By Brian Gotta, President of CoachDeck:

As a coach, when making corrections to young players, it is a good idea try to temper any criticism with something else positive. Think of it as dessert after making a child eat their vegetables. For example, if I see a player field a ground ball off to the side when he could have gotten in front of it, I may say, “Good job getting your mitt down but remember to get in front of it next time.” I’ll typically reinforce the comment by demonstrating what I mean and, in this example, saying, “Not here,” while showing him what he did, (field the ball off to the side), “Here.” (Showing the proper technique).
Though it’s not always easy, do your best to communicate with your team on their level, with an upbeat, positive attitude and remember that for every bite of “broccoli” they have to eat, you should try to also slip in a piece of “apple pie.”