don't think it would be a problem.  I'm going to single them out one by one to work with them individually and use video to show what's going on with them.

Little or no "baseball" skill. Not trying to be politically correct, but they may possess other skills.  

How many kids do you have all together?

Sometimes its mind boggling where we find ourselves in life. How we got here. What all transpired along the way leading up to this point, and did we picture it coming to this. God really has got a good sense of humor or so I think. lol. He puts us in this weird, sometimes happenstance places where there seems to be no immediate way out so that He can perfect a certain plan. Is the plan for us, others, or both? 

Coach, I could detect some great frustration in your OP and major disappointments. Most all coaches I've ever known have and are very competitive, fiery, driven, to name a few things. You're wired that way! Where am I going with this? You can easily let all of this "what and who these kids aren't" get to you and allow it to keep you one miserable wreck to be around OR perhaps view this from another perspective. I'm sitting here thinking in my mind what incredibly awesome impact you could have on these boys now and years from now. Take "self" out of the equation for a moment and sell yourself first. What's that saying again, "nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care." They start trusting and believing in you then not far behind will follow their desire and ambition to work and play hard. 

Listen Coach, you may not have one in the lot who ever becomes a bonafide player but you can't give up on your role and responsibility you've been given, and certainly not on some rag tag boys who may get more out of this than learning to play the game right. (My mind is going to the kid in the movie "Sandlot" who wore the fishing cap and had that plastic play glove that was HORRIBLE playing but became something he loved due to the game) I may be preaching to the choir here and if so, my apologies sincerely. I guess I keep having that stupid quote about lemons running through my mind about what do you do when you're handed lemons...and of course, to us that don't sit idly by we make KILLER lemonade, right?! lol. What an awesome, awesome opportunity you have in front of you. I truly and genuinely mean that. You heard some good ideas above. Cherry pick the ones you think can work, mix in some quality perseverance and inspiration and who knows what can happen. God may be a jokester at times but I will tell you this from my own life's lessons, He is totally and completely in control of where we are and what we're up against. All you need to do is quite easily - trust Him with this. 

I wish you great success and maybe one day not too far from now you can come back and share some awe-inspiring stories with us!

YGD

My greatest feelings of reward as a coach for me has been seeing the "lemons" that I had reach a level way beyond what I had expected in the beginning.  It's nice to have talented and competent players and sometimes they can be a bit of a disappointment, maybe even more so than the "lemons".  Dealing with "lemons" is far from easy of course and I had to be pretty tough on some of them at times, but it often brings me to tears when I think about what some of them had achieved.  I guess I was just lucky for the most part as it seemed like such impossible tasks.  I recommended patience, but that's easier said than done, certainly  not easy and the season can feel like a very long time to maintain it.  I only hope Coach can find that kind of success with his "lemons."  

Truman posted:

My greatest feelings of reward as a coach for me has been seeing the "lemons" that I had reach a level way beyond what I had expected in the beginning.  It's nice to have talented and competent players and sometimes they can be a bit of a disappointment, maybe even more so than the "lemons".  Dealing with "lemons" is far from easy of course and I had to be pretty tough on some of them at times, but it often brings me to tears when I think about what some of them had achieved.  I guess I was just lucky for the most part as it seemed like such impossible tasks.  I recommended patience, but that's easier said than done, certainly  not easy and the season can feel like a very long time to maintain it.  I only hope Coach can find that kind of success with his "lemons."  

The guys have picked up their game since joining the better players.  I think that was what they needed, to see someone else doing something right and to want to challenge themselves.  But now I gotta get girls softball ready which is an even bigger challenge with mostly all freshmen.  :fingerscrossed:

hsbaseball101 posted:

Truman posted:

My greatest feelings of reward as a coach for me has been seeing the "lemons" that I had reach a level way beyond what I had expected in the beginning.  It's nice to have talented and competent players and sometimes they can be a bit of a disappointment, maybe even more so than the "lemons".  Dealing with "lemons" is far from easy of course and I had to be pretty tough on some of them at times, but it often brings me to tears when I think about what some of them had achieved.  I guess I was just lucky for the most part as it seemed like such impossible tasks.  I recommended patience, but that's easier said than done, certainly  not easy and the season can feel like a very long time to maintain it.  I only hope Coach can find that kind of success with his "lemons."  

The guys have picked up their game since joining the better players.  I think that was what they needed, to see someone else doing something right and to want to challenge themselves.  But now I gotta get girls softball ready which is an even bigger challenge with mostly all freshmen.  :fingerscrossed:

Ahhhh . . . the girls softball.  I really love girls softball, especially those that show the athletic ability and mechanics that are like any of their male counterparts.  Good luck there.   And nice to hear your "lemons" have picked up their game and hopefully you can help them maintain their interest.  

