1. Please remember our program is about teaching kids more than baseball or softball – it's about preparing them for leading and teaching them how to be a team member (and supporting team mates)
2. Coaches should stress "competing" – not winning or losing – our goal is to teach them proper baseball and softball fundamentals. Find and name the positives after games/ practices
3. Player attitudes… often come directly from their coaches. Don't be negative
4. Don't tolerate bad behavior (throwing helmets/bat/glove), take players aside and communicate the consequences for this behavior – and follow up on these
5. Insist on hustle on and off
6. Be consistent and fair. Keep the line-up and positions changing, especially at the younger levels – kids should have a chance to play all positions and bat early in the line-up
7. Don't be critical of umpires – especially in public and in front of your team – this gives kids an excuse to fail. Always talk to umps privately if there’s a grievance
8. You are their coach – not their friend. Keep that distance in place
9. Practices: Try and keep them moving – and mix them up – a lot of standing around is trouble
10. Pitching: Make sure to follow the pitch count rules; this is mandatory

Your Division Coordinator should be your first point of contact in almost every case.

If the Division Coordinator is unavailable, refer to the League Contacts list. Each season, coordinators are identified for each division as well as a coordinator for Clinics, Umpires and Concessions. When necessary, direct questions on these topics to those coordinators.

Fields

Field listing: Locations

Use of fields is prioritized, so that higher-level divisions have preference. Games and practices for Majors, for instance, will be scheduled before Minors. Games for divisions from Minors up are scheduled at the District level. Once the game schedule is set, Division Coordinators will help ensure that Coaches have fair access to fields for practices.

Games

Your schedule will be provided by your Division Coordinator. You are responsible for rescheduling any games necessary.

Practices

Resource/contacts - division coordinators manage practice schedules in consultation with one another and the coaches for each division. These should be posted on the Sports Connect schedule.

App Access

All games and practices must be scheduled using the Sports Connect site. There is built-in integration with the GameChanger app (the "new" version, not "classic"), as long as you sign in with the same email address you log into Sports Connect with. You can find more information in this support article. This app should be the default choice for coaches.

Your success as a coach and team will involve helping your team achieve at the highest level possible, based on their age and experience. Every team is different. The following will help you identify some key skills you might focus on for each division, based on the experience of current and past League coaches. At all levels, fundamental throwing, batting and fielding skills need to be reinforced and built on. Find more about the levels of play at https://www.littleleague.org

All Divisions

• Bat-through rule: All players are in the batting lineup, regardless of whether they're in the field
• Substitutions: Managers may substitute players in the field from the bench at any time, including pitchers (as long as pitch count and rest day rules are followed – see below for more details)

Tee Ball

• Fun! This is the primary goal, along with learning the basics. Maintain their interest with fun, and the skills will follow in time. Avoid over-coaching
• Teams of no more than 8-9 players
• Games mostly played on grass areas - not on official fields - with a smaller diamond size set up with rubber bases
• Use of tees is not mandatory for the whole season. Coaches may choose to begin with close-in coach pitching at some point during the season, assuming the players seem ready
• Keep session time to a maximum of 1 hour, even if you think you can squeeze in an extra inning
• Sessions are divided between practice activities an a scrimmage
• Keep things moving, avoid standing around (see "fun" at the top)
• Teaching should focus on the basic essentials — field positions, bases, where to play, hitting fundamentals

