Welcome to the Fastpitch Softball Coaches Tip Blog. Our articles on coaching fast pitch softball, softball drills, softball hitting, and softball coaching will be informative and useful to all softball coaches.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Infield Drills: Ground Balls, Back Hands: Fastpitch Softball

Posted on YouTube by almarksports
Great Hands Fastpitch Softball Training Glove www.greathandsglove.com


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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Softball Shirts That Include Quotes For Team Motivation

Softball Shirts That Include Quotes For Team Motivation
By Guest Author John Espinosa

It is summer time and all over the country games of softball are popping up, whether they are teams made of little girls, co-workers or college teams, or the game is fast pitch softball or slow pitch. As the fans watch teams play, one thing, along with the talent and the score, that is always noted are the uniforms.

For younger players, the softball shirts are one of the most important things about playing. It can be all about the color and the team's name. As players get older, the shirts can be almost important as the softball gloves themselves and the different styles appeal to different players. Choices range from basic t-shirt style to sleeveless jerseys. Most of the time the jerseys will have the names of players and their numbers on them, along with a team name. Sometimes, however, they can include a motivational quote.

If a quote is included on the shirt, of course, it most be a short one. However, it the softball team stands by a particular quote that is too long to print on a shirt, a piece of the quote can be taken to be included on the shirt while representing the meaningfulness of the entire quote to that team. Inspirational and memorable quotes can be important to the whole team, just like the shirt as it provides connection, uniformity and something that holds players together.

Quotes can be read or shared before a game or between innings to provide that extra motivation and excitement that it may take to win the game. Quotes are excellent, effective ways of doing this, and having a simple reminder of that quote on the team shirt is a great way to keep the motivation going throughout the game. A partial quote, even a simple word from it, can be just what it takes to provide the power and inspiration to get through the game a winner.

Many softball uniforms can be custom made to incorporate colors, team names, logos, art and yes, even the extra words. No matter the age of the players, the caliber of the team or the years together, a connection can be made by a simple memorable quote. It can even be a quote the coach accidentally said that stayed with the players.

Whether it is a quote, a shirt, or a shirt with a quote, anything that connects the team can make that difference to make it a winning team.

The author has spent a lot of time learning about softball shirts and other related topics. Read more about softball quotes at John Espinosa's website

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Espinosa

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Friday, July 9, 2010

The Traits Of A Good Coach

The Traits Of A Good Fastpitch Softball Coach
By Guest Author Jenny Stalling

Being a coach is easy. But being a good coach is another matter entirely. This job requires showing a lot of certain psychological characteristics. If a coach is to succeed, he simply has to show the following traits:

1.Knows the discipline he's coaching

It's trivial, but the coach has to know ins and outs of the discipline - the rules, the history, the tactics etc. Without it they won't be able to do their job properly and will probably quickly lose face when they start making mistakes.

2. Motivates the players

This is probably the single most important trait of a good coach. Without proper motivation, everything comes apart. Remember that a coach will need to lead a team of individuals, everyone with different personal goals. The coach's job is give the players enough motivation to make them start doing things as good as they are able to, and turn their attention from their private matters to the pitch.

3. Talks only when it gets results

A good coach will never speak without a good cause. If they talk too much, they will never actually be listened, so a coach is a person who should talk only when necessary - this will give their words an extra weigh.

4. Is able to listen

Being calmer than usual means also that a coach should be a good listener. If they are to become a good coach, they need to become a surrogate father or mother for their team and listening is the single most important trait that can make it possible.

5. Knows their team

Another important matter is knowing one's team. And it is not only about matching their numbers with the names. A good coach knows everything - both about professional and private life of their players.

6. Treats everyone individually

While (or because) a good coach should know everybody and do their best to hold the place together, it is necessary to treat every player individually. Yelling works only on some of them, the same story is with talking seriously. Using the same method to get everyone do what you say will surely end in breaking some of your players to pieces.

7. Leads by example

The last, but not least: a good coach do themselves everything he will ask others to do. They always set an example - they are first on the trainings and perform every single exercise they order other to do.

