This all-star season has been interesting for sure and this blog post is a reality and ego check for all of us volunteer/parent coaches out there.
I'm a good coach, I really enjoy being with the girls helping them improve their game. But there is a limit and I fear I've reached it.
Just this year, I am seeing a huge amount of girls leave little league or augment their season by playing on travel teams. These travel teams typically have paid coaches (but not always) and in pretty much every case, a parent who is pushing their kid for a chance to eventually play high school softball or beyond. This blog post isn't about pushy parents as much as it is about my own ability to coach kids who are getting private lessons and play on multiple teams with multiple coaches.
I can't keep up and don't always agree on things with these different parties. Because I'm a voulnteer coach (i.e. not paid and not travel), I believe that some parents would prefer that I not give their girls additional tips or make any major changes to the way they play.
For example, I teach that the 1B take the cut off on plays to the plate and not the 2B or SS except on very deeply hit balls, which are extremely rare. I had a parent question my strategy the other day at practice and was simply stunned to be in that conversation.
Another example are some alternative hitting and tee drills that promote weight shift during the swing. Parents watch and think I'm teaching a radical new batting stance when in fact, I'm simply trying to get the girl to move her hips a bit.
I'm frustrated and I believe I know why... this youth softball coach has almost outlived his usefulness and is about to become one of those doting, challenging and annyoing parents... assuming I continue to push my own kid to keep playing. Hopefully not in both cases, but we shall see.
Warning Signs and Dangers of Coaching U12s
Passion and Drive
I just read that "Michael Jordan's son retires from college basketball" and it got me thinking about motivation, drive, passion and commitment to your sport, craft and life. I think all too often as a parent of an athlete, we can't see clearly through the haze at our own children who have their own passions and that those passions may not match our parental expectations.
I remember reading something Cal Ripken wrote about how as a child his father never asked him to practice - that he was motivated from somewhere deep inside himself. It's hard as a parent to lay off, and I'm as guity as the next person in perhaps pushing my kids too far too fast in certain areas, but this story is a good reminder that talent and genes aren't enough. The opportunities Jeff Jordan refers to in the article are I'm sure related to his own passions and desires - and it's those very passions that will drive his commitment towards success in his life.
Outside of that, can you imagine being MJ's kid and trying to live up to that hype?
Intensity and Defense
I'm thrilled to blog today that yesterday, my U12 team won the town championship by beating a really great team 11-4 in the finals.
We almost didn't make it, barely beating our semi-final opponents by scoring 3 runs on passed balls in the bottom of the 6th. Last night though, we played stellar defense and kept up an insane amount of intensity to simply overwhelm the other team.
After jumping out to a 4-2 lead, we got a huge hit from my daughter (Happy Father's Day!) to put us up for good 6-2. Even missing our best player and 3rd basemen, we locked down on defense overcoming a few silly errors (catch first, then tag!) and ran away with the trophy.
I learned (and was reminded of) a few lessons this year:
- Some kids respond to pressure, while others just lock up
- Practice, practice, practice - but enjoy it and play lots of games and competitions
- Girls are WOW, different than boys. Don't forget to adjust your expectations (i.e. don't expect a lot of diving after balls)
- Pick one or two kids as a special project and watch them bloom. One kid I've coached for 2 years now came alive in the final getting 2 hits and reaching a 3rd time on an error. She had previously had 1 hit through 11 games!
- Team chemistry really matters, especially for girls. Find ways to foster it by creating situations where they simply have to respond as a team, together.
- Intensity and focus are 2 terrific skills to develop on a softball field that will translate into life
It felt great to see these girls come together after so much hard work all season. I couldn't be happier or more proud of these kids.
Time to Turn It Up
I put this photo of the amazing Danielle Lawrie at the top of this post because she represents "turning it up" in a big, big way. Her performance at the Women's College World Series was nothing short of spectacular.
We're more than halfway through our U12 softball season and the team has progressed nicely in many ways - we're 7-1 and clearly the best team in the league when we're able to throw strikes and stay awake on defense.
At this point, I'm starting to lock in players to give them specific improvement at certain positions - the girls have earned their spots in the lineup and on the field by their performance, attendance and attitudes.
I'll start backing off quite a bit during games from here on out, minimizing my in-game coaching as much as possible to give them a chance to put what they have been learning into practice.
