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Coaching Information

All coaches are required to complete the Rutgers Youth Coaching Certification Course and complete a finger print background check. SBI does our best to provide a night for interested individuals to take the course, however checking the schedule will provide you with further opportunities and locations to complete the course.

To schedule a background check, please contact Somerville Recreation at (908) 704-6985.

Anyone in the dugout or on the playing field is required to complete both the certification course and background check - this includes coaches, team parents, etc. The Rutgers course certification is active for life and only needs to be taken once.

Use Your Assistants

If you have volunteers to assist you at practice, you can easily put them to work by giving them a group of players and a selected drill. You can then rotate players through various stations so that each player is getting frequent repetitions and more individualized attention.

Rotate Players

Remember to work with all your players. Move them around to different positions within each drill. Drills that require some players to be baserunners and some to be fielders can be enhanced by letting runners rotate out to the field and vice-versa.

Pre-Plan

We know everyone one of you is busy with a daily life so, pre-plan practices whenever possible. If you can organize goals and drills ahead of time, it will help you to meet your team's goals and make practice run a whole lot more smoothly.

Have Fun

Have fun but take it seriously. It's a fine line to walk. Your primary goal at each practice is to ensure that every player improves in some way. However, the most important goal for the season should be that no matter what, every player wants to come back and play again next season.

We've got innumerable Drills you can download, print and use at Practices:

SAFETY TIPS

Helmets

Use any time players are swinging bats, are around others with bats or running bases.

Supervision

Watch your players carefully at all times.

Bats and Balls

No player should pick up a bat or ball unless a supervising adult has said it is OK. Players should never throw to another player unless that player is looking.

Be Cautious

If you don't think your players are ready for a particular drill, just choose another. You can also vary drills to ensure safety by rolling grounders instead of hitting fly balls, using soft-core or tennis balls instead of baseballs.

Spacing

Any time more than one player is swinging a bat or throwing a ball, make sure there is plenty of distance between everyone. Structure practice so that there will never be players from one drill running through another to chase loose balls, etc. Players not actively participating should be stationed in protected areas.