A coach’s role in a baseball team cannot be underestimated. Coaches do a lot more than just intently watch their players in action from the sidelines or just, well, coaching.
Coaches are responsible for training their team by analyzing their performances, instructing them with relevant skills, training and motivating them. But coaches are also responsible for guiding their players and their chosen sport.
As a coach, you’ll want your team to come prepared every practice and game day. But you’ll have to come prepared as well. This means you still have a fair bit of equipment you’ll need in order to train, coach, and lead your team to victory.
Make a baseball coach essentials checklist
Baseball coach supplies are essential to staying organized on the field. Having the right gear means that, as a coach, you’ll spend less time scrambling and more time doing your duty of getting your team ready and at their best during practice and during a game.
As a coach, getting your own equipment is only half the battle – of course, you also need to think about your team’s equipment. This calls for compiling a baseball equipment checklist to get you and your team ready for every practice and game.
Here are a few essential items you’ll need to bring yourself and your team to top form in every game.
Must-have gear – As a coach, you should assume that your players may have forgotten to bring some of the essential playing and protective gear. Thus, you need to bring the following extra items to a practice or game:
- Bats
- Batting Helmets
- Gloves and mitts
- Gear bag – Most baseball coaches’ bags have rooms, compartments, and pockets to store pencils, notepads, clipboards, line-up boards, and drinks. For tips on how to get the best bags, check out the Guide to Selecting a Baseball Equipment Bag.
- Baseballs
- Catcher’s gear – It includes a mask or helmet, chest protector, leg guards, and a mitt.
- Water or sports drinks.
Coach’s accessories – As a coach, one of your responsibilities is to keep files and records of each player on your team. The following accessories will help you monitor and assess each player’s individual performance and your team’s overall performance.
- Scorebook – It is used to record accurate scores of the game.
- Pencils
- Ball buckets and ball organizers – They are useful for storing balls, bats, and lots of other items.
- Line-up board – It is useful for keeping track and the players’ positions and batting order.
- Stopwatch – First base coaches use the stopwatch to determine how long it takes for the pitcher to deliver a pitch to the home plate when there’s a runner on base.
- Pitch counter – Coaches use the pitch counter during drills and during a game to help them keep track of the number of pitches the pitcher has delivered.
- GameChanger App for smartphones and tablets – This app helps keep scores and provides access to stats anywhere.
Training aids – If you’re gunning for greatness, you’ll need to provide some training aids for your team. These training aids will help your team get the most out of their practice and help your team excel.
- Batting tees – They help hitters to practice their hitting without requiring a pitcher.
- Swing trainers – Items like the insider bat, bat donut, and breakaway straps that can be used to practice a player’s swing.
- Paddle gloves or training gloves (or mitts) – These training gloves are designed to help train the proper fielding mechanics, which will improve the player’s hands and help make faster transfers.
- Practice and training balls – These regulation-sized baseballs are used during training to improve power hitting. Most pitching balls also work with pitching machines.
- Cones – These training cones are useful for setting up drills.
- Rebounders – Rebounders are used to replicate batted-ball returns like line drives, ground balls, and pop-flys.
- Short bat – A short bat is used to force hitters to increase torso side bend when swinging. It also helps hitters learn bat speed and precision skills faster.
Emergency items – As a coach, you should also be ready for an emergency. The following items will help you ensure a quick response when something goes wrong.
- First-aid kit
- Player’s emergency contact information and health records
- Cellphone or smartphone
Optional or additional accessories
- Chewing gum – Chewing some guns will not only make you look the part, but more importantly, to relieve some jitters during a game. The popular Big League Chew is the standard brand of baseball chewing gum.
- Sunflower seeds – Sunflower seeds are a staple of baseball. These munchies can help players stay full enough and engaged while sitting on benches.
- Kinesiology tape or athletic tape – Athletic tapes are special body tapes worn by athletes to reduce pain and aid recovery.
- Sunscreen – The sun can be brutal, so make sure that your players have adequate sun protection, such as sunscreen and baseball caps.
- Eye black grease or no-flare stickers – They help reduce glare from sunlight and stadium lighting (plus, they can make the players look badass!).
- Portable shade structure – It can provide some relief on hot summer days.