Top 5 BIG Mistakes Youth Baseball Coaches Make // Avoid These and Have Greater Success!

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

Let me know what you think about this video. Do you see any of these mistakes in opposing coaches? Or maybe some in your own coaching? Be sure to leave a comment in the comments section down below!

[@brodyrichard263]

Yeah well I was VERY vocal about my lack of knowledge of coaching and the im depth rules of the sport so I signed up for assistant coach to learn and one day maybe be able to head coach but they messaged back saying they put me as the head coach and now I’m forced to do it and I’m absolutely panicking about it. So bad

[@alexgreen1823]

The best coach is not the one who wins the most. It's the coach whose team overachieved the most.

[@harveyperez8282]

To God Be The Glory! Great Info

[@gregh2322]

Playing kids out of position, father coaches showing favoritism towards their kids, and getting on some players for mistakes while ignoring mistakes being made by other players are three things I've seen.

[@blkmagic241993]

I assisted with a baseball coach in 9-10 baseball. He was all about winning and focusing on his own sons’ success rather than developing the players and teaching them the game. The kids were so focused on winning that any mistakes they made during games were amplified and detrimental to their own individual development. Winning is part of the game but it is not the focus. I wish more coaches would understand that at the youth level.

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

So true! Unfortunately some coaches have it backwards and put winning before development. What they don’t realize is that winning games doesn’t develop players, and players who don’t develop won’t produce wins. But developing players first will inevitably produce the wins they’re seeking 🤷‍♂️

[@rumblehat4357]

I started coaching when my daughter wanted to play. After ten years she aged out and went to college, and i kept coaching. The club i coach for values development over winning, and I appreciate that. Focus on the players, then focus on the team, THEN win games. I’m here for the kids, and can NEVER be accused of favoring my own kid as she hasn’t played in years. My dream is to see these kids play in college and know I had something to do with it. All of the factors he goes over I already do as they are common sense. I’ve experienced the opposite over the years, coaches only there for their own kids, etc, and vowed to never be that person. If a kid has an arm and can run, but tells me “I play first,” I try to get them to move to a better position for them, and always preach to them to have a second option position wise. I am ALWAYS thinking about the game. Whether it’s players, positions, lineups, players’ positives and negatives skills, I try to tailor my coaching to each kid, it’s not easy, but ALL players are different . Whether it’s attitude or skill levels. I offer free, out of clinic, game and practice, coaching, as I wished someone had taken the time to do that for my kid. To me, player success is above winning games, because not all want to play high school or college. Some are there for social reasons. I think the parents appreciate the time I take to coach their kids.

[@davidlacerda4509]

Some great points in this video! I'm going into my 5th year of coaching youth baseball. The way I gauge my "success" as a coach is "how many of my kids returned to play again next season because they enjoyed the game", and "of those, how many are improving, moving up to the next level, scoring higher in evals etc." I had one kid last season who never played. First practice gets hit in the face during warmups and has to go home. This season he made the cut to move up from our AA to our AAA league, that was great to see!

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

David that’s amazing! I love your idea of success, more coaches should view themselves and their success this way - I feel that when you look at your success the way you do rather than wins / losses, you feel much more accomplished and fulfilled that you’re impacting your players in more than just baseball, but helping them be successful adults in life 👍 best of luck and thanks for the support!

[@Troutforus]

Great job! I struggle with planning because with younger kids parents are sometimes unreliable at getting kids to practice and games. Maybe if Ai planned better they would be more consistent. I promise to create consistency. Great video.

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

Thanks for the support, You got this! Let me know if I can help in any way 👍

[@levanderallen8903]

Great information, I’m new to coaching. This will be my first year as a coach. Was informed my son wouldn’t be able to play due to short in coaches. So I volunteered so my son and other kids can play. I noticed some coaches only worry about winning because of egos. some parents get out of control. What did I get myself into. Haha

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

I know exactly what you mean, I think it's awesome you're choosing to coach - that's huge for the kids! If you need any help with anything just let me know, I'm here to help.

[@thevelozboys]

Haha, same here. Luckily we are in the 6U division and almost all our players are first timers 😅. Have a fun/great season Coach!! 🤙🏼

[@Dstuff44Duval904]

When you get on a roller coaster you expect it to go up and down... if it just went straight, it would be a pretty crappy ride.

[@miguelflo2]

Great pointers. I can relate to these things after years of coaching my kid. I think another big mistake is to assume you’re a good coach because you played baseball, including those who played at a high level. Coaching kids is a different skill.

[@ThePandaFather]

I don't 100% agree that we should position players for success especially when we are talking about younger players U12 and lower in rec league. I think every player needs to learn every position so they can understand the field and what it takes for every position. I think this is also how you find kids real passions. Catcher is a great example where I expect every player that is physically and mentally capable to play the position at least once. I don't know how many timid fielders Ive seen just be amazing behind the plate.

[@barberj1945]

My kid has ADHD he plays the game great but the coach bench him all the time. He has a kid/son that's always in and battling. I'm trying not to be that parent and let my son have fun. So frustrating watch should I say something or over reacting please help?

[@uahoe]

Just started coaching 9u ball. Videos like this are a life saver

[@hirambenitez5168]

Biggest coaching mistake i see is "daddy ball".

[@paulturner4419]

No the biggest problem is baseball coaches being very boring. They don’t know how to keep things fast pace with lots of fun games. Instead they waste time with stuff like stretching exercises that are completely unnecessary for lithe supple youths.

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

Great point Paul - I have something big coming in the month of April that should solve the problem of not knowing any fun games. Coaches won’t have anymore excuses for not knowing games!

