7 Fundamentals
Create Team Identity
Creating a sense of team does not just happen. It takes leadership and development from the coach and
the players. Team building isn’t just the idea that all the kids get along, but that each player has a sense of
how he or she fits in and feels like an important part of the team. Help your players feel that they are lucky to
be on the team, and more importantly, that the team is lucky to have them. Use the patches, share pizza
after practice, create your own cheer, go to a game together, have a parents vs. kids practice, etc. Give the
kids a chance to feel part of the team by having a few team events throughout the season as opposed to
just an end of the season party.
Here are some ideas for developing that sense of team:
Creating a sense of team does not just happen. It takes leadership and development from the coach and
the players. Team building isn’t just the idea that all the kids get along, but that each player has a sense of
how he or she fits in and feels like an important part of the team. Help your players feel that they are lucky to
be on the team, and more importantly, that the team is lucky to have them. Use the patches, share pizza
after practice, create your own cheer, go to a game together, have a parents vs. kids practice, etc. Give the
kids a chance to feel part of the team by having a few team events throughout the season as opposed to
just an end of the season party.
Here are some ideas for developing that sense of team:
- Gather for pizza as a team after the last practice before the first game.
- Have a movie and popcorn night to kick off the year. Rent a sports movie, microwave some
popcorn, get a teenager to help with younger kids while the parents get to know each other. - Create your own cheer. Instead of "2, 4, 6, 8 who do we appreciate" how about "2, 4, 6, 8, we had FUN
and you were GREAT!" Encourage the kids to create a positive cheer that makes their team feel
unique. - Come up with a positive nickname for all the kids and double check with the parent to make sure
they like being called that. - Select a different team captain for every game and come up with some responsibility that goes with
that title. For instance, even at the youngest level the captain on the t-ball team can be in charge of
lining up the team in batting order or starting the cheer after the game. - Create a "high five" routine or tunnel run with parents to do at the end of every game.
... let's not forget that.
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Key Fundamentals