No Top 10 list but a few thoughts. Coaching Dads- Kids start playing competitive baseball at 5-6 years old. Dad coaches have watched these players for several seasons. Kids, coaches and parents build reputations in the baseball community. No Kid Coaches- I have watched one 9U ECB team this year with no kid coaches and I don't feel the kids got better due to several reasons. I suspect it was 9U kids trying to learn the game, coaches trying to teach and parents unhappy with the W/L results. These kids are young and need to be given the opportunity to fail, learn and work it out. How many teams never rotate and win but don't develop players at the 9U level? Paid Coaches- I think at 13-14U is the earliest any parent consider a paid coach as a priority. Spend your money on individual hitting & pitching instruction and enjoy the diamond time with your kid. If they still love the game at 13-15u and strive to be great- the great teams with paid coaches will find them! Even with paid coaches will shift focus to HS baseball players after HS season is over to coach, develop and promote kids to college programs.
Other Key Areas: • Families can Make or Break any team. Don't be a crazy parent in the stands. I have watched coaches pass on great players because of potential parent issues. This is a problem...Fact • No Daddy Ball and coaches son needs to be solid. His kid cannot be the worst player. • Keep your core group together. People move around to look for the next best thing and sometimes find out...it is not better but really worst. I ask? Where would the 6-7u Sandy Plains Cougars be if they stayed together?
Currently- I like the 2012 ECB 9U Titans approach to coaching. They seem to focus on developmental player coaching vs. win at all costs. The parents must be 100% on board for the to work. They have also had very good tournament success this year considering talent and rotation. I believe Chance Beam works with all ages of Titans players at the ECB training facility as part of fees. So, they get paid instruction and have Dads running the team on the weekends. (Win/Win). I’m not saying they are the best coached team but have a coaching approach for youth baseball. Not out to steal, recruit or make big promises to the most talented players but coach up their team. For the record- I am not associated with the any ECB program or team.
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Posted - 05/22/2012 : 10:30:14
