re: Coaching T-Ball for the first time. Suggestions?

You need to fight the first parent that challenges you or you will never be respected

Serious answer:

First and foremost, DON’T YELL AT THEM!
Keep it fun. Get on their level when talking to them. Do simple drills. Get them fielding ground balls, throwing the ball back to you. Use tennis balls to get them to turn the glove over on pop flies. Run the base pads every practice. Concentrate on their swing using this:

LINK

I taught coach pitch to 4-6yr olds. By then end of the season we had a pop fly caught and we had a runner thrown out at first. The successes are in increments. If you can get them throwing the ball back to you with decent accuracy, that’s a win. If you can get them to properly field a ground ball, that’s a win.

Drills needs to be short. Get other dads to help. Have 15 kids? 3 lines of 5 or 5 lines of 3 fielding ground balls. Break them up so that some kids are running base pads, while others are fielding ground balls, while others are practicing pop ups with a tennis ball, while one is working on hitting with the ball on a stick. If you are organized, butterfly chasing will be at a minimum and the kids will have more fun and get more out of it.

CSB: My first baseman eventually started at tackle for Michigan, go figure...

As a t-ball coach, none of these kids are going to be any good. All of them just want a uniform and to run around with their friends.

You need to have as many assistants as possible, break the kids up in little groups for practice and run stations.

My stations generally are a tee station where they hit, a station where they learn to run the bases, a ground ball station, and a throwing station.

At the end of every practice I split them up into two teams and we play baseball.

Never never never punish kids this age for doing anything wrong in a game. And good luck you have the worst parents of any kids age group and sport. You need to have thick skin and be ready to tell an overanxious parent to chill out and let you coach little Johnny.

Most of the kids will have about a 30 second attention span. Don’t stay on the same drill or activity in practice too long or they’ll get bored. Mix things up often and try to make a game out of it to keep them interested and paying attention.

Be prepared for about 7 fielders to all go chasing after the same ball

Use “flat” cones to mark the spot for each player to stand in their respective positions.

This will keep them spread out as you try to eliminate the dog pile for every ground ball.

Break the kids up into groups and get help. Keep the kids busy!!! Drills, drills, and more drills. Simple things like fore hand, back hand, short hops, also some kids won't throw correctly if throwing to another kid, have them throw to an adult or even better a fence so they don't worry about hurting someone or the other person missing the ball. Tennis balls for beginner catching!!! Have fun. At the end of practice bring the groups together for a fun activity like see who can throw the ball the farther or hit farther.

Haven’t coached T-Ball yet but I’ve had my fair share of coaching Summer league. It’s not too bad but should you get a kid on your team with the overly obsessed parent who can’t live down their glory days of starting centerfield for JV

No kids can throw/catch at that age. teach your group that when a ball is hit, they are to pick it up and run to first base....80% of the time, they will put the runner out.

Need to process the champions from the losers in your first practice

Going to nephew's games the past two years, I noticed that last year (the 2nd year) more teams lined the kids up in the infield while the other team batted and let each kid field the ball. Batter one gets up, hits the ball, kid fields it and goes to back of line. Second batter comes up, the kid next in line fields it.. and so on. At first I didn't think that was the best thing to do, but then as I watched them do it, it made sense.

They are too young to assign them to positions. There are kids out there who will not play sports beyond tball, etc.. I would imagine you would have to have a practice one time before the game so the kids can meet each other and you can tell them and the parents how you will do things, go through it with the kids and then I don't think they really practice beyond that. But in the first practice, you can at least see which kids have no idea what to do when they get up to bat and help them with it. Just make them feel good about themselves so they will be excited about playing..