Tag Archives: Coaching Softball

Adjustments Win Games

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I recently watched a softball game in which one team obviously amde better adjustments than their opponent.

It may seem like a bad thing when your opponent gets on base more often than you in the beginning of a game.  But if your team makes adjustments, you still have a good chance of coming out on top.

After all, what you’d love to see is your pitching becoming more and more effective against opposing batters while your hitters become more and more effective against opposing pitchers.  It can happen!

Two things that popped into my mind after watching that very scenario unfold before my very eyes:

  1. The team that makes the best adjustments usually wins.
  2. If your pitchers and hitters are becoming less effective as the game wears on, you’re in trouble – especially if the opposite is true for your opponent.

Remember, even if 4 innings are gone and you’re heading into the 5th, there’s still a lot of game left.  I know 5th inning sounds “late in the game.”  If you’re starting the 5th, then only 4 innings have been completed and, in a 7 inning game, that means there are still 3 innings left!  In fact, 42.85% of the game still lies ahead of you. It’s hardly “too late.”

Obviously, as coaches, the ideal situation involves pure domination of our opponent from the very start of a game all the way through to the last out.  In a perfect world this happens every game of the season.  In the real world we know that’s simply not the case.  So, if your team happens to get off to a bit of a slow start…

Keep the faith.  Make adjustments. Always remember that ultimately, how your game ends is far more important than how it begins.

Softball Coaching Tips: Is Your Practice Too EASY?

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It’s easy to perform well when things are “just right,” when everything is going your way.  Your players have great, positive attitudes, they’re hustling, they’re encouraging each other, they’re cheering, and everything is fine and dandy.

But what happens when a call or two doesn’t go your way?  Or when one mistake leads to another?  Or when the playing conditions are less than desirable?  Or after you’ve been playing all weekend long and fatigue is starting to set in?  Or when your “best” players go down due to injury, health, or ineligibility issues?  How does your team react then?

Do they have the same approach? Do they remain upbeat and positive?  Or do they start to fall apart?  Do they start to press?  Do they start to get frustrated with themselves or each other?  Does your team fall apart or can your team still perform when things get tough?

I’ll admit, it’s not possible to re-create every challenging game-like situation in practice.  However if your team is never challenged in practice chances are they won’t be able to respond the way you want when challenge arises during the game.

Some very wise coaches and elite athletes suggest that training should be harder, tougher, and more challenging than competition.  That way when game day comes, it seems “easy” in comparison.  Is that what you do? Are you preparing your team to perform under adverse conditions, under any circumstance that may occur?  Or is your practice and training too easy?

Here’s an excerpt from an article by Wayne Goldsmith, high performance expert which pretty much sums it all up…

Accept that all teams have to learn to win in tough conditions and prepare to deal with them better than your opposition.

Notice he didn’t say “your team” – he said ALL teams. Often times we use an unfortunate circumstance in our season as an excuse for poor performance, but that’s just a cop out. Do you really think that the best NEVER have a bad day, or calls go against them, or bad weather to deal with, or personality clashes aka drama?

I’m sure you’d agree that such a perfect team environment doesn’t exist. Every team has it’s ups and downs, it’s challenges and obstacles, but the ones that are best prepared to perform in spite of how tough it gets are usually the ones that come out on top.

Not only is “your best no matter what” a great skill to have on the softball field, but in life as well. Help your players learn to keep moving forward no matter what adversity they may face.  Not only will you probably win more games and maybe even a few championships, but your players will also carry invaluable life skill off the field and into the real world where stakes are much higher than a few statistics or a win-loss record.

Popular Softball Thoughts of the Week

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Obviously, softball is on my brain a lot.  I have quite a few softball thoughts that run through my head every day.  Not all of them are long enough to warrant an entire article or blog post all by themselves and that’s why I often share those via Facebook or Twitter.

However, there were quite a few this week that people really seemed to like, so I decided to put them together in this Thoughts of the Week post for you just in case you’re not all that social media savvy or simply had no clue that I was on either Facebook or Twitter.  :)

5 Softball Thoughts of the Week

original versions shared on Facebook and/or Twitter

  • Lack of focus during the week = sloppy game performance on the weekend
  • If you don’t have the guts to call your head coach to say you’ll be late or absent, then you probably don’t have a very good reason.
  • Dear softball bats,
    Wake Up! You should be well rested after the last 3 games…
  • You know you’re a softball coach when you forget the bikini tan because you sport a major coaching shirt tan instead.
  • Just Curious: How do you like your softball pants? Cast your vote and see the responses to date on Facebook

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If you are super social and want to connect with me on the web, check me out at…

Twitter

All About Fastpitch on Facebook

Stacie Mahoe on Facebook

How to Get the Appreciation Back

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Do you remember back to a time when you hadn’t handled the ball for a while? Then when you finally got the chance to you really, REALLY looked forward to it?  You appreciated the opportunity you had to practice and play softball?

