Coaching is not always about winning. Especially where smaller kids are concerned, being aggressive and victory driven is counter productive. So who makes the best Little League coach? It’s usually the person with the most patience, understanding and love of the game.
Little League coaches need to keep in mind that children join these leagues because they want to play baseball with their friends. Therefore, every kid who joins a team needs to play. In the early stages of the league, children are learning to bat, learning to throw the ball and catch the ball and learning the rules of the game. The coach who finds nine terrific players and benches the rest has done a disservice to the children and also done nothing to build strong players for the future.
Kids can be really annoying. We all know that, so a Little League coach has to have plenty of patience. It’s easy to yell at a kid or bench him, but that’s not the point. The point is to allow participation, teach teamwork and sportsmanship, and give these children positive role models. It’s also about families getting together and watching their children do something safe and healthy.
That being said, parents can be really annoying too. There’s always the dad who thinks he knows it all and completely forgets that it’s a Little League game! He’ll pitch a fit when his kid messes up. He’ll yell at the coach when his kid doesn’t play. He’ll yell at other children and parents, too. A good Little League coach is going to have to confront this guy and diplomatically shut him up. More than likely, the other parents will back up the coach.
Finally, the best Little League coach is full of praise for his team. He doesn’t criticize. He instructs, corrects technique and always praises his team on a job well done; even when they lose.