I appreciate the opportunity I have been given. I feel blessed and will work my butt off for my community, this baseball program, and the game of baseball.

Not sure what you are asking here

A) that you want to take over whenever the current head coach retires

OR

B) that you want the head coaching job now and move a guy out who is - in your opinion - not a baseball man

If you are doing choice A then I would tell the head coach first and keept it open ended. Say something like - "hey coach i'm just putting this out there but whenever you retire / step down what do you think my chances are at being the next head coach?".

If you are doing choice B then you are going down a road you shouldn't go down. The players will know what's up and those loyal to the current head coach will give you problems. Plus you might just ruin your reputation.

Are you dead set at coaching at this school or are you open to moving? It might not be a bad idea to try somewhere else first then come back. Get experience before taking the job you want.

If you are pretty young (recent college grad) or have very little high school coaching experience I would say slow down. Being a head coach is not an easy job and it requires quite a bit from you. The hardest part really isn't the game or teaching the game. The hardest part typically comes from the administrative side with paperwork, ordering stuff, dealing with parents, fundraising and stuff like that.

I took over a program when I was 24 and had 6 years of being an assistant at 3 schools. I wasn't ready to be one. Game stuff I was fine but none of the head coaches I worked under never involved me with the administrative side and it caught me off guard. Take the time to work with your current head coach on the administrative side to get used to that stuff.

It might go one of two ways then - he sees your ready and gives the job to you (with the AD consent) or he sees it as gravy train. He gets the head coach pay with you doing the head coach work.

Good luck

Appreciate the opportunity and do what he asks. You are a first year coach. Just learn what you can . it is an opportunity for you. How do I be a loyal assistant and express my desire to run the show? You keep it to yourself. You have to pay your dues.

No, don't approach the AD. You are building a resume as you work. Those that you coach against, those of whom you coach their children and those players all will know what is going on. Build a good foundation. You will also have to have patience. I was an assistant for 12 years. I thought I was gungho and knew it all when I was a pup. However, I learned so much more in that time. My Assistant has just now become the head coach since I resigned to watch my child play. He's turned down several head coaching offers since he wanted to stay in our school district. He and I have always been honest and YES HE PLAYED FOR ME IN HIGH SCHOOL, he was also a college coach for a while. I told him that when my child entered HS, I was going to be a dad for 4 years and I'd make sure the job was his. That would be a good talk for you to have. Ask what the head coach's thoughts are and how long he plans to stay. Let him know you want to be a head coach someday and so, you want to work hard to build your resume. BE ABOVE BOARD IN EVERYTHING YOU DO! If you find yourself thinking anything along the lines of undercutting the head coach, if you do, you'd better be able to win the battle for the head job because you'll be out the door otherwise and with a bad recommendation. JMHO!

Nicholas25,

1st year coach...ready for the big time...knows everything he needs to know about running a HS program...things you instituted will have immediate payoff....current coach isn't getting it done. Sheesh...I'd go to the AD tomorrow.

What...not ready for that step? Why not...you have the answers.Right?

Or maybe, just maybe...now is the time to sit back, shut up (that's big) and learn what goes on. Maybe you'll learn that alot of coaching baseball doesn't have anything with the game of baseball...maybe you won't. From the tone you set in the posting, I have my doubts.

1st year coach...sorry, but the Head Coach has EARNED the title of coach after these 12 years. You haven't. If the Head Coach is OPENLY talking about stepping down, that's another thing... but you go through HIM in letting people know you're interested in filling the position AFTER he steps down. It's good to have ambition and dreams but you have to decide if you take the high road or low road in that pursuit. Doesn't do you any good becoming the head coach if people/players don't respect you.

Man, you should know this stuff being a Southern boy.

You might not have meant to but you have come across as very arrogant. You are saying you are ready and prepared for something you have never done before or been around. Just because you sit in a dorm room and say "this is what we should have done...." doesn't make you a coach. The problem with second guessing is you know the outcome of what happened and it's very easy then to determine what should have happened.

