WARRIORMIKE
Pro-Staff Everything
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How long have you coached ?
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- Nov 18, 2013
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DD’s coach was with the 91 Brakettes. I’ll have to share that with her. Thanks for posting!
- Jul 17, 2012
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Started in T-ball with my daughter in 2007 as the guy that wasn't officially on the staff... just the guy helping out at practice. Played that role for 4 years before falling into the role of the manager when the manager of her softball team left mid season because his ex wife ditched town with his kids. Got into Travel ball in 2012, once again as that guy that was a good knowledge point to help with practices, but kept to the bleachers at tournaments. Started a joint venture new program last year, unknowingly with a daddy ball guy. He left due to parental pressure at the tail end of last year and now it's my baby. Happy to report, we aren't the best team, and we arent the worst team...but we do it right. I have 11 returning players that I've committed to developing. They have a spot on the roster as long as they want to be there. Wanting to be there shows in work ethic, and coachability. Not saying, "I want to play here." I consider myself incredibly blessed to call myself the coach of the 11 young ladies on my roster. Each and every one of them has grown leaps and bounds over the past year and a half, not only as softball players...but athletes in general. I'm big on strength training and agility training in the offseason. They can only get so much better at catching a softball, throwing a softball, and hitting a softball if all you do is catch, throw and hit softballs.
So in my opinion, the biggest change that I've seen/implemented in my short time is this:
In order to develop better softball players, you need to develop better athletes. Sure, some kids have it naturally because they are/were active athletic kids. But I'm a firm believer that you can train kids to be athletes. They just have to be willing and want to do it. Softball just gets easier and easier as they become faster, stronger, and more agile.
My coaching style would be comparable to a John Gruden...less the snarl. I'm incredibly vocal and loud at practice. I do a LOT of yelling, but most of it is positive. I energetically reward the rights/goods, and energetically correct the wrongs/bads. The girls have learned to feed off my passion and would be epically disappointed if I showed up and didn't have that fiery passion and energy they expect. My first assistant is the same way. I'm probably the coach you hate if you're the business suit type guy that seldom shows emotion. I truly love doing this and couldn't imagine doing it any other way that with a lot of passion and emotion.
So in my opinion, the biggest change that I've seen/implemented in my short time is this:
In order to develop better softball players, you need to develop better athletes. Sure, some kids have it naturally because they are/were active athletic kids. But I'm a firm believer that you can train kids to be athletes. They just have to be willing and want to do it. Softball just gets easier and easier as they become faster, stronger, and more agile.
My coaching style would be comparable to a John Gruden...less the snarl. I'm incredibly vocal and loud at practice. I do a LOT of yelling, but most of it is positive. I energetically reward the rights/goods, and energetically correct the wrongs/bads. The girls have learned to feed off my passion and would be epically disappointed if I showed up and didn't have that fiery passion and energy they expect. My first assistant is the same way. I'm probably the coach you hate if you're the business suit type guy that seldom shows emotion. I truly love doing this and couldn't imagine doing it any other way that with a lot of passion and emotion.
Coached my son in baseball from 8-13 yoa. Have been coaching my DD's softball from 3 1/2-present (just turned 10). Have been a head coach and assistant, but prefer the assistant position. Love to coach and teach without the admin stuff and less BS.
Biggest change - how much more I enjoy softball, and the number of male coaches coming over from baseball for the same reason. Also, the level of play at the younger age groups. We used to hope they could get it near the plate at 8U and 10U. Now they can locate with multiple pitches. The single most improved area in girls fastpitch over the past 5 years!
Biggest change - how much more I enjoy softball, and the number of male coaches coming over from baseball for the same reason. Also, the level of play at the younger age groups. We used to hope they could get it near the plate at 8U and 10U. Now they can locate with multiple pitches. The single most improved area in girls fastpitch over the past 5 years!
I started as a bat boy right out of the play pen in the early 70's. Progressed to score keeper, 1st base coach, asst. coach all the way through HS. Moved to Fla in '91, continued coaching with my Pop. We coached travel ball and HS before I even had kids of my own.
Here are some changes I have seen.
18U pitching distance- 38 ft to 40 ft to 43 ft
Title IX
Olympics- No softball to softball to no softball to ?
Slingshot pitching style completely phased out
Softball from white to yellow (actually went to 12U ASA nationals in early 80's and they used a fluorescent Orange ball)
ASA nationals went from 35-40 teams to 160
Anyone remember bottle bats?
Uniforms- Shorts to pants back to shorts and back again to pants
My height then my weight then my stomach all grew
I am sure there are so many more.
Here are some changes I have seen.
18U pitching distance- 38 ft to 40 ft to 43 ft
Title IX
Olympics- No softball to softball to no softball to ?
Slingshot pitching style completely phased out
Softball from white to yellow (actually went to 12U ASA nationals in early 80's and they used a fluorescent Orange ball)
ASA nationals went from 35-40 teams to 160
Anyone remember bottle bats?
Uniforms- Shorts to pants back to shorts and back again to pants
My height then my weight then my stomach all grew
I am sure there are so many more.
Only been coaching about 6 years now. I have learned more from this board in 6 months than I did in the previous 5.5 years. And now, at 12U when DD is starting to get pretty good and I'm starting to not suck, she is losing interest. And I've been asked to step up as league commissioner. What's the emoticon for big, heavy sigh?
You know what. My cloths shrunk over the years too.
I'm thinking I started in 1996 so almost 20 years now. All has been in travel ball, or giving lessons. Wow, time flies.
All the males in the family started playing baseball at 4yo ( tee ball ). Brother, his two sons, I, all played collegite. I coached a few years of 15u baseball while waiting on the only female athlete in the family ( DD ) to turn 4, to start in the local rec league. Signed up to coach and was immediately WAY over my head. I had never coached an age group that young, never coached females, had only seen maybe 3 fastpitch games in my whole life.
It was an adventure for sure, as I hadn't ever taught raw ( from scratch ) players before. Took me most of the season to learn to simplify the practices, so we could gain that "inch" forward each time. We won the league that year out of 12 teams, and the excitement of those young ladies.............I was hooked.
Played rec until 8u and then played both rec and travel until 10u, dropped rec at 10u to devote full time to travel. Coached until the group's second season of 14u, then we all went in different directions to college farm teams. Helped coach on and off during those times and unofficially during the HS season.
I surely do miss working with the girls, I probably have 5000 photos of those years, I don't go longer than 48 hours without flipping through the album and reminiscing.
It was an adventure for sure, as I hadn't ever taught raw ( from scratch ) players before. Took me most of the season to learn to simplify the practices, so we could gain that "inch" forward each time. We won the league that year out of 12 teams, and the excitement of those young ladies.............I was hooked.
Played rec until 8u and then played both rec and travel until 10u, dropped rec at 10u to devote full time to travel. Coached until the group's second season of 14u, then we all went in different directions to college farm teams. Helped coach on and off during those times and unofficially during the HS season.
I surely do miss working with the girls, I probably have 5000 photos of those years, I don't go longer than 48 hours without flipping through the album and reminiscing.
