Importance of coaching

[Arm and Hammer]

So how important do you think it is? In the short 2 years I have been Coaching 8-U to 10-U, I have had some decent success, if one judges success by wins and losses which is never my “team” goal. I always tell my girls that the goals are being competitive and improvement measured personally. I tell them we don’t try to win games, we try to make plays, do all the little things and the big things will take care of themselves; winning is the reward for proper preparation, practice, improvement and hard work.
Although I tell them this, I can’t help but feel (secretly) that wins are validation for good Coaching. Most of my teams have placed in the top three with recently my first ever 1st place finish in my Metro Winterball league. Every season I Coach, by the end of the year, the only thing I am sure of is how much more I need to learn! Trying to figure out ways to organize, communicate, teach, instruct, inspire, motivate, trying to meet the individual at their particular need while handling the team as a whole, dealing with parents, players, staff and board members. Despite my inexperience, I am always amazed my teams seem to do well.

 

[Coach JV]

8U and 10U? the kids are developing fundamentals and learning the love
of the game. Coaching is important at all ages, we just change our methods
as they grow, improve and develop. A close friend of mine left the ranks
of 16U and is now back at 8U, the adjustment was huge and my hat goes off to him.
I don't know if I could turn the coaching clock back that far.......

 

[Sparky Guy]

You seem to have figured out what it's all about at those ages. It is about setting the foundation with strong and correct fundamentals the girls will use their entire softball career. What you'll see happen is the girls will blossom when they hit the 14U level and on into HS.

I've been doing 9U - 12U the last 9 years. It's all about learning how to play the game at those ages. Learning the game itself in the older ages becomes easier once they have that knowledge.

What I've found works the best with the young kids is honesty and positive re-enforcement. If they make a mistake tell them exactly what they did wrong and tell them how to correct it. Kids know they will make mistakes and accept them better than adults. They are also smart enough to know when they are being BS'd too.

 

[Momo'sDad]

I don't think coaching makes much difference at all in 8u. The teams with the most naturally good players - or the fewest really weak players - usually do quite well in terms of wins and losses. This is still somewhat true in 10u, but coaching does play a greater role, especially with respect to motivating girls to do what they know they're capable of.

I agree with your philosophy about focusing on the details and that the winning will take care of itself. I never want attentiveness or hard work to be undervalued. I truly feel that most of the lessons we are responsible for teaching in 10u have very little, if anything, to do with softball and it sounds like you're doing that.

So far, my teams have been successful, but I measure my personal worth as a softball coach by how many girls choose to sign up for the next season, not by how many wins we had. I like your excitement when it comes to learning and I think that's one of the best gifts we can share with our players. I wish you and your girls continued success.

 

[BB875]

IMHO, good coaching is very important at every age. The 10U and younger ones need tons of encouragement and they MUST have fun or you have failed. The trick is to make fundamentals fun.

I seriously cannot stress enough if the kids don't have fun, they will not play to their potential. A quote that hit home with me is one I heard at a NSC clinic. The speaker was explaining the difference between boys and girls. Its summed up in the following: "Boys have FUN when they are playing, girls only play when they are having FUN". A quote every FP coach should digest.

 

[quincy]

The players that have someone that will work with them outside of practice are the ones that excel at a young age. Not an expert, just someone that will play catch with them and chase balls they hit off a tee.

There are a few players that parents do work with them outside of practice that will quit softball as soon as they are given a choice, it is a fine line.

 

[chinamigarden]

Yeah, I agree with Screwball, I don't think the boys/girls quote is anywhere near accurate. I have seen boys quit baseball when it wasn't fun, and I have seen girls grow as players when it wasn't fun at all. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[BB875]

I heard that quote came from Deb Hartwig of Just Softball...If you hate the quote, good for you. Its all what you make of it. I'm talking TB (and mainly at the 10U level), not school ball. I suppose there are all different levels of coaching intensity, but since I don't coach boys, that quote tells me the game is about the players, not me.

As a dad, I chase balls off the tee all the time, chase bad pitches off the bucket, and hit pop flies & grounders till my arm is sore. Its called quality time with your kid.

 

[TheRogue]

Yeah, I agree with Screwball, I don't think the boys/girls quote is anywhere near accurate. I have seen boys quit baseball when it wasn't fun, and I have seen girls grow as players when it wasn't fun at all. Different strokes for different folks.

It is absolutely accurate for my 11yo son and my 14yo daughter. It's also fairly prominent across the teams they play on. The boys go bonkers when they win a game, REGARDLESS what the game is, and that "high" stays with them for a while. Conversely, when they lose, they tend to get down and then carry that for a while. The coaching challenge is to allow that high to roll...and temper out the down times as quickly as possible. On the flip side, for most of the girls on my DD's team, it's often tough to tell after most games if they won or lost; and it is a very, very successful team. I would honestly say that for most of them, if they enjoyed themselves for a weekend tournament, the win/loss doesn't mean an awful lot the next day. Now, they all brag they won the State ASA tourney, but that's about it. What I take from it is as long as they are enjoying themselves, the success comes along with it. As long as, of course, they have the fundamentals and the skill to succeed.

I heard the quote from Candrea as well.

TR

 

[Mr T]

If you took a team that was not of great talent and coached it to victory by teaching fundamentals give yourself a well deserved pat on the back.

As was pointed out, often times winning, in rec ball at least, can boil down to having a few of the best players, or some times all it takes is not having a few of the worst players.

As for skills, too many rec coaches are focused on winning. Rec ball should be about development. Are we willing to actually set our players, and thus team, back a few weeks by going through the process of correcting bad habits? At the young ages it can actually be advantageous to leave "OK" alone.