The 2014 Rookie League season in Queen Anne, Seattle was my first as coach of one of my kids’ teams. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

For many 6 and 7 year-olds, Rookie League is an introduction to team sports and organized competition. It’s also an opportunity to test — and improve — fundamental baseball skills, including but not limited to: pitching, catching, throwing, dugout chatter, chewing bubble gum, playing with scraped knees, and dealing with minor adversities.

Before the grass stains have permanently faded, eight closing notes:

1. The battle of kid vs. machine is sooner or later won by the kid. For the sake of consistency, pitching machines are used in Rookie League. The machine is a catapult with three levers and myriad minor settings to ensure perfect speed, trajectory, and location. Few first-year players experience early success hitting off the machine, but by midseason nearly everyone is routinely making contact and reaching base. Suggestion to future coaches: invest an overwhelming percentage of practice time in hitting. It’s fun, it lifts confidence, and it will improve your team’s odds of putting runs on the board. “Head in, feet steady, hands through. OK, here we go: 1, 2, 3…”
2. There’s no such thing as an easy grounder. Ever attempted fielding a slightly softer-then-regulation baseball? You should. Its performance properties are similar to those of a jumping bean. Nevertheless, modified baseballs help accelerate catching abilities — and recovery time should a player get beaned by an errant throw (and every player — and coach — eventually gets beaned). Our first and repeated order of business was good technique. “Glove down, bend at the knees, stay in front of the ball, step, and throw.” Easy, right? Dads: play catch with your kids — and mix in a few grounders as well. The more they see, the more frequently those beans will land in the heart of your player’s glove. Ten minutes, 4-5 days per week. And should you need three-and-a-half minutes of inspiration, click here.
3. Injuries happen. Most are temporary; some permanent. Scrapes, baseballs to the noggin, a lost tooth (that was my son with the lost tooth)…expect the unexpected. Lucky for us, no player was on the DL for more than a sore throat and given the number of swinging bats, flying balls, and unremitting chaos, I’m grateful for that. All the same, when issues — or near misses — arose, this was the one category in which I raised my voice. “Heads-up, kids, we need everybody in one piece if we’re going to play our best.” In addition or perhaps more accurately as an obligation, hardy advice was also dispensed. “Rub some dirt on it and get back in there.” And they did.
4. Fielding positions are often more regional than local. Once players were given their on-field assignment (which we rotated at least once if not twice per game), it was orienteering time. Early in the season we would have kids assigned to shortstop running to center field, right fielders sprinting to left and you get the picture. The only positions not requiring additional clarification were pitcher, catcher, and first base — each of which were in high demand. Now it’s worth noting that 6 and 7 year-old players tend to wander off, lured by daisies, teammates, or simply being nearer the action — or where they expect the action will be. (True fact: The moment a fielder drifts out of position, a batted ball will inevitably land where he or she should have been.) “I need a second baseman. Where’s my second baseman?” Eventually it all adds up — or close enough.
5. Make a catch, earn a milkshake. In other words, plays in the field are rare. Throughout the spring and with the help of friends and superb assistants*, I wandered the field distributing encouragement, advice, and pop quizzes: “How many outs do we have? Ball comes to you, where are you going with it? Really?” Luckily by the season’s halfway mark, the kids began surprising everyone — including themselves — with heads-up plays, quick innings, and previously unforeseen feats. In a remarkable stroke of luck (and skill, of course), one of our opposing teams executed a triple play. This event reinforced the baseball law that anything can happen and sometimes does. Coaches and parents: be patient…web gems await.
6. A swing stick may be the best investment any coach can make. It teaches kids motor memory and how to keep their shoulders level, and allows them to take dozens of reps in short order. I noticed few other teams utilizing similar low-tech and wish I’d seen more. Price: around $20; upside: unlimited. “Eyes on the ball. No disco feet. Crush it. And again.”
7. Baserunning is a lost art. Rookie League players tend to adopt a scenic approach toward this vital and under-appreciated aspect of the game. Following a batted ball, the majority of hitters (conservatively, 99%) run half speed and with both eyes on the ensuing drama. Most of the time this is fine, as few throwouts are successfully executed. All the same, if I had the season to do over, I would have devoted a few extra minutes to travel tips: from the importance of running out plays to staying in tune with situations while advancing from station to station. While on the topic of baserunning, I’ll note that as a team we adopted an age and competition-appropriate policy on the number of bases any player could advance. For example, if a batted ball reached the outfield (i.e. the grass), the batter and any players already on base were permitted to advance an extra base, provided the outfielder was not already returning the ball to the pitcher. If a hit remained in the infield, it was singles all around and players on base could advance one more. We didn’t run on overthrows or miscues in which the intent was sound, if not the end result. “Dig, dig, run it out. Keep going. Good job.”
8. The goal is fun. Priority 1. Still, we kept score and kids know the difference between winning and losing. We didn’t indulge in the former or dwell on the latter, but not one inning passed when they weren’t aware of the count. And while we remained encouraging in all situations, we distinguished between efforts and results. If a strikeout occurred, it was, “OK, we’ll get ‘em next time.” And if a hit — including the most potent of them all, the swinging bunt — it was, “Way to be.” At the end of each game everyone enjoyed snacks and high-fives. At the end of the season we all could have happily continued playing.

Long may they hit it hard.