Softball Coaching Tips - Why Perform Video Analysis on Your Players

Softball Coaching Tips

By Marc Dagenais

Take a look at the following situations. First, you know one of your players is doing something wrong with his pitching, but you can't exactly point out what the problem is. Or you'd like to find out why your batter seems to hit the sweet spot most of the time. You ask him about it, and all he can tell you is that that's the way he's been doing it since he was a kid.

It's frustrating, right? To give your players accurate feedback on their performance, you also need an accurate instrument to observe it. And what simple yet better way to do it than performing a video analysis of your players' game?

But let's get deeper into that. There are several reasons why you should do this, which I'm sharing with you in these softball coaching tips.

It helps you analyze your players' game closely

Because you can slow down videos of your players' performance, you can look at how they do things a lot more closely. Slowing down their throws or bats, helps you detect the tiny nuances of their actions. And even the minutest of adjustments can make a world of difference to your players.

You can repeat it over and over again

You can only make your players do so many rounds of pitches before they start complaining. So, instead of doing that just to analyze their game, perform a video analysis of their pitch. Now all you need is just several samples of their pitch, watch them, and rewind them. You can do hours of analysis without wearing your players down.

It's cheap

With new models of video cameras coming out several times per year, the old ones - usually just a year old - quickly gets cheaper. And since you don't really need a very high quality video for your video analysis, you can get year-old cameras to do the job. With the level of sophistication of these devices, you'll find most of your recording needs covered already. Well, that's just the basic record, rewind, and play buttons of course.

It's straightforward

Video cameras aren't just cheap, they're now simpler and easier to use. Gone are the days when huge and bulky cameras were the norm. Now you have lightweight cameras. Some even feature touch screens which make things easier for you to understand. So, even if you're a technophobe, there's no reason why you shouldn't use these cameras.

Or if you know how to hook your video camera to your computer, you can save your data there, so you can do your video analysis even when you're on the road. Fantastic, right?

So unless you're living under a rock, or aren't really serious about softball coaching, then, you should start investing on a simple video rig. Analyzing videos of your players' performance makes things a lot simpler for you. Aside from that, it eliminates the guesswork involved in relying just on your sight to do the job.

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that helps softball players and coaches improves their game by sharing with them the tips and strategies used by the world's best softball players and coaches to achieve extraordinary performances. Visit his site and sign-up to get his FREE softball hitting tips!

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

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How Much Do Umpires Make?

How Much Do Umpires Make?
By guest author: Pete Reiser

As a general rule the pay for umpires is very consistent and uniform. A new umpire and an experienced umpire who both work the same game are usually paid the same rate. However, larger organizations (e.g. a youth league) will occasionally pay umpires of different experience at different rates.

As you might expect, umpire pay varies around the country. What an umpire receives working a 12u game in Southern California may be different than what an umpire receives for a 12u game in Maine. Generally youth leagues will pay between $15 and $50 per game, per umpire. High school is typically $50 - $75 per 7 inning game, per umpire. Tournaments are paid at a different rate. Baseball is usually paid more than softball (mostly because the baseball games are longer), and the older the age group, the greater the pay.

Typically a youth umpire can make between $200 and $400 for a weekend's work at a tournament. Couple that with weekday work (2 games x 3 nights a week) and a beginning umpire can easily make an extra $500/wk working part-time. Taxes are usually not withheld and the umpire is given a 1099 at the end of the year.

As an example, I know a 17 year old umpire in the Midwest who works for a competitive youth softball league. He is mature, dependable, hard-working, and has a great attitude. The league has a 75 minute time limit on their games. This young man works Monday thru Friday, two games a night. He does not work Saturday or Sunday. His pay rate is $25 per game, so he takes home $250 per week for 17.5 hours of work (5:30-9:00). That's an hourly rate of $14.28! Sure beats the $7.50 an hour his buddies are making at the Piggly Wiggly.

Pete Reiser is an amateur baseball and softball umpire in the Midwest. Pete has umpired at various levels from 9U to NCAA Division I.

For more information about umpiring and equipment, see Pete's blog: http://midwestump.blogspot.com/

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

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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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Softball Coaching - Tips for Leading Female Athletes

Softball Coaching - Tips for Leading Female Athletes
by Guest Author Becky Wittenburg

Softball coaching can be difficult, no matter what age, ability level, or gender of the players. Coaches need to be aware of what their players are going through, both in the sport and out, so that they can build trusting relationships and lead the players to be their best.

Some female athletes face mental and physical struggles when they feel pressure to perform. Girls softball coaches should know the signs of these problems so that they can know when they need to step in and help, before the situation gets out of control.

