This should go without saying, but were going to say it anyway. MAKE IT FUN. Fun for you and fun for the kids. For most of the kids you have this will be their first exposure to the sport of baseball. You want them to develop a love for the game before you worry about developing the next state championship team.

How do you make it fun. Keep it lively, keep things moving and make sure no one is standing around in a long line waiting to get distracted and get in trouble for goofing around. You do this by coming prepared for practice. Know what you want to accomplish before you get to the field.

Break your practice down into small groups. This means you will need to ask for help from other parents if you haven't done so already. It doesn't mean giving up control for how you want things done or in regards to your basic philosophy. You need to strongly and firmly explain your philosophy to the parents who will be helping you. This is not because you are a control freak and all of the drills need to be run your way. It means that everyone who is helping out needs to be on the same page in regards to how the drill is going to be run and the basic fundamentals and mechanics that are going to be taught are taught consistently. This may mean some pre-practice meeting time or phone time with the other coaches so ensure that everyone is on the same page. The last thing you want to have is three different coaches teaching the same thing three different ways as you will just end up with a confused kid who struggles and doesn't have fun.

This goes double for games. Each coach on the field should now their responsibilities and stick to them. I can remember one game with my youngest daughter's team where three of us new coaches confused everyone on the field by all yelling instructions at the same time on every hit. Unfortunately, many times they were different instructions. We quickly learned that it was better for one person to take of the responsibility of on field coaching. I think another mistake the coaches tend to make is over coaching during the game. You may see alot of things that your team needs to work on during the game, but you are probably not going to be able to make big changes during the game. As a coach you need to write those things down and work on them at practice. I think it also important to keep control of the parents, in the sense that you don't need 15 assistant coaches out there yelling at the kids where the play is or how they should hit, etc. Parent's do not mean anything by it, they just get excited. When you explain to the parents how distracting it can be for everyone to be yelling at the same time, they usually understand and will just cheer their team on.

Long or more practices doesn't necessary make for a better team. It's what you accomplish in those practices that make the difference. Write your practice plan down and provide a copy with detailed explanation to each coach. Come up with drills that are fun and active to involve the kids. Teach the kids focus and discipline for an early age. If a child is a problem or a distraction to the rest of the team, warn him or her firmly. If they do not behave then they need to run. If they still insist on distracting then remove them from the group and send them to their parents.

This may seem harsh, but if you explain to the parents up front that you are not there to babysit their child you are there to teach them, then they will understand. If they don't then maybe they are not meant for your team.

Encourage all of your players and be patient. Remember most of the kids want to succeed and it is probably going to take them a few times to get something new. When you see the effort encourage it.