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9 Lessons Learned in My First Season Coaching Youth Baseball
My first season of coaching youth baseball came to an end a few weeks ago. I volunteered as an assistant coach for a local little league team with 13–15-year-olds on the roster. My goal was to get my feet wet as I look into future coaching opportunities.
I’m not a father, so I had to go out during tryouts and convince one of the managers to help them for the upcoming season. A few of the managers were dads, and you could tell they had their system in place for what they set out to accomplish. They wouldn’t come out with it, but they weren’t interested in some random guy off the street cramping their coaching style (see observation #1).
I attempted to explain my background and experience as a personal trainer, but the managers didn’t care to hear my sales pitch. One by one, they passed me off to the next guy, hoping I’d leave them alone. The last manager, someone closer to my age (30), wasn’t a dad. This guy had been volunteering as a coach out there for years. He asked about my availability and listened to what I had to offer. We agreed to take on the team he drafted together, and that was it. Below are just a few of the lessons I learned throughout the season.
