Five Qualities For Coaching Youth Softball

Five Qualities For Coaching Youth Softball
By guest author: Trevor Sumner

Coaching youth softball requires talent, patience, understanding, and, above all, a commitment to those players entrusted to your care. Coaching youth softball is so much more than giving signs from the third base coaching box, or making decisions on personnel.

Today, youth sports demand that the youth softball coach possess qualities that are essential to the position. It won't guarantee a winning season, or even that all players and their parents will be grateful for your efforts on their behalf. However, if you don't possess these qualities and fulfill certain roles, you will not succeed in your mission - to help the youngsters continue their development into mature and responsible adults.

Coaching youth softball requires that your play these five key roles:


•Mentor - Coaching requires you to understand two things - the game and rules of youth softball as well as the goal of your job, which is to help the youngsters grow as individuals. You'll never be able to be effective in your position if you are not clear yourself on these issues. If you're not clear on your responsibilities to the team you will not convey the message that your players need to receive.
•Manager - You must be able to manage a number of variables and multi-task, as well. Your team will have players with different personalities and different needs, and your task as a softball coach is to take the best elements and talents of each of your players and to mold them into one functioning unit for the benefit of the team.
•Teacher - Coaching youth softball involves teaching your players a number of lessons - how to work together and perform as a team; how to sublimate personal goals for the team's goals; how to improve their softball acumen, teach them age appropriate softball drills, and help them become better players. In this manner, your team will also improve.
•Motivator - You can not overestimate the importance of the mental aspects of the game. Coaching youth softball is just not teaching hitting, fielding and throwing skills. It involves raising the level of your team's play though inspiration and your personal example. Don't hesitate to draw on examples that your players can relate to for support and inspiration, especially from pros they admire.
•Role Model - Coaching youth softball means that you serve as a positive example for your players to emulate. This includes rendering fair and equitable treatment for all players, regardless of talent.

If you hone these qualities, you will be able to fulfill your goal of coaching youth softball in a manner that both improves the lives of your athletes, parents and families, and also ultimately enriches your own coaching experience.

By Trevor Sumner who works for Weplay, a youth softball community dedicated to providing parents, coaches and athletes the tools and information they need to celebrate the love of the game. Weplay has one of the most comprehensive softball drill libraries in its active softball community.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trevor_Sumner

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Coaching Youth Softball - How to Teach Softball Skills Quickly and Efficiently

Coaching Youth Softball - How to Teach Softball Skills Quickly and Efficiently
By guest author: Marc Dagenais

Coaching youth softball is no easy task. Coaching involves multiple responsibilities and one of them is to teach the fundamentals of the game - hitting, pitching, throwing, fielding, and so on.

However, teaching is itself a skill and not as easy as most people would like to believe. Knowing the game is the easy part; teaching it is the hard part. Coaching youth softball involves a lot of teaching.

To make practices fun and enjoyable, youth softball coaches must be able to teach softball skills quickly and effectively using a sound pedagogical approach that takes into account the various types of learners.

Here is a sound approach that involves 6 steps:

Step #1 - What and Why

Kids today need to know why you are doing things. They are critical thinkers. So, when you introduce the new technical element (the ''what''), explain them why it is important. No need for a long speech or justification, just give a reason why so that they can more easily buy into it.

Step #2 - Demonstrate without instruction

This is crucial yet 95% of those coaching youth softball don't it. Most kids have no idea what the skill looks like. So, even before you start giving instructions, you must give them a visual picture or visual reference of what you are talking about. Someone once said that a picture is worth a thousand words and they were right.

Step #3 - Demonstrate with instruction using simple cues

Once the kids have a clear picture of what you are talking about, then you can provide instructions using only a few simple cues to emphasize key technical elements. Don't overload them with technical information, you will lose them.

Step #4 - Get them to try the skill

At this point, you get them to try what you just demonstrated so that they can ''feel'' what you are talking about. By nature, most athletes love to learn by doing.

Step #5 - Give them feedback

At this point, you want to give constructive feedback on what needs to be improved and what they should focus on.

Step #6 - Verify learning and let them ask questions

The worst question to ask to a kid is whether or not they understand. They will always say ''yes'' either because they think they understand (even if they might not) or they don't want to look like they are stupid. So, you want to quiz them asking them questions like what are the key points to verify their learning. Also provide them with a chance to ask their own questions so that they can make sure they clearly understand what was taught.

This 6-step approach is quick and efficient as it respects the fundamental principles of pedagogy. I strongly encourage you to use it with your athletes.

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that provides softball tips, softball drills, and information on techniques for hitting, pitching, coaching, and training through his blog at http://www.softballperformance.com/blog

He also 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. You can sign-up to get his FREE Softball Tips at http://www.softballperformance.com/softball-tips.html Go Sign-up Now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais

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Softball Tips on Breaking the Most Common Softball Myths

Softball Tips on Breaking the Most Common Softball Myths
By guest author: Marc Dagenais

Softball is mostly a conservative game. Take a look at how much the softball gear and apparel have changed over the past century and you'll understand what I mean.

There's nothing wrong with being conservative per se. The uniform, for example, sets it apart from other sports, so people will understand if it doesn't change much.

But from a practical point of view, some things need to be changed in the way the sport is being played. This especially applies to the most common softball myths that most coaches still teach to their players today.

In this article, I'll be showing you some of these common myths and I'll tell you why they need to be changed once and for all.

Static Stretches

This is probably one myth that still persists not only in softball but in other sports as well. The premise of static stretches is that it helps you run faster, provide you with more power and prevent you from getting injured.

But studies have shown the opposite. Instead of giving you a performance boost, static stretches turn off your nervous system, which decreases your performance.

So instead of doing static stretches, softball coaches of the 21st century should teach their players dynamic stretches when warming up. That's because dynamic stretches effectively deliver what static stretches can't.

Should Softball Players Lift Weights?

In the past, softball players have been discouraged from lifting weights because it can negatively affect their performance. Unless you still practice this belief, you'll know that it isn't the case.

The truth is that lifting weights provides more benefits than traditional coaches could ever imagine. Lifting weights develops a player's stamina, endurance and strength, while providing more power to throw the ball faster and swing the bat at greater speeds.

Depending Too Much on Pitching Machines

The day pitching machines became available for softball teams was good news for softball coaches all over the world. And this is why most coaches now only depend on pitching machines to train their players' batting skills.

But pitching machines are a one-trick pony. They cannot completely teach your players how to hit the ball at different areas because the machine can only throw balls at one direction.

I recommend that you use pitching machines when teaching your players the correct hitting mechanics. But when it comes to hitting the ball at different zones, stick with the good old live pitching.

Yelling at Players

Today's coaches should remember that their job is to motivate and inspire their players. That said, coaches should now learn how to gain the respect of their players without shouting at them. What works today is creating a positive and motivating environment for players, and that's something that can never be achieved with tons of shouting.

Some of these softball tips look so obvious that they're funny. But the reality is that there are still coaches out there who continue to propagate these things to their players. It's about time that you do your share in helping break these common softball myths.

Marc Dagenais is a Softball Peak Performance Coach that helps softball players turn their athletic talent into extraordinary performances and help coaches get more out of their players, turn their struggling team around or get an edge over their opponents. Visit us to sign-up to get our FREE softball pitching tips!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais

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