Aussie T-Ball Philosophy
Competitive games are fun, but winning on the scoreboard is not the main
issue. Promote good sportsmanship, stay enthusiastic and reward effort rather
than success. There should be no negative comments about or to umpires,
coaches and fellow team members.
In all teams there will be varying levels of ability but, at this level, it is
unacceptable to continually play the better players in key positions. It is
essential that all receive equal opportunity and are encouraged to participate
fully in all aspects of the game.
To ensure that all players get equal time in each position, players rotate their
fielding positions every inning. In batting, the leadoff hitter in one inning
becomes the last hitter in the next inning. In this way, everyone gets the chance
to lead off an inning and field in every position.
All drills and activities can be adjusted to cater for varying individual ability by
modifying equipment, playing area or task. The opportunities for modification
can be remembered using the TREE acronym: Teaching (what you say to them;
eg, using questions to make them work things out); Rules;
Equipment; Environment.
There is very good evidence that children learn best by doing rather than
listening to someone telling them how to do things. The skill of coaching,
particularly with young children, lies in presenting activities which will enable
them to learn while having a good time. If you can do that, you can help the
kids to develop a positive attitude to activity, to baseball, to you, to each other
and towards themselves.
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