| Lessons Learned From Other Sports | | | | the kids didn't even have gloves, they were |
| Some lessons learned in coaching youth football | | | | HORRIBLE. I went down to the Salvation Army |
| have really helped me in coaching other sports I | | | | Store and bought some used gloves, oiled them |
| know very little about. | | | | up and had them ready for the second practice. |
| In 2002 the Screaming Eagles Youth Football | | | | The kids kept coming and we got better each |
| Program decided we would start a baseball | | | | practice as we very slowly made progress to our |
| program. The problem was I had not coached | | | | goal. Just as in youth football, we worked on the |
| baseball before and over 90% of our kids had | | | | critical success factors, nothing else, no wasted |
| never put a glove on, as baseball popularity has | | | | time or movement. We used many of the tricks |
| declined dramatically in the inner-city. | | | | we use in football like progressions, "ready focus", |
| Since we had been able to completely turn around | | | | group instruction,fit and freeze, limited live |
| our football program from the bottom of the | | | | scrimmaging, player contracts, discipline model etc |
| league to the top via intensive coach training and | | | | etc Using Coach Olsens ideas and what I saw on |
| developing a system with heavy research, I | | | | the videos, we were able to get each player 16 |
| decided to do the same for baseball: | | | | minutes of batting practice in every 2 hour |
| My experience with baseball was non-existent as | | | | practice we had. We didn't even hit "live" until |
| a coach. I had played only up to my Junior year | | | | week 3 as we did lots of "hitting" instruction and |
| of High School and was just average on a very | | | | drills with no bats and no balls, then going to Tees, |
| good day. I felt my little expertise on the subject | | | | then to soft-toss and then to hitting the ball |
| was minimal and I had no authority or credibility to | | | | attached to the stiff 5' pole apparatus that hurts |
| impose a new system on the entire Screaming | | | | my wrists so much. |
| Eagle program. The baseball "program" I was | | | | We didn't "scrimmage" or do lots of live infield and |
| putting in place was for my personal team only. | | | | outfield, we did lots of drills without balls and ball |
| Started the project like any other, doing research | | | | to bucket drills. We didn't play catch, it would have |
| on the videos and books available to teach youth | | | | been a total waste of time ( playing fetch,not |
| baseball coaches. I bought a tape by Marty | | | | catch) we worked on frozen throwing mechanic |
| Shupack on baseball practice organization. I went | | | | (yes, fit and freeze) drills. I just did everything |
| to the local indoor baseball practice facility and | | | | 100% as Bill Olsen suggested. |
| bought a few books and tapes that were all | | | | We went into our first game not knowing how to |
| specifically targeted to youth coaches. I asked | | | | play the game terribly well but we were making |
| around and found out who the best coaches | | | | real good progress on the fundamentals. We |
| were that won consistelntly. Many of them | | | | ended up winning that game and all 14 games we |
| practice at an indoor practice facility, so I went | | | | played that year, to EVERYONES surprise. Every |
| and watched a few of the top youth teams | | | | single one of my kids was hitting the ball, even |
| teams getting their year round instruction inside. | | | | the very overweight 190 pound defensive tackle |
| I then sought out advice from the best youth | | | | that in the first practice missed about every ball |
| baseball coaches in the area. If you are going to | | | | hitting from a tee! We would consistently have |
| learn from someone, why not go right to the guy | | | | 1-2-3 innings etc on defense. In the next two |
| that has had the most success? Here in Omaha | | | | years I stayed at this age level as this original |
| that is a guy by the name of Bill Olsen. Coach | | | | group moved up on on to other teams. The next |
| Olsen has coached National Championship teams | | | | year my team won all 12 of our games and the |
| at the Youth Level. He is an accomplished High | | | | following year we won all 14 again, three years as |
| School coach and he was also an assistant coach | | | | the dominant team in the league without a loss at |
| on one of the USA Pan American Games and | | | | this age group and we switched leagues one year |
| Olympic teams. Coach Olsen knows his stuff and | | | | to a Little League that consistently produced |
