Just as players need to learn how to play 4 or 5 games on Sundays, coaches also need to learn how to manage the team throughout the day, especially Sundays when there is no telling how many games you might play. Some things that you should consider by the time you get to the championship game: Are the girls tired? Hungry? Dehydrated? Are there things you could have done earlier in the day that could have prevented or minimized some of this?
I see coaches always put their best 9 out on the field for almost every inning of every game on Sunday (especially catchers), and sometimes that is not always the best strategy. I understand you need to win the game you are playing in order to advance, but there are always circumstances where you can rest critical players for later games. Last year our catcher was by far our best player and we depended on her for a lot both offensively and defensively. But in our first 2 tournaments, by the third and fourth game on Sunday, she was not hitting the ball as hard, and was often late on her swings. She would never admit it, but she was tired, and we probably did not do enough to "protect" her during the day. As coaches, we saw how we needed to adjust our strategy to keep our best players fresh, use every opportunity to run for the pitcher and catcher, and once we had the game in hand, try to get them out for the next game. I know some teams don't have the luxury of doing that, but coaches need to understand that not only do players need to learn how to win championships on Sunday, so do the coaches.
I see coaches always put their best 9 out on the field for almost every inning of every game on Sunday (especially catchers), and sometimes that is not always the best strategy. I understand you need to win the game you are playing in order to advance, but there are always circumstances where you can rest critical players for later games. Last year our catcher was by far our best player and we depended on her for a lot both offensively and defensively. But in our first 2 tournaments, by the third and fourth game on Sunday, she was not hitting the ball as hard, and was often late on her swings. She would never admit it, but she was tired, and we probably did not do enough to "protect" her during the day. As coaches, we saw how we needed to adjust our strategy to keep our best players fresh, use every opportunity to run for the pitcher and catcher, and once we had the game in hand, try to get them out for the next game. I know some teams don't have the luxury of doing that, but coaches need to understand that not only do players need to learn how to win championships on Sunday, so do the coaches.
