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First Time Softball Coach

Here is a question from Wilda Stanley:

Help! I have been given a girls' softball team that consists of 5 returning players and 6 new players. The girls range from 7-10 years of age. I need some fun techniques for working with these girls to get all of them hitting, catching and working together good. Could you please give me any advice on how to change morale of a team and techniques and games I could play with these girls to emphasize how to have fun and work together in their games. This was the championship team last year and the parents and girls have that expectation and unfortunately are blaming their handicap on the little girls. We are trying to find out what I can do to make this a fun year - win or lose - and a learning year. Any coaching techniques would be greatly appreciated since this is my first year coaching. Your response as soon as possible would be greatly appreciated as we have begun the season and the girls aren't starting out on the right foot - with bad umps, and some parents having negative attitudes. 

Answer: It sounds like you have your work cut out. First of all, the age range of the team you are coaching is going to make things more difficult than they should be. There is a very wide range of ability and maturity in the age group 7-10. It certainly would be better to have 7-8s play together one one team and the 9-10s play together on another team. Most of the seven-year-olds will be outclassed physically and emotionally by the ten-year-olds.  They may get discouraged. The older players are likely to resent the younger ones. You will need to encourage the younger ones and appeal to the older girls to help the younger ones. More on this later.

In addition to the age problem you have the situation in which the team won a championship the previous year. The parents of the returning players probably expect the team to win again and if it doesn't, you or the younger players will likely be blamed. You need to defuse this situation as soon as possible. I'll explain how shortly.

As far as sports for children 7 or 8 years old are concerned, championships are not appropriate. The kids should be playing for enjoyment and fun. They don't need the pressures that adults/parents/coaches will put on them in those situations. This is also true for young kids of any age.

Having said that, what can you do? Well the first thing I would do is have a parents meeting and explain these problems. Explain to the parents that this is not a good situation and why it is not. Tell the parents that your priorities will be fun, 100% participation and player improvement and that you will not sacrifice these priorities to win a game or a championship and that your primary commitment to winning will be to help each player become the best player they can be during the season. To help parents understand your philosophy about winning in youth sports, explain that children should strive to become the best players they can be and as their coach you will help and encourage all the players, whatever their level of ability, to achieve that objective. Explain to the parents that the real winners are those players who make  maximum effort, continue to learn and improve, and don't let mistakes, or fear of mistakes, deter them. Defined in this way winning is within the reach of all your players.

You should also explain your plan to have all the girls share playing time and that each player will have an opportunity to play her favorite position sometime during the season. Ask the parents for their help and cooperation in achieving your objective, which is to see that each player has a positive and enjoyable sports experience. By doing these things at the start of the season you can avoid problems later on. The parents can help by supporting the coach and encouraging their children to do their best. They should not put  pressure on the players to win.

When you hold practices, make sure you involve all the girls, not just the skilled ones. The less skilled may need more of your attention. Encourage the better players to help you teach the less skilled players. Let the skilled players demonstrate certain techniques that they do well to the younger ones. It will make the better player feel good and less resentful of the younger girls and will help to bring the girls together as a team. this should  help the younger girls  develop respect for the older girls. Try to match up a younger and an older player as "buddies" and have them work together in drills.

Keep drills simple and short. Don't have a lot of girls waiting for their turn in a drill. Use game-like situations to teach base running. For example, put runners on first and second and explain to them that there is only one out and that if the ball is hit in the air the runners cannot run. Then throw (don't hit) a pop fly to the second baseman and see if the girls do the correct thing. Repeat the situation but with two outs. Repeat this type of drill for the common game situations that occur, i.e. runners on base and balls grounded to different infielders, etc.

If available have the girls first bat using a batting tee. Also have the girls hit balls into a screen a few feet away with an adult feeding balls underhand  from the side. When pitching for batting practice have an adult pitch, not a player. It is best if the adult pitches from about fifteen or so feet from the batter. Use base runners to work on fielding drills as described above. Teach the girls to throw and catch from short distances to start with then increase the separation as the players develop confidence. Teach them to throw under hand and over hand depending on the distance of the throw. For safety, make sure you use a softer ball than the standard softball, which is quite hard. Most leagues use this softer ball. If your league does not, take the matter up with league officials.

Do not give the better players playing time priority, leaving the less skilled or younger players sitting on the bench. Try to have every girl play an equal amount of innings in each game.  This should not be difficult since you said there are only 11 girls on the team. Most youth leagues now use a full batting order, i.e. all 11 players  bat  in continuous order whether or not they are playing in the field. I certainly hope that your league does this. If so mix or alternate the younger players with the older players  instead of batting all the older players at the top of the batting order and all the younger ones at the bottom.  Make sure that every girl plays at least four or more innings of every game. This also should not be difficult with only 11 players. Let the girls make decisions, for example each week have a different player help you make up the batting order.

As for bad calls by the umpires, you have to provide a good example for the girls and the parents by treating the umpires with respect. Avoid confrontations with game officials. Do not argue with the umpire and do not allow your players or parents to berate the umpire. If a coach acts like a maniac when the umpire makes a questionable call, the fans and the kids react the same way. A cool coach will control the kids and the parents by his or her good example. If necessary the coach should politely remind unruly parents that the game is for the kids and that they are teaching poor sportsmanship by their inappropriate behavior.

Wilda, I hope this helps. You have a difficult job ahead of you. Try to do what I've suggested. Also try to find several assistant coaches to help you who share your feelings that the game should be fun and that the "win at all cost mentality" is not appropriate. With  positive, enthusiastic and encouraging  coaches the season can be  enjoyable and beneficial  for players and coaches alike.

Thanks for your question. Good luck and please let me know how things go for you and the team.