365 Days to Better Baseball - Team Power

Youth baseballcoaches have a lot to do of course and one of those is to foster the importance of team. Good coaches preach, "We win as a team and lose as a team," which is always a good approach. More than that though, good youth baseball coaches look for ways to create a cohesive team, one that pulls for each other and enjoys being around each other. Teams that enjoy playing together have a better chance of winning and with dealing with adverse times. Creating a team atmosphere may seem an easy thing, but there is often more to it than appears.

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Good Coaches emphasize team by:
1. Watching for and not allowing exclusionary cliques to form on the team
2. Having team members pair off with different players when doing drill work
3. Encouraging players to cheer on others, especially struggling players; an uplifting word from a teammate goes further than uplifting words from adults.
4. Giving a little special attention to shy players and those who are a little on the outside of the group.
5. Allowing kids to have fun on the bench is usually for keeping players loose.
6. Having small group competitions that have players pull for each other is a good coaching tactic.