Never Underestimate the Power of Good Coaching
(or German Engineering)


(Thanks to our friends at Volkswagen!)

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Background Checks

Please note: Once a year, each manager/coach must submit a background check before the first game of the season. Click here to fill-out your background check authorization online!

According to DeKalb County...

Applicants applying for a volunteer position with a DeKalb County Sports Association are subject to a criminal background check. Applicants with a criminal history from a period of one to ten years may not be permitted to volunteer (i.e. coach, board member, etc.).

Denied applicants may request a formal hearing by a review committee provided the applicant has no current record, no arrest, violation and or convictions within the ten year period.

Any false information given on the application will result in application and volunteer position being denied.

The following offenses are unacceptable for a volunteer position with DeKalb County Parks & Recreation Department: (1) Violent acts against a child, spouse, or another individual, place, or property. (2) Sexual conviction of a child or another individual. (3) Drug conviction. (4) Violent felony offenses. (5) Habitual offender. (6) Pending cases that involve number 1 through 5. (7) An outstanding warrant will automatically terminate volunteer position. (8) False information on an application will automatically terminate volunteer position.

 

Mandatory Reporter Training for Volunteers
Effective July 1, 2012, the State of Georgia passed a new law requiring all of our volunteers to serve as mandatory reporters for certain instances of child abuse.
 
In order to insure that each manager, coach and volunteer at DHYS is properly trained, we are requiring all board members, league directors, managers, coaches and other volunteers to complete a brief course on mandatory reporting and the responsibilities that go along with that.
 
This free course is called Mandated Reporters: Critical Links to Protecting Children in Georgia. It is provided by the Governor's Office for Children & Families and can be found here.

 

Pitch Count Rules and Guidelines
Click here to download.

 

Pitching Logs
Click here to download a worksheet to be used for tracking pitchers this season.  Turn in the completed forms to your League Director so they can chart an average pitch count for their league.

 

DHYS Equipment, Field Maintenance, and Field Preparation Guide
Click here to download a comprehensive, easy-to-follow guide than answers all questions that a manager, coach, or field parent (at any level) may have.

 

Rainouts
Click here to learn about DHYS' rainout policy.  Of note, the home team manager has ultimate responsibility for notifying umpires, Concessions, your League Director, and the VP of Planning of any cancelations and scheduled make-ups.

 

Game Day Line Up Sheets
These line up sheets are available to print out an use to set up both Fielding Positions and Batting Line Up.  Versions are available for 6, 7 and 9 innings games.

6 inning is available here.
7 inning is available here.
9 inning is available here.

 

Game Day Line Up Spread Sheet
Created by our very own Tim Turner (updated 2017-03-03).  Download it, unzip it, leave it all in the same folder, run the spreadsheet, …

Click here to download the Spring 2017 Version.

 

Click here to download the 2018 Fall Version, V7, which does NOT use macros. Has AAA rules and proper cheering/sitting.

 

Umpire Evaluation Sheets
Click here to download an evaluation sheet for game day umpires.  These completed forms can be turned in to your League Director.

 

Safety
All Managers and Coaches should review the DHYS Safety Information located here.

All DHYS Managers, Coaches and Parents should adhere to these guidelines when using DHYS equipment during games and practices:
  
1. Tarps must be removed at the beginning of every day by the first team to practice or play in a game and replaced by the last practice or game of the night. The tarps should not be played on. They should be folded and dragged (gently) to the side of the field. Tarps should be replaced with the DHYS stenciled side up. These tarps are expensive and should be treated with care. We'd like to get several years of use before we have to begin replacing them. 
  
2. Green boxes - If you open them you are responsible to lock them. The park has stocked them with new catchers gear, first aid kits and instant ice packs. Lets protect this investment by keeping them locked. 
  
3. Sheds and Barn - There are thousande of dollars worth of equipment in every shed and barn. It is simply unacceptable to leave any shed unlocked or in messy shape. If you open it you need to lock it.  If you find equipment unlocked - take the initiative to lock it. This is our park funded by your dollars. 
  
