Hazel Dell Little League: Coaches

Friday, April 17
AL Policy Darkness Policy
Due to the absence of lights on the American League field, some games will be ended because of darkness, in order to prevent possible injury to players.No pitch shall be thrown once the streetlights, by the indoor soccer field, come on.  All games in progress will be halted and will be reverted back to the last full inning of play to determine a winner, where there is not a tied score, provided the minimum four innings have been met to constitute a legal game.If the four innings have not been met, or if the score is tied at the end of those four innings, then the game will be finished the next time the two teams meet, only to the point that a winner is determined at the end of the fourth inning or to break a tie game.After four innings have been played the umpire can end the game due to darkness, if in his opinion, another full inning cannot be played before the street lights come on.

Check the links section for more coaching instruction

 


Hazel Dell Little League target skill levels for players in the four divisions listed:


SKILL

  T-Ball      

Pac-Coast 

      AL     

     NL      

 

 

 

 

 

FIELDING

 

 

 

 

Thrown Ball,  Ground Ball

B

A

A

A

Fly Ball - Direct

 

 

 

 

Thrown Ball, Ground Ball

C

B

B+

A

Fly Ball - on the move

 

 

 

 

Infield - Throw to 1st

C

B

A

A

Infield - Turn Double Play

-

C

B

A

Outfield - Catch on the Run

-

C

B

A

Catcher - Receive the Ball

-

C

B

A

Catcher - Throw to Bases

-

C

B

A

Always Know Where the Ball

C

C+

B

A

is, and how to React

 

 

 

 

                

THROWING/PITCHING

 

 

 

 

Throw the Ball with Accuracy

C

B

A

A

Pitcher - Throw Consistent Strikes

-

C

B

A

 

 

 

 

 

HITTING

 

 

 

 

Execute Proper Stance

C

B

A

A

Proper Placement in the

A

A

A

A

Batter's Box

 

 

 

 

Execute Three Steps of Hitting

B

A

A

A

and Drop the Bat

 

 

 

 

React to Hit by Pitch

C

B

A

A

Hit a Pitched Ball

C

C+

B

A

Execute a Bunt

B

B

A

A

 

 

 

 

 

BASERUNNING

 

 

 

 

Run Through 1st Base

A

A

A

A

Pick up Ball off Bat

B

A

A

A

Execute A Good Slide

C

C

B

B

Know When to Run on a Fly

B

A

A

A

Know all Game Situations

C

B

B+

A



THE GOLDEN RULES
Sports psychology expert Rick Wolff offers five simple messages for adults involved in Little League: 


1.  Parents need to come to grips with one fact: Your childhood is over. Don't put your dreams on your children.
2.       Listen to your children, don't lecture to them. Let them tell you what they enjoy about sports.
3.       Coaches: Remember, every child wants to play during games as much as possible. As a coach, it's your job to make sure that happens.
4.       Yelling and screaming discourages a child's desire to do well in sports. No one wants to be criticized, especially when playing a difficult game.
5.    Baseball is a hard [game]. Remember to tell your child how tough baseball was for you. 
                                                                                              


IMPORTANT – TO ALL PERSONS[1]


DESIRING TO MANAGE OR COACH….. (Easy to apply for, better for HDLL)


REASONS FOR ADOPTION OF NEW POLICY


1.       Desire to allow option-up players (players age 8 or 10) parents the ability to coach.


2.       Desire to increase adult participation in the league.


3.       Desire to make the divisions as competitive as possible.


4.       Desire to allow all parents who desire to coach a chance to do so.


5.       Desire to select the best coaches available.


NEWLY ADOPTED HDLL MANAGER/COACH POLICY


1.       All candidates for Manager must apply on Sign Up dates or before January 15.


2.       All candidates for Coach must apply on Sign Up dates or before January 15.


3.       Upon approval by the Board previous managers in the league they are applying for will be given preference and assigned to the same teams they previously managed. Board approval and team placement of previous year managers will be accomplished no later than the first Sunday in February.


