“Athletes First, Winning Second”
Darryl Johnson
Certified Baseball Coach
Certified Advanced Baseball Coach
Coaching Coordinator
Brentsville District Youth Baseball
Congratulations on meeting the criteria to be a coach in Brentsville District Youth Baseball. As a
coach in BDYB you have dedicated your time to studying The Babe Ruth League/Ripken Baseball
Coaching Certification Program and you have passed the certification exam. That was the easy
part. Now we have to put those principles into practice every day and model the behavior we
expect from our players. As a coach, you will be a role model, mentor, friend, and teacher to
your players. If this is your first year coaching, you cannot imagine the influence you will have
on these young men and women. Coaching is a serious responsibility. They watch every move
you make. They hang on your every word. The choices you make about how you react to bad
calls, mistakes in games, and your leadership style as a coach will leave a lasting impression on
your athletes and their parents, good or bad.
Now, we are all competitive and we all want to win. However, our primary responsibility is the
development of our athletes. This must be first and foremost in everything we do as coaches.
If we, as coaches, follow the formula and philosophy laid out the Cal Ripken coaching guides,
winning will take care of itself. And when we don’t win, that should be ok too. We learn
lessons from our mistakes, focus on the things we did right in the game, and set our next
practice plan accordingly. It’s funny how baseball is so much like life itself. The most
important thing to for athletes to remember is to have fun. If they aren’t having fun and loving
baseball, we are doing something wrong.
So, as the Coaching Coordinator what do I and the league see as your responsibilities as a
coach? As a baseball coach in BDYB, you are not only representing our league. As a Babe Ruth
League/Ripken Baseball Certified Coach, you are also representing Cal Ripken Baseball and the
Babe Ruth Baseball League. You will, at a minimum be responsible for the following:
1. You Must Provide a Safe Environment. We all know that playing baseball holds certain
inherent risk, but as a coach you’re responsible for regularly inspecting the practice and
competition fields as well as for making sure that your team has and understands how and
when to use the proper protective equipment. For example, if your catcher shows up to
practice without his cup, you will have to find him something else to do. Safety of our athletes
must be a top priority. The parents of BDYB are entrusting the safety of the children to you as
the coach every time they bring them to practice or a game. That is a huge responsibility. Take
it seriously.
2. You Must Be an Effective and Positive Communicator. NO SCREAMING OR YELLING AT
PLAYERS. As a coach in BDYB you will be communicating not only with your players but also
with parents, umpires, and administrators. Communicate in a way that is positive and that
demonstrates you have the best interests of the players at heart.
3. You Must Teach the Skills, Strategies, and Rules of Baseball. As coaches, we were
introduced to the Cal Ripken method of teaching and practicing the strategies and skills young
athletes need to know. It is an approach that kids thoroughly enjoy. It is our responsibility
guide all players to become the best they can.
4. You Must Direct Players in Competition. This includes determining starting lineups and a
substitution plan, relating appropriately to umpires and to opposing coaches and players, and
making tactical decisions during games. Remember that the focus is not on winning at all costs
but on teaching your kids to compete well, do their best, and strive to win within the rules.
5. You Must Be a Role Model. Just as kids imitate their parents and teachers, they take their
cues from their coaches when it comes to how they act on the field of play. As a coach in BDYB,
your attitude and behavior will set the tone for the attitudes and behavior of your team. If you
get visibly frustrated with your players, the higher-skilled players on the team are more likely to
get frustrated with the lower-skilled players. The lower-skilled players may get easily frustrated
with themselves and not enjoy the sport. Similarly, a coach who yells at umpires will foster that
type of behavior within his or her team as well as among the team’s supporters. Remember,
BDYB, Cal Ripken Baseball, and Babe Ruth Baseball have sanctions for coaches who conduct
themselves in ways that reflect poorly on themselves or the league.
So, the baseball season is upon us. The weather is getting warmer. Tryouts are right around
the corner. Our first practices and then the beautiful and amazing game of baseball. The
league has supplied us with gear bags, uniforms, and their support to have a great season. We
have gone to our favorite sporting goods store and bought the traditional coaching tools like
whistles, coaching clothes, baseball shoes, and a clipboard. While these tools will help you
coach, they will not make you a successful coach. To be a successful coach you must have five
other tools in your bag. You can’t get them at a sporting goods store and the league doesn’t
have them in the gear locker. These tools are available only through self-examination and hard
work. These tools are what make you a COACH:
C omprehension of the game, its rules, strategies, and tactics.
O utlook is winning by making decisions that are in the best interest of player development
and mental wellbeing.
A ffection is a genuine concern for the young people you coach.
It involves having a love for
working with kids, a desire to share with them your love and knowledge of baseball, and the
patience and understanding that allows each player to grow through his or her involvement in
baseball.
C haracter means modeling appropriate behaviors for sports and life. That means more than just
saying the right things. What you say and what you do must match. There is no place in coaching for the
“Do as I say, not as I do” philosophy.
H umor means having the ability to laugh at yourself and with your players during practices and games.
A sense of humor puts in perspective the many mistakes your athletes will make.
BDYB, Babe Ruth League, Inc., and Cal Ripken Baseball all agree with the American Sport
Education Program’s (ASEP) motto, which will help you keep your outlook in line with the best
interests of the kids on your team. It summarizes in four words all you need to remember when
establishing your coaching priorities:
Athletes First, Winning Second
This motto recognizes that striving to win is an accepted component of organized sports. But it
emphatically states that efforts in striving to win should never be made at the expense of the
athletes’ well-being, development, and enjoyment. Take the following actions to better define
your outlook as a coach:
1. Determine your priorities for the season.
2. Prepare for situations that challenge your priorities.
3. Set goals for yourself and your players that are consistent with those priorities and are
appropriate for the age group you coach.
4. Plan how you and your players can best attain those goals.
5. Review your goals frequently to be sure that you are staying on track.
When they start the
game, they don't yell,
"Work ball." They say,
"Play ball." ~Willie
Stargell, 1981