**ANYONE and EVERYONE** assisting with your team during practices or games MUST complete the Volunteer Application which can be downloaded from our Helpful Links & sent with a copy of their driver's license to the safety officer via email or the league mailing address listed on the homepage.

    Our Umpire-in-Chief, Randy Dickerson can be contacted at 540-920-7667.  EOCLL require coaches to also act as umpires.  Our Umpire-in-Chief is recruiting dedicated, trained Umpires and will handle the scheduling of Umpires.  We will still need coaches and parents to step up and join our group of umpires.  Please contact Randy if you are interested.  
Note, Little League doesn't permit the use of paid umpires, all of these folks are all volunteers please treat them with the respect and understanding they deserve. 

COACH TRAINING & INFORMATION

The NFHS Concussion Online Training Course MUST BE COMPLETED and the certificate printed and provided to the Safety Officer, Joe Hayes. Email: [email protected] or in person BEFORE a team manager or coach is allowed to begin practicing.  For the Concussion Training go to this link: NFHSLearn.com

Coaching is as much a skill as bunting, sliding or throwing a curve ball.  It must be learned, practiced and improved.

Managing a Little League team requires organization and commitment. Field practices, batting cage time, and game preparation are all part of delivering a quality experience to the kids. Below are some resources that may help you in managing or coaching your team.

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SKILL DEVELOPMENT & INSTRUCTION

These sections contain many videos and other instructional materials that demonstrate good fundamental technique in baseball and softball that will help the kids improve in all areas of the game.

The Rules

Understanding the rules is vital to being a good coach. Managers - Read your league provided rule book for your division.   You not only need to make sure that your assistant coaches know the rules but that you all can teach your players what they can and cannot do.  To do this you also must understand the rules to ensure you act in the best interest of your team during game play. Use these resources to hone your skills.

Communications

Communicating with your parents is vital to your success to ensure they are up-to-date on practice and game schedules and changes, and the general happenings of your team. Each coach is responsible to manage that communication.

Additionally, it’s recommended to have a parent meeting prior to your first practice to communicate your management style and goals for the season and gain volunteer support for the year. Lay out your philosophy on play time, where kids play, how you plan to manage the team, and how issues or concerns should be addressed. The more clear you can be up front, the fewer problems you’ll encounter throughout the year.

Practice Planning

Practice time is when skills, knowledge, and sportsmanship are taught. Young players are limited in their mental bandwidth, so practices should be well planned and efficient. Break practices up into individual drill stations versus conducting a one hour scrimmage. Limit stations to small, manageable groups and rotate stations every 10-15 minutes. Every practice should focus on both skill development drills and live situations. Avoid having too many kids standing around doing nothing. For example, avoid having a coach pitch to one player while the rest are just standing in the field waiting for a ball to be hit. Discuss with seasoned coaching how they manage practices for assistance in keeping the kids moving and learning.

Approach to Coaching

Teach at practice; coach at games.

During the game you want your players to focus on the next out or next hit – so should you. You can’t teach a pitcher a new pitch on the mound or teach a kid to bunt in the seventh inning. No instruction should be provided during the game – instead, make mental notes for post-game talk or a special clinic during the next practice. Games are to execute what has already been learned.

Practice for Games

Practice what you expect to see and do in games and eliminate the wasteful activities.
If you want it, then teach it.

You can’t expect players to do in games what they haven’t done in practice.
One fix at a time.

Keep players focused on one fix at a time. If you see three things that need improving in a batter, rather than discussing them all at once, focus on the most important and drill that improvement a while before taking on another fix.

Practice with Intensity

Plan every practice – on paper – against the clock. Keep things moving, keep them focused. It’s the only way to build a team with the desire to out-perform.
Some drills to consider: http://www.webball.com/cms/page1151.cfm