How to Coach a Youth Softball Team

Coaching a youth softball team can be very rewarding, but for the novice or volunteer coach, it can also be a little intimidating. Whether you’ve just taken a job to coach a youth softball team or you’re a parent who volunteered to coach your child’s team, learning the fundamentals of teaching children how to play softball is not as difficult as you might think. There are many books and videos available that can show you step-by-step what to teach and how to teach it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Softball rules & regulations manual
• Softball equipment
• Softball practice field
• Practice and game schedules
• Team roster

1. Buy books about coaching a youth softball team. Many major bookstores have a sports section where you can find helpful titles or you can look online if they don’t have what you need. Books like “Coaching Youth Softball” by the American Sports Education Program give advice on coaching offense and defense, understanding the rules and learning practice drills, and geared more towards parents who may need to learn everything from setting a schedule, finding the right equipment, basic rules and positioning, and how to teach essential skills is “Coaching Youth Softball: A Baffled Parent’s Guide” by Jacquie Joseph.
2. Buy "Coaching Youth Softball: Techniques and Tactics" from the American Sport Education Program. This 30-minute VHS provides instruction for the beginning coach and is specifically geared towards teaching the very basics of coaching.
3. Visit the Youth Sports Club Web site. This online resource provides information on a number of coaching books and instructional videos complete with video previews of select titles.
4. Find coaching drills, information and products on Y-Coach, a youth coaching information website with drills and skills information available on every aspect of softball.
5. Get advice from other youth softball coaches or parents who have coached a team in the past. Most of them will be more than willing to help you out, because they remember what it was like when they first started out.
6. Talk to your team. Depending on the age level of the youth team you’re coaching, there may be some who have already played several seasons and can help you learn how past coaches trained the team. Plus, by talking to your players, you can get to know their personalities, strengths and weaknesses, and preferred positions.
7. Join a national club or association specifically geared towards youth sports and training youth coaches. If you are making a career of coaching any youth sport, including softball, check out the National Alliance for Youth Sports who offers the National Youth Sports Coaches Association, a membership organization for coach training. Their clinics not only provide coaches with a code of conduct to follow in youth sports, but also sport specific sections to learn more about various sports including softball.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don’t already know them, learn the basic rules of the game prior to beginning your coaching duties. Knowing the rules can save you from future embarrassment come game time.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help from someone who has been in your shoes; they know how you feel.
• Always encourage good sportsmanship among your teammates and other teams’ players.
• Don’t take winning and losing too seriously, especially for very young teams. Always remember the most important rule! It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you plan the game!