The goals of Newton SouthEast Little League (NSELL) are to:

1. Create an environment in which children and adults can have fun with baseball.
2. Teach baseball skills, rules, and strategy to our players.
3. Model and teach competitiveness with an emphasis on good sportsmanship.
4. Promote increased self-esteem among NSELL children and adults.

THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF THE MANAGERS AND COACHES

The most important person in the NSELL is the manager. The players look to him/her for instruction, encouragement and inspiration. Coaches and parents take their cues from him/her. Our goals can be met only if the managers embrace them and work to achieve them.

HOW MANAGERS AND COACHES CAN HELP ACHIEVE NSELL GOALS

The following are some of the ways that managers and coaches can help achieve the NSELL goals:

Goal 1: Create an environment in which children and adults have fun with baseball.

• Encourage players often. Show by behavior and words that each is an important member of the team whether or not they perform well. Give encouragement for effort as well as results.
• Give every player as much playing time as possible. Minimum playing time requirements should not be treated as a ceiling on playing time for weaker players but rather a minimum that can be exceeded. Use one-sided games as opportunities to try less-skilled players in more challenging positions.
• Show your own enjoyment of the game to your players.

Goal 2: Teach baseball skills, rules and strategy to our players.

• Rely on positive reinforcement for things done correctly. Minimize negative emphasis on mistakes, which are required for learning to take place. Players can handle only so much negative feedback at a time without becoming discouraged. Players will learn more, try harder and be more open to accepting criticism if they are praised often.
• Praise players in public, correct them in private.
• Provide adequate repetition of teaching. Baseball is complicated. Lessons often need repeating before they are understood. Once players understand, they often need repeated practice before they can perform the expected behavior well.
• Encourage players to set individual and team goals for themselves corresponding to their ability level and then work to master the skills needed to achieve them.
• Organize practices to maximize learning and minimize standing around.

Goal 3: Model and teach competitiveness with an emphasis on good sportsmanship.

• Teach players aggressiveness and good sportsmanship at the same time.
• Obey the rules and show respect for the umpire even when you disagree.
• Acknowledge good plays by the opposing team to your players.
• Always treat players on other teams as members of our community first and as opponents secondarily. Refrain from actions or words that undercut the self-esteem of players on other teams.

Goal 4: Promote increased self-esteem among NSELL children and adults.

• Encourage players whenever possible. Show by words and actions that you like and accept them regardless of how they perform. Adults often assume that children can “read their minds,” but children determine whether they are liked and accepted by adults by what the adults say and do.
• Spend comparable instructional time with all players, regardless of ability.
• Encourage and reinforce parents for being involved with the team.