New coach
 

I've been an umpire since 1987.

Last night, I became the coach of my daughter's 8U travel softball team. Yes, they went to 3-4 out of town tournaments last year and my daughter had a blast. When her coach decided to move with his daughter to 10U next season, I realized that the team was in real danger of folding if someone didn't step up and coach.

I just finished the Part 1 ACE certification, which was required by my group. I intend to have Sports First Aid and CPR certification before we starting having practices (indoors -- this winter).

Can anyone point me an a good direction so I can learn how to be a coach and not be a liability to my daughter and her friends?

Rich,
I went in the opposite direction, coach 1989-04, umpiring since then.
First, let me tell you that your stress level will increase exponentially in that you will be running a small enterprise, and spending way more time than you would like with HR, Financial and Operational Logistics...coaching 40-50 games takes way more energy than umpiring 250 games.

But it is great fun coaching up your players and tremendous satisfaction seeing the difference in their abilities at the end of the year. And you will develop life-long memories with your daughter.

Maybe I can help. I developed a Playbook that I used as a guide for what and how to teach. It is too large to upload as an attachment, but if you PM your email address, I would be glad to send it to you.

My hardest lesson was when talking to the umpires, believe it or not. When umpiring, if we were discussing things as a group, I was generally the "rules guy" in the room - and accorded that kind of respect from most of them. Now, I begin with ZERO respect when discussing a call (even, in some cases, from some that remember me as an umpire).

The other interesting thing was that I was continually telling my assistant coach to stop mumbling or gesticulating over ball-strike calls. "We can't really see that from here" came out of my mouth about 20 times.

Congratulations. Many of my best sports memories are from coaching my kids.

Be good and patient with the umpires.

+1

One of the worst experiences I've had doing Juco ball recently involved a head coach who came up to my partner and me while we were inspecting his team's bats, and started up a conversation by telling us he is a long-time umpire at the D1 level. My radar went up immediately.

Sure enough, he questioned a number of calls, and even questioned responsibilities. His team requested an appeal of a runner missing third base while scoring on a hit. I was the PU and gave the safe signal. He requested Time, sauntered over to me, and asked, "Who's call is that at third base?" I told him it was mine, and he asked if I was sure. I answered, "Coach, if you're an umpire as you claim to be, you know whose call it is. Now let's play."

Don't be "that coach". :p

My daughter will be 9. I am not expecting talented (or even competent) umpiring. If I get it, I will be pleasantly surprised.

I'll have enough things to worry about - there's absolutely no chance I'll get on an umpire.

I was tempted last year when one called strikes a good foot off the plate when my daughter was batting and I was just a dad in the stands, but I walked away instead.

I said the same thing, but it gets real hard after several games in a row where the umpires dont even know the most basic rules of the game and even then the rules change from game to game depending on which umpire you get. I finally had a meeting with the assignor for the league and asked how were we ever suppose to teach the girls to play the game if we werent going to use a rule book. She told me they were allowing the umpires to use their own descretion as to what they did and did not call. So I asked her, in other words we are playing under a top secret rule set contained only in each umpires head?

The thing I found a bit annoying just watching were the "special" rules that would change from day to day and game to game. I'm going to have to make a real effort to turn that part of my brain off and use it as a teaching moment for the girls.

I put the over/under at 5.5 games. :D

Unless there's lightning involved. Then all bets are off.

My daughter was 9 when I started... and yes you will.

1) A play needed to go home, so I moved everyone in, including my LF all the way to where a normal F5 would play. Umpire in C told her (HER! Not me... her!) she needed to move back. Yes, I got on him first for telling my player where to go, and second for trying to tell me I couldn't position my players where I wanted them.

2) Play at 3rd, F5 is clearly and blatantly blocking the base, my player slides and literally bounces off the fielder. Then F5 catches the ball and tags my player laying on the ground, who tried feebly to avoid the tag by crawling away. OUT! My first question - Did you see the obstruction. When he said yes, I asked how my player could be out. When he said, "She was moving away from third base when she was tagged." Yes, I got on him. Luckily his partner came in to fix things (yes, unsolicited, but I wasn't going to stop him!).

Yes. You WILL get on an umpire.

If he is asking those types of questions, maybe you should find out what sport he umpires at the "D1 Level".....

I know I'll never use the phrase, "I'm an umpire" because I know how I react every time I hear someone say that to me.

Although I did put my resume forward when I questioned why my daughter's team (this past year) was playing in the middle of a torrential downpour / thunderstorm.

I've always wondered why teams stay on the field when they consider it "unsafe"? You don't want to play in it, don't.