Take some off our 35 man roster.

2forU posted:

Take some off our 35 man roster.

Wait....WHAT?

FWIW: the first thought that came to mind is to keep them out of danger.

You have a tough job. 

Last night I umpired a HS JV game in Phoenix. The game lasted 1:45 minutes, and was only 3 innings long. The score was 27-0 (it would have been more if the winning team hadn't stopped running on the basis and limiting hits to singles). The team on the short end had 10 players; two of which I know could not catch a ball. The losing team got one hit, which did not leave the infield. All 9 of there outs were via strike out.

I am amazed that here in AZ we have JV baseball teams where the kids clearly haven't played baseball. 

The only way this happens is that we are failing to bring in young people into the game. Dads don't play catch with their kids, they don't take them to games and parents think it is normal for kids not to participate in organized sport.

Starting point - make it fun, teach fundamentals; catch, throw, rules and with luck get to hitting. Find success in little things; a good bunt, no errors, no walks. With luck you will make an impact on a couple kids and with that you have a foundation for the future.

ILVBB posted:

You have a tough job. 

Last night I umpired a HS JV game in Phoenix. The game lasted 1:45 minutes, and was only 3 innings long. The score was 27-0 (it would have been more if the winning team hadn't stopped running on the basis and limiting hits to singles). The team on the short end had 10 players; two of which I know could not catch a ball. The losing team got one hit, which did not leave the infield. All 9 of there outs were via strike out.

I am amazed that here in AZ we have JV baseball teams where the kids clearly haven't played baseball. 

The only way this happens is that we are failing to bring in young people into the game. Dads don't play catch with their kids, they don't take them to games and parents think it is normal for kids not to participate in organized sport.

Starting point - make it fun, teach fundamentals; catch, throw, rules and with luck get to hitting. Find success in little things; a good bunt, no errors, no walks. With luck you will make an impact on a couple kids and with that you have a foundation for the future.

 

That's pretty sad that a game goes like that.  It sure doesn't help those on the loosing side keep their interest (players or parents).

ILVBB posted:

You have a tough job. 

Last night I umpired a HS JV game in Phoenix. The game lasted 1:45 minutes, and was only 3 innings long. The score was 27-0 (it would have been more if the winning team hadn't stopped running on the basis and limiting hits to singles). The team on the short end had 10 players; two of which I know could not catch a ball. The losing team got one hit, which did not leave the infield. All 9 of there outs were via strike out.

I am amazed that here in AZ we have JV baseball teams where the kids clearly haven't played baseball. 

The only way this happens is that we are failing to bring in young people into the game. Dads don't play catch with their kids, they don't take them to games and parents think it is normal for kids not to participate in organized sport.

Starting point - make it fun, teach fundamentals; catch, throw, rules and with luck get to hitting. Find success in little things; a good bunt, no errors, no walks. With luck you will make an impact on a couple kids and with that you have a foundation for the future.

 

^^This one little thing of playing catch with your son or daughter can be a huge factor in building skill. My husband coached a kid when our boys were about 11. The dad was always asking what they could do outside of practice to improve. My husband's answer was always the same. Play catch. It develops hand-eye coordination and throwing strength. I'm pretty sure the dad never did it. Low and behold, the kid enters his Freshman season last year and he can barely throw or catch the ball. Very little improvement in 4 years. The coach put him out to pitch a couple times. I would be surprised if he broke 50 mph with his arching fast ball.

Good for you coach for trying to figure out how to best serve these kids. The HS season is short and it's really hard to make a lot of improvement, but when it does happen, it is a marvelous thing. Our program is filled with kids with little to no skill. It is not uncommon for kids to jump from the Freshman team straight to Varsity because JV is full of Sophomores and Juniors who still can't catch or throw. Often times, the lack of talent is also accompanied by a lack of desire to get better. A lot of kids in our program play to spend time with their friends. The game is a secondary consideration. Nothing really wrong with that, it's just hard on the kids who do have bigger aspirations and goals.

Great share ILVBB.  Kids who play organized sports should be taught to win regardless of level of play.

Quit coaching and go teach Drama.  Sounds like less prima donnas there.

joemktg posted:

2forU posted:

Take some off our 35 man roster.

Wait....WHAT?

Our 35 man HS Varsity roster or our 35 man JV roster - We're at the opposite end of the spectrum

2forU posted:

joemktg posted:

2forU posted:

Take some off our 35 man roster.

Wait....WHAT?

Our 35 man HS Varsity roster or our 35 man JV roster - We're at the opposite end of the spectrum

Stunning.

Drink heavily.  Good luck with this.

