More Hustle and Guts Needed

Just sharing a few thoughts I had after this summers tournaments were over. 

Those on the AAF mailing list probably already read this, but if not, here it is again.

ALWAYS hustle down the line after you hit the ball, NO MATTER WHAT.

However you hit the ball, strong or weak, fair or foul ALWAYS,
ALWAYS, ALWAYS hustle down the line.

Hustle is your second weapon in an at bat. First, you hit the ball,
then you RUN like heck!

The defense needs to first defend your hit THEN beat out your
hustle. Your first strike is the hit you put on the ball, you
"attack" again by running your FASTEST to put as much pressure as
you possibly can on the defense AND to make them PAY if they make a
mistake.

I saw too many girls, including my own daughter, slow down before
first base. Granted some of them were already out by the time they
were within a few steps of the base, but I believe all players
should run all hits out at their best speed no matter what. If
they're able to slow down and stop before the base on a ground out
to the left side, they probably weren't running their hardest.
Some are slowing down before the bag and are only out by a step or
two, that's just not the way to play. Imagine if these players had
been hustling down the line, they could have rushed a throw, they
could have shaken up the 1b to possibly mishandle the ball because
they were right there - you never know, RUN LIKE HECK after you hit
the ball.

Then there was another situation when a girl popped up soooooo
high, she should have been standing on 2nd when the ball popped out
of the SS glove. Instead, she's dogging it and almost gets caught
in a pickle between 1st and 2nd because she wasn't going hard. She
was just trotted around 1st and then, bam, the ball pops out of the
SS glove and now she's in no man's land between bases not even at
top speed. Seriously, she would have made 2nd easy if she had run
as hard as possible from the get go. She hurt her team by giving
less than her best. I didn't stay at that field to see what
happened after that, but it's quite possible that her team had to
give up an out to move her to 2nd, a base she could have had "free"
if only she gave her best effort after her mis-hit rather than
pouted and felt sorry for herself. Team players, and players
giving their best effort, never give up on a hit. If you're giving
up on hits, if you have players that are, it's time do to a self
check and step up your game because you're selling yourself short.

I recently received an e-mail from Tom Hanson and he talked about this very issue.
Here's something he reported from an MLB game...

"I loved that he pulled Upton (after he'd run out to his OF
position...ouch) for not hustling on a play.

Even with Longoria and Crawford out he pulls arguably his most
talented remaining player for not running out a ball."

Apparently, even pros need do to self checks every once in a while,
so don't beat yourself up over it if that's you. Just make the
adjustment and get better.

AND....more coaches need to have the guts to reward those who do
play all out and sit those who don't. You're not doing a player
any favors by rewarding them with playing time (or anything else)
when they play and practice selfishly (showing up to practice when
and if they feel like it, walking on the field, doing drills half
way, etc, etc, etc). You're only asking for trouble because the
ones who only go all out when they feel like it will continue on
that path, and those who do go hard all the time (and never get
rewarded for it) will start playing like the others - only going
"all out" sometimes. Next thing you know, your whole team is
playing selfish, "go hard only when I feel like it" softball.
You'll have far bigger problems than you started off with and
you'll wish your only issue was having to play a game or two with
your "stud" on the bench and "less talented/big hearted" on the
field.

If coaches can do it (sit "studs") in the major leagues where jobs
depend on success and wins and losses, then you can do it too.
Telling your players that they should give their best all the time
and backing that message up with your actions are two different
things. But if you can create an environment where your players
know that nothing less than their best is acceptable and nothing
less than their best will be tolerated, your season will be filled
with much less headache. However, that will never happen if you
continue to reward the "slackers" and the "it's all about me"
attitudes. The rules have to be the same across the board -
consistency is key. You can't have one reward/punishment for some
players and another for other players. Be fair, be consistent,
back up your words with actions, and you'll have much more success.

Here's to having the guts to "honor the game."

Are You in the 21st Stretching Century?

I recently received an e-mail from Marc Dagenais as part the softball performance tips he gives out in his free newsletter.  This one was about dynamic stretching.

Now I have to admit, the first time I heard about this, I thought it was just some quack "trend" that would be forgotten about after a few months.  After all, I'd been doing static stretching all my life too.  But the more I learn about it, the more it makes sense and the more convinced I am that it's the best thing for fastpitch softball.  

Of course, not everyone is so open-minded.  Here's an ecerpt from Marc's e-mail that illustrates eactly that point and also gives you doubters something to think about.

