Coach Experience

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Feb 3, 2016
502
43
I've been disappointed in people trying to coach softball that think just because they've played a high level this gives them the gift of coaching.

Just because you've played the game at D1, D2 level doesn't seem to automatically translate into good a coach..

I'm sure plenty of D1, D2 and Juco players can coach but I've only been around a couple that have successfully pulled it off.

Please chime in on your experiences.


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TMD

Feb 18, 2016
433
43
All playing at a high level can do is give you a perspective that someone who hasn't played at that level can't have. Whether or not you are a good coach is based on factors completely independent of that perspective. Can you communicate? Can you teach, reinforce, correct, strategize, motivate, manage, redirect, listen, learn, grow, etc.? If you have all of those things, then you could be a great coach. Add in the perspective of playing at a high level...bonus! If you don't have those things, then the fact that you played at a high level won't help you.

That said, I know that many programs will bring in players with high level college experience as assistant coaches. How effective they are at coaching depends on the factors above, but one benefit that they almost universally have is the opportunity to relate the girls on a level that other coaches can't. For girls in the 12U-16U range (maybe 10U-14U these days??), the college player coaches are someone to look up to and can help motivate the girls to set and attain goals. They may not all be great coaches, but they can all be great role models.
 
Dec 11, 2010
4,713
113
The best coach either one of my daughters had was an older guy who I doubt ever played fastpitch. We think he was in his 70’s at the time. Basketball was his favorite sport. Yet he had coached numerous successful teams. He would only coach until 14u because high school got in the way of his twice weekly three hour practices, lol. He was a retired computer engineer and was one of these people who would say something that was kind of folksy but was loaded with wisdom. I knew he was smart at the time but as time has passed I realize just how smart he was. He set up elaborately planned practices that usually involved 3-4 different pitching machines. “Softball players are built not born.” His players stood out when you saw them in high school. They could hit and had fundamentals that other kids didn’t have, especially base running. A bunch of crazy assed parents made him miserable with unhealthy “win at any cost/the only kid that matters is mine” baloney and he quit coaching. They have no idea how much he did for their kids then or now.

The other daughter played on a team coached by old dudes who just loved softball. Some had played fastpitch, some didn’t. They were super positive, coached very quietly and loved to work hard and have fun. Their team always had a planned defensive strategy and errors weren’t frowned on or punished but errors- Just. Didn’t. Happen. The coaches were all thinking people who were just pleasant people all around.

Both of these groups of coaches developed players and would jump at raw players who had talent and athleticism. They also developed coaches who were former players. They were teachers. Only requirement is you had to be a good person. They had no patience for foolishness.

About former college players- just like most of us softball crazy parents aren’t really suitable for coaching, most of them aren’t either. I think it is a particularly hard transition for super talented players that were super talented from an early age. They dont understand that skills dont just come easy. They didn’t need as much coaching, so therefore they don’t value it. Players that weren’t as good, who wanted to be good and had a coach that lit that path seem to appreciate coaching more. But, they still have to have the right personality and most don’t. Plus... current and former college players don’t always want more softball in their lives. They have lived through ALOT of softball. They may not even realize how wore out they are from it. Not always the case but I see it a lot. I do think there are many former players who played at a high level who are having families and will coach one day. I look forward to that.

Even in my limited experience (7-8 years) with competitive softball I have seen more former players and women coaches and it’s a good thing. There has been growth in the coaching segment of the sport. I hope it continues.

We spend a lot of time developing players. What we really need to develop is coaches.
 
Last edited:
Dec 10, 2015
845
63
Chautauqua County
here in NY, where teachers have first dibs on coaching positions because they are teachers and they usually have some sport experience, it is clearly obvious that all good coaches are good teachers but not all good teachers are good coaches.
 
Dec 11, 2010
4,713
113
All playing at a high level can do is give you a perspective that someone who hasn't played at that level can't have. Whether or not you are a good coach is based on factors completely independent of that perspective. Can you communicate? Can you teach, reinforce, correct, strategize, motivate, manage, redirect, listen, learn, grow, etc.? If you have all of those things, then you could be a great coach. Add in the perspective of playing at a high level...bonus! If you don't have those things, then the fact that you played at a high level won't help you.