I know this situation can be frustrating, but you have an awesome opportunity to go have fun. YoungGunDad had some great points.  I was/am still in your situation. I came to a school that cancelled baseball 10yrs ago due to lack of interest. I started the program back up 3 years ago. This school is a small, rural place where 95% of the students cash a govt. check and are 70% minority. I say that just to say these are not the kids who usually play baseball, and this school was no exception. We had no equipment or even a field to play on. We have played every game on the road the last 3 years. We have finally got a home field built and are playing there this year. Even getting a field built was something we did as a team. We had to give us some practice time to install sprinklers, hall dirt, and build mounds and bull pens, but they are taking pride in our program.

Work with what you have....Don't be overly concerned if the players don't do it the way it is supposed to be done. I have a right fielder that I swear has never gotten under the ball. He will catch it beside him, behind him, at his shoe strings, or even falling down, but he catches them. My short stop is 5'5 and so skinny I am afraid he is going to break in half if the wind blows too hard. My second basemen must be part Jedi because he is going to turn his head on a short hop and not watch the ball.  But with all of that I have had one of the most enjoyable starts to a season I have had in 20 years. Despite the lack of talent, the kids work had and try to do everything I ask. The kids are competing. I had two get in each others face during an intersquad yesterday because one player did not think the other was giving 100%. To me that is buy in and they are invested in what we are doing. We have started the year of 5-0. I will admit that is largely do to my scheduling genius, but at least we are at the point where we can compete with other schools. Our district play start next week so it is back to reality. 

I say all of that to say this to HSbaseball101 and whoever else may be reading this from parent to small school coach doing by himself to big school coach with 6 asst. .....go have fun and let the kids have fun and teach them about integrity, honor, and hard work. That is way more important than winning baseball games. 

d8 posted:

I know this situation can be frustrating, but you have an awesome opportunity to go have fun. YoungGunDad had some great points.  I was/am still in your situation. I came to a school that cancelled baseball 10yrs ago due to lack of interest. I started the program back up 3 years ago. This school is a small, rural place where 95% of the students cash a govt. check and are 70% minority. I say that just to say these are not the kids who usually play baseball, and this school was no exception. We had no equipment or even a field to play on. We have played every game on the road the last 3 years. We have finally got a home field built and are playing there this year. Even getting a field built was something we did as a team. We had to give us some practice time to install sprinklers, hall dirt, and build mounds and bull pens, but they are taking pride in our program.

Work with what you have....Don't be overly concerned if the players don't do it the way it is supposed to be done. I have a right fielder that I swear has never gotten under the ball. He will catch it beside him, behind him, at his shoe strings, or even falling down, but he catches them. My short stop is 5'5 and so skinny I am afraid he is going to break in half if the wind blows too hard. My second basemen must be part Jedi because he is going to turn his head on a short hop and not watch the ball.  But with all of that I have had one of the most enjoyable starts to a season I have had in 20 years. Despite the lack of talent, the kids work had and try to do everything I ask. The kids are competing. I had two get in each others face during an intersquad yesterday because one player did not think the other was giving 100%. To me that is buy in and they are invested in what we are doing. We have started the year of 5-0. I will admit that is largely do to my scheduling genius, but at least we are at the point where we can compete with other schools. Our district play start next week so it is back to reality. 

I say all of that to say this to HSbaseball101 and whoever else may be reading this from parent to small school coach doing by himself to big school coach with 6 asst. .....go have fun and let the kids have fun and teach them about integrity, honor, and hard work. That is way more important than winning baseball games. 

Awesome D8.  Who's to say one of your 5 footers can't end up playing in the world series one day.   Glad you're having fun.

Besides day dreaming doesn't cost anything.

S attended  very small HS ( less than 100 boys) where athletics were not a priority. There was only a varsity with a no cut policy. Kids who had last played in little league were common. Without those kids, the school would have been unable to field a team. Apart from a few players (maybe 6 a year), no one had played past 12 years old.

The coaches were saints - patient, loved teaching the game, worked on individual skills incessantly. They took the top players and made them captains and made it their mission to lead by example, play catch with guys who couldn't catch, run with guys who had never run, encourage the incremental improvement each day brought - in short, conveying that winning was not the final goal; rather the final goal was a bunch of kids having fun with each other, wearing the HS uniform, competing as best they could, trying as hard as each could.

Small victories were celebrated - guys fouling off a 70 mph pitch were cheered; guys catching routine fly balls were cheered; this was truly HS ball with no expectations, just pure baseball. And it was a life changing experience for those unskilled guys - they were part of a team, and would always be able to say to their kids, "I played HS baseball!" (And, many teams in the league were in the same state, with the same results.) For S, those guys remain his best friends.

S is now 23 and heading to ST tomorrow. But today, he's heading to his old HS to watch a game. The quality of the team is the same as it was back in his day - it's now being coached by three of the guys who were named captains back in the day.  

Make no mistake, your efforts have large and positive long term effects.