The coaches discuss the situation where you have a team but no pitcher. This can happen in school ball, recreational leagues and sometimes in travel ball. What do we do? Support the show
This Weeks Lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: My daughter is 8, when should I spend money on a high end bat and glove? (@13:45) Paige's Power Play (@19:12) Thoughts on playing time with development type teams and different level teams. (@24:40) An event happened in a high school playoff game that was blatantly against the rules. But, some people say it is gamesmanship and others are adamant that it is cheating. (@39:14) Fall Showcase event was not anywhere close to how it was advertised. ...
Coach Tory is not with us today due to a medical issue, but we are using some earlier published segments to fill in. This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Paige's Power Play (@4:07) Help for beginning coaches. (@07:28) Quality at Bats. Define them and use them to measure performance. (@33:11) Interview (@43:25) Support the show
This game can never be played perfectly. When you watch a player you can always find something wrong. We need to make sure we are not just emphasizing what they could do better. When they do something well we need to be positive and reinforce that they need to be excited about what they just accomplished. Support the show
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: I was asked to help coach a team. Now I am seeing push back from my suggestions. (@16:25) Paige's Power Play (@23:50) We have certain instincts that are not conducive to playing softball. Fear of getting hit by the ball is natural, but to play the game we have to get over that fear. (@27:54) Discussion on the growth of coaches and how they will change methods over time. (@40:00) The cheering noise at a game should never be directed negatively ...
This is a topic to ponder on. There are thoughts that home runs can be detrimental in certain situations. Listen and tell us what you think. Support the show
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: What do you say to your pitcher when things are not going well?(@:16:05) Paige's Power Play (@22:00) There is a phenomenon of a really good player joining a travel team or organization and all of a sudden the team, their coaches and/or instructors start claiming that they are the reason that the player is good. A player becomes good over the years and with the help of many people and themselves. Don't take the credit away from the player or al...
Coaches are often asked to write letters of recommendation for their players. The coaches discuss some of the do's and don'ts. Sometimes we are put in a tough situation when a player asks for a recommendation to a school that they have no chance of playing at. Great advice to coaches in fulfilling this request. Support the show
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: Outfielders first steps should be back, is this correct? (@13:30) Paige's Power Play (@22:37) People's perceptions of how much college coaches make. (@26:53) Some questions about recruiting. (@40:47) Tory's words of wisdom after his health scare. (@50:42) Support the show
Using an old expression, sometimes the wheels just come off during a game. An error leads to more errors, mental mistakes multiply and everything seems to go wrong. Our job as a coach is not to make it worse, but try and calm everything down. And sometimes its just not our day and we need to do everything we can for it not to carry over to future games. Support the show
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: I have 2 players that can not get along. Any suggestions? (@13:01) Paige's Power Play (@20:20) With college camps using all types of different names, what is the code for understanding what type of camp it is? (@24:40) We have relocated and having a difficult time finding a team that matches the skill level of my daughter and the team she played on. Any suggestions? (@33:04) Coaches focus on developing your players! (@39:13) Support the show...
It is not uncommon for players to show frustration while playing. It can be unrelated to playing, but it has an impact. The coaches discuss how to help your players manage their frustration. Support the show
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: What can we do when a hitter is lunging at the plate? (@13:11) Paige's Power Play (@23:58) September 1st is an important date in recruiting. But it doesn't mean that if you don't get a call on that date you don't have a chance.(@27:40) A listener want to know how to effectively communicate with a college coach. (@39:25) Another drill from a listener that add pressure during practice. (@46:35) Support the show...
When we first start teaching players the fundamentals, we have to begin with the simple plays. Ball hit to infield, throw to first. Hit to outfield throw to second. As players advance the need to be able to recognize secondary plays. Sometimes known as the "what if" play. The key word here is recognize. They can't think through the process, but they have to recognize that there is another play. Might be in addition to the basic play or it might be instead of the basic play. Support the show...
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: Do you have suggestions for a fitness test for my team? (@16:07) Paige's Power Play (@22:33) Softball is not in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Why it is important that it should be. (@25:38) Twist on team joining big organizations. Tale of a coach's experience. (@32:50) Adding Players to your roster. Some suggestions that coaches need to think about. (@41:41) Support the show...