"There's a coach that I've known quite a few years who reads my emails that came up to me to tell me that all the hype around all that "dynamic stuff" is just B.S. and he doesn't believe in that $&*@.

Now, I know this coach, it's not surprising coming from him. He's very opinionated, close-minded, believes he's always right and when he's not happy with how things are going, he yells and gets mad.

Just as a curiosity, I asked him: "Why do you believe that dynamic warm-ups is just a bunch of B.S.?"

He answered that he's been using static stretching for 25 years for himself and with all the teams he's coached and he never had any problems.

I replied: "So, if my 83-year old grandma has been a smoker all her life and is still healthy today, I must assume that smoking is good for me right?" (interesting perspective huh?)

You should have seen the look on his face. I think he got my point and didn't really know what to reply to this twisted logic. He mumbled something and left.

My point is this: we are creature of habits and habits are hard to change.

We are comfortable with routines and we hate change.

Trying to come up with a new way to warm-up is not always easy.

Athletes will say: "I don't feel like I've stretched".

The purpose of a warm-up is not to feel like you've stretched (which you get with static stretching), it's to make the muscle ready to perform and prevent injuries.

They muscles must be warmed, have adequate range of motion, and be ready to fire. Dynamic warm-ups accomplish that.

Some coaches will say: "I've used your stuff and I have an athlete that blew her knee out. Your stuff doesn't work."

First, it's not my stuff. It's just what almost every elite strength and conditioning coach and athletes now used to prepare themselves and while it helps decrease injuries, there will always be injuries in sports!

Bottom line, just because you've been doing something fora long time without problem doesn't mean there isn't a better way of doing it.

Watch out for Thursday, I'll release my brand new Dynamic Warm-Up for Softball System.

You don't want to miss that."

Hey Thursday is tomorrow!  One thing that's tough about making the switch to Dynamic Warm-Ups is knowing what to incorporate.  

• What exercises should your players be doing instead of the good old static stretch?  
  
• What order should these exercises be done in for optimal effectiveness?
  

Well, when I was learning, basically what I did was watch other teams that used dynamic warm-ups (DI schools and the USA National Team).  I took ideas from that and put it together to use for the teams I work with.  

If you don't have that luxury, however, OR if  you want a more complete set of instructions on exactly how to incorporate dynamic warm-up into your softball training, Marc's Dynamic Warm Up for Softball System will give you all of that PLUS he'll tell you how to properly use static stretching because it does have it's place too.  Be on the lookout for this brand new Dynamic Warm-Up for Softball resource tomorrow - Thursday!

Labor Day Special Ends Today

A few days ago in another post, I mentioned my Labor Day special offer for the Coach of Action Academy.  In celebration of this holiday weekend, I offered you a special 50% off price for the Coach of Action program.  

Obviously, this offer won't last.  In fact, when this day is over, so is the special offer. 

Remember, the Coach of Action Academy is designed to help you:

• Be active in increasing your coaching knowledge
  
• Overcome the uncertainty that comes with change
  
• Utilize simple tips and strategies for APPLYING the new knowledge you gain
  
• Develop or improve your vision for your program and for yourself as a coach
  
• Set effective goals
  
• Identify your BIGGEST coaching goals 
  
• Develop a solid plan of ACTION for achieving your big goals through a simple yet powerful 5-step goal setting process
  

Oh yeah, and one more thing I didn't mention on Friday, Join Now and you'll also get FREE access to my Private Coaching Program ($29/month value).  

That's right, for a VERY LIMITED TIME only, I'm offering current Coach of Action members FREE Access to my Private Coaching Program which gives you one-on-one personal guidance through the course.  

Let me tell you, this is the last time you'll see an offer like this for Coach of Action.  Don't wait,  Join Today before the offer ends.  

Winning is Over-Rated

You've probably heard the saying, "Winning isn't everything. It's the ONLY thing." Honestly, I've never cared much for it. It may sound good as a "slogan" and it may be motivating to some and look cool on t-shirts and stuff. But the truth is, it's totally and completely FALSE.  You may or may not agree with me, but in my world, that saying just never really connected with me for a number of reasons. I was reminded of why I feel this way over the course of this softball year.