That said, there are 2 specific messages I'm delivering from here to the end of the season:
- Errors... there is not much we can do at this point to avoid physical errors, but mental errors are not acceptable. This means girls need to pay attention to signals, be alert at the plate, work the count and know where they are going on defense both with the ball and with their bodies!
- Of our 3 season goals (have fun, learn the game and compete), now's the time to compete their hardest. This does not mean that our focus is on winning, but that our effort in trying to be the best is important - more important than winning.
Here's hoping!
Keeping Track of Stats?
A few years ago, when my daughter was in U10, I started keep track of very basic stats for each game and compiling them in a spreadsheet. I kept just a few key things like walks, strikeouts, hits (real hits) and at bats. I calculated specific stats for strikeouts/ab and on base percentage to get a feel for how the girls were improving.
This year, at the U12 level, I've moved keeping a full set of stats and it's giving me great insights into how my players are growing and learning. While it's obvious who is always striking out, it's interesting to see how they are trending, and who is simply hiding behind drawing a walk.
I've also added pitcher stats that include ERA (recalculated for 6 innings!), hits, walks, IP, starts, wins, losses and saves. Again, it's been really helpful to look back at each game, along with my notes.
I never show the girls the raw numbers, but I do use them to configure practices, batting orders and to help girls one on one to improve.
Do you keep stats?
Local Girl Goes Bigtime
Rachele Fico, a pitcher from a nearby town is practically a legend around CT. She's dominated at every level of softball since she was a kid and is now on her way to play college softball at recently defeated LSU who lost 2 in a row to Arizona State to advance to the College World Series. I was shocked and thrilled seeing her photo in the NY Times this weekend - way cool.
Something tells me Fico has the ability to turn that around for her new team... we'll all be watching and cheering her on from here in CT!
A few things jumped out me in the article including:
- Her career record for Masuk, from Monroe, is 97-2, and she has not lost a game in two years. Her earned run average is 0.06. She has struck out 1,723 batters. And she has pitched a national high school record 25 perfect games.
- Her quote speaks to her obvious passion for the game: “Softball’s a part of me, a part of who I am,” Fico said. “When I get time off from playing, after like a week or two, I start getting antsy. I can’t just sit back and watch anymore.”
Patience Young Padawan
We're 4 games into our U12 softball season and it's been an interesting ride already. In our first game, we struck out 11 times and had 1 hit. Granted, we walked 15 times, but we swung at way too many bad pitches. Somehow, we managed to score 12 runs and we slunk away with a win.
In game 2, we reduced our strikeouts from 11 to 9 which was better, but still way too many. Our 9 hits and 12 walks earned us another win - 10-6 over a very good team, but I had a feeling we had a ways to go.
Game 3 was a nightmare, I put some kids into spots where they didn't perform well, and we were flat all night. We took our first loss, a 17-16 walk fest where we drew 19 free passes against 4 strikeouts (yes!) but only managed 4 hits. We did win the last 3 innings 5-4 though - that's a great tip if you can use it to motivate and keep the team positive BTW (look at an inning or a few innings and declare victory).
At the beginning of game 4, I gave the girls a pep talk and told them to be patient at the plate. In fact, I told them, DO NOT swing at anything until you have a strike on you. I really wanted them to start to get comfortable at the plate and to start working the count and looking for what I am now calling their "dream pitch."
I told them, unless you have 2 strikes on you, get real picky - and only swing at that one pitch that you know you can smash. Game 4 started ugly, my 2 and 3 hitters popped out and grounded out weakly respectively, both swinging at first pitches! I was grinding my teeth and reiterated in my own "coach way" that they were now under strict orders of death (not really death) to not swing until they had a strike on them.
Immediately, things changed. The other team couldn't find the strike zone and because we were patient, we drew 19 walks in a 5 inning game. Additionally, we blasted 6 big hits (all of them solid including 3 into the outfield) and only had 1 strikeout on our way to a 17-6 blowout against the same team that beat us a week earlier.
Tell your kids to slow down. Be patient and to "pick out a good one and crush it!"
We're now 3-1 and I think on our way to a very solid season.
What Makes A Champion
I wasn't planning on writing this post, but during lunch, I was skimming the latest Time magazine issue, the "World's Most Influential People" issue. Serena Williams, writing about Rafa Nadal pointed out what makes him so good.