Outfield is not a position! There is Left Field, Center Field and Right Field. Don't categorize all of the outfield positions as playing outfield. The responsibilities and reading the ball is different in each of the positions. Teach your players how to play one position and then move them and teach them the next outfield position. Support the show
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: Setting up cutoffs and relays. Do I use the Short Stop and Second baseman? (@13:10) Paige's Power Play (@21:54) Speed of the Game. Use some math to help your players understand how fast the game really is. For every mile an hour, the ball travels 1.47 feet. Round that up to 1.5 feet per second to make the math easy and have them see how quick they need to be. (@26:10) Players are heading off to college. Some for the first time. Here are some t...
Coaches state all the time that the best players will get to play. Almost every coach has a different definition of "best". Make sure that everyone that you use that term with knows exactly how you define "best". Support the show
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment: Listener Response: Umpires perspective of longer games (@16:37) Paige's Power Play (@21:41) Tory has added a 15th commandment to his 14 Commandments of Recruiting (@25:36) Coaches setting high standards. Usually the winners will love it, but the other players will quit. Sometimes we have to build up to the high standards. (@50:17) Every player should have a secondary position that they are totally comfortable playing. (@57:03) Support the show...
At the end of a season or year we usually give our players an exit interview to let them know what things they need to work on. Give yourself a review and see what things went well and things that need improvement. This lets you know what you need to do to improve your skills. Support the show
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: My daughter's coach says my daughter is a singles hitter. She leads the team in batting average, but is pulled out in critical situations for what he says are power hitters. What do you think? (@9:16) Paige's Power Play (@14:35) It is becoming obvious that we need more catchers. The coaches discuss how we can start developing them. (@19:02) Small rosters have reduced competition for positions. Competing for positions is a good thing and helps ...
Gloves are the tools of the trade, but they are often neglected. Teach your players how to take care of them and also be prepared to make repairs when needed. Support the show
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: My daughter is an outstanding pitcher and is an integral part of her team. After the season has ended the team has added more pitchers. Should we be worried? (@12:07) Paige's Power Play (@19:47) How important is a player's potential? We have to balance performance against a player's potential. Success is not measured by potential. (@24:26) Time Limits. Pros, cons and dislike of time limit games. When looking at tournaments look at how many inn...
Sometimes we encounter a player who just doesn't want to be there. The parents or someone has decided that they should play ball. Maybe its for exercise, being part of a team or they honestly think the player will like it if they give it a try. We have to handle the situation so that it isn't a distraction. Support the show
This weeks Lineup Warmup Segment Listener Question: What will happen if they change the transfer rule to allow unlimited transfers? (@08:12) Paige's Power Play (@12:38) The rich keep getting richer in college softball. The transfer portal and NIL is allowing players to migrate to the great teams. (@16:17) How do you distinguish between all the different "Final Tournaments". With so many nationals, world series, etc tournaments, we don't have a true national champion. (@30:33) Illegal pitches. Pl...
If we graph performance of a player or a team it is not a straight line showing improvement each day. Skills are developed over time and while the skill level will increase over time it will ebb and flow on the way. Also it will depend upon what we measure to show improvement. As we progress through the age groups the skills of the opposing players and teams improve. And as the opponent improves it is harder to use the typical measuring sticks, like batting average, era, on-base percentage, etc....
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment: Listener Question: Why do people think that having coaches with no players on the team is the greatest thing ever? (@10:32) Paige's Power Play (@20:29) What to do when a player outgrows her team. (@24:36) How can we help the player that is all-american in practice but fails in a game. Its like she has stage freight. (@34:23) We see it all the time where a team complains about the facilities after they get home from a tournament. Can be fences, field maintenance...
The coaches discuss this time of year where teams are finishing this season but are planning for next season. We are finishing up with probably our biggest tournaments of the year. But, many are trying to get a jump on preparing for next year. It is hard to stay focused on the task at hand for the players and coaches if we are distracted by working in tryouts at the same time. Support the show
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: What do we do when the coach plays a guest player and several of the team members are given limited playing time? (@8:51) Paige's Power Play (@15:52) Etiquette for showcases. The coaches discuss some dos and don'ts for parents and coaches regarding the college coaches that are in attendance. (@21:32) Organization Jumping. Is the grass always greener on the other side? (@35:05) The coaches discuss picking the right showcase for the level of tal...
We can increase the softball IQ of our players by teaching them the basics of scorekeeping. They will better understand how their batting and fielding average is computed. Also they could look at an online or offline scorebook and reconstruct what had occurred. Every little bits helps in the education process. Support the show
