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14 replies

Physical Demands of Coaching Baseball

CoachB25CoachB25Honorary "Old TImer"
I've been discussing this a lot with my staff about the physical nature of coaching baseball. I've coached both basketball and baseball. I know that the physical breakdown in basketball is due to the length of the season and the scouting. I tried to physically participate in practice during drill work but to be honest, it was in spurts of 10 minutes etc. and recovery was always relatively easy.

However, in baseball, in my opinion, a coach has to be physically active in every practice and before every game. We throw live arm everyday to our hitters regardless of if we have a game, practice or are at home or on the road. I would estimate that a "easy day" would encompase some 250 throws to hitters. Then take in the fungo hitting and just the nature of having stations over 400 feet apart and you make for a very physical presence required in baseball.

This doesn't include the blisters you encounter from throwing BP and the broken nails. I seem to have my finger nails and big toe nails break in half every year from throwing. Yesterday was the worse. It is why I'm in on such a great day. I threw a pitch in BP prior to our game and I dislocated a rib. All game long it felt as if I were having a heart attack. Today, I can't get my arm up over my shoulder height. Tomorrow, I'll be expected by my kids to throw again.

Any thoughts on the physical nature of coaching baseball?

"Failure depends upon people who say I can't."  - my dad's quote July 1st, 2021.  CoachB25 = Cannonball for other sites.

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S Starzz500+ posts
CoachB25...no offense, but it sounds like you are trying to do too much. We have 3 coaches and each does most of what you are doing while the head coach observes and teaches. Not to say it is not impressive, but I think you should involve them more often than yourself.

The physical exhaustion along with the mental part could put you down at a key time...the players need a good coach like yourself on the field, but not necessarily in the areas stated in your post.

Continued good luck, and take care of your injury.
CoachB25CoachB25Honorary "Old TImer"
Starzz, no offense taken. I have one assistant on the varsity level and one for JV and Freshman. My strength as a coach is to coach while doing. If we are working on hitting a slider, I'm throwing it and coaching it at the same time. You make a great point in that sometimes I have to sprint out to the bullpen for work with a particular pitcher and tne sprint back for the next hitter. I take my coaching opportunities where I find them. For instance, when I'm throwing to one hitter, another hitter is often standing next to me behind a screen listening to what we are doing. I think that I realize long ago that my #1 quality in coaching was work ethic. I think the kids realize it as well. You are right in that as I'm getting older, I'm breaking down more often. This rib thing is something I don't know how I'm going to deal with tomorrow. I know I can't let the kids down. TOMORROW WILL BE INTERESTING.
Last edited by CoachB25
S Starzz500+ posts
CoachB25...have you thought about using a reliever from your staff to throw as a light bullpen...many times there is not enough time to get a good bullpen in. You may kill 2 birds with 1 stone observing a pitcher and a hitter...at least until you recover.

We have them throw occasinally from 45 feet behind the screen from the stretch...works well for us.

Good luck tomorrow.
Last edited by Starzz
CoachB25CoachB25Honorary "Old TImer"
When we get our pitching work in, we typically finish by throwing to a couple of hitters live if they aren't pitching in a game the next day. Therefore, our BP has two stations set up. I step off, take down the pitcher protector and they throw about 20 to hitters. THen, I'm back on until the next one is ready. After we go through our staff, then my assistant and I throw double cages. It is the best of both worlds because I can coach hitters and pitchers at the same time. One other concern that we have is that our cages are over 380 feet from home plate. They are beyond the right field fence. We are in Madison County Illinois. The Lawsuit Capital of the United States. We need to have a coach in that cage area at all times and so, one of the two of us gets to be the "runner." I'm the lucky one since I'm the head cheese. I actually like the way we do things and while I'm worn out, I think my kids feel like they are getting coached. BTW, my assistant coaching staff is top notch as well and so...
F Flintoide100+ posts
When I moved up to btwn 45' to 50' that helped a lot; I couldn't believe the difference of having a chair w/ bucket of balls so I did not have to bend over. .... I can't understand how I could be that stupid that long!
I would add to your list of physical demands: field maintainence. Basketball and football coaches typically don't have to worry about thosee details.
CM Coach May1,000+ posts
Tonight I threw 30 swings a piece to 15 players. Now I was around 45' away behind the L. On round 1 they got 10 2 strike swings on fb away. They were to take it if it was obviously a ball but swing if it was close. On round 2 they got situational hitting. 10 swings - hit and run - runner on second no outs move him to third - etc. On round 3 they got 10 swings on 0-0 count. Now I would bet for every 10 swings they took 10 pitches at least. That means that each kid swung at 30 pitches and took at least 30. That means that I threw 900 pitches in the two hours that we ran this drill. Is that crazy or what? I throw alot during the season and off season. We have three other coaches that share the duties of throwing bp. While I was on the field throwing we had group in the cage getting hacks and toss and t work. The other two coaches were hanging from throwing Saturday. We stay on our feet the whole time teaching and working. I never realize how much I do untill after practice when my feet are killing me and I can hardly talk because Ive been talking three hours straight. I love it though there is nothing else I would rather be doing in the world. Heaven to me is a baseball field with a bunch of kids that love to practice and play the game. And of course some other coaches that love it just like me.
CoachB25CoachB25Honorary "Old TImer"
Coach May very nice post. My assistant commented last night how tired he was. We are both physically worn out and throw every night. That sounds so simple - throw! Yet, it sure takes its tole on a body. We do one portion of practice where both of us throw 40 ball buckets. We have two portable cages and line them up side by side. We then have 7 by 7 screens we set up so that we can't get hit by a hitter from the other cage. We want to hit on the field as much as possible. We have 3 cages and a half cage but let the JV use 2 of those cages. BTW, we have stands for the baseballs and rotate JV players through feeding us the balls from the bucket to save us steps. They feed us 2 buckets then rotate back into practice.

Flintoid, you are also correct on the field maintenance. The other night, I called my wife and had her bring up our mower so that when practice ended, my assistant and I could mow the field and do other maintenance. We ended in the dark. Such is the life of a HS Coach.
CoachB25CoachB25Honorary "Old TImer"
Flintoid, I'm an old **** now and so, I don't have to do as many preps. I now teach only World and U.S. History. 2 preps is a piece of cake after the 3-4 I once did. Next year, a major switch (I hope). If we hire a new Basketball Coach that I want hired, I will be doing JV Boys Basketball and will also move into Administration for 2 hours a day. DISCIPLINE! If we don't hire this young man, then no JV Basketball and only one hour of DISCIPLINE.

As for Bus Rides, we are into a stretch of away games. Our game tonight is over an hour. On Friday/Saturday, we will be on the bus FOREVER!
cvstingcvsting1,000+ posts
I am told I am getting old, maybe so, I've got an elbow aid on my aching right elbow which has bursitis/tendonitis from over use.

I attributed it to putting sealer on my driveway, but throwing all that BP over the winter probably did not help.

Been hurting now for two weeks, hard to brush the teeth even. Finally called the doc today to get it looked at. noidea

CV

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