EARLY BIRD GETS THE SWINGS
As the season starts, we
want to get off to a good start with our team and what is expected of them.
Of course, youth baseball is unlike a school team sport and you cannot
force a player to practice or even force them to be on time. However, there
are certain things you can do as a coach to ensure your team develops good
habits. My own personal pet peeve was having the players arrive late for
practices. My practices usually run no longer than one hour and if a player
is fifteen minutes late, he misses a full quarter of a practice. I have
tried a number different tactics. The first one is, I give each player
a number as they arrive at practice and they keep that number throughout
the practice. Whoever arrives first is number one and when it comes to
batting practice he or she goes first. The players remember this and after
a couple of practices, you will notice the difference with players arriving
early to get a good number. Another technique I use is to start practice
with a mini batting practice even before warm ups. After you do this
a few times, you'll notice
the players arriving early and telling you that they go first. Do not do
this technique every practice but every once in a while. Practices, especially
early in the season, will set the tone for a successful and fun season.
The kids take notice when the coach arrives early and organized. Use these
two techniques to get your players to arrive on time.
Coach Marty Schupak has produced
a short video entitled, "The 59 Minute Baseball Practice." You can get
more information at his website: www.youthsportsclub.com.
Submitted by: Marty Schupak