Old School/Pet Peeves

I hold on to certain things because where do you draw the line? Ok on warm days I allow the guys to take bp in shorts during practice but never before a game. We always wear helmets when we hit so thats not an issue. We never wear our hats backwards or flipped up on top of the head because the hat is to keep the sun out of your eyes not for show. If its a night game its designed to take the glare of the lights out of your eyes not for show.

I have found once you start slacking on some things other things start to get slack. There seems to be no stopping it. Before you know it everything goes. I understand ML players do a lot of things I would never allow my players to do. Jogging out ground balls. Etc etc. There are certain things we do and there is a certain way were going to do them. And players need to know that. Once you lose that the players lose confidence in your ability to lead and how things are suppose to be done.

If you don't have a way you do things then you don't have a way to do anything. And then everyone is just doing what they want to do. Just because someone else does something doesn't mean you have to. And it doesn't mean anyone is right or wrong. They do it their way and you do it your way.

I agree and understand, Coach May, especially on the right or wrong. I think it's important to assess sometimes why we do what we do, and just evaluate in general. I often read or hear coaches saying they only have two rules. These are often to show up on time and play hard, but then I think wait a minute, I have a lot of rules, some that I mentioned in the opening post. Again, just evaluating what I do, and why.

My pet peeve is the word "old school" Like for some reason the "new school way is better" Let me tell you I have seen some of the results of the new school approach. In some cases it is not pretty.

This is what I have found. There are a lot of things that we as coaches can change and overlook that do not affect the overall product of the kid and will not make a difference in the game. With that said I have found that it is a very slippery slope and when you give in on a certain thing you find yourself giving in on a lot of areas and the areas added up do affect the overall product. Everyone has a style and expectations and that is what the kids need to be held accountable.

Nicholas let me give you this advice. You have never been a head coach but you want to be. Before you take your first head coaching job put some serious thought into what your standards are and how hard are you willing to stand behind them. Because there is nothing worse than say THIS is what we're going to do and then next thing you know you let it slide here and there. It gets a thousand times harder to enforce anything once you slide on anything.

If it's not a big deal then don't make it a big deal. If it's a big deal then you NEVER back down at any challenge to it. For example if you want any and all shirts tucked in then they better be tucked and you better have a way to enforce it. Then have a second level of enforcement because they will challenge you on it as a new head coach especially if you're young. Guys like me, Coach May, Will and I think IEBSBL who have experience at places and have a good resume will probably not have to fight it as much as you would as a first time young head coach.

If you don't care about hats being backwards and let them start doing it don't change and try to enforce it. You'll just cause yourself a lot of heartache.

Pick and choose what's important to you and don't worry about anybody else or what they think. It's your team and your rules. They either get on board or get gone but be consistent.

Outstanding post coach. You brought up some great points. First of all there are always going to be people outside your program that will question you. Question what you do. Question how you do things. "Coach so and so does it like this." "When my son played for coach so and so he did it like this." If you start wavering your going to be questioned on everything. If you start being percieved as weak and soft your going to be challenged on everything. If one day your rules are enforced then the next day you slack off on the enforcement you might as well throw all the rules out the window. You have to be consistent. You have to have a way YOU do things. And its 100% of the time. There are certain things that are set in stone and you are the one that has to set them in stone.

Now what I have always done is allow for certain things to be allowed to not be set in stone. For instance. When its hot the guys know they can ask to take bp in shorts. Its then up to me to decide if its hot enough. Or we are just taking bp and not running bags during that round of bp. Or for instance - There is never a time your going to practice without a shirt on. Or there is never a time when its acceptable to wear your hat backwards.

The players learn from you. You set the ground rules. And when your consistent they are consistent. They know what to expect. And you know what to expect. If you feel there is a rule that is a rule just for the sake of it being a rule and you want to change it then go for it. But understand it has deeper meaning to the players than you might expect on the surface. "Man is coach getting soft?" "Maybe he will not have a problem with us doing this then?" "You see even coach see's how stupid some of his rules are." Be careful and understand that players see things differently many times than we do.

Know what matters to you. Be consistent with your expectations and enforcement. And run your program like you feel your program needs to be ran. Just because Coach May or Coach2709 do someting does not mean you have to do it. I have always believed that if a person has character and does what they believe is right things work out for the best. Its important to understand that your players do not need you to be their friend while they are playing for you. They need you to be their coach. You can be their friend the rest of their life after they have stopped playing for you.