I think it's that he's the hardest worker. The last one to leave the court, the first to arrive. The one who falls asleep studying, the first to rise. It's not easy being a champion; you don't just wake up and - bam! - you're No 1. It takes work, effort, desire, dedication - all qualities that Rafa has. I could be wrong, but I don't think I'm far off.Serena gives Rafa the greatest endorsement a champion can give another champion:
I want to be like him.Her writing those words speaks as loudly for Rafa as it does for Serena heself. She's world class off the court too, apparently.
This is Serious
If you missed the New York Time article today "When an 18-Year-Old Son Needs Elbow Surgery" and you have a son or daughter playing sports you should definitely take a moment to read this piece. What strikes me the idea that as parents, we can make mistakes even as we have good intentions.
I found myself in a conversation with a fellow father who has a daughter and a son playing softball and baseball respectively. His son, about 8 isn't a great player. In fact, he told me that his son last season barely even fouled one off all season. As a result, he's put his son into a hitting clinic with a personal coach and is looking at signing him up for winter leagues to augment his spring and fall season.
I wonder first of all, does the kid even like baseball that much that he wants to opt out of doing other things. Secondly, I wonder if this father has bothered to read any of the research or recent books about this topic. According to the NYT article, "one study, conducted by the American Sports Medicine Institute, led by the prominent surgeon Dr. James Andrews, found high school and college pitchers at sharply higher risk of injury requiring surgery when they exceeded certain thresholds: 400 percent when tossing more than 80 pitches a game; 500 percent for pitchers whose playing seasons lasted more than eight months a year."
I wonder what those thresholds are for 10 year olds, whose bodies haven't completely developed. I assume the thresholds are much lower and that you can inadvertently damage or ruin your own child's playing future by simply having them play too much.
Parents should get informed, especially if they have a star player who really loves the game. I believe it's prudent to make sure that whomever is coaching these players understand and respect your wishes of pitching and catching limited innings to save their arms irrespective of the league rules. Parents should also consider how many months to allow their kids to play a single sport. Playing multiple sports helps them develop different muscles and gives them a chance to make new friends and learn new skills. Young kids should not over commit to a single sport anyway, in my opinion.
Deja Vu All Over Again
Last night at practice I had the oddest feeling of deja vu. Before our first game, we tuned up a bit by working on cut off/relay plays and in particular, plays at the plate. I remember learning this myself at 11 or 12 years old and really struggling with it. I seem to remember being yelled at quite a bit for missing the cut off!
Defensively, my favorite play has always been when there is hit to the outfield w/a runner in scoring position. Seeing the pitcher back up home while 1B comes out to mound to get the cut off is like some sort of intricate dance move - it's the essence of team baseball/softball and as it turns out, is as fun to do as it is to teach.
It's a lot to take in, but I'm committed to teaching the girls more about the game as they get older. You have to start somewhere.
The other thing we did last night for the first time was some serious sliding. We did 2 rounds of stealing 2B off the catcher (work in catcher drills while you are at it). We added on a round of advancing to home on a passed ball which requires a slide as well. 2 girls still can't slide, but I think we'll get that fixed soon enough.
I'm fall in love with the game all over again each year I coach.
Position and Batting Order Strategies
I'm still learning how to construct the perfect lineup and still have questions. With a big roster that includes 14 girls and a continuous batting order, there will be stretches where we could have several weak batters up in a row.
I have tried both stacking the top of the order and "spreading the wealth" and tend to think that spreading the wealth (using several good hitters throughout the full lineup) gives us a chance to sustain a big rally. That said, I hate to get into a situation where a strikeout or weakly hit ball kills our momentum. It's not an easy situation. It's also worth mentioning that in our league, we have a 4 run per inning max - so when I say big rally, I mean making sure we put up our 4 runs each time we bat!
Here's how I will probably start this season:
- Girl who rarely strikes out and has speed
- Girl with some speed, rarely strikes out and is a good hitter
- Best hitter
- Slower girl but with a good bat (ok if she strikes out a bit)
- Average hitter
- Good/great hitter
- Poor hitter but one who I have taught to bunt!
- Average hitter
- Poor hitter (another bunter if possible)
- Average hitter
- Best hitter left of the bottom 5
- Weak hitter
- Weakest hitter
- Someone who can but and who can run a little
- Count on passed balls scoring you a huge % of your runs.
- If you can teach your girls to bunt, you'll also get the added benefit of drawing more walks, and being able to simply put the ball in play which will create opportunities for the other team to make defensive errors).
As for position strategies, I have some pretty specific ideas on defense of what will help us win games.
