Youth Baseball Instruction

Question
Hi there,

I have a son who just turned 7.  He has graduated from 2 seasons of t-ball and is in the midst of a season of coach pitch.  He is doing pretty well, has a good feel for the game, knows most of the basics, and he's quite athletic.  
Out of the hundreds of choices, what instructional video(s) for him & I, and book(s) (for me to read to teach to him until he's old enough to read instructional books on his own), would you recommend at this time for his development, as well as beyond?  I'm thinking pitching could be his thing, since I was a pitcher as a youngster and he seems to have more of a thin lanky body type like me (as opposed to a big strong hitter, or a super speedy guy).  So I'm thinking instruction in the areas of pitching, hitting, and defense.
Also, as much as I hate it, it seems politics are rampant in baseball since it's not a pure sport like track or swimming - it's the coaches' sons, nephews and friends who often get the most playing time.  Therefore, in relation to the initial question, how best would I go about becoming a quality baseball coach on a fast track?  The competition to be a baseball coach seems pretty strong here in S. Florida - his current team for example has 5 coaches already, though I do find ways to help out.  Are there "courses" I should take?

Thanks!,
Jeff

Answer
Jeff -

Thanks for writing.  Well my friend, there are a few things to go over here, so I will try and go in order of how you presented them.  OK... The first thing, and by far the most important issue of all I say is this.. AS a parent, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to always remember the kid.  That seems simple, but more times than not it gets lost somewhere in this whole deal.  Your son is 7 years old.  At that age, I promise, he is more concerned with where he is going to get ice cream after the game than what happens in the game.  Most 7 year olds dont play to win, they play to play.  They play to be out with their friends.  So always remember that above anything else.

Videos and books are helpful to an extent.  Obviously, a 7 year old wont get much out of them, but like you said, you might.  And knowing about what you are trying to teach is kind of a pre-requisite.  So sure, you can try a few that look good and see how it goes.  But here is the hard part.  At age 7, a child hasnt even begun to develop the basic physical skills or mental abilities to take most of what they will need to know and use it.  Their bodies and minds just arent on the same page yet.  Once in a while you will find a 7 yr old who can, but it is rare.  Because of this, it is impossible to predict which child will become a player or not.  This wont happen until a few years down the road.  A good example is watching pee-wee football. In MOSt cases, the kids playing offensive line as 9-10 yrd olds end up being the backs and WRs in high school.  The backs end up linemen.. GO figure.  So at this age, the important thing is to teach the game in general.  They can learn the rules, the positions, how the batting order works, how the innings work, who does what in general, etc.  Also, the basic skills can be taught. These are the things that should be taught at this age.  And each player SHOULD have the chance to play every position.  Its not about winning, or seeing who is the best at what, because I promise that will change drastically in the next 10 years. The little 4 ft kid in right field who cant walk straight might end up 6'4" 230 lbs ad a 3 sport star.  It WILL HAPPEN.  So try your best to teach him the basics.  Throwing is throwing, teach it properly.  Hitting is hitting, teach it properly.. How to run bases correctly.. These never change.  So thats the good stuff right now.  All the other things, dont waste your time right now, because that is what it will end up being, a waste of time.  

AS for the politics, welcome to the world of sports my friend.  This has not, and will not change no matter the age, race, religion, sex, or sport.  It actually gets worse as they get older.  I assure you of that.  Right now, it is that parent want their own kids to play.  Simple.  As they get older, you have coaches who get paid, school systems who want winners, communities wanting pride, etc.  It goes on and on.  So that part, I am sorry to say there isnt much you can do.  And there is no fast track in coaching.  These sports are VERY complicated to teach properly. There is just so much to know, that no book or video or class could teach.  Everything learned has to also be experienced to fully understand.  Get what I am saying here?  Sure, a coach who has read how to hit a baseball MIGHT be able to explain it alright.  But what about how to adjust to the many different types of pitches?  The real-life sight alignment issues a batter must deal with?  On and on.  If you are interested in coaching, I would make sure it is for other reasons, not just so your child can play.  If you did that, youd be buying into the whole problem that you dislike so much.  If you coached, and played your kid, wouldnt there be another child on your team (someone elses child) getting sat down in his place?  So its no better. The best suggestion is to just keep doing what you are doing.  Hang around as much as possible, encourage your son to do his best, help him out when you can with the basic skills, and see what happens.  Like I said, the abilities part will come later.  Try to check out who is coaching nexy season.  Choose a guy YOU think would be good for your son, who seems to pu the kids first, and do your best to get on his team.  That is really all you can do.

It appears to me that you are a caring father who wants the best for his child.  And what more could a child want or need.  You should be proud of that, and always remember that if he is a baseball player, he will get where he needs to be.  Right now he is a child playing baseball. That is it.  Let him enjoy it, and let him dictate what he wants or does not want to do in the sport.  You support that either way and you will find one happy, healthy young man comes out of it. And who knows, maybe he will grow into a big time player?  It can and does happen.  A lot of these guys in MLB were average at best at age 7, so what does that tell you?

Best wishes

Coach Perl