Coaching Softball - A Balancing Act

Coaching Fastpitch Softball - A Balancing Act
by Guest Author Michael J. Todd

Coaching softball often requires much more than simply deciding who plays where and what pitches to call. You have the individual attitudes of the girls to deal with and there is often a difficult parent or two thrown in the mix. You have to balance what is best for the team with what is best for the kids.

Coaches are expected to act responsibly and to be a positive role model to the children or young adults they are coaching. First and foremost, you are a mentor to the kids on your team, and the lessons they learn from you may be something they carry with them for the rest of their lives. Are they going to learn to be cool under pressure...or are they going to see you blow up every time a play doesn't go your way? Are you going to teach them how to handle issues calmly and with poise, or with anger and frustration?

All too often, I see coaches act in a manner that is detrimental to their teams. I have seen coaches scream and cuss at 10-year old girls on traveling teams, and I have seen them talk about how bad their team is in front of the girls. Having coached a new team or two, I know how frustrating it can be to lose over and over again. It's important to remember the girls on your team look up to you for advice and leadership. If their fearless leader is writing them off prior to a game, how are they going to feel, both individually and as a team?

A good coach is both confident and approachable. It's OK to let a player know when she has done something wrong, and we're all guilty of getting loud on the field from time to time. It's what happens after the mistake is made that is important. A good coach will use a players mistakes to help the player learn. A bad coach will use a players mistakes to make her feel bad about herself.

Coaches are often asked to make decisions under a good deal of stress. Should they pull a struggling pitcher out or let her try to fight through it and get out of the inning? Should they put a girl in the infield who's been asking to play first base but has never played the position and doesn't field very well? What's best for the individual often isn't what is best for the rest of the team. Irate parents often compound this issue and make things even more difficult.

The coach is in the middle of all this, and is responsible for balancing the entire thing. Some people may read this and wonder why anyone volunteers to coach. I'll tell you why...It's rewarding. The best coaches balance it all with ease and watch as their team develops from girls who have never touched a softball, or only played recreationally, into a team that can hang with the best.

Go to the Softball Pitching Drills website for more information on coaching and softball pitching.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_J._Todd

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Check out these coaching articles at the Softball Coaching Digest:
SoftballCoachingDigest.com
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