C - I drafted a good catcher and I hope I can develop a decent back up. At this level, it's becoming extremely important that the catcher simply be able to minimize passed balls.
1B - she must catch everything thrown to her and be able to move her body to field bad throws
2B - great glove, average arm (2B is crucial!)
SS - average glove, good arm
3B - fearless with her glove, great arm
OF - pretty much everyone else
P - I drafted 2 pitchers and have a 3rd who if she can throw strikes will do fine. I have 2 other girls who want to pitch but have a long way to go. I will work with them as much as they want until I feel they are ready to pitch in a game. That's a judgment call to a large extent, but if they can throw 6 of 10 pitches for strikes on a consistent basis, they will get some innings.
While there is no rule this year that says we have to play every girl in the infield, I will do a lot of moving kids around so they have a good experience. Here are some of my unofficial rules:
- You have to earn your way into the infield
- You can't play 3B if you can't protect yourself
- You can't play 1B if you can't handle me (coach) throwing balls fairly hard at you
- You can ask to catch, but you have to put in practice time with me (like I said above, passed balls are crucial at this level)
- I use the 2B position to rotate girls into the infield and reward the ones who make plays with time at SS
It's Almost Game Time!
I've not ever coached in a season where I've had enough practices to feel ready to play... and this year is no exception! My U12 girls softball team has had 7 practices so far, and have 2 0r 3 more before our first game next Friday night under the lights.
I decided that there are just some things we'll have to learn as we go, and a few that I'm really going to focus on to get the girls ready. I do this every year, and it always drives me crazy because I just love to practice!
Major focus areas before our first game:
- Get the girls to see some live pitching
- Get my pitchers to pitch to batters
- Sliding into bases
- Game situations (my favorite of all drills is to field a full team and use the extra players as live runners)
- Signs (basic ones only: bunt, steal and take the next pitch)
- 2B backing up the pitcher after every pitch
- Additional backups (in particular, RF backing up all plays to 1B and LF backing up 3B)
- Advanced catchers drills and specific practice including the extremely important "fake" throw to second base to try to fool the runner on third!
- Pitchers covering home on all passed balls with runners on third
- Hit and run
- Delayed steals (except for this one girl, who I think I can teach)
It's almost game time and I can't wait!
Book Notes: Encylopedia of Sports Parenting
I picked up "The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting" by Dan Doyle from the library today and read most of it in one sitting. It's a very comprehensive look at, to state the obvious, being the parent of a child who plays sports at a variety of levels. The book does a great job breaking down the differences between youth/recreational sports, high school and higher levels like travel sports and college.
I focused my attention on the youth sports chapters and concepts and got a few really good things out of this book. In particular, I'm totally in agreement with the book around issues of sportsmanship, fair play and what Doyle calls a "values based sports parenting philosophy." His framework hinges on two "anchors" that form the foundation of any child's experience and life: Character Development and Training the Mind.
As both a parent and a coach, I think I've done a good job in this area by connecting the dots for my children and players that winning is not the only thing and that learning the game, having passion for what you are doing and loving your teammates is job #1. As my girls get older, I am realizing that more and more that this is exactly where my focus should be at all times, both as parent and coach.
Doyle lays out eleven important values learned from sports, listed here:
- Balance and perspective
- Honest/good sportsmanship
- Self-reliance/responsibility
- Self-control/non-violence
- Hard work/perseverance
- Respect
- Empathy
- Teamwork/unselfishness
- Tolerance
- Moral courage
- Physical fitness
That said, I now realize that I need to connect the dots back off the field as well - those anchors are not meant as a framework for sports success, but as an anchor for life success. Right now, one area of real concern and focus for me is instilling the value of hard work and self-reliance. Encouraging them to be as good as they can in all areas of life by having them work towards goals, put in the practice time and always give their best efforts are areas I believe we can all continually strive to improve on!
If you have a kid playing sports, I would recommend that you read this book immediately!
Parenting and Youth Sports
This is a repost, I originally wrote it in January 2008.
I'm a coach. In another life, I think that I'd do that as a profession. In this life however, I've been coaching my 2 girls in a variety of sports and learning so many lessons. As they have gotten older, more and more issues have come up that have pushed me past those easy tee-ball days. Suddenly, drafts and organizational politics have come into play - neither of which I could care about all that much. I'm still more concerned with my singular goal for each season:
How many of these kids will have so much fun that they will come back and play another season?
