Base Coaching Tips

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Jan 5, 2018
385
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PNW
As far as base running is concerned coach is the STOP sign. The players should be thinking 120 ft (2 bases) on every play. I don't know how many times I have seen kids get to the base and heave a sigh of relief, start looking around then realize they should be on the next base...if they were watching the base coach.

If the runner is on 3B and they need to be told to go on a dink fly ball, tag up, infield ground ball I can understand, but the players need to learn to read the ball.

OH my gosh....this exactly happened to us two weeks ago. Runner on 1B Batter lays down bunt. Chaos ensues in the infield...and 3b is vacated with closest player more than 30 feet away. Runner on 1 gets to 2nd....stops....looks at me frantically waving her over. She makes it to 3B safe. Looks at me and says "What was I thinking, I should have been looking towards you but I should be thinking of getting to third when we lay down a bunt like that". YUP! Great self taught moment. She scored went back to the dug out and reminded all her teammates what they should be doing....I just smiled.

She knew what we wanted to do...had a brain fart...and recognized it. She knew she'd do better next time. I can't wait till next time!
 

Chris Delorit

Member
Apr 24, 2016
343
28
Green Bay, WI
As an experienced player I tend to be more aggressive when it comes to running bases and my kids aren't quite there yet....So, I'm thinking go, but by the time I say go, they process go, they've slowed down, now they go but now they need to stop but I've already said go.....they get thrown out by miles. So now I've tried to tone down my aggressiveness but I don't want to not be aggressive either and I would like them to learn how to be aggressive as well. I'd love to hear tips from people on being a base coach!

My head was spinning reading this one. I can understand how your players may have felt. But, I do understand your unique translation as their coach. ;)

These are scenarios where you're learning how to communicate by transformation, or learning methods which were so easy for you to understand as a player that they needed very little explanation. Now, as a coach, you face the challenge of learning to teach from your own natural instinct. Most of us have, and continue to do so.

What I would add, is that your kids have to learn situational baserunning from practice and repetition. Base coaches are channels to provide clear, concise and simplified support and also to promote calm, reassuring confidence. Teach in practice, and you can avoid micro-management on game day. Your players will eventually mirror their coach. So, it's up to you to translate the aggressive player in yourself at practice, while also learning to transform confidence and competence through contextual leadership on game day.

Chris
 
Last edited:
Jun 11, 2013
2,619
113
Not an answer to your subject, but when I played little league we used to have kids coach the bases not the coaches. I wish you leagues would go back to that so that the players could get a better feel of the game. Even in farm as 8 year old kids we did it.
 
May 17, 2012
2,804
113
Not an answer to your subject, but when I played little league we used to have kids coach the bases not the coaches. I wish you leagues would go back to that so that the players could get a better feel of the game. Even in farm as 8 year old kids we did it.

We do this at showcases when we can.
 
Last edited:

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