| has a passion for developing youth baseball | | | | State Champions. We never played in any big |
| players and he loves teaching coaches how to | | | | tournaments as we did not have the funds |
| teach players. | | | | unfortunately to do so and we generally took a |
| I was fortunate enough to attend 4 large clinics | | | | much lower key approach to baseball as we did |
| Coach Olsen put on, and while I had played 9 | | | | football. Baseball to us was just "filler" until football |
| years of organized competitive baseball, I found | | | | season came around. |
| out: | | | | The moral of the story is; priorities are important, |
| 1) I knew nothing about coaching baseball | | | | progression teaching of the most minute |
| 2) My previous baseball coaches didn't know | | | | fundamental detail is important for every sport, |
| anything either, I had been shortchanged as a | | | | "scrimmaging" is overrated and great practice |
| player. | | | | organization using time saving tricks is critical. |
| I was committed not to let the same thing | | | | Taking some time to learn from the experts |
| happen to these kids. | | | | allowed me to teach the kids properly so they |
| Coach Olsen showed us proper fundamentals, but | | | | could have more fun. Just like in football, the kids |
| more importantly how to break down and teach | | | | have more fun if they don't lose every game, in |
| each movement. He gave us many detailed | | | | baseball they aren't having much fun either if they |
| progressions to teach proper hitting, fielding, | | | | never get a hit or lose every game too. The sad |
| throwing and even pitching. I was amazed to see | | | | thing was we were so much better than the |
| how his methods paralleled how we taught our | | | | other teams each of the three years I coached |
| kids how to play youth football. | | | | that we could have actually played up an age |
| I then observed several of the best "select" and | | | | group and competed. Many of the coaches that I |
| rec level coaches while they were running their | | | | coached against went to the same Bill Olsen clinic |
| practices. I learned how to teach the movements | | | | I did, but I could tell during warm ups that they |
| and how to shave tons of time off my practices. | | | | were not doing what Coach Olsen suggested they |
| Back in the days that I played, batting practice | | | | do in warmups, or how they held their gloves, or |
| consisted of 1 player hitting while 11 players | | | | how their infielders got in their stance or how |
| shagged balls in the field, how boring. Rarely were | | | | their hitters got into their stance. Either these |
| any coaching points imparted, we were supposed | | | | coaches were asleep while Coach Olsen was |
| to be getting better by "practicing. I learned how | | | | speaking, or they just decided to do it their own |
| to get much more done in far less time. I also got | | | | "better" way. I decided to do it Coach Olsens way |
| a chance to observe Mike Evans running some | | | | and if it didn't work then I would do more |
| practices of his own, Mike has taken several | | | | research and make changes. In my opinion these |
| Pacesetter "Select" teams to Youth National | | | | youth coaches really shortchanged their players, |
| Championships and now coaches a Junior College | | | | ours were so more fundamentally sound, it looked |
| team. I learned some real neat games from him | | | | like we were practicing 5 days a week when in |
| that keep the kids interest, just like the fun team | | | | reality we were practicing far less than any team |
| building and evaluation drills we do for our youth | | | | in the league and most of the other teams had |
| football teams. | | | | kids with experience on their teams. |
| To make a long story short, I developed a plan | | | | Go watch other teams practice in your sport, go |
| and implemented it based on the expertise of | | | | to clinics that teach youth topics, ask a very |
| these men, not what I had known from my own | | | | successful coach to be your mentor, most are |
| experiences. My first team could have been | | | | thrilled that someone cares enough to want to |
| described as the "Land Of Misfit Toys" from the | | | | learn and thinks highly enough of them to want to |
| "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" movie. Our | | | | learn from them. Your kids will benefit in the end, |
| first few practices most of the kids had to be | | | | coaching is coaching no matter the sport. |
| shown how to put a glove on and about 1/3 of | | | | |