Hopewell Youth Association - Amazon S3



Hopewell Youth Association

Coach Information – Spring 2008 Season



One of the greatest outlets for youth is baseball. We must continue to make baseball a fun game without placing undue pressure and stress on our youth. Our youth come first, winning second. When you build the character in a youth, you build a winner.

1. Coaching Organization:

• The HYA President is Morgan Dunn.

• Each age group has a League Representative with whom coaches should take their concerns or problems for resolution. If your league representative cannot resolve the matter, or the league representative feels that the matter is of a nature that he or she cannot rule on the issue, then it will be referred to the HYA Board for resolution.

2. Playing Field Responsibilities:

• Practice field setup -- Whatever you get out or turn on during your practice, you are responsible for locking up and turning off (e.g., bases, tools, lights, scoreboard, etc.). Each field has a hand drag in the lockup. Please take the time, or have your players drag the infield after your practice. Also, please have your players pick up any trash that may be on the field or in the dugouts, even if your team didn’t put it there.

• Game field setup & takedown--HYA contracts with a Field Maintenance company to prepare the fields for MOST weeknight and weekend games. If needed, BOTH teams are responsible for turning on lighting and scoreboard, changing the bases if necessary, and lining the field prior to the game. BOTH teams are also responsible for shutting down lighting and scoreboard IF YOU HAVE THE LAST GAME. Leave all bases on the field after the game.

• All Equipment Sheds are secured with combination locks. The combination is the same for all locks. You will receive the combination at the Draft. Keep the combination private!

• Scoreboard controllers are located in each field’s equipment storage locker. Controllers plug into control lines located in the scorer’s box area behind home plate.

• Batting Practice Platforms- Fields 1 & 2 -- BP platforms are to be used ANY TIME batting practice or soft toss occurs in FRONT of the normal pitching mounds. When finished with the BP platforms, roll them to a safe location along the outfield fence line so as not to interfere with practice or games.

• Lining the field to include:

All Leagues -- three sided batter’s box (no inside line parallel w/plate)

-- 4’ x 6’ batter’s box, width set 6” from plate, length centered on plate.

-- base / foul line aligned with back corner of plate to foul pole.

(note-base line starts where line from back of plate to foul pole crosses outer edge of batter’s box)

-- 3’ x 6’ coach’s box, outside edge by 1st and 3rd base, 5’ from base path.

-- 6’diameter on-deck circle, next to fence on home plate end of each dugout.

5-8 Leagues -- bunt arc, 20’ in front of home plate from 1st to 3rd base line. (measured from the back point of plate).

-- pitching circle, 10’ diameter centered 46’ from back point of home plate.

See Playing Field and Official Measurements sections of the rulebook for additional information.

3. The Umpires:

• The best umpires will work at the fields where the coaches, players and fans respect the game of baseball. This includes respecting the umpires.

• The coach of each team is not only responsible for his own actions, but the actions of his assistant coaches, his players and his fans/parents.

• The coaches, players and the fans/parents should not challenge judgment calls by the umpire. If you feel an umpire has made a bad judgment call, calmly approach the umpire between innings and ask to exchange how each of you saw the play. Positive attitudes toward the umpires will more often than not get you positive results. Maybe not on that particular call, but somewhere down the road. Negative attitudes will get you less than positive results. Remember that your players are watching how you and the other coaches conduct yourselves on the field. Be a positive role model.

• If you have a fan/parent conducting himself in a less than positive manner toward the umpires or others involved in the game, don’t wait for the umpire to remind you that you are responsible for your side of the field. Use your persuasive skills to calmly and quietly correct the situation. Remember, your players are watching the fans/parents too.

• If you feel an umpire has miscalled a play by the rules of the game, call timeout and again calmly discussed the call with the umpire(s). Refer to your rulebook for more information on this subject relative to protesting calls and playing games under protest.

• You are not the only person who can have a bad day, umpires have them, too. If you feel you’ve experienced an umpiring performance far below what is normally expected and worthy of attention, please notify your league representative so that the matter can be reviewed by the board with the umpiring service. Remember to tell an umpire when they have a good day as well. They will remember.

4. Coaching At Your Best:

• Whether you want to be or not, you and your coaches are role models. Act and teach your players to be role models too. If you recruit parents to help during practice and games, make certain they understand your position on how you work with your players.

• Teach sportsmanship -- it’s a part of the game.

• Challenge your players to get better, but remember their age and the limitations they have, both physically and mentally.

• Repetition with simple drills in small numbers will prove to be your ally. Recruit help.

• Every player you coach will not have the same starting talent level. Help them all to get better, not just your best players.

• Ask and you shall receive. If you need help, or just want new ideas on how to organize and run your practices to get the most out of the limited time you have with your players, just ask. Experienced HYA coaches, independent baseball instructors and websites on coaching tips are all available for the asking.

• Protect your players by teaching them to be safe on the field and in the dugout. Make certain they know to look for a teammate to be looking to receive the ball before they throw it.

• Teach them to loosen up and stretch prior to throwing. This is especially important during cold weather.

• Important, Important, Important. Tell your pitchers and your position players that if their arm hurts, they must tell you immediately. Also, remind them to tell you if they have been throwing at a baseball lesson or with their friends prior to practice or a game. You need to know what condition their arms are in. Usually a little rest will take care of it, but continuing to throw or pitch when the arm hurts is going to lead to bigger and longer term injury.

• Remind them to drink plenty of fluids; they won’t if you don’t remind them.

• Make certain you have a “Consent For Treatment Form” completed by the parents of each of your players. Read the information on the forms and make certain you understand any special conditions that exist with any of your players. Have a copy of these forms with you at all practices and games. If a situation occurs that you need to refer to the form, it won’t do you any good if you don’t have it available.

