A.L.L. baseball: 9/10s manager looking forward to teaching

Joe Davis is simply looking forward to coaching.

As the manager of Ahwatukee Little League's 9- and 10-year-old all-star team, he has an opportunity to do just that. It's the first all-star experience for the majority of the 9/10s roster and that enables Davis to really coach fundamentals.

"A big difference at this age (between) the all-star team and what the regular season might provide, is you can truly coach baseball, positioning and more of the mental aspect of the game," Davis said. "We're running different bunt coverages, different cut-off drills.

"Those things, we don't do during the regular season, whereas the older all-star kids have been exposed to that, so a lot of that might be a refresher or fine-tuning," he added. "We have to spend a lot of time literally teaching the concept of baseball. That does make it a whole lot of fun."

Davis' son, Cooper, is on the roster, and while he says that provides a fun opportunity, he concedes it's also difficult at times.

"It's exciting coaching my son, but it's also a challenge, just trying to separate the parent-coach relationship when we get on the baseball field," he said.

"One of the things that I do see from some coaches that tends to happen with me is that I tend to be more harsh on my own son," Davis added. "It's understanding that barrier."

See Also:

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9/10s manager looking forward to teaching

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