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Wellesley Little League
Goals and Guidelines for Kindergarten League – 2009
- Goals – foster an enjoyable, low-key setting for Kindergarten kids to be taught and learn baseball skills, and to begin to appreciate the game of baseball
- Have fun!
- Play hard.
- Learn basic baseball skills (emphasis on hitting, throwing, and fielding basics).
- Practice/Game – Sunday 12:30-2:00 pm (except May 17, 2009 – 11:00 am due to town parade)
- Coaches – encourage a prompt start by being there early and being ready on time
- First half of session is practice (45 min.)
- Split teams into groups of 3-4 kids and rotate through 3-4 stations/drills, with a coach or asst coach(es) supervising each station
- Drills should emphasize development of basic skills – eg hitting off a tee into the backstop, fielding drills, throwing drills, baserunning, sliding, hustling after balls in the field, pickle (with kids as the baserunners and coaches as the fielders). Please refer to the WLL coaches guide for some excellent recommendations on drills.
- Second half of session is game (45 min)
- Approach to Games – split team into two groups of 5-7 kids each for split-squad games against the other team; play one game in the infield, and the other in the outfield
- Don’t keep score
- Set up bases at approx. 50 feet apart
- Hitting
- Everyone hits off the tee (no coach pitch)
- Each batter gets to reach base and run bases (even if tagged out)
- Bat around twice each inning (minimizes time between innings)
- All batters and baserunners must wear helmets
- No stealing, bunting, leading off base, or strikeouts
- Encourage hustle on the basepaths but place reasonable limits on baserunning advances (ball is dead when it’s back to the pitcher’s mound area or to a coach)
- Have one coach supervising the plate area and one coach supervising the dugout – both for safety reasons and to play “ready baseball” – and have the next hitter ready to hit with a helmet already on, but keep next hitter away from field (no “on deck” hitters)
- Fielding
- Have fielders stationed around the infield, with one pitcher and no catcher
- Rotate positions frequently – most of the action is at 1B and pitcher
- Use flat bases provided in equipment bags only (for safety reasons – lessons learned from past broken legs at this level – please don’t use real bases installed at some fields)
- Keeping the games moving will help keep the kids engaged
- Additional Notes
- Drinks and Treats – always a big hit; designating a different family to bring drinks and post-game treats for each game seems to work well
- Mid-week practices – regular mid-week practices aren’t necessary at this level, given the kids’ young ages and the K league’s low-key approach. That said, please feel free to get your team together periodically prior to, during or after the season for a cookout, activity, optional practice, etc.
- Weather – I’ll contact coaches on Sunday morning if games are cancelled (no message means we’re playing – or at least trying to play). But please use your judgment if weather or field conditions turn south, or are not safe in your view.
- Volunteers – Thanks very much to you and your assistant coaches for volunteering and helping with our league – we couldn’t do it without you! Enjoy the season!
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