Number of years coaching

[Jake Patterson]

Having been involved with this thread for some time I am curious as to what your coaching experience is? I am defining coaching as coaching for a league sanctioned organized team such as LL, MS, HS, Pony, Pros, college, etc... Only coaching your kid doesn't count!!

Category 1 - None
Category 2 - 0 - 5 years
Category 3 - 5 - 10
Category 4 - 10 - 15
Category 5 - 15 - 20
Category 6 - 20+

[bbjunkie]

Category 3
6 years LL, 3 of them also AS.

Now helping coach BR

[CanadianKid]

None, too young lol

[Maxx]

7 seasons college baseball (Divisions 3)
7 seasons college football (Division 1 and 3)
3 seasons h.s. softball
1 season h.s. football
2 seasons j.h. girl's basketball

Coaching since 1992...............

I've been an athletic director at a h.s. the last 5 years and coached softball the last 3. Gave up college coaching to make some money and get some administrative experience hoping that would lead to a head college job--hasn't so far. Fired the softball coach after my second year since they were so bad, and decided to help the new coach out to get it turned around......

[Texas Rangers]

im only 17 but ive coached 1 in LL

[Kevkey]

15 - 20 years
Have mostly coached pitchers and catchers for travel teams baseball(10 - 14's). Changed to hitting when asked by a friend to help out with his son's travel team 2 years ago. This and other site's (yes even Setpro) have been invaluable in not only studying the swing but learning how to teach it get the young ones off to a solid start.

[Jake Patterson]

im only 17 but ive coached 1 in LL

I coached with my youngest son (21) this season - had a blast - so did he....
The game needs young people such as yourself becoming interested in coaching.

[cartersball]

10 years LL, USSSA, AAU. First with my nephew who now plays D1 ball and now with my own kids.

[Jake Patterson]

I've been an athletic director at a h.s. the last 5 years ......

Kudoos - Most thankless job in athletics. Our's seems to work around the clock.

[Jesse]

I'm just starting. My oldest is 5 and I have two more behind him so I've got plenty of work ahead of me.

I never in a million years would have guessed I'd take up coaching. Didn't think I had the temperment for it. I signed on to help my son's team this year and loved it. I really connected with the kids and the parents and I seem to have a knack for teaching one on one and small groups. Things seem to fall apart when I get in front of a large group, however. I think I'm really cut out to be an assistant coach more than anything. Time will tell.

[wilson68]

Started in 1984 with my little sister's team, assisting my father and have coached 18 of the past 22 years, all fastpitch, both boys and girls, ages 6-46.

Also a little football, seven years of girls' flag football and one year of 10 year old boys basketball.

[Jake Patterson]

I'm just starting. My oldest is 5 and I have two more behind him so I've got plenty of work ahead of me.

Welcome to the coaching ranks. Most of us started the same way...

[swingbuster]

13 years.

LL through HS

[Jake Patterson]

Trying to keep it alive until we hit 100

Even you young guys that have no experience list as such.... While the research isn't that controlled and leaves a wide margin of error it would be interesting to see what the numbers are for the average contributors here.

[BatSpinner]

Two years at an NAIA school, one in Australia.

[Jake Patterson]

Two years at an NAIA school, one in Australia.

Which NAIA School???

[Texas Rangers]

i am only 17, but i will be 18 next may, and i was wondering if you think the idea of my being the main coach for a tee-ball or coach pitch team would be a good idea? i mean, i am young, but i know a lot about the game. i study baseball, watch it, play it, everything. my world revolves around it and i was just wondering if the idea of a 17 year old would be ridculous?

[Jake Patterson]

i am only 17, but i will be 18 next may, and i was wondering if you think the idea of my being the main coach for a tee-ball or coach pitch team would be a good idea? i mean, i am young, but i know a lot about the game. i study baseball, watch it, play it, everything. my world revolves around it and i was just wondering if the idea of a 17 year old would be ridculous?

Make sure you take the poll. Just put in 0 years experience...

To answer the question -

Older coaches who have been around for awhile are always looking for younger assistant coaches. I use them to run drills and pitch BP. I would suggest you look at your local schools, maybe starting with middle school and see if you can volunteer for a year or so and learn what you can about coaching before starting. I wouldn't want to discourage anyone your age - we need as many young guys interested in coaching as we can get.

In the mean time educate yourself. If you are truly interested in coaching - send me your address at pattersonsports@yahoo.com and I will send you some information to get you started.

Good Luck!
Take the poll ! !

[TrojanSkipper]

10 years Am. Legion
2 years college (naia)
11 years high school
youth: probably 15-20 seasons with my 3 boys

[Jake Patterson]

10 years Am. Legion
2 years college (naia)
11 years high school
youth: probably 15-20 seasons with my 3 boys

Thanks coach. You're probably one of the more experienced here. It'll be interesting to see what kind of spread we have. Thanks for participating.

