All coaches are required to obtain ACE certification and present their ACE card and background check to the Ohio Hawks board prior to the 2019 summer season.

 

1.       Be Punctual … your players and parents will expect you to be there on time, actually, ahead of time for your practices and games.  We will not allow coaches/asst coaches to not be good role models. Coaches must be on time, prepared and if their daughter is on the team, she must be properly dressed and prepared. Players must have their jersey tucked in at all times. We need to look like we expect to play – professional and the best teams in the tourney.

2.       Be Prepared – come with a game or practice plan.

3.       Communicate – let your players and parents know where you are going as a team and what you expect from their daughter (DD). Periodic coach /parent /player talks are good – let them know where their DD stands, what she needs to work on and what she has made progress on.

4.       Pre-Game – have a solid pre-game warm-up plan .. the hour leading up to the game should run like clock work – your kids should know to the minute what they will be doing right up to game time.

5.       Have your team documents ready and with you – have your roster, insurance forms, scorebook, etc. all at hand and complete before Sat morning.

6.       Be an ambassador for the Hawks. We expect to hear from other that the ‘the Hawks are a class org’ – and it all starts with the coaches, parents, and the players. As coaches you HAVE to be a class act, respectful of the umpires, TD’s and other teams and coaches. We are not going to get all calls going our way – it is how we react to it that shows our character. There is no use crying, yelling and making a scene. Keep your composure, do not embarrass yourself or your team, nor allow your players for parents to do so.

7.       Get ejected from a game and you have to skip the next tourney game and appear before the board. There is no reason to be ejected as a head coach – you have to be under control at all times. Make every effort to maintain composure – if you are the head coach, your team needs you in the dugout.

8.       Dealing with players / team – whenever you or any coach has a potentially sensitive conversation with a player or the team you must have at least 1 other adult (preferably another coach) there and you must be in full view of other adults, players etc.  Male coaches must be aware of any potential situation that would lead to the player being in an uncomfortable position.

During instruction it is sometimes necessary to move a players hands, legs, or hips to help them understand or feel the move they need to make during a swing, throw or while fielding. Do not touch a player during training, games or providing instruction without first letting the player know that you are going to help by touching her. Never touch a player unless another adult, coach or parent is supervising, and never touch a player in an area of the body that might be considered sexual in nature. In all cases, it is better to not touch a player if it is not necessary, and it is best if the parent is present and approves the instruction.

Do not take a player behind the dugout for a talk – go to the outfield, stay in full view of others. When you address your team after a game, make sure your coaches are there as well.  There is no reason for a coach to address the team without his/her assistant coaches there. We need to be very open and transparent about our communication with the girls – esp. male coaches.

Address player issues away from the team with another coach as a witness – do not embarrass a player in front of the team.

Coaches of 14u and younger teams - seek parent approval prior to texting any of your players. Always let the parents know that you are communicating with their daughter - copy the parents on text messages and emails sent to players.

9.       Be an Encourager:  Always leave your team and players with a positive word to remember. If they are playing poorly remember that you built the team and are responsible to coach them up. Make sure to differentiate between bad play and bad attitudes/effort. Players control their attitude, coaches control their play thru training and preperation.

10.   Remember the bigger picture:  One game, one tourney does not define a season. If you, as a coach, make too big a deal over one play, game or tourney, you will frustrate your team and yourself. Sometimes teams play bad, have an off day – again, it is how they respond the next day that shows their character.

11.   Coaches must avoid verbal, physical or sexual harassment and inappropriate physical or sexual advances or behavior. This will be cause for immediate dismissal as a coach.

12.   On game day coaches will avoid all alcohol until after the last game and you have cleared the park. We would hope coaches will avoid smoking while your team is playing and wait until after the games are complete.

13.   Coaches must never solicit, either overtly or covertly, players to join their squad or change their team. We can’t be known as a player robber organization. Girls will seek our teams out, engage them when they do.

14.   Report all game issues, concerns with players or incidents to the board promptly via email to Board@OhioHawks.com

15.   Make sure your scorekeepers are keeping score as we trained them and that they enter the results on the Hawks stats page by Tuesday night after the weekend.

16.  Travel – Your team is responsible for the proper behavior while on the road, in hotel and restraints – Particularly when wearing Hawks identifiable gear. As coaches, we represent the organization all weekend. Disorderly conduct or excessive drinking by a coach in public is cause for dismissal.

17.  Coach and Player Advocates– In the case that you have a parent or player dispute, remember that you have a coaches advocate in Mike Hoff – remind the player/parent that they are to take their case to their advocate, Daryl Cummins and we will handle the situation thru the proper channels.

18.  Transportation– Coaches are not to transport any player of their team alone in a car with them. There must be an additional adult present or multiple players in the car and each players parent must give their approval prior to the coach transporting the player(s).

19.  Face Guards–  Pitchers, 3rd base and 1st base positions on all Hawks 10u and 12u teams are required to wear approved defense facemasks  during games, practices and scrimmages that have 'live' batters involved.

 

Please print these guidelines and the players rules/guidelines and place in your coaches handbook.

 

2021 Ohio Hawks | 7/6/2020

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