"I have no clue what I am doing"

Of course you don't.

I think more youth coaches fall into this category than will admit, and truthfully this is not your fault at all.

I mean it so sincerely when I say that, it really is not fair to expect the weekend warrior dad that never played baseball at a high level to have it all figured out.

In reality you need 2 things to keep everyone “happy” or at least for their to be no blame put on you. 

1: Open and honest communication

2: The ability to prioritize the needs of your players over your own wants.

If you are able to put your ego aside and not overuse players in order to win games, and get infront of all issues with open communication you will be better than 90% of youth coaches. 

If you are able to pair these two things with a knack for searching for more knowledge and finding better ways to coach your athletes you'll be better than almost every youth coach. 

If you search for the knowledge (that is really out there) on how to improve players and keep them healthy, and you are a good communicator, parents really wont have a leg to stand on for complaints.

The only thing they will really be able to say is “you know he was really great and a super nice guy but we just wanted our son to get to work with someone that has played baseball at a higher level”

Which is totally fair, you can't knock parents for wanting the best for their kids.

If you think you fall into this bucket, here is your guideline for doing everything you need to do as a coach.

Step 1: Preseason meeting.

Before the season starts, hold a meeting with all the parents. Get them all in a room and show your face (you probably know these people anyway) and set out expectations for the season for players, parents and yourself. 

Simply setting clear expectations goes such a long way.  An example of how to manage expectations goes as follows:

“I really only have two rules, show up on time and play hard. Physical errors happen and my job as coach is to try and help everyone improve as much as they can. No one will ever be punished or yelled at for making physical errors as long as they are playing hard”

“There will be games this year we lose because I am not willing to overthrow pitchers. I would rather we lose a game and treat arms well instead of abusing arms and going over pitch counts just to win an extra game or two. We will have to throw players with less experience, but that means there will be more opportunities around the team.”

“Everything we do in practice is designed to make them a better player, so in doing this if you think we could do a better job feel free to voice your opinion to me. I am all ears.”

“I didn't play professional baseball (or if you did feel free to say that you did, and that you're simply doing what you think is best) but I am doing everything I can to do my best for this team. I will certainly make mistakes along the way, and if you feel I do then don't hesitate to speak to me. I am only human and am totally open to any and all help.”

Simply opening the lines of communication go so far, and take away any ground for parents to stand on when complaining. 

Step 2: Have a practice plan.

This is where you can really make your money as a coach. (metaphorically, there's no $ in coaching youth teams.)

The top goal you should have about each practice is to have no player sitting around, everyone should be actively getting as many reps as they can.

A lot of time this requires a few parental volunteers, but its easier than you think. 

Most youth teams don't have more than 15 players, so lets make our example 15 players.

Split them into groups:

2 players fielding grounders at shortstop and throwing them to another 2 players that are catching the ball at first base. If you want to be spicy have 2 more players at second base and have it be a double play. 

2 Players running bases, maybe 2 more running first to second if you need room for extras. 

2 Players hitting off the tee, one hitting and one feeding the tee. They switch every 5 swings. 

2 Players in the cage hitting BP or front toss. 

This is probably the easiest way to get 12 players involved and being physically active. 

Your next group is having 3 pitchers throw to a coach sitting on a bucket, rotating every 5 pitches. This is a super easy way to get tons of pitching reps for everyone involved. 

There, very little thinking and you have all 15 players involved. Everyone is moving around and having fun, they will stay engaged more.

At the youth levels, this can get sloppy, but it's way better than having everyone sit around. 

If you don't have enough volunteers then look to add a second tee station and have one person overlook 2 groups on the tee. 

Theoretically, you should be able to have 1 person hitting grounders to the infield, one person throwing BP and overlooking the tees and one person catching the pitchers. 

If you are the head coach, you *Should* rove around and watch everything, but with 15 players and 15 sets of parents you should be able to find a few.

If you mention this at your parent pre-season meeting, and emphasize the fact that you want everyone to come and help, I am sure you can get 3. 

A lot of times, the moms are the ones most willing to help but are often made to feel like they can't. I had multiple female coaches in pro baseball and oftentimes they were the best. Any mom who played sports at the highschool level is qualified enough to watch the tee work and make sure that no one gets hurt. You will almost certainly find 2-3 moms who played softball and know way more about baseball than some of the dads that are willing to coach. 

Step 3: Have a plan for the weekend games and make sure innings are mapped out.

This is the easiest part to do, it just takes time. 

Set aside an hour or so and create a spreadsheet for who will play what position and who will throw how many innings. Obviously, this won't go perfectly according to plan. But if you take the time to create a few backup plans and have a general idea of what you want to do, you'll be in a great position. 

That’s it. 

If you do those 3 things, you're officially “good” at your job. 

You wont be the best, but you'll be good. 

All it takes to not be bad is some humility and some work ethic. 

Be willing to work hard and be willing to take criticism. 

We offer consulting on practice plans, team drills and everything to help you become the best coach you can be.

Straight from a professional baseball players experience to your team.

Sign up here

Good luck. 

John