There was a study done recently that showed that 75% of all kids who play sports stop completely by age 13. Athletics was such an important part of shaping who I am today and for my girls, I feel that it is extremely important for them to keep playing (something, anything) and having fun.
I picked up a copy of "Parenting Young Athletes The Ripken Way" from the library this weekend and blew through it's pages in one sitting. What I read reconfirmed:
- Cal Ripken is a class act
- Youth Sports today is very different than it was when I was a kid (not so long ago)
- Youth Sports are GAMES... and games are meant to be fun
- Parents and coaches may be hurting their kids inadvertently by pushing and not praising at all times
Cal talks a lot about praise and how to use praise to really build up a kids confidence. I do an OK job of this, but am realizing how important it is to not be critical - especially in the car on the way home from a game. My instinct is to keep coaching on the way home, giving my girls tips and pointers on what to work on. What I should be doing is going gaga over their performance and asking them about what they thought.
If my goal is to get my kids to keep playing a sport from season to season, I think a little less criticism and a ton more praise might just do the trick.
A lot of parents have asked me if I think travel teams and specialization is something they should be considering for their athletes - I get these questions more and more now that my older kid is approaching middle school. While I'm not an expert quite yet, Cal's book made some great points that are worth considering.
- By playing as many different sports as possible, your athlete develops cross-compatible skills that will help them in every sport they play. The quickness they get from playing aggressive defense in basketball will certainly help their footwork on a soccer field or on a baseball diamond.
- Cal also mentions that the college coaches he knows actually tend to favor well-rounded athletes - their thought being that a player who specialized at a young age is at risk for an injury (overuse of particular muscles) and burn out.
- The book also talks about travel teams and how for most kids, lack of playing time on a team focused only on winning can actually end up making no difference athletically for that child - and even worse can create other issues. The demands that travel teams make on families creates issues with school work, missing family time and meals and at it's worst, can create animosity or dislike for the game. At 7 or 8 years old, is this really necessary?
It's not about your dreams, it's about your child's dreams.I'd agree. Sports may not be your kid's dream - but giving them an opportunity to stay fit, learn a new game and make friends is worthy enough a goal!
Practice in the Rain
I'm nuts, I know it.
But I'm not going to let that stop me from practicing! While parents seem to complain if we don't practice enough or if we practice too much, I figured since we had a scheduled practice last Sunday, we'd keep the date even if it was raining.
We got lucky that it didn't pour, but while it was raining, I used the opportunity to teach the girls how to slide. Next time it rains, don't cancel practice - teach your team how to slide (and how to play in the mud!)
First Step in Becoming a Winner: Act Like One
I read this essay from the NYT called "First Step in Becoming a Winner: Act Like One" and fell in love with the message even before finishing it this weekend. I took some time and read it to my girls and discussed it a bit as well, taking some time to try to get some piece of it to sink in.
"Fake it until you make it" is perhaps one of the best pieces of advice we can give each other and to our teams. I absolutely love that Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith's routine included regular meditation sessions in the locker room where they "visualized bigger, stronger players in hostile arenas."
I remember being in art school and a teacher told me to simply start acting like I was a professional graphic artist and the rest would come. It worked seemingly overnight. My attitude changed and my career was launched with little else than the belief that I belonged and the hard work to make it happen.
While confidence is important at all levels of sports (and life!), I am starting to really believe that in youth sports in particular, kids can move mountains simply by believing in themselves and going from there.
It's something I will start to work on immediately with my teams!
Also in this weekend's paper, there was another feature article named "Allonzo Trier Is in the Game," which ultimately takes a \hard look at our culture and our obsession with "going pro" and cashing out in sports.
Look, I understand dedicating your life to something and putting the work in to get there. But at 12 or 13 years old, haven't we as parents and society learned our lessons yet? It's just too early. I worry less about Allonzo and more about the vast majority of those kids who have lots of talent, but come up just short. What will happen to them? Are they getting the right lessons as a child or are they being fed into a meat grinder only to be left on the outside if they can't make it in the pros?
Losing Builds Character
Does losing build character? I honestly have no idea, but I'll take any one of my girls over any one of the the team that beat us in the championship.
As for the game itself, they didn't just beat us, the demolished us. As for team character, my girls got frustrated sure, but never gave up. Down by more than 20, we actually "won" the last part of the game after going on a 6-0 run. We did the 2-4-6-8 cheer at the end and I had a blast giving out 2nd place trophies.
