A Baseball Coach's Responsibility

A Baseball Coach's Responsibility

By Jim Bain

The headline " A Coach's Responsibility " is very ambiguous as it could, or should, compose a list of at least 200 items, which increases as his players' age and skill level increases. I'm going to exam 1 responsibility that very few coaches actually perform, but it's mainly due to unawareness, not shirking the duty.

I have always been a blue collar worker so I'm relying on my white collar friends to have given me the straight scoop on the procedure of getting raises.

The job performance evaluation an employee periodically endures is intended to give the person a non-bias and honest evaluation of how others perceive they perform their job. It should offer assessments of tasks the employee excels at, lacks achievement and suggestions to improve.

A coach has the responsibility, much as the employer, to have an honest face to face evaluation meeting with each player in order to let the player know how they are performing.

This evaluation process must not be entered into lightly as there are huge ramifications should a coach not do it right.

(1) The first decision is at what age do you begin these meetings? This is an individual decision as some may feel 10 years old is too early, when others coaching an elite travel team may think it's too late. Analyze your players' and their parents' maturity before implementing anything. You're intentions are to improve the players, not create a mass rebellion from thin skinned parents.

(2) When to do it? I suggest mid-season and then again at the end of the season. This will give you 3 benchmarks on which to evaluate the player, the beginning of the season, midway and final.

(3) Decide on a set goal you want to address and maintain that goal for every player. In other words, restrict the evaluation to baseball which only the player has control over. Suggest the player throw more, but don't get into the parents always bringing the player late to practices. The player has no control over the parents.

(4) Write down the comments and suggestions for each player. Unless you have a written guide it becomes too easy to wander off subject and that's not the goal. Also, keep these individual written guides in order to show any irate or inquisitive parent this was not a witch hunt and you weren't singling their kid out. Some coaches will give a copy of the evaluation to the player.

(5) Examples of a player's evaluation sheet.

Player One:

(a.) Great hustle... never gives up.
(b.) Need to work on improving bunting skills.
(c.) Good range to ball.
(d.) Get better lead off first base.

Player Two:

(a.) Excellent attitude... always trying to get better.
(b.) Very coach able... listens.
(c.) Could work on hitting the curveball.

Presentation is a key to these evaluations. Always let the player know how proud you are of him and his progress. They say Corrective criticism doesn't hurt, but it does.

"With your speed I need to get you a bigger leadoff at first so I can have you steal more."

"You cost us a game because your leadoff was too short."

Whole different approach.

I know coaches have their plates full and time is a premium asset, but consider this suggestion of holding evaluation meetings. They don't have to be long and they can be very enlightening for both the player and coach. You may learn the player refuses to get a good leadoff because his father told him he'd better never get picked off first base.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player and member of "Baseball Coaches of America" shares his advice on baseball coaching baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

Be sure to check out his 2 books on Amazon, "The Pitch" and "Season of Pain". Great reading about baseball.

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