HOYB Manager and Coach Training

1. HOYB Manager and Coach Training March 2013

2. Agenda • Welcome and Introductions • Board roles and overall league information • Manager and coach expectations • Sticky Situations • Rules review • Website training

3. Board Roles • President: overall administrator of league, liaison to HOC, Babe Ruth International, District commissioners • Vice President: part of executive team, second in command, oversees baseball administration • Head commissioner: responsible for commissioners and managers, leads the way on rule changes, other baseball issues • Secretary: provides administrative support and oversees marketing activities • Commissioners: oversee a particular league for manager selection, rostering kids, parent issues, adherence to policies and rules

4. Other Board roles • Fields managers: plan out spring work, take care of issues during season, work with town on maintenance issues, leads field closing activities • Scheduler: produces the initial schedule, handles changes, rainouts, reschedules • Umpire Manager: trains and mentors umpires, schedules umpires • Uniform Manager: selects team names for the season, orders uniforms, collects uniforms • Player and coach development: new role, will be working on developing a set of benchmarks for each league that players and coaches will work toward • Sponsor Manager: markets leagues to local businesses to attract sponsorships and other donations • Equipment manager: orders, distributes and collects equipment, maintains equipment in container at HMS • Webmaster: keeps website up to date with information, branding, etc. • Parent at large: sits on the board to represent a segment of the player base

5. League Information • Developmental focus first • Competitive experience second (in drafted leagues) • Non-drafted leagues are neighborhood based • Drafted leagues are skill based, within a suggested age range • Rules provide for movement around positions in all leagues • Rules provide for equal playing time as is possible

6. HOYB Philosophies • We have the privilege to perform a community service by providing a baseball experience for all children in greater Herndon • We are house league first • All children deserve equal attention and development • While we have rules to control many situations, we expect our managers to understand and EMBRACE the spirit of the rules as well as the actual rule itself • No one ever questions or challenges or negatively addresses an official on a judgment call • Our managers and coaches are examples to the families they interact with: we hold them to a higher standard during games and practices

7. Manager and Coach Expectations • All Leagues: • Undergo a background check through the Fairfax County’s athletic league system (managers and official assistant coaches) • Complete the Babe Ruth certification exam (managers and official assistant coaches) • Ensure that the Babe Ruth rules are followed, alongside HOYB rules • Make every attempt to attend any manager/coach training that is offered • Utilize the HOYB’s League Athletic system to generate emails, post team news, and other general functions • Collect paperwork with regard to emergency care • Support any fundraising effort that the league undertakes • Seek to create a learning experience that will grow the children in baseball skills and sportsmanship • Support the umpires in their calls and their own learning experience • Follow the league guidelines and use discretionary judgment to follow the spirit of the guidelines if they are not clear • Ensure that an official scorebook is kept. • Organize parent volunteers for field duty, fundraising and other jobs • Ensure that parents, kids and coaches are observing the Code of Conduct that everyone has signed, and intervene if violations occur • Drafted Leagues • Post pitch counts within 48 hours of each game (spring only) • Provide score and commentary on game (spring only) • If keeping statistics on players, utilize the League Athletic system to do so

8. Specific Recommendations • Have a parent’s meeting before first game and cover: • Read the code of conduct together • Discuss your philosophy of working with children and how you will be instructing, providing corrections, supporting the team • Discuss practice expectations and any repercussions of not attending • Discuss the league goals of position movement and how you plan to implement • Discuss specific expectations you have for parents with regard to helping at practices, helping at games, dugout needs, other volunteer needs • Discuss umpire calls, what is a judgment call and what isn’t, who is allowed to speak with the umpires, etc. • Make it clear that you expect the parents to contact you first if they are not satisfied with their player’s experience for any reason. • Utilize your commissioner if you have questions on ANYTHING. If they don’t know, they have other people that they can contact.

9. Sticky Situations • Kid goofs off at practice, creates dangerous situation • Parents think little Johnny is Cal Ripken and should always bat first, play every inning, only play the infield • Parents in the stands are loud and distracting to their own kids plus others • Parent yells specific instructions to his own kid from the stands or sidelines (usually contra to yours) • Kid is outright disrespectful to coaches and teammates • Parent is outright disrespectful to coaches • Kid has deeply lower skills than any other kid on the team • Kid doesn’t come to practice regularly, parents don’t understand why he isn’t playing in a position that requires situational knowledge • Parents don’t volunteer for field raking or other game duties • Other managers/coaches in your league don’t adhere to the spirit of the HOYB rules or break actual rules

10. Managing at Games • Have lineup and positions posted and available at the game • Appoint official base coaches and dugout manager…..only people allowed in dugout • Assign someone to keep pitch count and scorebook • Rainout information and rescheduling • ?????

11. Rules Highlights: Blastball • PLAYERS • A typical blastball game features two teams of five players each. With no pitcher required, the fielders take position anywhere in the field, provided they stand behind the 15-foot fair line. Coaches may want to position fielders farther back if there’s a chance they could get hit with batted balls. • GAME PLAY • Blastball begins with a batter hitting the ball from the tee. Players may take as many swings as needed to hit the ball. Batted balls must cross the fair line to be in play. Any balls that don’t land or roll past the fair line are considered foul. Once the ball is hit, batters attempt to run to first base. Fielders record outs by catching the ball or grabbing it off the ground and yelling “Blast!” before the runner reaches first base. • SCORING • While one point may be awarded for reaching first base, blastball leagues for younger children typically don’t keep score and allow every hitter to bat each inning before changing sides. The entire goal is having fun. Blastball games also don’t play toward a set number of innings, instead adhering to a suggested time limit of 45 minutes.

12. Rules Highlights: Tee-Ball and Coach Pitch • Everyone plays, no score or standings kept • Emphasis on form, fielding, running bases • “Last batter” concept to make it fun • Managers, parents allowed on field to direct the plays, help with overthrows, etc.

13. Rules Highlights: Machine Pitch • Everyone plays, 10 in the field • Machine helps improve the batting, provides more experience with fielding • Scores not kept, standings not kept • Umpires help control field, plays • Parents not on field, start limiting parental interaction with players

14. Rules Highlights: Farm • May start as Machine Pitch, commissioner and managers to agree on timeline • Run limits to help game pace • Once pitching, coach comes out to pitch 3 pitches after four balls reached by players • 10 in the field • Stealing allowed up to 3rd base

15. Rules Highlights: Majors 65 • Full kid pitch, 65’ foot baseline • Balks called at some point during season, TBD by commissioner and managers • Stealing allowed, leads and pickoffs • No run limits

16. Rules Highlights: Majors 70 • Full kid pitch, 70’ baseline, 50’ mound • Balks called • Leads, pickoffs, stealing allowed • No run limits

17. Website Training • Manager sign in • Sending emails (always use, do not keep personal list) • Posting news and pictures • Checking attendance • Using statistics • Entering results and game summaries • Requesting equipment and game reschedules • Looking up master schedule • Hey, Coach page