IF winning truly was everything OR the "only" thing then, technically, there would be no gripes and no grumbles when a championship was won.  Everyone that had anything to do with the championship team (parent, fan, player, coach) would be utterly and completely happy and overjoyed if winning really was the ONLY thing. No one on a championship team would ever have any sort of ill feeling or complaint about anything related to the team or the season or the coaching or the players or the organization as a whole if winning was the ONLY thing. But that's simply not the case.

Even when a team wins a championship there are times when players or parents are not completely happy and satisfied with how the season/tournament went. Why?  No, it's not because they're cry babies (although some may be).  It's usually because they are HUMAN and because THERE IS MORE TO THIS GAME, TO THIS EXPERIENCE, THAN WINNING!

Don't get me wrong. Winning is great! Championships are awesome!  Any time I step on the field I'm out there to out-do my opponent and come out on top. But these things are not the end all/be all of participating in this sport. 

I'm sure you'll run into coaches or parents or players who've had "successful" seasons tainted by something that happened during the season (the way a situation was handled, the way the players were treated, the way the coaches acted, the lack or organization of the season, etc, etc, etc).  You will probably also meet people from time to time who will tell you that they've experienced a higher level of enjoyment and fulfillment in seasons where their record wasn't necessarily the best. If winning where "everything" OR the "only thing" that wouldn't be possible, it would never be true. But it is. Maybe not always, but it certainly is true and does happen on occasion.......because in this game, in any sport, in life....winning is NOT everything NOR is it the only thing.

When all is said and done, I wouldn't want people to remember me only for the championships I've been a part of, but hopefully also for positive qualities like integrity, honesty, determination, inspiration, etc.  In fact, if they could know me for either championships OR those positive qualities - I would want them to remember me for having those positive qualities. If I had to choose between being known as a coach with those positive qualities and no championships OR a coach with championships and but little integrity, little honesty, and little inspiration - I don't think I have to tell you which scenario I'd choose. What a shame it would be to be known for a championship or two and nothing else.

Winning isn't everything nor is it the only thing.  However, many have reminded me that while winning isn't everything, expecting to win and striving for perfection is.

What do you think?  Leave me a comment below and share your thoughts.

*NOTE: Yes, you may reprint this article.  Simply credit the author (Stacie Mahoe) and provide an active link (if posted online) either back to this post or to www.AllAboutFastpitch.com.

Are You Still Doing the Same Old Thing?

How many times have you seen great new drills or head cool new tips from other coaches?  It probably happens a number of time throughout each season.  As coaches, we always try to stay up to date with the latest training techniques and drills.  But how many of us actually use the new information we acquire?  How many times have you seen those cool new ideas, then 6 months down the road, nothing has changed.  Your practices are the same, your game strategies are the same, and you're still dealing with the same problems you had 6 months ago.  This is one of the biggest and the most common coaching mistake made!  

Hey, change can be scary, but if you never change you will NEVER improve!

In order to improve, change is necessary, and change requires ACTION.

It's wonderful to be a life long learner, but what's even better is actually APPLYING all that new knowledge you put into your brain!

Coach of Action is designed to help you

• Be active in increasing your coaching knowledge
  
• Overcome the uncertainty that comes with change
  
• Utilize simple tips and strategies for APPLYING the new knowledge you gain
  
• Develop or improve your vision for your program and for yourself as a coach
  
• Set effective goals
  
• Identify your BIGGEST coaching goals 
  
• Develop a solid plan of ACTION for achieving your big goals through a simple yet powerful 5-step goal setting process

But we're not going to just throw all this great information at you and leave you to sort through it and digest on your own.  We've broken it all down into manageable, bite-size pieces so that you can completely understand the concepts (and begin applying them) before another lesson is sent to you to digest.  

You'll practically be spoon fed all of the material so that you won't be overwhelmed with too many new ideas, strategies, and tips at once.  Remember, the whole idea is that you TAKE ACTION and sometimes with too much information you just don't know where to start, so you end up doing nothing at all.  Coach of Action is designed to give you only what you can handle AND we also give you specific instructions on how to actually USE the information covered in each lesson. 

If this is the kind of step-by-step, long-term help your looking for as a coach, then check out CoachofAction.com for more information.

Go, now and I have a little something special waiting for you ~ through LABOR DAY ONLY, get 50% off the regular price.  

Yup, you can have full access to the entire program at half the cost.  But when the Labor Day holiday is over, this offer will be gone!  Get it HERE.

Who Does It Better? Men or Women?

What do you think?

Who does the softball coaching job better?