Coach Pitch

• Fun! This is still the primary goal, along with learning the rules of the game. Maintain their interest with fun, and the skills will follow in time. Avoid over-coaching
• Teams of no more than 9-10 players
• Coaches should stand relatively close to home plate and the batter when pitching — do not need to stand at legal distance. They can also choose to pitch on one knee to lower the pitch angle
• Keep game times under 1 hour
• As well as the fundamentals taught in Tee Ball (catching, throwing, hitting, base-running), introduce the concepts of innings, strikes, and outs
• There are no playoffs or standings, so pay little attention to the score and a win or a loss. After games, call out the positives
• Each player should be rotated through each position on the field. It is more important to experience different positions than to win games
• Outs
  • No one likes getting struck out (not the player or the coach), but it's part of the game
  • Each time a player is called out, focus on what they did right (good contact on ball, good running, etc.)
  • The rules don't change for each batter, but your pitching can! For a hitter who's struggling, come closer and throw the ball easier. If the batter is consistently swinging high/low, outside or inside, pitch to the bat
• Catchers:
  • Have a coach backup the catcher to keep the game moving. (This is important!)
  • All male catchers must wear a cup
  • Catchers must wear leg guards, helmet with mask, neck guard & chest protector. This equipment should be provided in your equipment bag. Ask the coordinator if you don't have any
  • A catcher’s mitt is optional. If provided, it may not be broken in. We're not throwing fastballs, so a regular mitt is fine
  • Try to dress your catcher before reaching the end of your line up to speed up the game. Have him bat earlier in the lineup to give him more time
  • Don't make the other players wait too long for a catcher to come out, if they're taking a while to get ready
• Fielding:
  • Substitute defensively at will. Everyone has the chance to play both infield and outfield
  • If you are worried about a player’s safety, 2nd base tends to be the safest infield position
  • First base is dangerous for a player who can't catch the ball reliably, so save this for more skilled players
  • Give basic instruction as far as how to play each position
• Each game will have a home team. The home team is responsible for:
  • Determining if a game needs to be rescheduled due to weather
  • Field Preparation (for games on Father Carroll in charge of lining — lining is optional)
  • Raking of Father Carroll and Wager fields after game (take care not to create mounds of dirt in the grass at the edge of the dirt)
  • Put bases from Father Carroll field away after the game if it's the last game of day

Beginning of the Season (first 3 games)

Standard Baseball rules are generally observed, with the notes and modifications below.

• Bad pitches are “balls,” even if the batter swings. The coach will instruct the batter about when a pitch was high/low, outside/inside, calling each pitch (e.g., “Ball, high,” or “Ball, outside”)
• Strikes/balls to be called audibly by the pitcher, his own umpire, along with the batting count (“1 Ball, 2 strikes” or “1 and 2”)
• Batters are out after three strikes and return to the dugout (no walks — if a coach pitches four balls, find another pitcher)
• Runners may take as many bases as they can but are limited to one extra base for each overthrow
• Runners can be called out from a tag to base or runner, all the usual ways
• No limit to the number of outs — every player bats every inning
• No stealing or lead-offs

Rest of Season (starting with 4th game)

The same as the beginning of the season, with these modifications.

• Bad pitches count as strikes when the batter swings
• Batters can strike out or walk
• Half-innings end with the last batter, or after 3 outs, whichever comes first
  • When teams have 5 or fewer players, bat through the lineup twice
  • If teams are uneven, the smaller team can repeat batters to match
• In the last couple of games (starting 10/19), after speaking with the opposing coach, any capable players may pitch; observe pitch count rules

Player-Pitch and Majors

Several rules are common to both Player Pitch and Majors Divisions. Refer to the Little League Rulebook for complete rules, including for Tournament play, when rules are often more strictly enforced. Some key rules to remember include:

• If one team is ahead by 10 runs after four innings (3.5 innings if the home team is ahead), the mercy rule is applied.
• Games are six innings. In case of a game shortened by rain or darkness, a game is considered official if four innings can be played. No new innings should start after 1 hour 45 minutes.
• USABat standard bats must be used. Bats may not exceed 33-inches, nor 2 ⅝ diameter.
• Stealing is allowed, including of home. Leading is not allowed. Once a pitcher is touching the rubber, a runner may not leave a base until the pitch has crossed home plate.
• Players must wear athletic supporters / cups.
• All players in the catching position must wear protective gear, including a throat guard.
• Pitches may not wear any distracting clothing, jewelry sunglasses, etc.
• Pitchers get up to eight warmup pitches from the mound per inning.
• Pitchers cannot be removed and then return to later as a pitcher.
• Pitchers must be held to pitch counts and rest periods to protect their arms. (A pitcher may complete an at-bat if the pitch count is reached in the middle of an at-bat.) Also note that any player who catches four innings may not pitch that game.

Player Pitch

Some rules particular to the Player-Pitch Division include:

• Players are introduced to additional game fundamentals. Coaches may choose to play or suspend many of these rules by agreement before a game
• Innings end after three outs or when a team has batted through its order once
• If a team is ahead by 7 runs or more, its players are no longer permitted to steal

Majors

In the Majors Division, some additional rules not applicable to Player-Pitch are in effect, including:

• Innings end after three outs
• Stealing is allowed no matter the score
• Batters may attempt to reach first on a dropped third strike
• The infield fly rule is in effect