How to Coach All Skill Levels on Your Team Cindy Bristow Softball Excellence cindy@softballexcellence.com
Keys All Teams have Skill Groups Top Middle Bottom Groups Aren t Equal Starters - Non Starters Stars - Role Players Competitors - Socialites Bottom 3 rd Top s Happy Middle s Swayable Bottom s Grumpy
How You Manage Everyday Your Family Kids are Different Skills Different Ages Meals TV Shows Chores Younger: Tie Your Shoes, Brush Your Teeth Older: Take out Trash, Empty Dishwasher, Make Bed Your Employees This Clinic Coaching Experience Clinic Experience Age Group You Coach
Group Keys
Top Group Our Attention Our Focus Easier (less messy) Don t get Much Better Love is Easy with Skill
Middle & Bottom - Bigger Value Get Them On Base Make Simple Plays BE READY for Your Shot BE THE ONE! Help Them Love It!
Do s Do - Know Groups ARE Valuable Find Value Preach Value Extract Value Raise Value Expect Value Do - Understand Power of The Middle Top s Happy Middle s Swayable Bottom s Grumpy Great Season Bad Season
Don'ts Confuse Skill with Passion Assume All Have Your Passion Confuse Body Language with Feeling Think They re Trying to Mess Up Assume They ll NEVER Get It
Group Shifts Allow for Shifts Changing Skills Slumping Surging Improving Parent Coaches Must Be Honest Evaluators
Ways to Work with Skill Groups Like with Like TOP MIDDLE BOTTOM TOP MIDDLE BOTTOM Customize Choices Alter Times 6:00-6:30 TOP GROUP Only 6:20 MIDDLE GROUP Shows Up 6:30 TOP Goes Home 6:30 7:15 MIDDLE Only 7:10 BOTTOM Shows UP 7:15 MIDDLE Goes Home 7:15-8:00 BOTTOM Only Challenge Upper Limits
Groups that Work, & Don t Infielders Taking Groundballs Good Catcher Best Pitcher Best Catcher Skill Level with Skill Level Don t: Best Pitcher Worst Catcher Strong Armed Infielder Weak 1 st Base Extremely Competitive - Socialites
Be Specific with Each Group Increase Your Range Increase Range by 6 inches each side by mid-season Everydays 444: 4 Key Skills for Each Group 4 Reps of Each Skill 4 times each Day/Practice
Customize Content - Tosses Bottom Underhand Just This Average Backhand + Underhand Top Kneel Dart + Backhand + Underhand
Customize Content - Hitting Bottom T Stackers 1 Average T Stackers 2 Top Throw T
Customize Content Options (All Groups) Groundballs: Adjust How Hard Adjust the Range Flyballs: Adjust How Hard Adjust How High Adjust the Type/Range Hitting: Adjust the Toss Adjust the Drill
Alter Times Skill Groups 6:00-6:30 TOP GROUP Only 6:20 MIDDLE GROUP Shows Up 6:30 TOP Goes Home 6:30 7:15 MIDDLE Only 7:10 BOTTOM Shows UP 7:15 MIDDLE Goes Home 7:15-8:00 BOTTOM Only
Alter Times More Options
Challenge Upper Limits Fungo
Challenge Upper Limits Hitting Disks 12 inch 7 inch
Challenge Upper Limits Bounce Tee
Challenge All (within reason) Hitting 1 - Customize Top Bounce Tee Middle Tee Stackers Bottom Fido Swings Hitting 2 Same (Fido Swings) Top 5 to middle individually Middle 10 to middle as group Bottom 10 each and rotate Hitting Hitting Disks Top Work to Hit 5 Tosses Middle Work to Hit the Toss Bottom Try to throw forward
Glove Flips Top World Record is Middle Goal of 10 more than best, individually Bottom Double Dutch (2 each side) Current World Record
Suggestions How Can You Make it Harder? How Can You Make it Easier? Sports Center Moment: Last 10 Minutes Call Your Play DO Your Play Rotate the Order Worst to First First to Worst
Appreciate Each Other Find Ways for All to Have Value Pair Up Combine Scores Bottom with Top in crazy skill Recognize: Improvement Effort TEAM Contribution ROLE Players President of BIDC
Celebrate Differences Roles Matter: What are They? How do they Practice Them? How do they Use Them? How do they Change Them? Backup Plan: What if Best Player Goes Down? bench wins playoffs, starters get you there Second Positions Clint Myers Workups Game AND Practice Time Use Same Patience for ALL!
Help for Parents Best Statements Parents Can Make Before Games: Have Fun Play Hard I love You After Games: I love to watch you play!
GREAT Softball Educational Material www.softballexcellence.com cindy@softballexcellence.com