Aggressivness

[1999Coach]

We have a new 12u team that was just formed in August, the skill level ranges from high to moderate.The problem we're having is that out of 11 girls we only have about 3 that play aggressive like their life depends on it ,I mean diving for balls, sliding head first and whatever else it takes to achieve the the task at hand. How or what can be done to to get the rest to play like this? I mean they are good ball players just not aggressive.Is this something that can be taught or something that just comes naturally? I want to try to bring the others up to this level but I also understand it will take time, I don't want to insist they play aggressive, I want them to want to be! So any ideas will help.
Thanks, 1999Coach

 

[Wookie]

Are the 3 aggressive players leaders on the team, or are they quiet and just do what they do naturally? If they are leaders, then you won't have to do much. You may want to start to over compliment them when they are aggressive - "way to dive for that ball Suzy, you'll end up on SportsCenter one day!" - and the others will want similar comments for their actions. Just make sure that it's real and sincere. Kids are pretty quick when it comes to bs.

Also, do not get on them when they are agressive but make mistakes as this will surely stop them from being agressive in the future. We had one play in particular last year (10U) where three players went for an infield pop-up with only one calling for it - the one who had the least chance of catching it (it wasn't caught by anyone). The coaches started yelling at her that if she calls it she MUST catch it, etc. So what did the girls do for the rest of the season? You guessed it - didn't call for a ball at all. They learned that the best way to NOT get yelled at was to not call for a ball. That way, they figured, if it wasn't caught they wouldn't get blamed.

At 12U they are still learning - and like school, some are more advanced than others at this age. Those that enjoy the game and want to play it well will eventually get to the level that you would like, especially when they see it all the time, whether in practice or at tournaments. If they want to compete at that level, they will; if not, then they'll find something else to keep them busy.

 

[sluggers]

1999coach: Great job in defining "aggressive". I understand what you are talking about

My experience is that few kids (boys or girls) do this "naturally". They have to be taught. It is easy, to teach, but few coaches do it.

First, you make a list *specifically* of what you want them to do. You teach them in practice how to perform that skill. If you want them to dive for balls, then you better make them practice diving for balls. If you want to slide head first into a base, then you

You tell them what is expected, and then you provide feedback (positive or negative) when they perform the task. If they repeatedly fail to perform the way they are supposed to, you bench them. But coaches generally don't do this. Rather than addressing the problem ("I told you to do X and you did Y"), they give some kind of silly Knute Rockne speech to a bunch of teenage girls.

One year, our starting shortstop was afraid of getting knocked down taking the throw on a steal attempt. After repeated instruction on what she is supposed to do, she still didn't do it right.

So, I pulled her out of the game and made her sit and watch someone who was less talented, but performed the skill correctly, play. Guess what? She never sat again because she always took the throw correctly.

I don't want to insist they play aggressive, I want them to want to be!

You have to insist that the girls "play the way God intended the game to be played." It isn't a question of what they think or feel. It is a question of performing the tasks of the game correctly. You have to show them that you take the game seriously.

What does that mean? It means that you as a coach get to the practices/games on time, that you are well organized, that the girls are working every second during a practice, and that every little detail is important. It means that the process of playing the game is more important than the outcome of the game.

Suzy's shirt is not tucked in? "You either tuck the shirt in or you can sit on the bench. Your choice." A kid fails to "tuck the glove" when they run? "You run with the glove tucked or you sit. Your choice." A kid fails to pick up a ball correctly (and, by the way, there is a specific way to pick up a softball), "You pick up the ball the way you were taught, or you sit. Your choice."

You make them fanatics about execution and "the little things". And "the little things" allow your team to compete with the good teams.

 

[lawdawg]

" A kid fails to pick up a ball correctly (and, by the way, there is a specific way to pick up a softball), "You pick up the ball the way you were taught, or you sit. Your choice."

Ok, I'll bite - what is correct way to p/u a softball if its not with your hand?