Men or women?

Women, I think, have an advantage as far as being able to relate to the players and understand them. However, men can sometimes get a response out of players that most women can't/don't get.

Then again, others will say that gender doesn't matter, it's the individual themselves that does.

BUT, "in general" - what's your opinion?

Are men better at coaching women's softball or do women do a better job coaching female softball players?

If you're a Fastpitch World member - you can answer this question in the forum. If not, leave a
comment here and let me know what you think. I'm interested to see what you have to say.

Who does it better?

More Fastpitch Videos at Fastpitch World

I've put up some of the Sportskool videos up at www.MyFastpitchWorld.com. However, those aren't the ONLY fastpitch videos there. Other members have uploaded videos with useful information as well. These videos are all free to view and becoming a member at www.MyFastpitchWorld.com is also free.

One of my favorites is the one I just added on fielding (from sportskool).

Some of you may know how I feel about doing the "alligator." The long and short of it is that I don't care for it. The reason is because of the very issue Mike Candrea warns against in the video - improper positioning of the throwing hand.
I've seen TOO many young player jam their throwing hand fingers because they aren't getting their hand into the correct position for this technique.

Of course, after voicing my opinion and saying that I use a different technique, I've had people ask me what the alternative is. Needless to say, it's not always easy to put softball techniques into words. Sooooo, the reason I like this video is because it shows the "other" technique which is the one I, personally, prefer. It's not more "right" it's just my preference. Like I said, I just see too many not using the proper hand positioning for "securing the ball" with the "alligator." Many players DO use this technique with success (as you will see in this video I've added to Fastpitch World), but if you do use it, or if you do teach it - make sure to emphasize proper positioning of the throwing hand!!!!

Actually, if you look at the picture I found to include here - this is an example of the fielder who is NOT doing the "alligator." Her hands do not form the top and bottom jaw of an "alligator" getting ready to chomp on the ball.

Fastpitch Softball Video: Baserunning Basics

Here's one of those videos I was talking about.

If you want to learn about how to run bases or learn about how to teach baserunning. This is a video you have to see.

Baserunning is such a tough skill to teach. A good baserunner is such an asset to the team. In this video, Mike Candrea explains that you don't necessarily have to be the quickest on the team to be a good baserunner. Knowing what to do in different situations and how to properly maneuver around the bases, though, are very important.

Of course, the cool thing about this video is being able to see demonstrations!

Watch the baserunning video here...

Cool Fastpitch Videos at SPORTSKOOL

Thanks to a Fastpitch World member for giving me the headsup on this website. So far, I've only watched the baserunning video, but there is some GOOD stuff there. If you want information, with a visual video to go along, about pitching, catching, fielding, and more, you have to take a look at this website.

CLICK HERE to go to the page of softball instructional videos.

This link will take you straight to the pitching video.

I hope you enjoy these. Oh yeah, did I mention that it's Mike Candrea and members of the USA National Team that are doing the instructing/demonstration in these videos?

New Freebie on Goal Setting in the Works

Hi, just stopping in to let you know that I'm working on a new resource on goal setting. It's called Avoid These 7 Costly Goal Setting Mistakes.

Not only will I share these 7 goal setting mistakes that I see many people make, I'm also going to share:

• Why Goal Setting is important
• How Goal Setting can help you
• Simple tips that will make you more effective at reaching your goals
  
• How to Avoid the 7 Common and Costly Mistakes in Mention in this resource

I hope to have this resource done by the end of August if not sooner, so I'll keep you updated on it's progress. The information will be in both audio and pdf format. I can get the audio part done quickly, but turning that into a written file is the part that I'm unsure of as far as how long it will take to be completed.

At any rate, stay tuned here or get on my mailing list and I'll keep you updated!

Don't Throw Hard

"Don't throw hard. Just throw strikes."

Eek! I cringe when I heard coaches or fathers saying these words to their young (or maybe even not so young) pitchers. I know I'm guilty of it sometimes too. Well, not the "Don't throw hard" part, but the part when I see a pitcher trying to hard to be too "fine" and I just want the ball in the zone because I know the batter isn't going to do much, I catch myself saying something to the effect of just having the pitcher get the ball over the plate.

But I do NOT tell a pitcher to slow down in order to gain more accuracy.

So many times I hear young pitchers being told to slow the ball down and not throw hard in exchange for strikes. More often than not what I end up seeing is this young pitcher begin to throw both slow AND wild. So she just went from having 1 issue (not throwing accurately) to having 2 issues (not throwing accurately AND not throwing with any speed/power).

