How to Coach a Pony League Baseball Team

Pony Baseball is a governing body that runs baseball leagues nationwide for youth players from kindergarten through high school. With the majority of Pony Baseball league players being preteens or early teens, a coach must take a careful approach to running his team, as too authoritarian of an approach can lead to players losing the desire to perform for their coach. By making his players happy to play for him, a coach is able to better teach the fundamentals of the game.

Instructions

    • 1

      Speak with the players' parents and establish the importance of the parents respecting you as an authority figure and getting their children to practice on time.

    • 2

      Plan your desired timeline for each practice before arriving at the field.

    • 3

      Dress casually at the field so you do not seem like an intimidating figure for the young players. If you must go straight from work, bring casual clothes and change after work.

    • 4

      Remain upbeat, as a negative attitude will quickly spread to the young players.

    • 5

      Reward positive plays with encouragement so that the players do not feel their hard work goes unnoticed.

    • 6

      Bend down to the players' height when talking to them, rather than tower over them.

    Drills

    • 7

      Begin each practice with warmups, including stretching, followed by light calisthenics like jumping jacks, or jogging a lap around the field.

    • 8

      Perform hitting drills, having the players focus on hitting the ball to open spaces, rather than trying to hit it as far as possible.

    • 9

      Hit fly balls to players at varying heights, instructing the players on which balls to catch overhand and which to catch basket-style.

    • 10

      Teach players to get in front of the ball with their body, and then place their glove against the ground when fielding a grounder or bouncing ball.