Practice and Program Organization

1. Practice and Program Organization Chris Sperry, Head Baseball Coach University of Portland

2. Organizing Your Program • Parent Letter • Parent Meeting • Philosophy • Expectations • Assistance

3. Principals of Youth Coaching • Conduct developmentally appropriate practices. • Be brief. Be clear. Be relevant. • Move from simple to complex. • Be sure you have a safe training area. • Include decision-making in your practices. • How does this activity fit into the game?

4. What Kids Want • Fun • Variety and Organization • Building Skill • Friendships • Action and Excitement • Attention • Competition

5. Some Considerations • Fear of being hit by the ball • Attention span • Skill level • Over coaching

6. The Coach’s Job • Teach fundamentals • Keep it fun • Give them “homework” • Number of groundballs in a row • Watch a game and comment • Explain a rule • Explain a strategy • Did I mention keep it fun?

7. What’s a Practice Plan? A written plan that outlines what you want to accomplish and when you want to do it. Practice plans can be written on almost anything, as long as it helps you move through a practice in an organized way.

8. What’s IN a Practice Plan? • Time guidelines • Details of each phase of practice • Key coaching points • Names of assistants to help

9. Establish Priorities Many coaches find that there simply is not enough time to accomplish everything. Therefore, identifying the areas that are most important to your team’s success can help you make the most of your practice time.

10. Elements of Practice • Warm-Up • Throwing Skills and Drills • Team Defense • Team Offense/Base Running • Individual Defense • Hitting and Bullpen Drills • Conditioning

11. Conditioning Drills • Thunder Ball • Speed Ball • Whistlin’ Dixie • Tag • Base Running

12. Have a Master Plan Planning the teaching elements that make up your program can be very beneficial, from an administrative point of view. By referring to a Master Plan you will quickly know what skills or systems you have covered effectively, and which ones still need to be taught or revisited.

13. Establish systems that work for you • Rundowns • Fly ball communication • Daily drills • Bunt defenses • 1st and 3rd defenses

14. Maximize BP Time • Bullpen Work • Base Running • Fungo Work • Assistant coaches

15. Frequency of Basic Skills and Drills • Builds retention and speeds up practice • Rundowns • Fly ball communication • Pickoffs • Bunt D’s • 1st and 3rd’s

16. Teaching Baseball Successfully We know that physical learning does not take place through verbal communication. Nobody can learn to play the piano by being told how to do it. They had to be shown (demo) and it took practice (doing).

17. Team Defensive Drills • 18 Outs • Soft Toss Scrimmage • Coach-Pitch Scrimmage • 3-2 or 2-1 Count Scrimmage • Rundown Series • Fly Ball Communication • Hustle and Communication

18. Team Hustle Establishing “hustle” as part of our style of play (and practice!) happens early in the fall season. When players move quickly in and between drills, a great deal can be accomplished. Correcting lack of hustle also happens early. Your players need to know what you expect.

19. Discipline Behavior that disrupts the flow of practice, or is not consistent with our goals, is not tolerated. Players not giving their best effort are usually sent home immediately so that practice time is not compromised.

20. “Stay at 17 inches.”John ScolinosCal Poly Pomona, retired

21. Equipment • Balls • Machines • Cages • Throw down bases