[TonyK]

7 yrs in t-ball thru Little League
2 yrs in girls softball 9 & 10

[wilson68]

i am only 17, but i will be 18 next may, and i was wondering if you think the idea of my being the main coach for a tee-ball or coach pitch team would be a good idea? i mean, i am young, but i know a lot about the game. i study baseball, watch it, play it, everything. my world revolves around it and i was just wondering if the idea of a 17 year old would be ridculous?

I was 16 and knew very little about it when I started. I was, however, assisting my father. But by 20, I was the head coach. Every couple of years a couple of our older players decide to take up coaching and it's always sort of funny because by the halfway mark of the season they are pulling their hair out. They cannot believe that the players won't listen, don't come to practice, do stupid things and don't seem to care. They suddenly realize that they have to be at EVERY practice and game. They have to be early to set up the diamond. They have to stay home in the early evening to make a dozen phone calls once a week, and again the next night because half the people they tried to get they first night weren't home. (I have learned to love e-mail.) They have to turn up at coaches' meetings, fundraisers, picture days, equipment pickups, uniform pickups (because no matter how they try, we never get them both on the same day) and any number of other things that only half of their team will attend. Line-ups, score-keeping, lost and found, keeping the equipment in the trunk of their car all summer and waiting around because someone's parents haven't shown up yet. Most don't come back the next year, and many stop showing up during their first summer.

And yet, the summer before, you could hear them bitching about their coaches.

None of this is to discourage you, Texas Rangers, just know what you are in for. There is more to keep track of than the average young player realizes. I love it. Assisting someone else may be the way to start, but dive in if you want to be in charge. Remember, especially if you are a good and motivated player, that not all of you players will be good or motivated, be patient with them and yourself.

[Jake Patterson]

And yet, the summer before, you could hear them bitching about their coaches.


Good post. Many adults have difficulty handling young children never mind young adults. Assisting is really the only way to go about learning properly. You just need to pick the right master, grasshopper.

We're over 40 on the poll - Trying for 100!!

[WonderMonkey]

i am only 17, but i will be 18 next may, and i was wondering if you think the idea of my being the main coach for a tee-ball or coach pitch team would be a good idea? i mean, i am young, but i know a lot about the game. i study baseball, watch it, play it, everything. my world revolves around it and i was just wondering if the idea of a 17 year old would be ridculous?

You won't be able to use much of what you know at the T-Ball level. It may be frustrating. I'd suggest asking the rec system to pair you with an older coach and let you become an instructor, under their guidence. Do that at different levels and you will start to learn how to turn your knowledge into coaching ability. They aren't the same.

[tominct]

15 yrs or so....Mostly Middle School...also Babe Ruth, Coach Pitch (now with little ones!)

[Jake Patterson]

10 years Am. Legion
2 years college (naia)
11 years high school
youth: probably 15-20 seasons with my 3 boys

Trojan,
We have been having problems manning our coaching staff for our Legion Team. Since the rule change that prohibited a local head HS coach we have had a roller coaster ride.. Do you have the same issue in your area??

[Sparksdale]

One year for me.

I was forced into being the head coach. Long story which I will not get into but before our first game of the year I had to take over the head coaching job (9@10 year old LL).

It will be my last year of coaching. Quite frankly I wasn't a very good coach. My team finished the year with 9 wins and 5 losses but it wasn't because of me. I had two good players that pretty much carried us all year.

I love being an assistant coach and I've done it many times. I think I am a pretty good assistant coach but I'm a terrible head coach....just terrible. I look forward to being assistant coach again this year.

I will say this....I really admire these dads (and mothers) who give their time to coach LL ball. It is a thankless job which requires many many hours. Not only that you have a few parents who think they could do better. Well it's funny that these same parents never step up to do the job...all they want to do is complain.

For those of you who have the gift, and yes I think it is a gift, to coach LL kids I admire you. It amazes me when I see a coach that is able to get a young child to not only listen but to learn.

Sparks

[Diamond]

Started in 1974
5 years HS
1 year College DIV III
5 Scouting years
Many LL Teams
Several years of clinic work
2 years as AD

[Jake Patterson]

I love being an assistant coach and I've done it many times. I think I am a pretty good assistant coach but I'm a terrible head coach....just terrible. I look forward to being assistant coach again this year. Sparks

Sparks, lol... I thought this was a great post.
Recognizing your strengths and weaknesses as a coach while being willing to improve is a sign of a great coach. Don't sell yourself short.

[Sparksdale]

No Jake I was bad...very bad. I'll give you an example. I had a kid playing first base that simply could not catch the ball. When I tell you he couldn't catch, take my word for it, he couldn't catch anything. I know of at least two games that he cost us the win. I'm pretty sure he cost us a third game. I swear, one time a grounder was hit to him and God as my witness he stood there and held the ball. I kid you not, the kid who hit the ball literally ran from first to third while my first baseman held the ball.

What does this have to do with me? It was my job as the coach to put him in a position where he could do better. I just didn't have the heart to move the poor boy. He loved first base and I simply couldn't do it. I finally got one of the fathers to help me coach and with about three games left he told me (during a game after my first baseman had missed a couple of balls) that we had to move him. I told him I didn't have the heart and if he wanted to move him go do it. Well he did. We won that game and I'm confident if I had left the boy in first that we would have lost.

