Obviously, there are a lot of mistakes you can make while coaching softball. Some involve game strategy and calls or decisions made during the game, while others are made in preparation for competition. I won’t go into strategy today, but I will mention some 5 common mistakes coaches make with their team in preparation for competition.

5 Softball Coaching Mistakes that Can Limit Your Success

• Flying by the Seat of Your Pants – aka not having a practice plan. This wastes time, greatly reduces coaching efficiency, and hinders your team from progressing as quickly as they could.
• Trying to Please Everyone – Pleasing everyone is all but impossible. Not everyone is going to be entirely happy in any given situation. Worrying to much about and focusing too much on the few people who’d rather grumble than make adjustments is a waste of time and energy that could be better spent helping the entire team get better.
• Focusing Too Much on Your Opponent - It’s always important to stay focused on the thing you can change and let go of the things you can’t. Your opponent is not something you can change. Some feel it’s important to know your opponent to be able to form a plan of attack which is fine, but they should not be the focus of all your pre-competition chalk talk. Stay focused on your team and what you need to do to be successful.
• Not Practicing Skills You Expect to be Executed Well – Skills like taking leads, bunting, or getting out of the box are things that coaches often expect to be done well but may not dedicate enough practice time to.
• Ignoring the Mental Game - This is huge!  Don’t forget to train both mind and body.  All the skill in the world without mental toughness won’t get you very far.  You’re players need to be able to overcome the challenges and obstacles that are sure to arise during the season.

Take a look at how you prepare and see if you are making any of these common softball coaching mistakes with your team.  If not, great!  You’re on the right path.  If you are, identify the problem and make a positive adjustment to enjoy more success this season!