Softball is a team sport. That means that if a team wants to find success on a consistent basis, the individuals on the team will need to all engage in behavior that makes the group better. Coaches who do not lay out expectations and rules will give their players leeway to engage in actions that do not help the team. Coaches that are clear with rules and expectations will establish order and create a constructive culture.
Conditioning
A player who is out of shape will hurt the team, and coaches need to make it an expectation and a standard on the team that players must be in the best shape they can be. It can be a baserunner who gets thrown out at home plate trying to score on a hit or a pitcher who gets fatigued early and starts making bad pitches. Rather than just telling the players about the conditioning expectation, coaches can set a culture of conditioning by running conditioning drills each day at practice.
Motivation
Players who are motivated to win will emerge victorious much more often than players who are just there to enjoy themselves. Coaches must foster an environment where players are motivated to win every time they step on the field. According to Mysoftballcoach.com, speeches don't create motivation to win. "The motivation has to come from the atmosphere you set at practice as well as the attitude you portray during games. The keys to building a winning spirit are enthusiasm, positive reinforcement, building a competitive fire, and having fun."
Focus and Mentality
Every pitch is a unique situation in the game of softball and players need to assess each situation to determine their role on that play. Unfocused players are much more likely to make costly mental errors that cost teams games. A rule about staying focused is impossible to enforce from a coaching standpoint, so it is all about the expectation on the team that players will stay focused. According to sports psychologist Alan Goldberg "You can't reach your softball dreams without learning to develop mental toughness. That is, you have to learn how to stay calm under pressure, bounce back quickly from errors and bad at-bats, concentrate on what's important and block out everything else." Coaches should promote that train of thought.
Personal Conduct
The actions of each individual in softball reflect upon the team, so it is vital that coaches set standards and rules regarding how players conduct themselves. Coaches should set a list of actions that will not be tolerated and there should be specific punishments for each of those actions no matter who the player is. Fighting, cursing, use of illegal substances and absenteeism are a few examples of behavior that coaches should not allow.
Member Comments