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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SoftballrUs.com/FastpitchSoftballSupply.com is the ultimate online fastpitch softball online store. SoftballrUs.com has Batting Trainers,Pitching Training, Training Bats,Defensive Training Equipment,Coaching DVDs & Books, Softball Pitching Machines, Softball Complete Net & Frame Batting Cage Packages, Batting Cage Nets, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, and BatAction Hitting Machines, and much, much more. Visit Softballrus.com now!

Softball Coaching Tips and Their Wonders

Softball Coaching Tips and Their Wonders
By guest author: Marc Dagenais

Every single person throughout the world appreciates and values all kinds of tips and strategies. Living everyday may be quite tough and challenging for some that is why coaches and tips are provided to make life easier and better. But, in order for these two to become effective and beneficial, it is important for these two aspects to amalgamate and unite for optimum results and advantages most especially in sports fields such as softball.

Softball is becoming more and more popular and relevant these days that is why a sudden rise of effective softball coaching tips are demanded by the public especially newbie softball coaches. Vast amounts of information on the different kinds of softball coaching tips and techniques are readily available in the internet for everyone's disposal...

Trust between coach and players is one of the essential and most effective softball coaching tips the whole sports industry has to offer. A team without trust is not a team at all. A team is defined as a group of people working as one and that is only possible if trust is at the center of every member's hearts.

Improving and enhancing all the player's individual and team skills and prowess should always be the main goal of every softball coach. And one way to do that is to constantly provide your team with a lot of activities that are varied and fun. It has been said that boredom and having a monotonous softball life is one of the main causes of under performance and game play decrease. Get their very important interest and one hundred percent focus every single practice game and tournament through the use of fun, new, and innovative softball training drills for softball hitting, pitching, fielding, running, and more.

Aside from having trust between team members and the coach, it is very vital to always have fairness in everyone's hearts and minds when it comes to effective softball coaching. Stay away from giving unruly praises or punishments to your players just because you feel like it. That will cause players to feel insecure and jealous of the other players. Only give them what is due and do not ever judge your players based entirely on your personal ideas and expectations. Softball coaches should always take note of their player's well-being and improvement at all times.

Another basic yet very effective softball coaching tips a coach must have for efficient coaching and teaching is the power to adjust. Not all players are the same; some may be advanced in level while other may be in the beginners' side. Learn to analyze their current playing level and status and work your way up from their.

Also, one of the great softball coaching tips every softball coach should utilize is to act as role models. One should practice what he preaches right? By being the team's coach, everyone looks at you for guidance that is why it is very important to portray a well-informed and capable look all the time. In this way, the players will learn the basics and softball techniques in a more efficient and fun way.

One will clearly see and experience an improved softball team through the magic and use of these basic yet effectual softball coaching tips. There are a lot more amazing softball coaching tips and tricks in the internet if you want more. Remember that you are one of the most essential elements for the team to take home the glory.

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

======================
Thanks to our sponsors:






SoftballrUs.com/FastpitchSoftballSupply.com is the ultimate online fastpitch softball online store. SoftballrUs.com has Batting Trainers,Pitching Training, Training Bats,Defensive Training Equipment,Coaching DVDs & Books, Softball Pitching Machines, Softball Complete Net & Frame Batting Cage Packages, Batting Cage Nets, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, and BatAction Hitting Machines, and much, much more. Visit Softballrus.com now!

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


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




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5217610

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SoftballrUs.com/FastpitchSoftballSupply.com is the ultimate online fastpitch softball online store. SoftballrUs.com has Batting Trainers,Pitching Training, Training Bats,Defensive Training Equipment,Coaching DVDs & Books, Softball Pitching Machines, Softball Complete Net & Frame Batting Cage Packages, Batting Cage Nets, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, and BatAction Hitting Machines, and much, much more. Visit Softballrus.com now!