Sometimes Practice Must be Cancelled

I was planning on having the team meeting about expectations and defensive plays yesterday, but I was very sick and had to cancel practice. I did not want to put my assistant coach in a tough situation on having him run his second practice with us alone, plus I was unable to put a practice plan together for him.

So we have postponed that meeting for Monday since the weather is not expected to be good then.

The girls today did well, we reinforced fundamentals again, and were able to go outside and take some fly balls. I tried to stress the need for detail. In a game like softball where drills are repetitive it is easy after a couple times going through a drill to revert back to old habits. As a coach I am having to remind players of the little things that they are not doing correctly because when game time comes we need their muscle memory to take over. By doing this I have to not be results oriented because someone may field the ball but maybe did not do it correctly. Some may say why bother if they made the play, and my response to that is if you want consistency then you need to do it right every time.

Scott Miller

My Assistant Coach Joins Us

Practice was very much the same as the last two days with adding basic outfield fundamentals. We worked on geting behind fly balls and running in for a grounder and then breaking down in a good fielding position. The main thing that was on my mind was Thursday’s practice. Instead of going outside or into the gym we are going to the classroom. I had booklets made today with an outline of a field on each page. On each page the girls are going to fill out were every position should be in certain situations. An example would be bunt defense, the girl would draw that the second baseman goes to cover 1st base. We are doing this so they will have this at home and I can tell them that the we are going to cover 1st and 3rd tomorrow so look at your notes tonight and then we will not waste time on the field with a lot of explaining. During the meeting I will cover all of my expectations, some of my pet peeves, and the little issues as a coach you know will come up, so I am going to nip them in the bud.

This was also the first day my new assistant coach came out, he was coaching b-ball, and he did a good job stepping in when needed. I think meeting with him before the season and talking about how I do things got us off to a good start.

Scott Miller

Two Days Down

After today’s practice I feel really good about the girls infield fielding mechanics. Their foot work for the most part is looking pretty good for just two days in. One thing that I introduced to them was glove time, a full explanation is on the freebies page. In short it is a time for the girls to have fun but at the same time making them use their glove and having it become a part of the body. We played a game of flip and a game of pepper they seemed to enjoy it and picked up on it fairly quickly. After working through glove time, fundamentals and taking ground balls we set up for hitting.

The first thing we did was review the basic principles of hitting, and then formed a hitting circle, this is where the girls are dry-swinging the bats. I want to make sure that have good mechanics before we start to hit balls, if they can not swing properly when they are not trying to hit anything, then there is no way that they will be able to swing properly when they are. After the hitting circle we setup hitting stations. The hitting stations were basic, tee work, soft-toss and bucket soft-toss. The main focus today was using their hands and elbows and not their shoulders.

Scott Miller

One Practice Down…

We just finished the first practice of the season, and I am pretty happy the things went. This is only the second year of the program so I was concerned that with only one year to start setting a tradition, the small things would be forgotten. My fears were put to rest when I walked in the gym and the returners were letting the freshman know that they needed to tuck in their shirts and make sure that they were hustling.

Without the entire team at practice yet, due to basketball practice, we are taking these first three days for the girls to review the fundamentals. That way when the b-ball girls come out I have already taught fielding fundamentals and hitting fundamentals to most of the girls so I can focus on the girls that were not there and reinforce what we have covered. I will admit when preparing for practice I did pull up Jody’s Fielding Fundamentals video to make sure that I was covering everything. That just shows no matter the age group or how long someone has coached that fundamentals are something that we need to go over to refresh.

Scott Miller

Reinforcement of Principles

Jody and I have been working on our methods for teaching hitting for a long time. We are always coming up with new and different ways to coach hitting. I just found out that a team that Jody has been working on hitting with just won a 33-team tournament, blanking the defending state champions 12-0. The first pitch of the game resulted in a home-run. It is a great reassurance when you hear that the methods you teach are paying off big.