4. Lime markers - These require replacement into a shed or barn after every use. Don't wait to bring them back after a game - take them back as soon as you are done. To keep them operating properly moisture must be kept out of them. In fact the manufacturer says to clean and empty them after every use.  I know this is not reasonable at our park (during the regular season) but we are guaranteeing theft, damage and malfunctions when we leave them on the field. Plus these things are expensive! The new 4 wheel markers are $300 each. Lets take pride in our equipment. 
  
5. Lights - We have a responsibility to keep these lights off after the last practice or game of the night. In addition if we turn the lights on we need to lock the key back in the lock box so as to prevent someone stealing the key while you are playing. This is no light matter and it has happened in the past. Please note lights are not for private use. No more than fifteen minutes extra after any practice should the lights be left on. 
  
6. Mule Mix(Dry Mix) - Is never to be poured over areas of standing water. All standing areas of water need to be sucked up with MR Thirsty - our in park wet/dry vac that is usually located in the shed between 2 and 3. Mule mix is only to be mixed in with damp dirt. This stuff is expensive and not to be wasted. 
  
7. Dugouts are to be kept clean at all times. Tell your kids thay have a responsibility to keep it clean. It is bad manners to leave any field or dugout with trash after any use. 
  
8. The green Gator and Sand Pro are never to be driven by children period. Nor any adult who is not familiar with their operation. Key codes to the Gator are never to be given out.  If you are not trained don't drive it. These two pieces of equipment are the most expensive pieces of equipment the park has. Lets make them last. 
  
9. Rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, tamps etc. are not to be left out on the field for any reason. Not only is this a danger hazard but it welcomes vandalism and theft.  By returning the rakes and liners to the sheds we insure the equipment is there for the next guy. There is nothing more frustrating while prepping for a game when you have to go trekking all around looking for what you need. This is a common courtesy issue for all to observe. 
  
10. The park has purchased one L-screen for every field and batting cage. We have also purchased one sock net for soft toss practice for every dugout and soft toss warmup areas next to the cages. Do not move these around the fields and leave one field without the equipment it has been allocated. Note that not all nets have been assembled and/or distributed. We are working on that. Please be patient. Note Field 8 should be the ony field without nets. 
  
11. The park has invested in new locks for all lockboxes and sheds. The park is operating under one key. All teams have been distributed keys. These keys are not to be loaned out unless you are expecting immediate return of the key. If these keys get into wrong hands we will have to rekey the entire park at great expense. Protecting the park will only be successful if we all do our part. 
  
12. Parking - Parking in the lower lot should only be reserved for overflow from the upper lot. Last weekend we were jammed in the lower lot, parking on grass and maneuvering around children and bikes. At the same time the upper lot was only 1/2 full. Lets remind our parents of this goal. 
  
Following these rules will go a very long way in making baseball this Spring more successful and fulfilling for all.  With the largest registration to date and over 73 baseball teams to accomodate we simply must show these common courtesy.

Coaching Tips

Instructional Videos (Mike Scott Baseball on YouTube)

Practical coaching tips from a Doyle clinic held at Medlock (pdf file)

Positive Coaching Alliance (a great organization for youth coaches)

Pitch counts may be a part of the future for young players (article on PONY website) 

Coaching Strategies (for life)

• Keep reminding yourself that youth sports is a vital training ground for life skills, and only secondarily for athletic  proficiency.
• A coach is fully responsible for the behavior of his/her team. If the coach does not uphold a standard, the kids will manufacture their own.
• If a coach fails to hold the kids on the team accountable for their behavior, a parent must intervene. The kids should see that not all adults find their misbehavior acceptable.
• A coach must stand up for decency and fairness if the other team, or its coach, engages in poor sportsmanship.
• Here's the ultimate measurement of coaching success: How many of the kids on the team - not just the one or two star performers - would say in honesty that they are having fun and want to keep playing the sport after the season is over? If that percentage dips under 80%, you're losing as a coach, no matter how many games your team wins. [from "How to lose points in youth sports," by David Batstone]