 

[livingontheroad]

Most girls simply wont play defense that aggressively. Even on the best teams. Most dont have that level of athleticism. They rely on technique and discipline to get the job done. Some teams will teach NOT to dive for balls AT ALL in IF, as there should always be someone there behind you if you cannot get to a ball in gap, and it may take you out of the play if you do dive for it. In the OF, theres a fine line between diving for a catch, and playing the hop, bottom line is NEVER let the ball get past you. A missed ball to the fence loses games. Key question is what percentage of those diving catches will a given girl actually come up with. Some will get 90%, some will get 0, some just make routine things look difficult too.

Sliding has to be taught, and practiced. Especially hook slides and head first slides away from tag. Some very good players also simply cannot slide, and never will be able to. Ive seem quite a few that run up to a base and just squat down as they reach it. Just have to practice it, and demonstrate for them.

 

[coach_jeffobi]

Ok, I'll bite - what is correct way to p/u a softball if its not with your hand?

I believe he means to not pick up the softball with your glove.

 

[Lozza]

Some very good players also simply cannot slide, and never will be able to.

This is me! I played state and have never been able to slide. I have a mental block and just cannot do it. I got knocked out at eight sliding, and despite the fact I know how to slide and can do it in a practice situation, get me in a game situation and I just freeze. (yet strangely enough I can dive, even when running. I was the only girl in my state team who was allowed to do so, purely because they knew if they sent me on a close run, I was going to dive every time or get out)

Simply put, you cannot teach aggressiveness. They either have it, or they don't.

 

[sluggers]

You always pick up a softball with your bare hand. At the very first practice you say, "You will pick up any ball that is stopped with your bare hand." Then, you correct them each time they do it wrong. It takes about an hour to teach this. So, during a game, a stopped ball is fielded by them picking it up with their bare hand. They don't even think about it.

But, there is also the "correct way" to pick up a softball. Softballs are larger than baseballs, and girls hands are smaller than boys hands. So, a stopped ball is picked up by first pressing the ball into the palm and then closing the fingers. This stops the ball from slipping out when they throw. A player should not simply grab a ball.

It is a small detail, but small details make perfection, and perfection is no small detail.

Simply put, you cannot teach aggressiveness.

It doesn't matter if a player is "aggressive, passive, angry, happy, sad, or psychotic." (Dammit Jim, I'm a softball coach, not a psychiatrist.) But, the players must performs the tasks in the appropriate way. If they have been instructed and they don't do it, then they sit the bench. It really is that simple, but parents and coaches just can't seem to do this.

A 12 YOA girl who loves softball will walk through walls in order to play. People just don't get this--they *LOVE TO PLAY*.

So, if you were a 12YOA girl who refused to slide but loved to play the game, I would (A) teach you the correct way to slide and (B) give you lots of practice sliding. If you failed to slide during a game, then I wold take you out of the game immediately and make you sit. You would get another chance, perhaps in the same game, because I have a very short memory.

12 YOA girls react to this kind of process the same way...they pout for a few minutes. Then they calm down. Before they go back in, I tell them, "Hey, you have to slide this time or I'm taking you out again." And, she'll say, "OK, coach." She'll give a 200% effort to do it right.

But, instead of doing this, the coaches have this big hand wringing with the kid, and the kid talks to her parents, and pretty soon everyone needs group counseling.

 

[Lozza]

Sluggers, trust me my coaches did all of that for me. To the point that if it even looked close I would be sent. And have SLIDE shouted. No matter what, I just can't do it. Once they realised that I would dive, I was taught every possible way to dive.

I also am a perfect slider. I teach all my littlies how to do so. It's not hard.

 

[1999Coach]

Thanks to all for the advice, I will give the suggestions a try. One of the things that has been killing us is rushing too much on defensive plays and rookie errors. We've been working on this for the last couple of practices. I don't know where it came from but at our last tournament after playing a couple of good teams and playing them well or next game looked liked we had never played a game before, next game we played well, next game not so well. It was driving me crazy, it was like someone was turning the skill switch on and off. Enough ranting on my part.
Again thanks for the suggestion, 1999Coach