Baseball Coach Team Rules

Nearly every baseball coach has his own set of team rules, whether it’s at the little league level or the professional level. Part of his objective is instilling discipline in players with the hope it carries over into their performance on the field. A player, and his parents, must learn to accept the rules if he wants to play. After all, coaches often say playing baseball is a privilege and not a right.

  1. Clean Appearance

    • The baseball team represents a community and a school. Coaches prefer that players look like role models when they walk through the school's hallways and travel for away games. That means not wearing stained T-shirts with holes, cutoff shorts or long hair. Coaches commonly institute a dress code that requires players to wear a tie and khaki pants on the day of a game, shave any facial hair, sport a neat haircut and remove any jewelry.

    Remaining Calm

    • A player needs to remain cool when adversity hits. The national American Legion Baseball organization for high school-age players suggests rules for their teams that include no cursing on or off the field and no throwing and abusing equipment. A violation can result in a suspension. Coaches try to instill the lessons of sportsmanship and taking pride in yourself to their players. The American Baseball Coaches Association adds in its Code of Ethics that proper language “is a mark of manhood and maturity.”

    Limit Parents At Practice

    • On one hand, it’s natural that parents would want to watch their children practice. It can become a problem, however, if they become a distraction. They might undermine the coach by shouting instructions, disagreeing with his drills and taunting players who are competing with their son for playing time. The coach needs to establish that it’s his team. He can prevent any potential problems by limiting parents to attending a handful of designated open sessions during the season.