Coaching Softball - Important Points to Keep

Coaching Softball - Important Points to Keep
By guest author: Marc Dagenais

The overwhelming increase and demand for softball nowadays pushes softball coaches and players to think of different methods of how to make their coaching and training more effective and more dynamic. That is why a number of internet resources and guidelines on efficient coaching softball techniques are coming out and being distributed throughout the World Wide Web. It is time for every softball coach to take advantage of the multitudes of effective coaching softball techniques and strategies available online for everyone's utilization and employment.

Coaching softball is not a simple and easy task but with some of these tips, one will most definitely improve the current status and playing softball skills of his or her softball team...

The very basic aspect of coaching softball involves total and complete trust and belief amongst coach and players. Trust and belief in the entire team is the basis of everything. Without trust and belief in each other all efforts of the coach to unite and maximize the player's potential would be for nothing. That is why it is very crucial for all individuals coaching softball to establish and maintain trust at all times not only during practices but in competitions as well.

It is the job of softball coaches to always provide their team with the best softball drills and practice exercises available. When choosing the right softball drills, it is best to consider each of the player's strengths and weaknesses. You would want to eliminate certain weaknesses in your team such as slow running, low focus levels, distractions etc. There are a lot of softball practices and drills that will help solve these problems. Also, try to provide varied and new practice drills to avoid a monotonous and bored team. Keep in mind that as long as the players are excited and eager to learn and practice, they will most certainly improve and advance.

Softball coaching involves being fair and just at all times. Never ever show your team hints of favoritism. That will cause jealousy, riot, and ultimately a low team unity and trust. And as all softball coaches know teamwork and trust between each member is one of the most vital aspects of winning a game. So, it is highly crucial for you to stay unbiased as much as possible. Give each team member the punishment and praise that is due them.

When coaching softball, one has to learn how to identify and work with the player's current level or playing status and adjust from there. Not all players are capable of performing certain high-level drills so it is highly vital to give the players the proper training and coaching that is right for their current level and work your way upwards. Take coaching softball slow and one step at a time. First make a thorough analysis of the entire team and from there, develop and cultivate their strengths and abilities for ultimate softball performance and productivity. Do keep in mind that not every player of the team has equal strengths and weaknesses... asses each player's capabilities and work your way up from there. Never give them what they cannot handle.

Do keep in mind that all good things start small and advances through time and effort just like coaching softball... Remember that these points when softball coaching should be kept in one's heart and mind always for the benefit of the entire softball team.

Marc Dagneais is Softball Peak Performance Coach that helps softball players turn their athletic talent into extraordinary performances and help coaches get more out of their players, turn their struggling team around or get an edge over their opponents. Visit us to access our directory of FREE softball drills!

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

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Coaching Your Daughter's Softball Team for the First Time

Coaching Your Daughter's Softball Team for the First Time
By guest author: Jim Moyer

Finally, Spring is here and with it comes the beginning of Fastpitch Softball season for hundreds of thousands of little girls. Along with the start of Softball season also comes the recruitment of parents to become volunteer coaches. The FEAR, the anxiety, the hope that you don't lead your daughter's team to a winless season. Here's the good news, like just about anything else, if the new coach will find a successful mentor the coach can quickly learn what skills and strategies need to be utilized to win. However, the large majority of new fastpitch coaches are dads that think since they played baseball 20 years ago they can easily transfer that knowledge to their team and be successful. After all, it's just a bunch of 7 & 8 year old girls, right? Wrong. To be successful the new coach not only has to coach his team, he must also out coach all of the other dad-coaches.

If you think coaching doesn't make that big of a difference, then please explain how a coach went 93-4-2 over a 5 year period in 8U fastpitch softball while coaching his daughters. That's a very impressive record no matter what age you are coaching. And don't think for a moment that it was talent that led to that record. I'm talking about a team that every year lost half of it's players to promotion to the older age group and had to pick up 6 or 7 brand new players...typically girls that had never played the game. So how could this one coach pile up 5 straight 1st place finishes and compile a winning percentage of .960%?

It boils down to great coaching and knowing what strategies work at different ages. That's the only possible answer. For example, the three most important positions in 8U Softball are First Base, Pitcher and Second Base. As players get older it's certainly true that talent can make a difference. But talent still has to be coached. An athletic player under a poor coach will never achieve her full potential. However, average talent can achieve superior levels under the guidance of a great coach.

Regarding offense, most new coaches tend to build a batting order similar to how professional baseball teams put together a batting order. That's a sure way to lose games in 8U softball. The best advice is to stagger the strong hitters with weaker hitters mixed in. That way your team is able to bat further into the lineup, allowing for a couple of outs, yet scoring the maximum number of runs allowed. Many new coaches also forget to teach the girls how to bunt the ball. The younger the team is the more important it is teach girls to bunt as it helps to build hand-eye coordination while allowing the player to contribute to the success of the team.

Finally, most new coaches don't know what training tools would be of greatest benefit to their team. Typically the league will issue a sack of softball gear that might include a couple of bats, a dozen balls, a few batting helmets, and some catcher's gear and the new coach never gives it a second thought. However, regardless of age every coach needs to have a sack of plastic poly balls and a hitting tee just to name a couple of training aides. In the younger age groups a coach might want to have two or more hitting tees so his team gets plenty of practice time swinging a bat. As for the poly balls, not only are they perfect for batting practice, but they are also perfect for learning how to catch pop flys in order to prevent injuries.

Good Luck to all of the new softball coaches. Don't assume you know it all, find a mentor, do some research, teach skills that are age appropriate, and have fun. It's going to be a great season of softball and one that your daughter will never forget since her dad was the coach.

Jim Moyer is the author of http://www.mysoftballcoach.com Having coached over 500 youth fastpitch softball games, Jim decided to put the information online to allow parent/coaches to draw on his unique experience.

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

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