Book Summary: ‘Coaching Youth (Ages 8-13) Baseball Workbook’ by Kevin Sweeney.
The “Coaching Youth Baseball Workbook” was written by Kevin Sweeney to help coaches with their complex task of teaching youth how to play baseball. The workbook includes several things that will be useful for all baseball coaches.
The “Coaching Youth Baseball Workbook” has several attractive properties. First, it was reviewed by a former Major League Baseball player, who played for what may have been the best baseball team ever. Second, it has separate pages, so coaches can take them to practice or games. Third, it includes blank lineup pages and practice plans for use, as well as every possible defensive play for practice. Do you think the “Coaching Youth Baseball Workbook” will be useful to you?
“Coaching Youth Baseball Workbook” Summary
The “Coaching Youth Baseball Workbook” includes hitting, pitching, and fielding drills. These drills are explained and are useful for practice. After a discussion of the drills, there are blank practice plans and game plans. These are both useful and complete. The blank practice plans and game plans are useful because coaches can take the drills explained in the earlier pages and insert them into their own practice plans.
The workbook also includes every possible defensive situation a baseball team could possibly face. The plays are diagrammed on separable sheets. They, too, could be used to help shape practice. A baseball team needs to practice for every possible defensive contingency, so it is helpful to have them written down.
Iron Sharpeth Iron
The enemy of youth sports coaches is disorganization. Those who are going to coach youth baseball teams will spend hours with their teams in practice or in games. What are they going to do with all that time? Or, it never seems like there is enough time allotted for everything that coaches want to get accomplished in practice. How should you organize?
Learn from someone who has been there; it is all written down for you. Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame Yankee Catcher said, “He learned me all of his experiences,” referring to his friend and mentor Bill Dickey. So, the author is going to share all his experiences with you. Mike Tyson, the former heavyweight boxing champion, said, “Everybody has a plan until they get hit.” When the kids show up, it is like getting hit.
Coaches will want to not only have something to do, but will also want to win. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron Sharpeth Iron: So, one man sharpens another.” This Biblical verse describes perfectly what is going on in this book. If you follow the plan laid out in the workbook, not only will your practices be full and useful, but they will prepare your team to win. Then, you can use the blank game plans in the “Coaching Youth Baseball Workbook” to organize your team to win games.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the book for?
The “Coaching Youth Baseball” Workbook is comprehensive and useful. It contains everything people need to coach youth in baseball. Since the people coaching these youth baseball teams may be inexperienced, the content is useful.
Who was the MLB reviewer?
Tom Carroll, who played for the 1975 Cincinnati Reds, known as the “Big Red Machine,” which may have been the best baseball team ever. It is important to have this insight, as readers know the content will be good.
Parting Shots
The “Coaching Youth Baseball Workbook” is a must-have for youth baseball coaches and parents who want to turn their children into baseball players. This workbook is designed to be taken to practice or games and used.