Scott Miller

The First Day of Practice

Today is the the first day of practice, and I think I have my ducks in row. For next three days we are going to be a working back into softball mode. The reason we are not getting right to it is two fold. Some of my girls are still involved in Basketball playoffs and will not be out for a few more days. The other reason is that I want the girls to get their arms in shape slowly and work on finding their swings again in more of a relaxed practice. When we really start getting into it later this week, I want high energy and efficent practices. I will also take this time to see what kind of raw skill they have in the outfield and infield. That way, if injuries occur during the season, I will use this knowledge to decide who will be a good fit to change positions.

This is a very young team and we have a lot to get done in the four weeks before our game, but I still think the slow approach will be best for this team. I have coached teams in the past that from the word go it was hardcore practice and I expected hard work from every player. I think that we cannot coach every team the same, we have to adjust a little every year to fit the team’s personality. The specifics may change with every coach, hitting lingo, and fielding technique I want to be on the same page. Also how we communicate with the girls. As a head coach it is omportant that I set the tone. It must be clear to the girls (and to the coaching staff) exactly who has the final say with the team.

Your expectations should not change, but sometimes yout style must.

Scott Miller

Two Weeks Out

Two weeks before the season and I am starting to get very excited. In the next day or two I will getting with my assistant coach to go over a final plan for the season. This is his first year coaching with me, so we have been in contact on a regular bases since he was hired. I want to make sure we are on the same page about several things. One is terminology; we want to say the same thing so players know what we are talking about. Also that expectations are clear for him and for the girls. I want him to know what kind of responsibilities that he will be in charge of. If their are certain techniques that I feel are a must, then this is the time to share them and not after the fact. Players know when you are not on the same page, so spend sometime on this before the season.

Scott Miller

Closer to the First Practice

I have mapped out the games and days off for the upcoming season, now I have to figure out how I am going to cover things before the first game. The first thing I do to accomplish this is get my pre-season checklist out and decide what are the most important things to know before our first game. We have four weeks after our first practice before our first game. The things that will have to be covered in team defense time are, 1st and 3rd, bunt defense, cut-offs, signals and base running.

Many of the other things on the checklist are things that can be covered in a simulated game. With my calendar in front of me I start plotting out when things are going to covered and how many times, as the season starts these maybe adjusted by need but the calendar helps me to make sure everything is covered.

Scott Miller

The First Three

It is now a month before the start of the season, and it is time to start preparing my practice schedule and planning the season. In this blog I am not going to get caught up in the ordering of equipment or transportation or anything along those lines, because that was all done months ago. This blog is about prepping the team for the season. There are three things that I am working on right now and that is what I will talk about today: planning practices, setting up a calendar for team resting days, and getting the girls conditioned.

I begin by planning practices until the first game. This is important because I want to make sure that I have covered everything and the girls are prepared when we step on the field for our first game. I use a checklist of things to cover offensively and defensively. Among the skills to be covered are 1st and 3rd plays, bunt defense, cut-offs, communication, signals, bunting, and base running. The check list I use can soon be found on our freebies page. By getting a calendar out and planning [practices ahead of time, I know I will not get caught up in day-to-day planning and forget an important skill. The first season I coached, I remember that the first game was very close and I wanted the girls in a “no doubles” defense but I had forgotten to cover that defensive skill. That is when I decided that a checklist was a must.

The second thing I do is put all of the season’s games on a calender and try to decide were I can get the girls days off. It is so easy to get caught up in competition during the season and think “we can not afford a day off .” That may not be best strategy. Sometimes your team will not perform well because the players are tired; yet as coaches, sometimes our our first reaction is to say, “We need to work harder.” That attitude may be counterproductive if the girls are tired and need a break. On that note I will admit that when I give the girls the calendar there is always a question mark on the days off because sometimes they do need to work more, but at least if I plan it out without emotion taking over it makes me think about it when the time comes.

The third thing that I am working on is making sure the girls that are not currently playing another sport are getting in shape. I expect my athletes to walk on the field the first day of practice in shape. I do not have time in the pre-season to worry about their cardio, so the girls that are not currently playing another sport should be out on the track getting in shape. It is against the rules for me to get their arms in shape but I sure can get their legs and lungs ready to go.

Those are the three things that I am working on at this point. As a coach, I love the time leading up to the first game. I do not feel that a coach can always be judged on wins and losses, but can be judged on how well they prepared their team. As a coach you need to take pride in the fact that your team is prepared come game time.
Scott Miller