The coach is in the third base box and he has a few seconds to assess the situation, know the strengths and weaknesses of his players, tendencies of the other team and a whole bunch of other stuff while people in the stands, dugout, field or whereever are probably sitting there having no clue what the options even are. Then the coach puts a play on based on his few seconds of evaluation and it doesn't work. Now everyone says that was a dumb call although they had no idea what was going through the coaches head because they saw the outcome before they thought of what they were going to do. Also, it might be the perfect play that was put on for a situation but the players failed at it. Coach calls hit and run and the batter freezes and the runner is hosed. Everyone blames the coach.

Now if that was what you were doing in the dorm room then you are not ready because you won't like the criticism that comes with coaching. You can put on a perfect play and execute it and there will still be someone to criticize.

What have you been doing in the past 11 years to prepare for coaching? Have you been going to clinics? Have you been watching videos / reading books? Have you been going to college practices?

Head coaching is not easy and I think you are going to find out the hard way that is the truth. Being an assistant coach is gravy compared to being a head coach.

Talk to the current head coach and express what you want to do and see what he says. Either way good luck but I think you are in for a rude awakening.

Let me share with you my experience.

I always wanted to be a head coach as well. Probably started when I was 16 too. I played college ball as well. Very similiar situations.

I got my 1st coaching job as an assistant head coach when I was 20. I too knew I was better prepared as a coach then the coach I was working with. He also was a former coach of mine.

After one year there I accepted a head coaching position at another school. We improved on the field and I lasted 3 years there before resigning to work somewhere else. I attended clinics, read books, etc. In those 3 years though, I struggled very much with the off the field issues. I did not handle parents well or the administration in fact. Budget issues. I struggled. I was not prepared at all to be the main man because of these issues. I knew I was in over my head by the end.

After resigning there, I became an assistant coach at a very successful program. In my 3 years at this school, I have gained so much insight and knowledge from the other coaches. It is amazing. I still vision myself as a head coach some day but still need the opportunity that I am in today.

There is great opportunity in learning from others. Do not look at it as a bad thing but a great opportunity. Continue to learn and when the opportunity to be a head coach a rises you will be better for it.

Just my thoughts. Every situation is different. Good luck in the pursuit.

Without being a jerk myself I think this is a much better post and you don't come across as arrogant and cocky.

I understand what you are saying that you want to make the community you live in respect the game. I think that is admirable to be honest. It's something I have tried to do where I live as well. I have made some progress but got a long way to go. It is a daunting task and I wish you luck in accomplishing it.

I do want to offer this without coming across as a jerk but running a camp isn't like being a head coach. I have put on some camps myself and they are cake compared to being a head coach. I don't know if anyone is really prepared to be a head coach going in.

One last bit of free advice (after this I am going to charge you) it seems like you care a lot about the game. Don't change that attitude becuase it will get you through the hard times. But don't expect your players to love the game like you do. Some will but some will be doing it just because they like the game or want to hang with their buddies or it gives them something to do. You can't force players to love the game like you do.

Now with that being said - they better respect the game the way it needs to be respected. Even if baseball isn't their favorite sport they still need to play it the right way.

Im in a similar situation. The head coach at our school knows absolutely nothing about coaching baseball. Doesnt give any signals. I have to give them from first. Stands in the 3rd base coaches box and never moves or uncrosses his arms. Has gotten several people thrown out because he wasnt paying attention. In a game last week, i turned to ask him something and he was in the parking lot on his phone. During practice he does nothing. The other day he cost us a run because he did not know you can tag up on a foul ball. I do all of the coaching an he gets the credit and the pay. Its a tough situation to be in and I have began to struggle with it. The only thing that keeps me going is the kids. My advice is to just stick it out and eventually good things will happen to good people.

I think a first year coach believing he is immediately ready to run a program is a slap in the face to all the coaches who have put in the necessary time to be successful.

Sorry, dude. But you ain't ready. Maybe the guy you work for is a baseball idiot. But knowing more than him doesn't make you a successful coach, which I assume is your goal. You might be able to do a better job than the guy who "isn't a baseball man," but who you gonna brag to about that?

My advice would be to get out of there and go work under a SUCCESSFUL head coach and learn the right way to do things. Then you'll see how much you have to learn.