I have no doubt your going to be a very good HC one day. From your posts I can tell you care and want to do a great job and be prepared for your opportunity. Never compromise on your core foundation that you believe in. Your credibility as a coach demands that you are consistent and true to what you believe in. Good luck

I am a young guy, coaching at a large HS. This is my 5th year. I have tried to approach rules like this: if it doesn't affect their play, it doesn't matter. Now, the question is, what affects their play?

I expect every player to be completely prepared for every practice and game. I expect every player to sprint to the dugout to hit, and sprint to the field to prepare for the defensive half-inning. I expect every player to be at the front of the dugout at all times, paying attention to the game. I expect every player to only talk baseball while at practices and games.

Things I don't care about: Do we all have the same team shoe...do you walk back to dugout or sprint after strikeout...do you wear your pants up or down

Now personally, I also don't let our kids have earrings or facial hair, they have to shave on game days.

Regardless, some kids (and especially parents if you are young) are going to disagree with your rules, or think you should have others. However, have a rationale, keep your beliefs, and feel comfortable with who you are as a coach.

There is more than one way to skin a cat.

Great thread and outstanding posts. HS kids are a lot like young soldiers (year or two difference is all). From observing and listening to both for years I have learned exactly what you fine gentlemen are saying; there are things that matter and things that don't. The win is in the choosing.

They may also require the teach of why it is important to get them to buy in.

Lead by example always. If mine are wearing pants, so am I.

For every "bad" example from the MLB, there are several good ones. For every sideways cap there is a Mike Young or Tulo, etc.

Baseball is a team game played with a lot of individualism. There is room for a bit of individualism as well in rules as well. I've had good success giving them parameters instead of hard and fast. For example - hair under the front of the hat. Want to wear a mohawk? Is your hair under the front of your hat? Knock yourself out.

At the same time they also need structure and discipline to be happy. They'll complain about it, but they know inside they need it.

They want to be treated like adults, or what they perceive as adult treatment. And they need to feel like what they say matters, that they have a vote.

At the end of the day as has already been said, somebody is going to be unhappy, let it be the ones that are "wrong".

good advice fellas.

Outstanding posts guys. realteamcoach, NDD simply outstanding stuff. I really enjoyed reading that.

quote:

The players learn from you. You set the ground rules. And when your consistent they are consistent. They know what to expect. And you know what to expect. If you feel there is a rule that is a rule just for the sake of it being a rule and you want to change it then go for it. But understand it has deeper meaning to the players than you might expect on the surface. "Man is coach getting soft?" "Maybe he will not have a problem with us doing this then?" "You see even coach see's how stupid some of his rules are." Be careful and understand that players see things differently many times than we do.

This is a great quote. I would encourage you each year to sit down and revisit things you think are important. Every year your team, their makeup, and leadership will be different. I make sure I sit down prior to our fall program and review with myself things that I have slipped up on over the course of the previous season or things I am going to need to be more strict on. Head Coaches wear so many different hats and you really need to make sure you know where you are going to draw the line because like Coach Mays states they will think you are getting soft. I thing I can promise is that it is better to have a team that thinks your rules are stupid but follows them vs. a team that thinks you are soft.

When thinking about your rules/standards for the players, I think it is important to think in terms of the program you want to build and not just your team. So, these standards are the standards from Freshmen through Varsity. Also, you have to ingrain in your players that they represent you, the school and their community. I've often asked myself "what does a ball player look like and how do they act." That vision is what I want to translate to my players. Then, the pride in your program will overcome any pressures from outside influences for your players.

Quick story, over the summer my wife and I walked in to the local pizza parlor. There was a softball team in there eating after their game. I didn't notice anything special about them until I approached the salad bar and looked back. Many of them were former players. Almost to a man, they grabbed their hats and put them on "right." I laughed and walked over to them to chat. One remarked that even now he can't wear his had backwards when I'm around. We had some good laughs at that.

quote:

When thinking about your rules/standards for the players, I think it is important to think in terms of the program you want to build and not just your team. So, these standards are the standards from Freshmen through Varsity. Also, you have to ingrain in your players that they represent you, the school and their community. I've often asked myself "what does a ball player look like and how do they act." That vision is what I want to translate to my players. Then, the pride in your program will overcome any pressures from outside influences for your players.

I wish I had said that and I couldn't agree more.

Man there really is a TON of good stuff in here. I swear I could sit around all day and just read the stuff you guys pots on here. The thing I'm liking best is while you got the guys who's been on this site for a period of time I'm really enjoying reading the stuff from the new guys on here. It really makes me feel good about being a coach knowing my peers are as insightful and classy as you guys are.

