Coaching Softball Books/Literature

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Jun 1, 2015
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Obviously I know experience is the best form of opportunity to improve one's ability to coach, but does anyone have any good recommendations for any good paperback books out there that a coach could really learn from/find good, solid drills and/or philosophy from? A Google search just doesn't cut it when one book looks no different than another listed. Just curious if any of the experienced coaches out there have a set of books or a title or titles they swear by religiously as something that helped them as a young coach. Any help would be appreciated!
 
May 1, 2018
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I don't have any books but you'll be amazed what youtube has. I have been coaching baseball a long time but studied youtube for a while before stepping into softball. Now I'm still picking up stuff but have a good base to work with.
 
Sep 21, 2017
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PA
There really is a ton of drill work out there, just be careful, it's not all good. The longer I do this, the more I realize any joker can go on the web, find drills and call themselves "coach". The ones who are the best are the ones who figure out it's all about relationships, those are the ones who stick around. Saying that...here are some books I really enjoy. My top 3 are listed first, then some others in no particular order.

The next one I am excited about is The Man Watching by Tim Crothers. It's about Anson Dorrance and the UNC Women's Soccer dynasty. I've been told if you are a man who coaches girls, it's a must read.

They don't have a book, but you really should listen to Tim and Brian Kight's Focus 3 Podcast. There's nothing better out there on culture/leadership development.

Inside Out Coaching - Joe Ehrmann
Burn Your Goals - Joshua Medcalf/Jamie Gilbert
Above the Line - Urban Meyer

What Drives Winning - Brett Ledbetter
3D Coaching - Jeff Duke
Leaders Eat Last - Simon Sinek
Legacy - James Kerr
Toughness - Jay Bilas
You Win in the Locker Room First - Jon Gordon
The Hard Hat - Jon Gordon
Mindset - Carol Dweck
The Matheny Manifesto - Mike Matheny
Lead...For God's Sake - Todd Gongwer
 
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Jun 14, 2018
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Thank you for the reading list Coach Foster. I have a few of them on the way now and look foreword to reading them!
 
Mar 8, 2016
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Way back when i was coaching dd's rec all star team dw bought me a book on coaching softball. The first paragraph of the book talked about how what you were doing was teaching. My job is to teach senior veterinary students clinical skills in real world cases. I then realized the goal was not just finding the best drill and it didn't matter how much i knew. All that mattered was how much they learned out of what they were being taught.
It is a subtle difference but your accomplishments as a coach have to be measured in how well they learn what you teach not just what you teach.
We had the head of drill Sargents for the Marine Corps come give us a talk on teaching. He told us if a drill sargent consistently failed to many recruits they fired the drill sargent not the recruits. Now if we could only fire bad tb coaches.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
Jun 1, 2015
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I don't have any books but you'll be amazed what youtube has. I have been coaching baseball a long time but studied youtube for a while before stepping into softball. Now I'm still picking up stuff but have a good base to work with.

That's what I have been doing. A lot of Sportskool from Mike Candrea - his videos have helped me out quite a bit. But since right now I only coach softball in the summer (May-July), I'd like to have a lot more literature to read over the fall and winter so I'm fully prepared for the spring/summertime. While I'd love to coach softball 24/7/365, there simply aren't any opportunities in my area to do so, so I'd like to take the time to focus my efforts on what I can do to personally improve.
 
Jun 1, 2015
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No DD for me (which I think makes coaching a little easier for me) - I do it out of the love of wanting the girls I know to get better at the game and enjoy the game. Not my own ego or W-L record, but at the same time if I'M not doing my best to get at the top of my game, I can't help them do that either.
 
Jan 22, 2011
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Can't over recommend 'Lead For God's Sake'. I was pretty burnt out on involvement as a volunteer in youth sports when I saw Todd speak at a coaches conference last summer. Restored my energy and willingness to volunteer.
 
Dec 10, 2015
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Chautauqua County
No DD for me (which I think makes coaching a little easier for me) - I do it out of the love of wanting the girls I know to get better at the game and enjoy the game. Not my own ego or W-L record, but at the same time if I'M not doing my best to get at the top of my game, I can't help them do that either.

perfectly said. I read and watch what is posted here and then, even absent a DD, get up and try it out by myself to make sure I understand the process and agree with it. I can't teach what I don't understand, so this is my way of putting away the map and getting to know the territory. :)
 

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