How often to you hear coaches telling their infielders, "Don't throw hard, just get the ball to the 1st baseman's chest." I don't know, maybe you hear something like that on occasion. I personally can't think of a time I've heard that though. If we don't use this "logic" for throwing overhand, why do so many insist upon using it for throwing underhand, for pitching?

I know some young pitchers try to "aim" the ball on their own. My 8-year-old does this. She starts of throwing nice and strong. Sometimes she's a little off - the ball is the right height, but off left or right OR the ball is straight, but too high or too low. These are very minor "problems." Yet, she will try to slow down to gain more accuracy. It NEVER works. She still throws off the plate, sometimes even worse than when she was going all out, and her ball has very little on it.

So I just remind her that she's not gaining much by trying to go slower. I ask her if the ball was going straighter (where she wanted it to) when she was throwing slow. She always says, "No." So she's beginning to realize that's not the answer. She's starting to correct the part of her motion that IS causing the inaccuracy (releasing too late or too early, not keeping her arm swing close to her body, not stepping toward the target, etc).

The results are much better with those kinds of adjustments than they are with "slowing down" to gain increase accuracy.

I talk a little more about this in the most recent Fastpitch Talk Radio episode. It's just a short episode and you can listen to it HERE.

Why Jump Ahead?

Now that summer softball season has begun here in Hawaii, I'm having a chance to see some coaches work with a new bunch of players. They are working with teams who added a bunch of players as older ones moved up, or they are working with entirely new teams who are in their first season together.

One thing I noticed is the tendency for coaches to want to "jump ahead" because games are right around the corner. For me, with a new team especially, some of the things I want the girls to know before the first game are how to field a ball, how to catch a ball, and how to throw a ball. After that, basic infield/outfield coverages, maybe bunt coverage, and how to relay the ball in from the outfield. On the offensive side, we'll probably just go over how to do a sacrifice bunt and go over just a few signals (probably take one, sacrifice, and steal). That's IT unless the girls are ready for more. Obviously I'm talking about younger age groups here where you actually have to teach how to catch and how to set up a relay and such. But even for older girls on more advanced teams, I still would go over this stuff in the beginning to get a feel for where the girls are at.

When I talk about how to field, how to throw, and how to catch, I believe that these basic mechanics should be gone over with EVERYONE in EVERY season. Sometimes you need to spend more time on it, other time the girls are doing things great and you can move on faster, but I still think it should be covered with the team as a whole.

Even with infield/outfield coverages or plays (i.e. where to throw the ball and who covers what base and when) I like to run the whole team through drills/exercises that cover these concepts. For example, I'll often have everyone take and outfield position and have them field/catch fly balls and throw to second, throw to third, and throw home. You never know who you'll need to play outfield and any given time and by putting everyone out there, you at least know you've given every person on your team some practice out there. A great infielder that never practices fly balls can do just horribly in the outfield if they ever have to play out there. This is part of why I like everyone to get some time out there every now and then. Plus it can help infielders get more comfortable tracking, and hopefully catching, those annoying bloopers that try to drop just over the infield.

When teaching relays, I always like to start out with simply setting up lines of girls and teaching them:

• which way to turn after the catch
• how to get rid of the ball quickly
• how to position their bodies before and after the throw/catch etc.

Then take it to the field and cover who is the cover for which plays before ever putting people into positions and hitting balls out for relay practice.

I think you get the idea of what I'm trying to say. I really believe it's much fairer to your players and much more effective to TEACH what you expect before just throwing the girls into the situation and trying to teach as you go.

I've seen coaches just put players in position, hit a ball outfield and tell the girls to "set up the relay." Half the time, I don't even know if the girls knew what that meant because they had never even done a relay before (this is at the 8U/10U level). Then while the ball is in the outfield they are telling the short stop, "You're the cut." I swear the girl was thinking, "What's a cut?" Because as I said, they had never practiced a relay, been taught a relay (what it is, how it's set up), nor did the coach ever go over who is the cuts are for the different outfield plays. This is what I'm talking about when I say coaches are "jumping ahead." All of that should have been introduced to the players before ever setting up a defense, hitting a ball past the outfielder, and asking the players to relay the ball home.