Female Athlete Triad

Softball players who feel overstressed might develop the Female Athlete Triad, a syndrome of three combined disorders that result from over exercising and not taking in enough calories.


-- Disordered eating: this aspect of the Female Athlete Triad occurs when an athlete stops taking in enough calories. It can develop as an effort to get their weight down or as a way to deal with stress. Disordered eating can be in the form of anorexia, where the athlete stops eating enough food, or bulimia, where the athlete consumes food but then throws it up.
-- Amenorrhea: amenorrhea occurs when the athlete starts missing her menstrual cycle. Athletes who normally experience regular cycles may stop to menstruate if they no longer eat enough or if they are exercising too much.
-- Osteoporosis: this part of the Female Athlete Triad happens when the athlete's bones start to lose their density, becoming fragile and prone to breakage. It is related to, and worsened by, the other conditions in the syndrome.

The Female Athlete Triad is not only unhealthy, it can be extremely dangerous. Watch for signs that your players might be over exercising or under eating. Ask them questions about their lives and let them know you really want to listen. When a player seems particularly stressed, make sure she knows how to relieve the pressure in a healthy way.

Helpful Tips for Coaching Girls


1. Let them be involved, particularly in picking positions. Have tryouts for different positions every season so the athletes can show how they perform and have a chance to try something different.
2. Develop a relationship based on trust. Coaches need to trust their players, and players need to trust their coaches. This means that a coach needs to respect when an athlete says she needs to use the restroom and understand that women's bodies are different from men's. This also means that a player should trust that a coach has her best interest at heart when he asks her to push harder, try a new approach, or change her position.
3. Remember that softball is just a game, and it's supposed to be fun. Coaches and athletes need to work hard, but practice shouldn't be a dreaded thing. Drills can be both challenging and rewarding, and if a coach is able to keep things positive, players will learn the sport, perform well, and have a good time.

For more coaching tips and free softball drills, go here to watch a free video:

http://www.softball-spot.com/vid/
Becky Wittenburg is a kids softball coach, and the owner and publisher of Softball-Spot.com, the web's #1 resource for softball practice drills, tips, and coaching ideas for youth and high school coaches.

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

Softball Coaching - Tips for Leading Female Athletes

Softball Coaching - Tips for Leading Female Athletes
By Becky Wittenburg

Softball coaching can be difficult, no matter what age, ability level, or gender of the players. Coaches need to be aware of what their players are going through, both in the sport and out, so that they can build trusting relationships and lead the players to be their best.

Some female athletes face mental and physical struggles when they feel pressure to perform. Girls softball coaches should know the signs of these problems so that they can know when they need to step in and help, before the situation gets out of control.

Female Athlete Triad

Softball players who feel overstressed might develop the Female Athlete Triad, a syndrome of three combined disorders that result from over exercising and not taking in enough calories.


Disordered eating: this aspect of the Female Athlete Triad occurs when an athlete stops taking in enough calories. It can develop as an effort to get their weight down or as a way to deal with stress. Disordered eating can be in the form of anorexia, where the athlete stops eating enough food, or bulimia, where the athlete consumes food but then throws it up.
Amenorrhea: amenorrhea occurs when the athlete starts missing her menstrual cycle. Athletes who normally experience regular cycles may stop to menstruate if they no longer eat enough or if they are exercising too much.
Osteoporosis: this part of the Female Athlete Triad happens when the athlete's bones start to lose their density, becoming fragile and prone to breakage. It is related to, and worsened by, the other conditions in the syndrome.

The Female Athlete Triad is not only unhealthy, it can be extremely dangerous. Watch for signs that your players might be over exercising or under eating. Ask them questions about their lives and let them know you really want to listen. When a player seems particularly stressed, make sure she knows how to relieve the pressure in a healthy way.

Helpful Tips for Coaching Girls


Let them be involved, particularly in picking positions. Have tryouts for different positions every season so the athletes can show how they perform and have a chance to try something different.
Develop a relationship based on trust. Coaches need to trust their players, and players need to trust their coaches. This means that a coach needs to respect when an athlete says she needs to use the restroom and understand that women's bodies are different from men's. This also means that a player should trust that a coach has her best interest at heart when he asks her to push harder, try a new approach, or change her position.
Remember that softball is just a game, and it's supposed to be fun. Coaches and athletes need to work hard, but practice shouldn't be a dreaded thing. Drills can be both challenging and rewarding, and if a coach is able to keep things positive, players will learn the sport, perform well, and have a good time.

For more coaching tips and free softball drills, go here to watch a free video:

http://www.softball-spot.com/vid/
Becky Wittenburg is a kids softball coach, and the owner and publisher of Softball-Spot.com, the web's #1 resource for softball practice drills, tips, and coaching ideas for youth and high school coaches.

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

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