This page is designed to provide to new LLLL Tball coaches helpful hints for practices and games.

Practices

  • Make it fun — keep practices fun by incorporating games and competition into the drills
  • Limit practices to 1 hour (even if practices are going well and all players are actively involved it’s better to end the practice on a high note than to push the players too long)
  • Involve parents — encourage parents to participate in practices and build your practice plan with parental involvement in mind
  • Take regular water breaks — in addition to keeping players hydrated use water breaks to re-focus players
  • Keep safety in mind — if a player has a bat in his/her hand he/she should have a helmet on his/her head

Games

  • Plan games for two innings of a continuous batting order
  • Bring multiple copies of the player lineup to share with the bench and field coaches

Lineup

  • Equitably rotate players every inning through the positions that are involved in the majority of the plays (P, C, 1B)
  • Track player positions each game

Alternatives to Keep Players Engaged

  • Rotate players amongst the less active positions after every third batter
    • Right Side Rotation:  2B –> CF, CF –> RF, RF –> 2B
    • Left Side Rotation:  SS –> 3B, 3B –> LF, LF –> SS
  • Position right fielder next to the 1B line and have him/her back up all throws to 1B

    Batting Order

  • Use the same sequence of players for every game incrementing down the list each game
  • Seat players on the bench according to the batting order
  • Ask parent/coach to be a bench coach to keep players in order and to get them ready for their at-bats
Posted in TBall