[@mikeryan2388]

Baseball can be boring. Most coaches aren’t paid and they have to deal with know-it-all’s like yourself, plus your kids whom you’ve passed zero skills, knowledge of, or passion for the game, let alone spent 5 minutes playing catch with

[@eduardoguzman333]

In little league we draft our players. Not every kid is at the same level. We don’t have the option of telling kids and their parents they aren’t a good fit. Coaches are all volunteers and most don’t have all that time to plan for the whole season and unfortunately at times have to plan the day before. Even in little league I see a lot of favouritism an a lot of less skilled players sit the bench. For me, I feel like all kids in little league should never have to sit the bench if they sat the bench the game before and continue to rotate them, otherwise how do they develop. Shouldn’t permanent positions be done once they are older or maybe more at a competitive level such as travel ball? I really appreciate your work in making these videos and a lot of them are really helpful. I just don’t think as a volunteer coach in little league we should be telling any kids or parents they’re not a good fit. Thank you

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

I appreciate this comment! I think you’re totally right, all kids should be able to play and not sit the bench, especially if they’re not on a higher level team. Baseball is supposed to be fun, and that means fun for everyone involved. I hear what you’re saying and understand your perspective on the situation - I’ll remember this for future videos about this topic. Thank you, and best of luck this season!

[@rumblehat4357]

From my experience, a player or parent may not be a good fit. I’ve had parents who thought I was too mean because I told the player where the play was supposed to go but she didn’t listen and the parent started jawing at me, and I’ve had parents who thought I was too soft on the players. ON THE SAME TEAM. So a good fit IS important. Don’t discount chemistry...

[@jeremyandelisha]

This is the best video on youtube.

[@robertrodriguez7646]

I will be coaching youth baseball for the first time this year , I’m very nervous and anxious but very exited it’s always been a dream of mines to be a coach thank you for your videos

[@tommonson7153]

Great video! I find teaching kids about the failure you will experience when playing this great game is very difficult. Maintaining a good attitude is so important for a dugout and it starts with us coaches. Never get on a kid for making a mistake rather teach them how to learn from it.

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

I totally agree! The failure part of this game is such an adult concept to comprehend and it's really tough to try and help a kid understand it. Attitude is everything! I always tell my players "Losing doesn't exist. You either WIN, or you LEARN. If you didn't win, then what did you learn so you can win next time. Thanks for the comment!

[@matthewshort1646]

Hey Coach! I know it's small right now, but you can tell all the hard work that's put into this channel. Keep doing what you're doing, we're all learning a lot!

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

Thank you for the kind words and motivation Matthew - the reality that coaches like you, and players, are finding value in the content is what keeps me going. I wanted to create a home dedicated to specifically youth baseball and I’m excited it’s being received so well and helping people. Much more content (and courses on my website) to come!

[@alberta.medina9474]

Hey brother you hit the nail on the head for how beginning coach’s run into mistakes and has helped me recognized areas for me to improve thank you.

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

So glad you found it helpful 👍 your players are lucky to have you, best of luck this season!

[@rumblehat4357]

I started with assisting coaching, because my daughter played, so I learned a lot of what NOT to do from bad coaches. There is always an opportunity to learn, even from bad, ego driven coaches...

[@devonwolf4711]

Great video! These tips are very useful

[@TorresFamilyRanch]

Winning is everything bud go punch sand

[@andreberoud1494]

Just subscribed my guy . Good video

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

Thanks for the support Andre, I’m glad you’re finding value in the content! Welcome to the BBB team 👊

[@mattbowman2521]

Spot on! Great advice! Thanks.

[@stevewenderlich2469]

First time visiting your videos. I liked it and hope to teach the kids the game I love. I like your quotes and sayings to learn or motivate

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

I'm glad you found it valuable Steve!

[@acmontiel]

Awesome video! Thanks for sharing this. You seem like a great coach, look forward to watching more on the channel!

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

Thank you! Let me know if you need anything else 👍

[@momokristipeterson9587]

Great video

[@jessiejame5832]

Gawd damn I wish I could like this a million times

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

Thanks Jessie, I’m glad you found it helpful!

[@tsmiles_]

THANK YOU - so much for these videos. I am coaching an 10u LL team this season for this first time. I am moving over from Assistant Coaching in softball and am nervous about how the parents will react to a “girl” coach. I want to be as prepared as possible so they feel comfortable with me coaching. I study like crazy and parents always like my practices in the past but unfortunately it still always takes a bit for them to get past their initial concern.

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

You're so welcome! I think it's amazing that you're coaching baseball, the sport needs more women coaches 🙌.. I've always been a huge advocate for young players to not associate "baseball with boys" and "softball with girls". Anyone can play either sport, so it's a huge leap forward whenever there's a woman coach like yourself who's willing to take the helm! I'm here to help in any way I can! If you need anything just let me know. Check out my website for more resources too: www.buildingbetterbaseball.com 👍

[@tsmiles_]

@@buildingbetterbaseball thank you so much! My daughter (10) is playing for my team. She started in softball, but really wanted to try baseball with some of her friends and asked to move over for a bit. Last season went really well for her so I am letting her stick with Baseball as long as she is enjoying it! I have always enjoyed helping coach her teams and take it as such a blessing that I get to be a part of these kids lives. We have evauls on Sunday so it will be my first exposure to this new league (local LL) and I have been studying your videos to start planning ahead practices!

[@buildingbetterbaseball]

@@tsmiles_ keep it up, you're doing great! Best of luck to you and your daughter with the season ⚾

[@hollyharvey1986]

@@tsmiles_I wish you the best! My daughter is playing little league 12u this summer and she loves baseball and football..and she’s pretty good at both!

[@jesterscourt21]

Good information. But can we talk about how many bad cuts there are in this video? It's like every 8 or 9 seconds! It takes away from the content...