How do you light a fire?

[cmspock]

I coach DD's 12u rec team. We were the #7 seed (out of 9) going into the end of season double elim tournament.

Going by the season stats, we should have been out of this on Saturday but the girls played unbelievably good and won. We won 3 games vs #8, #2, #3 and sent them all to the losers bracket.

Last night we played #1. We were the only 2 undefeated teams left and I figured the girls would be up for the game. Instead, I think they were wearing cement cleats. Nobody moved for the ball, they made silly baserunning errors, and they looked like they had never swung a bat before. Lost by slaughter rule.

Tonight we are playing the #2 seed again (who we've beat twice and tied once this year). Any suggestions on how to fire them up for the game. If we win, we play #1 again tomorrow in the finals.

 

[WB Coach]

If we win, we play #1 again tomorrow in the finals.

That is what you say. You can also tell them they don't need superhuman feats to beat this team. They just have to execute plays like they always do. If they don't execute the plays then the season ends tonight. Anything more is browbeating. Good luck and report back!

 

[James Smith]

It is hard on the players when they know you need minimum mistakes were the other Team can make a few and still win. Once the game starts attack, run the bases aggressively and set the tone for the game. Even if they are throw out, force the action.

 

[canyonjoe]

If you figure out the secret you can sell it for millions.

 

[CoogansBluff]

I don't about 8-year-old girls, but this one always fires me up.

 

[kenb63]

Try this one:

"Great moments are born from great opportunity, and that's what you have here today, girls. That's what you've earned here today. One game; if we played them ten times, they might win nine. But not this game, not today. Today, we hit with them. Today we field with them, and we shut them down because we can. Today, we are the greatest softball team in the world.

You were born to be softball players—every one of you, and you were meant to be here today. This is your time. Their time is done. It's over. I'm sick and tired of hearing about what a great softball team the Purple Pixies are. Screw 'em. This is your time. Now go out there and take it!"

Works every time.

 

[cmspock]

Try this one:

"Great moments are born from great opportunity, and that's what you have here today, girls. That's what you've earned here today. One game; if we played them ten times, they might win nine. But not this game, not today. Today, we hit with them. Today we field with them, and we shut them down because we can. Today, we are the greatest softball team in the world.

You were born to be softball players—every one of you, and you were meant to be here today. This is your time. Their time is done. It's over. I'm sick and tired of hearing about what a great softball team the Purple Pixies are. Screw 'em. This is your time. Now go out there and take it!"

Works every time.

That gave me chills just reading it.

 

[cmspock]

Got back the weekend team tonight and we won. Went with WB's speech tonight. Told them to catch, hit, and throw like they know how. Make the plays and a win will follow and if a mistake is made, shake it off and move on the the next play. I also reminded them that if we don't win, this is it. We don't want 3rd place we want to play for first.

Worked like a charm. Going to use a paraphrased version on kenb's speech tomorrow.

 

[kenb63]

Give Herb Brooks his due. And go watch "Miracle."

 

[sluggers]

Give Herb Brooks his due. And go watch "Miracle."

Movies are fantasies, and sports movies are the worst. The difference between "Miracle" and what actually happened in 1980 is about as much as between "The Flinstones" and Neanderthals.

So, I called my DD#3 who played in and won the NCAA championship D3 hoops game. I asked her about the pre-game speech. She said, "The coach's speech was pretty bland. I don't remember it. But, right before we went out, the team captain started screaming, "We're the best. We're going to beat the snot out of them. They're going to be sorry they showed up." She started jumping up and down screaming at the top of her lungs. And, then the whole team was screaming and jumping up and down."

The team captain who did this was not "the star" of the team. She was a good, solid player. She had built up a reputation over the course of the season as a tough, fair competitor who would "give everything she had" to win.

Contrary to way coaches are portrayed in the movies, the coach isn't the one who gets the team "fired up" for the game. It is the team leaders who get the team ready to play. One or two *PLAYERS* on the team lead. Those players get the whole team ready to play.

By the end of the season, the team has pretty much tuned out the coach as to "rah rah" stuff. The team turns to the kids who over and over again were there for the team and look to those one or two kids for leadership.

A coach's real job to "get the team fired up" is to identify who the real leaders are and then facilitate them getting the team ready to play. (The coach's usual mistake is not seeing who the real leaders are. On most softball teams, they pick their own DDs as the team captains without any thought as to whether their DD's actually have leadership ability.)


According my DD#3, the person who got the team inspired before the NCAA National Championship