Absolutely.

The perspective thing is huge. My kids used to take lessons from a former player from a big program. Her stories were one of the best parts of the lessons. Her perspective was so valuable to my kids. She would feel guilty about telling a story instead of working reps but I always tried to make her understand how important that part was to us, we couldn’t get that anywhere else.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
I am pretty sure Nick Saban was never a great football player...neither was Bill Belichick!
 
Oct 1, 2014
2,219
113
USA
We spend a lot of time developing players. What we really need to develop is coaches.

Amen to that!! I can't say we've seen it all over the years (various sports, various positions and different levels of competition) but we've seen our share of good, bad and just plain ugly. Sometimes you just want to shake these coaches and say wake up, join the real world and others you just can't get enough of and wish they could stick around forever.
 
Jun 1, 2015
500
43
here in NY, where teachers have first dibs on coaching positions because they are teachers and they usually have some sport experience, it is clearly obvious that all good coaches are good teachers but not all good teachers are good coaches.

Interesting you say that - any time I have an interview for a teaching and/or coaching position, I always paraphrase something like this. I (personally) treat my athletes like my students - the "classroom" is different, but the idea of learning for practical applications (games) is there. The more you study (practice), the better your grades (performance) will be. Some athletes get it, some resent it (because school), but I don't give up on that when I know an athlete is buying into it and gaining from it.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
All playing at a high level can do is give you a perspective that someone who hasn't played at that level can't have. Whether or not you are a good coach is based on factors completely independent of that perspective. Can you communicate? Can you teach, reinforce, correct, strategize, motivate, manage, redirect, listen, learn, grow, etc.? If you have all of those things, then you could be a great coach. Add in the perspective of playing at a high level...bonus! If you don't have those things, then the fact that you played at a high level won't help you.
That said, I know that many programs will bring in players with high level college experience as assistant coaches. How effective they are at coaching depends on the factors above, but one benefit that they almost universally have is the opportunity to relate the girls on a level that other coaches can't. For girls in the 12U-16U range (maybe 10U-14U these days??), the college player coaches are someone to look up to and can help motivate the girls to set and attain goals. They may not all be great coaches, but they can all be great role models.

We have a lot of assistant coaches and 'skills' coaches who are recent ex-college players. How effective they are as coaches depends on who they are, plus it is something they build up to with the guidance and mentoring of the older, more experienced coaches we team them up with (often non-daddy ball parent coaches). We also insist on a non-coach treasurer for each team. The ones who really want it have an opportunity to be an assistant for one team and work skills for many others - we have 3 or 4 like this who are busy every day in the week across several teams. Works really well.

The ex-players in our program who are head coaches are either more experienced (having started in the assistant/skills coach role for a few seasons) or are older where they have a DD on the team. The best of the non-kid ex-player coaches has been at it for 6 seasons and her degree program has coaching relevance (lots of leadership, sports management, etc). We will lose her full time to some lucky college next year I would believe - I am surprised it hasn't already happened.

There is a lot to coaching. It takes time to get it right. Also a lot of the younger ex-players who are head coaches get totally bulldozed by the parents who are older and used to bossing around people younger than themselves. This background parent run team is WAY worse to be involved in than most daddy ball teams. We occasionally have some parent take their kid to one of these teams chasing the dream. They tend to come back after 1/2 a season or so.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
The best coach either one of my daughters had was an older guy who I doubt ever played fastpitch. We think he was in his 70’s at the time. Basketball was his favorite sport. Yet he had coached numerous successful teams. He would only coach until 14u because high school got in the way of his twice weekly three hour practices, lol. He was a retired computer engineer

This is basically me but younger. I hope I am this guy when I am in my 70's


Even in my limited experience (7-8 years) with competitive softball I have seen more former players and women coaches and it’s a good thing. There has been growth in the coaching segment of the sport. I hope it continues.

Amen. I hope it continues as well. I know our org would today would love to have 4-5 more in the program than we currently have. We have roles for them.
 

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