October 2, 201312 yr I have been coaching my son in tee ball for 3 seasons, and the past 2 years have coached two 8U travel teams. Last year was a B team full of 7 year olds but this past July I moved up and coached an A team. We won 2 out of 3 tournaments and had a lot of fun but the one thing I came away with was the need for me personally to improve on my knowledge of the rules for Pony/Little League as well as the more nuanced aspects of coaching such as player positioning, back ups, base assignments, on field player quarterbacking etc. I have watched the game my whole life and played up until 9-10, so my knowledge of some of those nuances starts to drop off and I want to stay ahead of my kids as I continue to coach their teams. I am curious if anyone here has suggestions on simple books that do not get too technical or even some correspondence type schools to help sharpen my understanding of the finer points of the game. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
October 5, 201312 yr If you really want to know rules, grab a fed rule book and case book. Do a little bit at a time. I don't know of any books but I'm sure they have to be out there. Most of my knowledge on cut offs, base assignments etc came from my travel and hs coaches, and the thousands of games I have umpired. My outside the box idea would be to try to connect with your local hs or college coach. Observe an early practice, or classroom session. Even an hour conversation with him drawing things out would get you all bunt coverages, cutoffs, etc. Then you can learn more individual skill stuff. Edited October 5, 201312 yr by IlliniKrush
October 5, 201312 yr See if there is an umpire training nearby. I needed a crash course in soccer and an official's program was an excellent way to achieve that. In middle school coaching we really try to follow the HS program and their plays, philosophies, etc. A solid HS coach should not mind spending a few minutes with you either in person or sharing some emails.
October 9, 201312 yr Author Hey thanks for all the replies. It was silent for a couple days so I had stopped checking. These are all good tips. Much appreciated.
October 17, 201312 yr I coach girls fast pitch softball and I've found countless wonderful drills and coaching techniques uploaded on youtube by college programs across the country. I've sat with our pitchers and watched videos on an ipad and then tried to implement various techniques. I would imagine there is something comparable for boys baseball as well. Enjoy!
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