The Baffled Parent's Guide to Coaching Youth Baseball

<h3>Introduction: So You Said You'd Be the Coach, Huh?<h4>How to Use This Book<h4>A Word on Coaching<h2>Part One Coaching 101: The Coach's Start-Up Kit<h3>1. Creating an Atmosphere of Good Habits<h4>The Essentials<h4>Competition<h4>Establish Your Identity as the Coach<h4>The Growth Book<h4>On Risk Taking<h4>Questions and Answers<h3>2. Before Hitting the Field: Baseball in a Nutshell<h4>Basic Rules and Positioning<h4>The Ball Is in Play<h4>Basic Safety Measures<h3>3. Setting Up the Season<h4>Create the Practice and Game Schedule and Send a Letter to Parents<h4>Call the Parents before the Season<h4>Solicit Parental Help<h4>Finding an Assistant<h4>Appropriate Numbers of Players on the Team<h4>Equipment<h4>Questions and Answers<h3>4. Essential Skills--and How to Teach Them<h4>Catching<h4>Throwing<h4>Infield Defense<h4>Outfield Defense<h4>Team Defense<h4>Pitching<h4>Playing Catcher<h4>Batting<h4>Bunting<h4>Baserunning<h3>5. The Practice<h4>Preparation Is Key<h4>Format for Practice<h4>Practice Session Worksheet<h4>Questions and Answers<h3>6. Sample Practices<h4>Basic Beginning Practice<h4>Intermediate Practice<h4>Advanced Practice<h4>Questions and Answers<h3>7. Game Time<h4>The Mental Aspect<h4>Be Prepared<h4>Coaching the Game<h4>Key Elements<h4>Taking Stock after the Game<h3>8. Dealing with Parents and Gender Issues<h4>Perspective on Parents<h4>Be Organized at All Times<h4>Help Parents Look at the Big Picture<h4>Addressing Gender Issues<h4>Questions and Answers about Dealing with Parents<h4>Questions and Answers about Gender Issues<h2>Part Two Drills: The Foundation for Development, Success, Happiness, and a Coach's Peace of Mind<h3>9. Warm-Up: Baserunning, Catching, and Throwing<h4>Catching the Ball<h4>Throw-and-Catch<h3>10. Defensive Fundamentals: Infield Play, Outfield Play, and Team Defense<h4>Infield<h4>Outfield<h4>Team Defense<h3>11. Batting Practice: Batting, Pitching, and Playing Catcher<h4>Batting<h4>Pitching and Catching<h3>12. Ending Activity: Scrimmage Situations<h3>Appendix<h4>Umpire Signals<h4>Sample Scorebook Page<h4>Glossary<h4>Resources<h5>Associations and Organizations<h5>Websites and Electronic Newsletters<h3>Index<h3>Acknowledgments<h3>About the Author