In [tag]youth baseball coaching[/tag], a primary challenge of coaching younger kids is simply to maintain their attention, focus, and get them to listen.
These are two [tag]baseball coaching tips[/tag] which work well to “condition” your players to pay attention and keep focused:
1) When one of the coaches has something to say to the team, the [tag]baseball coach[/tag] yells “EYEBALLS”, to which the team responds by stopping what they’re doing, turning their heads toward the coach, and yelling “SNAP”.
2) To facilitate the players keeping focused out in the field during a [tag]baseball[/tag] game (keeping a good ready position especially), one of the coaches will call out “WHO WANTS THE BALL?”, which is the players’ cue to respond “I DO” and assume the ready position.
Introduce these two “drills” on the very first practice to establish them as rules. Practice them multiple times during that first practice to get the kids “conditioned” to responding.
5- to 7-year olds are always going to lose focus now and then because of their young age. But these two techniques have proven effective in recapturing players’ attention (for better listening and learning) and helping them to re-focus and stay ready for each play.