Jenny Stalling is an experienced coach, who maintains an informational website on coaching techniques [http://www.coachizer.com].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jenny_Stalling

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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

7 Free Ways To Increase Your Coaching Knowledge

7 Free Ways To Increase Your Fastpitch Coaching Knowledge
By Guest Author Stacie Mahoe

Great coaches know there is always more to learn about the game. Most are actively seeking new knowledge on a regular basis. If you want to step up your coaching game a bit, there are certainly a multitude of options. But if you're just starting out or simply on a tight budget and don't want to spend a lot of money on books, DVDs, coaches clinics, seminars, or other paid resources just yet, I have good news for you. There are a number of free resources with quality information available for you to learn from. Not only will you gain useful information from these resources, but they'll also help guide you when you are ready to invest some money in a paid coaching resource. Here are 7 free ways to increase your coaching knowledge.

Borrow Books from the Library

Typically, there are a number of great coaching books out there. But if you're like me, you probably can't afford to buy every one you want. This is where your local library can help. You will probably be able to find at least a handful of good coaching books there. As long as you return the books on time, you can read each and every book they have to offer for free. Of course, if you come across one that you particularly like, you can always make the choice to purchase it for future reference. But only after you've gotten a free use of a number of books and are able to choose the one(s) you like best.

Visit Free Informational Websites

If you do an internet search for your sport or coaching tips for you sport, you will probably be able to find some website out there with free tips. For example if you are a softball coach you can search for "softball," fastpitch softball," "softball coaching tips," or "free softball tips." I'm sure you can think of more, but those are just a few ideas of what you could enter into a search engine to find free information about your sport. The cool thing about learning from websites is that you can do it from the comfort of your own home. Plus, it's easy to share with a friend or colleague.

Read Free Articles and Free Newsletters

Most free information websites have these next two items: free articles and free newsletters. Often times there will be a page with links to free articles you can read. Most of these sites also have free newsletters where you can have tips sent to you via e-mail on a regular basis. Usually all you need to provide is a first name and e-mail address and you're set to get free tips delivered right to your inbox.

Download Free e-books/Short Reports

Some websites out there also offer free short reports or e-books. These resources are usually provided by instant download in a pdf file. Even websites that offer paid products usually have some sort of free short report or e-book that you can take a look at. I like e-books and reports because you can print them out and take them with you to read when it's convenient for you. You can also highlight, circle, or otherwise mark the important parts of the report. Another cool thing about free reports or e-books is that, often times, you arealso allowed to pass the report on to others. The publisher of the report will tell you in the first couple of pages whether or not it's okay to reproduce or redistribute the report. If it's okay, you can make copies for your coaching staff or your players if it's something you'd like to pass along to them.

Participate in Free Forums

Another great place to learn is at online forums. There are paid ones out there, but there are often many free ones as well. Some are better than others, but usually there are one or two with a lot of activity and input from experts in the sport as well. A forum or message board is a great place to ask your coaching questions and have them answered by a variety of people. They are also great for browsing just see what hot tips or products other members are talking about or see what questions other coaches, parents, or players have about the game. Typically you'll have to register at a forum before you can ask or answer questions there. For the free ones, all they usually require is that you provide a username and password and maybe your e-mail address.

Network with Other Coaches

Networking can be done over the computer or in person. Basically, just talk with other coaches. When you attend tournaments, clinics, or coaches meetings, take the time to talk with other coaches who are there. Everyone know something you don't, so you never know what you can learn by simply introducing yourself and talking with others in your sport. Networking can also be done via e-mail or in forums as mentioned above. This may not be something you're completely comfortable with at first if you're not the outgoing type, but just think of the opportunities you may miss out on simply because you're more "comfortable" staying to yourself. Challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone just a bit and make contacts wherever possible. You just never know what someone else may be able to offer you one day down the road if not sooner.

As you can see there are a number of ways to increase your coaching knowledge or knowledge of the game for free. Successful coaches are life long learners. There's no reason you can't learn something new today with all the ideas listed in this article. When you're ready to take the next step and make an investment in yourself as a coach, these free resources will be a great starting point to find the paid coaching resources that are the best fit and value for you.

Check out Stacie's FreeFastpitchTips.com
Join Stacie's Coach of Action Academy at CoachOfAction.com for help with reaching your full coaching potential.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stacie_Mahoe


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