I understand the need and desire to practice these sorts of things before the first game comes around, but trying to teach it as you go just doesn't work as well. You still need to take the time to explain to each person what they are supposed to be doing. It's so much easier if you go over it first, explain and show the girls what's supposed to happen, let them try it AND THEN take it onto the field in a more "live" setting to practice the concept instead of jumping straight to the "live" situation and then stopping your practice each play to try to explain individually to each player what they are supposed to be doing and what is supposed to happen. Not only is this time consuming and possible confusing for the players, but they often times don't get "the whole picture" because usually the coach is only telling a particular player what their individual job is in the grand scheme of things when they try to instruct during the practice of the "whole enchilada." When you then try to put them in a different relay situation, you often have to go and do more explaining for that particular situation. It's much simpler and much more effective to cover all those basics first, then go into practicing the actual application of the skills and concept you're teaching.

One good point I learned from Cindy Bristow is that it really helps to sit down and think about what you want to have covered before the first game of the season. What is it that you want your girls to know by then? Then what do you want them to know by the half way point of the season? Are you going to go over bunt coverage before run downs or the other way around? Make a list of all the things you want to go over defensively and offensively and then prioritize the list and make a plan of what you want the girls to learn and by when.

The point is that "jumping ahead" usually doesn't get you "ahead." It only causes you to have to go back and "re-do" the foundation because you didn't do it right the first time. I have an analogy from dog training which I'm doing a lot of right now, but I'll save that for another day. AND I remember reading something that fits well with this in Coaching the Mental Game, but I can't quite remember it right now, so I'll have to look it up and share that with you on another day as well.

Coach of Action Academy will Open Doors...

Tomorrow! Yep, the Coach of Action Academy will be open TOMORROW, June 25th!

That means that TODAY is the last day to qualify for Pre-Launch pricing (50% off).

All you need to do is go to Coach of Action now and enter your name and e-mail address and tomorrow you will get the link where you can get in at 50% off the regular price.

The Coach of Action Academy was designed to help you tackle one of the major fundamental problems coaches face in their quest to improve their coaching skills. AND, we help you through it in manageable, bite-sized chunks over the course of 12 weeks. This is NOT a 50+ page e-book you have to make your way through on your own. Learn more and sign up for Pre-Launch pricing at www.CoachofAction.com.

Hope to see you on the inside!

Coach Be Consistent

When you learn about raising children, you hear about consistency. When you learn about working with animals and training animals, you hear about consistency. I think it also applies to coaching softball as well.

It's only fair to your players (and vital for you) that you be consistent in your actions, words, rules, and discipline as a coach. Ground rules should always be laid out at the beginning of the season. This should also include potential disciplinary actions for when those rules are broken. Be sure that you do NOT set a consequence that you will not enforce. I think this would have the same effect as "empty threats" in parenting...

1. Your players know that you won't follow through and will push the envelope as far as possible
2. You are undermining your own credibility and believability because you haven't kept your word
3. You may even lose respect or simply make it harder to gain the respect of your players.

Whenever you give your word as a coach, be it in speech or in writing, ALWAYS do your best to stick with it. Avoid making up rules and consequences as you go along. Clear guidelines and boundaries make life much simpler for players, parents, and coaches. Be up front about what your expectations, your rules, your guidelines, and your consequences and follow through.

Following through only *sometimes* is only asking for trouble as a coach.

Be consistent.

For additional coaching tips, check out our FREE Special Report for Coaches or
Softball Coaching Essentials from A to Z

It's all in the FUNdamentals

I'm huge on fundamentals and mechanics - and, as you can see by the title of this post, FUN! You As I've said many times before, fun is so important when it comes to softball, or any sport for that matter. The two times in my life that I SERIOUSLY thought about quitting this game and giving it up completely as a player, the main thought going through my mind was that it wasn't fun any more. I wasn't having fun playing the game and that was the main reason behind dropping the game altogether. That's why I feel it's important to remember that as a coach, especially at the younger ages.

Another thing I'm picky about is fundamentals. I am big on working proper fundamentals, proper mechanics until it's second nature. One of my first softball coaches did this for me and I went back to it time and time again whenever I started to struggle. I've often wondered what kind of player I would have been had that ONE coach not done that because NO coach after her stressed those mechanics and drilled them like she did. I don't know that I would have had that to fall back on if she hadn't been so insistent on going over those fundamentals again and again and again.