Most of what I do, (when I coach) is positive. Actually, everything I do is positive. No matter what a kid does I try to find something positive about it. Example: I had one kid on my team that hasn't had a hit in two years. The boy just can't hit and he can't bunt either. One game we had a runner on third and after a couple of pitches there was a wild pitch and the runner scored. I told the batter that he did a good job because if he had swung at every pitch he would have struck (is that a word, lol) and the runner would not have scored. The kid looked at me confused because he struck out and this crazy coach was telling him he did a good job.

In the end there is a time to be positive and a time to help kids. Being positive is good but I reckon I overdue it.

But I love being assistant coach and I love to coach the bases. My favorite part is practice when us old folks get to get out there with the kids and throw the ball.....that is a blast. I also throw batting practice and I kid around with the kids telling them they can't hit my curve or my knuckle. Of course they always belt it a mile and you should see the smile on their face. Of course I act mad and give them a dirty look and tell them it was a lucky hit and they wont hit the next one.

Baseball is a great game and when you take the time to have fun with these kdis it can change your life.

Sparks,

[Jake Patterson]

Baseball is a great game and when you take the time to have fun with these kdis it can change your life. Sparks

Wise words from a true coach... Being the #2 guy isn't always bad.

[THE COACH]

25 yrs from LL to college age mostly 18U "showcase" teams. I conduct numerous coaching clinics for leagues around the country.

[bbjunkie]

It will be my last year of coaching. Quite frankly I wasn't a very good coach. My team finished the year with 9 wins and 5 losses but it wasn't because of me. I had two good players that pretty much carried us all year.
Sparks
I would encourage you not to give up. You have the right attitude to coach, you just have to become a little tougher.

The first two years I coached I did so because no one else would. I started knowing nothing, but having the willingness to learn. There's lots of info out there, you just have to do a little digging. A couple years later I teamed up with another coach and together we have put together a regular season record of 32-4 over the past three years. We work well together because we are both willing to learn and experiment, and I'm willing to do the research. Both of us had to go through some pretty tough attitudinal changes to practice coaching with a positive approach. You've already learned that lesson.

Whatever you decide to do, keep working with your boy. You'll both benefit from the experience.

[Jake Patterson]

Just bumping the thread to keep it alive. Trying to get to 50 Those who don't coach are also welcomed...

[Maxx]

Jake, I've read many of your intelligent posts over the last couple of weeks, but unless I missed it, you didn't post a listing of your coaching experience. How bout it?

[69Mets]

I have been involved in youth baseball for the past 18 years,first in LL, then Babe Ruth and then High School.

By the way Jake, your my HERO!!!!


You may not have won a ton of games, but rest assure they will always remember the fun they had with you.

[Jake Patterson]

Jake, I've read many of your intelligent posts over the last couple of weeks, but unless I missed it, you didn't post a listing of your coaching experience. How bout it?

Hey DDogg,
No Problem...

I started like many of you as a former player with kids. I started in Minor League went through Little League, Junior League, Senior League and Middle School with my boys. I ended up coaching High School ball at a Northeast CT Prep School in NEPSAA (Northeast Prep School Athletic Association). Prior to that I managed and coached a men's fast pitch softball team. I trained and coached Legion Level players.

I have a Concentrated Studies Degree (BS) in Business and Youth Couseling and have a M.Ed. I am a State of CT Certified Coach and am the organizer of the CT Little League Coaches' Clinic, the largest of its kind in NE. I am a member of the CT High School Coaches' Association and have published two books on coaching (You can Google this). I became interested in training when I advanced to the middle school level. I became very frustrated with the lack of basic training the players had from the Little League and decided, with the help of others to create a low cost clinic available to all coaches and parents who wanted to attend and learn the basics of coaching young players. We are in our eighth year and the clinic last year had nearly 250 participants from all over New England. Overall, we have trained nearly 1000 coaches. All my clinicians are pro, college or high school coaches and/or professionals.

All tolled I've been coaching 20 years and have been involved with the game of baseball for 40. I also coach girls Jr. High basketball (8 years). I resigned last year from my high school BB coaching job and planned on golfing this past spring. I am 51 and HS Ball is a lot of work - that lasted about a week when I recieved a call from our AD asking if I would be interested in returning first to the local public HS, to which I said no and then to the Middle School. So- with a friend I coached with years ago, I returned to this level and had an absolute blast. Although I do miss HS.

I do not profess to be an expert in any aspect of baseball. I do feel I know a little on how best to train adults how to teach children. My M.Ed. is in Androgogy (The study of how adults [versus children] learn. It's been a great ride...
Hope this answers your question...
Jake

[Maxx]

Thanks Jake!! By the way, if you need clinicians, or know someone who does, I'm looking for some summer work. The past couple of summers I coached at the Pittsburgh Steeler's football camp, and prior to that I did a couple of baseball showcases for a guy in Jersey. Looking to get back into baseball or softball next summer.