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Step 1
Use practice drills to teach fundamental skills. Outfielders need not only a steady diet of fly balls, they need to practice the drop, step and run move, which means you'll need to make them run to make catches and get used to communicating in the field. Infielders need to learn how to field line drives and pop-ups and how to deal with specific situations with runners on base, in addition to the standard grounders.
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Step 2
Work on hitting skills as much as fielding skills. Emphasize the fundamentals of hitting to your team members: teach them how different stances and batting grips will put the ball in play differently. Work on bunting and sacrifice plays as much as on free-swinging hitting.
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Step 3
Consider each team member's particular skills when it comes time to make your batting lineup. Look for your team's top fast-running contact hitters--you'll want them in the top two slots of your lineup. Batters three through five or six are usually your most reliable hitters and power hitters, with the best of the bunch going higher in the order, while your weakest hitters round out the bottom of the order.
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Step 4
Emphasize the positives. Work individually with players to maximize their confidence while quietly helping them improve the flaws in their game.
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Step 5
Apply conventional wisdom to your lineup and in-game decisions and play the percentages. For example, left-handed hitters generally have greater success against right-handed pitchers, and vice-versa. If you need to send a pinch hitter to the plate against a left-handed pitcher, choose your best available right-handed hitter.
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Step 6
Get certified instruction in baseball coaching. Institutions like the American Council on Coaching offer courses to people interested in getting involved with baseball team management (see Resources below). Such courses are an excellent way to learn the skills you'll need to be an effective and successful coach at the recreational level.
