Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast

Gloves are the tools of the trade, but they are often neglected. Teach your players how to take care of them and also be prepared to make repairs when needed.

Sometimes we encounter a player who just doesn't want to be there. The parents or someone has decided that they should play ball. Maybe its for exercise, being part of a team or they honestly think the player will like it if they give it a try. We have to handle the situation so that it isn't a distraction.

The coaches discuss this time of year where teams are finishing this season but are planning for next season. We are finishing up with probably our biggest tournaments of the year. But, many are trying to get a jump on preparing for next year. It is hard to stay focused on the task at hand for the players and coaches if we are distracted by working in tryouts at the same time.

We can increase the softball IQ of our players by teaching them the basics of scorekeeping. They will better understand how their batting and fielding average is computed. Also they could look at an online or offline scorebook and reconstruct what had occurred. Every little bits helps in the education process.

This weeks lineup:

We have all seen it. A runner is sliding into a base or homeplate and the fielder reaches and tags the runner high and the runner is safe. Remind your players that the runner has to come to the base, so we should get in a position to tag the runner at field level on whatever body part is going to be the first to hit the base.

This weeks lineup:

Players need to advance their skills by practicing skills that are out of their comfort zone but not into their panic zone. The middle ground is the stretch zone. Learn to push them, but not to far.

Today we discuss enthusiasm. There is a line that you can cross where enthusiasm becomes obnoxious. It is our job as coaches to keep our team on the right side of that line.

You are going to a big out of town tournament. It's costing the parents and players a lot of money. When you factor in travel, living expenses and missed work the investment is significant. Don't let "we have to get our money's worth" alter your coaching style. Your team will play better if you stay consistent. If you display a lot more pressure, it will carry over to the team. 

This weeks lineup:

It invariably happens in a critical situation. The ball gets hit into the Bermuda Triangle of the field where infielders and outfielders are racing as hard as they can go to get to the ball. Communication breaks down and the ball doesn't get caught or we have a train wreck and somebody gets hurt. It happens rarely, but we need to practice it often.