One thing I would like to add is that while we're talking about being consistent and thinking ahead to know what you want to do understand that sometimes things change and so will your rules. Now this has to handled just right or it can blow up in your face. As IESBL (I think) said that each year the dynamics of your team will change and you need to be able to change with it.

There will be years where you're going to have a bunch of guys who are more difficult to get along with. They want to push the envelope of what is / isn't allowed and question lots of things. I'm not saying they are bad kids but they just have that outlook they won't walk the line just because you say so. With groups like this you HAVE to keep your thumb on them with the rules. You may have to come up with rules to help govern and structure for them.

Then there will be years where the guys just go with what you say. They know the deal and accept it. In this situation you will be amazed how they will take the responsibility of enforcing the rules for you. I'm not saying slack off from your end but these guys get it and make sure the younger guys get it. I'm basically tying this back into the example Coach B25 gave about his former players. I'm willing to bet with that group he probably didn't have to say a whole lot about a backwards hat because the older guys did it - hate to speadk for him but I would bet money on that.

Let's say you are in season and somehow / someway your philosophy starts to change on something. You no longer really see it as being in that big deal category. The next season you want to make a change and do something different. At the end of the season tell them you're going to rethink somethings and possibly make some changes. You believe that it will help the team and make things better. Then at the start of the next season tell them that such and such rule will no longer apply. I don't see this as being seen as soft but as a proactive coach who wants to run a smooth ship.

Obviously I'm not talking about a rule about sprinting on and off the field. I think we all agree that's non-negotiable (but to each their own). Best example I can give is I used to be a HUGE stickler on hair being short. I wanted a short haircut that would fit under the hat. Then the style started to change where the hair was longer and I just really thought about it - who cares about hair length. It doesn't make you worse or better as a player. So I told my guys at the end of the season I was going put some thought into that rule. I talked to some of the older guys that I trusted and got their opinion. The next season I told them my rule was that I didn't care about hair length as long as it was out of their eyes when they had their hat / helmet on. Very similar to the rule someone posted above. I have no idea if it helped or hurt or never phased the team but it was just something I didn't want to have in my big deal category. Please understand my decision wasn't made because of the changing style of hair or a kid didn't want to play because he wanted long hair and I wanted short. If a kid doesn't want to play over hair length then he doesn't have "IT" to be a winner. I could give a rats rearend about trends and hairstyles so they never factored into my decision.

This change went over very well but I also was able to make the change on the group who will follow along very well. If it was the question everything group I doubt I would have made the change due to I don't want to open the door for them to consider me soft

I would encourage you, above all else, to be your self.

Learn as much as you can from other Coaches, but apply it in a way that is genuine to your personality.

Trying to be someone else will not work...eventually you'll start acting like yourself anyway.

Coach I totally agree. I have really enjoyed this thread. To be honest much more than many that have been going on the last few months. And like you I have really enjoyed reading the posts of the newer guys here. We really do think so much alike. And I am constantly learning from each and every one of you. Thanks

25---al coaches are differebt---bottom line for ,me is to be yourself and be true yo yourself

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
25---all coaches are different---bottom line for ,me is to be yourself and be true to yourself

Seems like today coaches spend more time explaining why they did something than preparing to do it.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Seems like today coaches spend more time explaining why they did something than preparing to do it.

I think the key is explaining why you "do" something, then the did kind of takes care of itself. There are some kids today that really understand the game. They take private lessons. They follow baseball closely. If we just put in a play/procedure/sign, and they don't understand the point, it can be tough. If we explain it, they buy in. Furthermore, by explaining it, we start to analyze why we do things, and that can make us better coaches.

quote:

don't understand the point,

Maybe so but seems there is "it makes us better so do it.

Will, I don't understand your problem with explaining why a coach explains the rational for what players do. Let's take hitting. When I coach hitting, I want the players to know why they do different drills since I've tried my best to have them do drills that I believe that they need to be succcessful. I don't believe in having players do drills just because I have 20 other guys doing the same drill. Therefore, contrary to your assertion, I've spent more time thinking about player's weaknesses and then trying to develop practice plans that allow for each player to work on their weaknesses. Will, in the end, my goal is to have every one of my players adept at knowing their weaknesses and knowing what drills they need to fix their problems when they go off to college. That is why I explain a lot and then ask a lot of questions for every phase of the game. It isn't enough to say that players do things because I'm the coach and I told them to do it. JMHO!

It isn't enough to say that players do things because I'm the coach and I told them to do it. JMHO!

"it makes us better so do it.