4.       The Board will review all remaining candidates and approve, creating separate rosters for Managers and Coaches. Candidates will be ranked by the Board upon the following criteria: amount of post season coaching experience, amount of regular season experience and amount of experience as a league volunteer. The Coaches Roster will remain confidential and not be released to Managers during the selection process.


5.       Teams not having a Manager will then be filled by the BEST CANDIDATE available on the Manager Roster. If there are no Manager candidates available, the Board will select the best candidate listed on the Coaches Roster. Board lottery will determine team assignment. What is Board Lottery?


6.       All Managers will be notified by the Board regarding their selection as Manager, at which time they will declare one coach. (It is recommended that prior to declaring the coach the Manager should have coordinated alignment with league parents desiring to be coach). The declared coach must be on the approved Board Coaches Roster prior to Manager notification. The Board may offer an exception based upon extraordinary circumstances in which a coach could not sign up prior to the deadline.


7.       All teams in the National League will be required to have 1 Manager and 2 Coaches. Prior to the player draft, the Manager will have the 1st coach selected and committed to his team. The second coach will be a parent of a player drafted to the respective team. This second coach will be required to go through the board approval process.


8.       Teams in the Junior League, Senior League and American League are not required to have 2 Coaches, but are recommended as a solution to solve problems created while drafting players, structuring effective practices, and handling game day situations.


9.       Leagues that do not draft will allow Manager/Coach combinations that are in the best interest of the League after Board Approval.


10.   Parents of players (8 and 10 year olds) optioning up to a League beyond the standard age guidelines of that division may apply to coach at Sign Ups. Those parents must be approved by the Board. Those affected parents will be placed on the Coach Roster, may be available to be selected by Managers only. Not more than one parent in this category may serve as coach on any one team. All parents in this category may only serve as a 3rd Coach. After the Manager’s selection of Coaches, if any parents in that category are left on the Coaches Roster, their names will be removed. The Board reserves the right to place a parent in this category on a team as a coach only if at the end of placing all other Board approved coaches listed on the Coaches Roster there is a vacancy.


[2]Two-Coach Policy
Manager and 1st coach will be pre-selected and board approved before draft. The second coach will be selected from the drafted team. The goal of only selecting the Manager and 1st coach prior to the draft is to help spread talent throughout the league and increase the number of adults who participate in the league.


Manager/Coach Commitment


Any adult who desires to manage/coach and whose player is eligible for a given age division for two consecutive seasons, should understand that the commitment to coach is for two seasons (National and Junior/Senior only). If the adult cannot commit in good faith for a two year commitment, this will be considered by the board in the approval process for that manager/coach.


Manager/Coach Participation Philosophy


All managers are encouraged to engage parents to participate in any League activity that involves their player. Practices should be structured to allow constructive participation of parents. Other areas that a manager may want to request assistance in would be umpiring, scorekeeping, field work, game day set up/take down…just to name a few.


Transition Year


In 2003 HDLL allowed 3 coaches per team and their coach options (players) to be in place pre draft. In 2004 HDLL will only allow two coaches and their coach options prior to the draft as described above. All 2003 rostered players on a National League team who are eligible to play in 2004 shall remain on that team for the 2004 season. Adults who wish to be a Manager or 1st Coach must be approved by the board prior to the draft per the procedures outlined in the by-laws.


If a coaching staff has the manager and both coaches returning from 2003, that team shall have at least two of those adults as the Manager and the 1st coach approved prior to the draft. If an adult does not become a pre draft manager or 1st coach, that coaches option (player) shall remain on that team’s roster.

If a coaching staff has two adults returning from the 2003 season, that team shall have at least one of those adults serve as either the Manager or the 1st coach. The dropped adult’s player will remain on the team as a rostered player.


Any exceptions to these guidelines will require review by the Rules Committee. After this review the committee will make a recommendation to the board regarding the exception and the board will determine by vote the ultimate outcome.


 





[1] November 1999


[2] April 27, 2003