Softball Coaching Tips on Helping Players Deal With Defeat

Youth Softball Coaching Tips on Helping Players Deal With Defeat
By Guest Author Marc Dagenais

It's not something that you prepare for, but when it hits you, it hits you real hard. I'm talking about losing here.

There's no escaping losing at least one game in a softball coach and player's life. Even the greatest softball players have to deal with this fact from time to time.

As a coach, what's important here is that you motivate your players to pick themselves up and prepare themselves to win the next game. It could be difficult but there are several strategies you could help them overcome the emotional slump of losing.

Here are some of these softball coaching tips I'd like to share with you:

It's Not the End of the World

It's not the end of the world whether your team loses a big game or a small one. You should let them realize that. There are some ways to help them alleviate this feeling. You could probably go out with them, or do anything that would help lighten their mood. Your goal here is to lift their spirits up and make them want to look forward to another day and another game.

It's Not One Person's Fault

There could be instances where there would be a lot of finger pointing on who cost the team the game. It's a negative attitude that you want to get rid of as soon as possible because it can destroy the team's morale and camaraderie.

Remind them that softball is a team sport. And when the team goes down, there must be something that the entire team did wrong, and not just one person. It's then the entire team's job to regain its composure for the next game.

Offer Incentives

Some people might consider it as bribery, but those who deserve to get occasional honors and praises for a job well done should get it. The key here is to motivate your players to try harder by giving them an immediate goal they could strive for.

Help Them Step Up Their Game

Sometimes, it's the lack of skills that could cost you a game. You have to accept the times that some teams cold pull off fantastic games against you.

But instead of punishing your players for that, try a more productive approach: give them longer hours of training until you see positive results during training and the game itself. They might protest against it, but it would be a lot milder compared to when you tell them that you're punishing them for losing.

Let the Emotions Pass

It can be very easy to get emotional after a loss, but don't let it get the better of you or your players. Again, as I said earlier, it's not the end of the world. Give yourself the time to mend the emotional wounds caused by the loss. And believe me, you'll turn out fine after a day or so.

Nobody wants to lose, and we all have to deal with losing at one point or another in our career. But I hope that the softball coaching tips I shared with you will help you and your team deal with it a lot easier.

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that helps softball players and coaches improves their game by sharing with them the tips and strategies used by the world's best softball players and coaches to achieve extraordinary performances. Visit his site and sign-up to get his FREE softball hitting tips!

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