5. The Rules We Play By:

• Hopewell Youth Association has established a limited number of HYA Park Rules that benefit our organization and how we are able to operate our play. The rules have been adopted by the Hopewell Board and take priority over any conflicting USSSA or Dizzy Dean rule. Any issue with these rules is to be brought first to your league representative. Our HYA PARK RULES can be found on the HYA website.

• Dizzy Dean Baseball is played the same as in professional baseball with the exceptions noted in the Dizzy Dean Official Rule Book and on their website. Each age league has their own special rules and exceptions. Please take time to learn them.

• We are also affiliated with USSSA Baseball, who have their own rules. USSSA and Dizzy Dean rules are primarily used for tournaments.

• PRIORITY OF RULES

1) Hopewell Park Rules

2) Dizzy Dean Rules

3) MLB Rules

6. Irrigation & Dust Control Systems:

• Infield dust control systems (for the DIRT part of the infields) exist on all Fields. Control Valves for the dust control systems are located outside the 3rd base fence line on Fields 1, 3, & 4. Field 2 Control Valve is located outside the 1st base fence line

• Sprinkler systems for the Field 1 & 2 infield grass are on automatic controllers.

• The controls for the outfield irrigation systems are on automatic controllers, which are being managed by the field maintenance staff. Please do not adjust or otherwise try to reset any of these controls. Should you feel that there is a problem with any of the system controllers, please contact your league rep or a board member to notify them of a problem.

• The dust control systems are intended to “wet down” the infield areas and are all manually controlled at each field. The control valves are located inside locked ground boxes. Please do not turn these valves on and then leave the field area. The system needs to be monitored while running so that the infields are not over-watered. It is most important that if you use the dust control system on a field that you immediately relock the valve box when you turn the system off. We do not want the valves to be available to unauthorized personnel who might turn them on as a form of prank.

• The addition of these systems should go a long way toward helping all of us to create a better and safer playing field for the players, coaches and fans. Please assist everyone by the monitoring of these systems and their performance.

7. Wet field conditions & maintenance:

• The mounds on Fields #1 and 2 are Portable mounds. NOTE: ALL MOUND MEASUREMENTS ARE FROM THE “POINT” OF HOME PLATE TO THE FRONT OF THE PITCHING RUBBER.

• All of the fields have been recently laser graded to balance the infields and assist with the positive drainage of water. In order to assist the field maintenance staff and the balance of the teams using these fields please adhere to the following practices.

• If heavy rains have recently occurred and the infields are so wet that deep footprints are left, please stay off of the infields.

• When trying to remove water and mud from the infield, please do not rake the water and mud off by pulling it toward the outfield grass. This creates two problems: one. it creates a ridge at the outfield edge therefore creating a damming effect so that water will not drain properly; and, two, if the area where the mud is removed in not replaced with soil and re-leveled, a depression is created that will continue to hold water and not drain during future rains.

• If you must remove water and mud in the attempt to make a field playable for a game, use the “dry lime” if available and wait the 30 minutes or so for it to absorb the excess moisture. If you need to remove the wet area, please shovel the mud up and remove by wheelbarrow. But, remember that you need to replace and fill the low area that you create.

• Under no circumstances should you use gravel or anything other than the stockpiled infield dirt back onto the playing fields. Thank you for your help with this situation.

• THE PHONE NUMBER FOR THE HOPEWELL RAINOUT HOTLINE IS 770-777-1500.

ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY

The rules governing HYA include a Code of Behavior which includes the following: Physical contact or violence involving a player, coach, umpire, or parent will result in automatic ejection from the event and disciplinary action up to and possibly including lifetime suspension from the league. Use of profanity during baseball activities will not be tolerated. Offenders will be subject to ejection. The use of alcohol or drugs at the park will result in immediate ejection from park and suspension. Failure of team managers and coaches to comply with playing rules, park rules or field maintenance guidelines will result in Board action. No one will be allowed in the dugouts or the fields except umpires, team officials or players, except in the case of player injury, when parents are allowed on the field.

Inappropriate behavior by anyone (coaches, parents or players) will not be tolerated, and will be subject to ejection, suspension and/or action by the HYA Board.

Sideline Suggestions:

10 Things Kids Say They Don't Want Their Parents to Do

1. Don't yell out instructions.

During the game I'm trying to concentrate on what the coach says and working on what I've been practicing. It's easier for me to do my best if you save instructions and reminders for practice or just before the game.

2. Don't put down the officials.

This embarrasses me and I sometimes wonder whether the official is going to be tougher on me because my parents yell.

3. Don't yell at me in public.

It will just make things worse because I'll be upset, embarrassed, or worried that you're going to yell at me the next time I do something "wrong."

4. Don't yell at the coach.

When you yell about who gets to play what position, it just stirs things up and takes away from the fun.

5. Don't put down my teammates.

Don't make put-down remarks about any of my teammates who make mistakes. It takes away from our team spirit.

6. Don't put down the other team.

When you do this you're not giving us a very good example of sportsmanship so we get mixed messages about being "good sports."

7. Don't lose your cool.

I love to see you excited about the game, but there's no reason to get so upset that you lose your temper! It's our game and all the attention is supposed to be on us.

8. Don't lecture me about mistakes after the game.

Those rides home in the car after the game are not a good time for lectures about how I messed up -- I already feel bad. We can talk later, but please stay calm, and don't forget to mention things I did well during the game!

9. Don't forget how to laugh and have fun.

Sometimes it's hard for me to relax and have fun during the game when I look over and see you so tense and worried.

10. Don't forget that it's just a game!

Odds are, I'm not going to make a career out of playing sports. I know I may get upset if we lose, but I also know that I’m usually feeling better after we go get a pizza. I need to be reminded sometimes that it’s just a game.

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