As I talked about in the Finish It post, this can often wear off as the season moves along…and that’s probably 100% normal.

But you know what’s really annoying as a coach and former player?  Continue reading →

How to Get on Base More Often

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If you want to get on base more often, start by running shorter, not longer.

Often times when coaches want you to run through the base better, they make you run farther than 60 feet. But that may not be the best idea.

You see, it doesn’t really matter if your coach makes you run 80 feet instead of 60 feet. If you always train to slow down at the end, you will ALWAYS slow down before your target no matter how far or close it is.

Excellence is a habit – so get in the habit of sprinting THROUGH any marker, goal, base or cone that is set for you, whether it’s 6 feet away or 60 feet away.

This habit is what will help you “get through the bag” more consistently at 1st base, put more pressure on the defense and get safe more often!

If you’re a coach, instead of making your players run farther, try shortening the distance and challenge them to run all the way through. After all, if they can’t consistently “run through the bag” at 30 feet, how do they expect to do it at 60 feet? Often times pointing this out to them is enough to get them focused on doing it right.

As they get better and better running all the way through the shorter distance, start adding more distance until they are running through any target you give them.

Always expect your player’s best speed all the way through ANY sprint you do, whether it’s a short spring or a longer spring, whether it’s their first sprint or their last sprint of the day.  Notice I didn’t say “fastest” because the more your work them, they slower they may get, but they should always be giving their best – whatever it is they have at that time.  Make them do it again if they don’t do it right. Help them create the good habit of going hard and giving their best ALL the way through to the end and beyond, just like you want them to do in a game – not only for baserunning but in every area of play!

The Cost of Coaching Girls Softball

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I saw a softball player post about the cost of playing softball at facebook.  That got me thinking and decided to jot one down for coaching.

Here is what I came up with.

The cost of coaching girls softball for one season…

  • Fungo: $99
  • Sunglasses: $90
  • Cleats: $69
  • Training Aids: $200
  • Coaching Shoes: $69
  • Sports Drinks and Snacks: $120
  • Glove: $79
  • Coaching Aids/Clinics: $100
  • Team Bat: $299
  • Gas: $600

Working with and helping young ladies improve as a players and as individuals/people while learning valuable life lessons…PRICELESS!

The Challenge is Not to Become…

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I swear, social media is so cool!  If you’re not a part of it yet, you’re totally missing out.  Just this weekend I heard something on the softball field that I thought was “status update worthy.”  So I wrote a tweet to share it with others.  Next thing you know, a coach sees it (Coach Meg) and turns it into a blog post.  I read her blog post and am now sharing a nugget from it with you! Isn’t that cool?

It all started with a word at the field that was shared with others.  Then someone else came along and offered to share the insight they got from it.  The insight they shared then lead to this blog post which I am now sharing with you.  That’s a lot of sharing going on, but that’s how we continue to learn and grow and gain insight into ideas or concepts we may not have thought of on our own.  Or sometimes these things just serve as a timely reminder of what we already know – and the internet and social media make it easier than ever to begin and continue this chain of sharing, learning, and growing with each other.

Anyway – on to what this post is really about – The Challenge!

You see, in Coach Meg’s post, I read a phrase that just jumped out at me…

The challenge is to not become complacent

The challenge is to not become complacent…

  • with your performance
  • with your training
  • with your mental approach
  • with your school work
  • with your interaction with your teammates
  • with your performance
  • with how you train
  • with how you perform
  • with what you’ve already accomplished
  • etc, etc, etc

That’s such a great line and one that applies to so many player and coaches in the game today.  It’s so easy to become complacent once we find something that “works” or once we accomplish a goal or once we see that we are one of the best amongst our immediate competition.  But complacency is the quickest path to repeating crisis or failure.  So, you may be on top now, but never ever let that stop you from moving forward or continuing to develop.

One thing is certain, once you reach the top, once you become a champion, you now have what everyone else wants. Some are fighting tooth and nail and are willing to do almost anything to get what you have.  If you choose complacency, if you think that now, since you’ve finally reached your goal, that you can relax.  Think again.  That “prize” you’ve earned and worked so hard for will be gone in an instant if you think for once second that there’s nothing else you need to do…that there’s no more to improve upon.  Whether it’s a championship, or an award, or a starting position, or a spot on the team – working for it and earning it does not entitle you to it forever.

You think getting to that point was tough – staying there is a whole ‘nother level!

Complacency is a very sneaky enemy.  The challenge is to not become complacent.