About this time last year I posted a set of checklists for coaches so that they can better plan their practices at the start of the season. It was a very popular post in terms of readership so I thought I would re-post them for new readers who may not have seen them. Each list contains things I wanted to cover at least twice during the season. Once before games began and then at least one more time after that. The columns to the right of the lists are for me to check off and/or date indicating that it was covered. My lists are for the high school level but you can tweak them as needed or make your own based on whatever level you find yourself. Below is more information about them that accompanied the original post.
As a coach, I never wanted my players to be in a situation and not know what to do. I knew that young players would forget sometimes and make mistakes but I would sleep better knowing that I at least had discussed it with them beforehand. Not many things are worse than your team making a mistake on something you never taught them. In those situations, I saw the mistake as my fault not theirs. You will notice that the checklists includes things like on-the-field altercations. Those situations can get real ugly in a hurry if young players (and their parents!) are not told what to do. Situations like that are just as important to teach as turning a double play and all need to know prior to one happening for real.
The checklists are not all-inclusive. I would continue to add things each year as they came up so be sure to add some of your own as needed. Many of the situations are my own abbreviations to save space so if there are any you are not sure about or would like to know how I covered it with my team, just shoot me an email.
Click the title below for the PDF file with the checklists:
Situation Checklists – Defense Offense and Pitching
Tomorrow’s post: Young hitters and loading up for safety