Too often I see coaches breeze through the basics. They are so anxious to move on to other more "advanced" skills, but I just don't see the rush if your team hasn't gotten the basics down yet. For example, I've seen 10U coaches want to work on turning the double play when their team has a tough time simply fielding a ball and making a throw. Why even worry about how to turn a double play when you're still having trouble fielding a ball and making good throws? I'm not saying that you should never work on it, but it just seems a little silly to me to drop the work on the basics to "move on" to something like that. I would still work the basics in practice and give it some quality time, then maybe introduce the concept of the double and work it a bit. But to spend all your defensive practice working the double play in that particular situation doesn't make sense to me. Work the fundamentals and those "advanced" plays will come.

Same with when you start pitching. Work those fundamentals! It always baffles me to see coaches/parents/players wanting to go from never pitching before to throwing 5 different pitches in a year. Of course, if you have an unbelievably talented athlete that happens to catch on to the fundamentals and to all of the other aspects of pitching THAT quickly, than by all means, go for it. But most of us don't have that type of superhero ability. Fundamentals is what's going to give you the most power and the most accuracy whether it's throwing overhand or underhand.

If you're looking for a DVD on pitching fundamentals, the one I personally bought is from www.HouseOfPitching.com (Building the House by Bill Hillhouse).

Another one that's currently on special for $19.95 is available at Softball Performance. But that pricing is only going to last for the next day or so. If this is something you've been looking for, now's a good time to get it.

You Make It Their Business

Wow! The drama post brought out some strong feeling/opinions in those who read it. Funny thing is, I just read about another example of it online. This time it was in the online business world and no fist fight broke out, but again, insults, attacks, name calling and your basic drama. However, one of the guys involved admitted he was wrong, admitted that he should have privately contacted the person he was upset with, and admitted that there are so many other things to do than be involved in drama. He also talked about the fact that if you stay away from the NEGATIVE and stay focused on the POSTIVE you'll have much greater returns.

You see, this is not only a lesson for your softball team. This is a lesson for life AND business.

I have one more thing to add to it. Often times people who DO bring their personal life into public areas end up saying something like, "This has nothing to do with you, you should keep your mouth shut and stay out of it."

Well, that's true. Your personal life isn't the business of your teammates....UNTIL YOU CHOOSE to bring it on to the field with you. At that point, YOU'VE made the conscious choice to make your personal business the business of everyone on the team because now your personal issues have invaded team time and space. So if you want everyone to "stay out of it" do NOT bring NEGATIVE opinions/actions/words of anyone onto the field with you. If you have a personal problem with your left fielder, keep it personal and keep it private. Then your SS or your P has no say in how you handle that issue.

However, IF you DECIDE to bring it up in ANY way shape or form during softball time, you've just made it the entire team's business. Again, I'll say it, personal drama has NO place on the softball field and you are not being the best softball player you can be if you bring it there. I'll explain why have such little tolerance for this in another blog post.

If you haven't read the original drama post and left your comments yet, I'd still like to hear from you. Or, if you have thoughts on what was said here, feel free to leave a comment on this post.

Scholarship Winners Announced

As promised, the winners of the drawing for the 3 Full Ride Coach of Action Academy Scholarships will be announced today, right here in this blog post.

But FIRST - I just have to remind you that if you didn't get a chance to enter, or if you didn't get one of the 3 scholarships being awarded today, you still have a chance to get in to the Coach of Action Academy at a discounted price!

What do you have to do to qualify for the 50% discount?

1. Go to the Coach of Action Academy
2. Enter your name and e-mail address to sign up for the Pre-Launch special
3. Check your e-mail when the Coach of Action Academy opens so you know how to get in at 50% off

Okay - now that that's out of the way, let's get to the announcement!

The 3 people who will have COMPLETE access to the Coach of Action Academy when it opens in less than a week ARE...

drum roll please....


Matt of Englewood, NJ

Coach Lisa of Anderson, IN

Jeff H from Pennsylvania

WooHoo! Congratulations to our scholarship winners! Winners will also be notified via e-mail.

Winners Will Be Announced this Friday!

The winners of the drawing for the 3 Coach of Action Academy Scholarships will be announced this Friday, June 20th, 2008.

Winners will also be notified via e-mail. Remember, even if you're not one of the 3 that were selected, you STILL have time to get on the list for Pre-Launch 50% off special pricing for the Coach of Action Academy. Your time is running out though because once the doors of the Coach of Action Academy open, your chance to get your name in f