Days later, the loss feels like it happened in another life, my daughter has moved on but retains so many great memories from this past season. It was an absolute joy to coach these girls and I'm hopeful that every single one of them will be back next season.
At the start of the season, we laid out 3 goals for the team, and ultimately accomplished all of them:
- Have fun
- Learn the game (boy did we learn!)
- Compete to win
Softball Draft
Today is the draft for the "majors" softball league I'm coaching this spring (11/12 year old girls).
I went a tad overboard with my "draft card" giving each girl a ranking of 1-5 on 5 different categories. I can do this because I know most of the girls from coaching for so many years now! The categories are fielding, throwing, batting, pitching and catching. I assigned a score of 1-5 in each and added them up giving me an idea of who to try to draft. While that may give pitchers an unfair advantage in terms of numbers, I believe it is reflective of how you should think about building a team at this age level.
I've learned the hard way, but here are my keys to this season...
- I must have 2 pitchers who can throw strikes (speed does not matter, that will come with practice). At this level it's still possible to develop a girl, but it is not easy.
- You must have a catcher (or someone willing to learn fast!). I would guess that at least 50% of the runs scored will be on passed balls with no play at the plate!
- You must draft girls who have the "right" attitude. This means finding "good kids" who will work hard and allow you to develop and find their talents.
I typically try to draft for attitude and figure I can dramatically improve every kid on my team by the end of the season by providing a lot of one-on-one time during practices. It's a lot of work, but totally worth it. By the end of the season, I plan on having the best all-around team, even if we've sacrificed wins during the regular season to get there. It pays off in the playoffs.
I'd recommend that you carefully consider your draft picks with attitude in mind... if you are like me, you realize that having a good group of girls who are into the team will also come with great parents who share that same attitude.
One last tip... at younger levels, you don't have to worry about catchers as much, which is why last year I spent time cultivating and developing 2 girls who have potential at catcher... that's my little secret for you coaches who plan to coach for more than one season.
I'm already working on my seasons goals and a specific practice plan, which I will share over the next few weeks.
Game On...
We're officially on a run for the ages. We laced 'em up again tonight, this time against the #2 team, filled with solid players and a very aggressive attitude.
Our girls however, rode the momentum they gained from our first playoff win and absolutely shocked the other team. We jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back, led by our now official star players who happen to be twins.
Ball movement: check
Good defense: check
Dribbling with eyes up: check
Making good shots: check
We played some of the best defense I've ever seen at this level and frankly, while I don't think we have any shot of winning the big championship game, I think it will be a lot closer than anyone thinks.
The excitement in the gym was really something special tonight, parents and friends all really going nuts. My only disappointment was the other team's bad attitude after the game - shaking hands with closed fists - it's a great opportunity for their coaches to do some character building and I hope they will take the chance.
Looking back at this season, I'm totally validated in my approach of teaching the fundamentals, focus on playing team basketball. Every kid has to be able to contribute on my teams, and I think we've accomplished that. Those dark days of losing (our regular season record was 1-7) is long gone and has been replaced with 8 very confident little girls.
Pretty cool.
Pure Joy
It's been a really interesting season with my 2 basketball teams and I've learned a lot. I think I continue to become a better and better coach with each season both technically (x's and o's) but more importantly in how I think about coaching young girls.
My 4th grade team has had a rough season as measured in wins and losses and as I think back to when my older girl played at that level I see a lot of similarities. 4th grade girls generally are unskilled at the basics and are typically not so interested in winning (like boys). The girls seem to want to make friends and to have fun.
When I started this season, I sent a note to the parents promising that we'd focus on fundamentals and teaching the girls the game. I set out to do that and quickly saw the lack of basic dribbling and shooting skills. As one of the only teams to practice every week (other teams apparently didn't bother), we had a chance to really work on those fundamentals and basics.
Each week, we played games where we were thrashed by opponents with 1 or 2 star players who were able to dominate us and shut down our scoring. About 3 weeks ago, we had a game that indicated better things to come - we won our first game and then played very tough defense against the 2nd best team in the league.
Last night, we had our first playoff game against the #3 team in the league and frankly, I didn't have high expectations. In fact, I have to admit that I wasn't really expecting much and was bracing myself for a good beating. I didn't want to end the season on a sour note for sure, but didn't expect what happened next.
Pure joy ensued.
The girls put it all together. The defensive footwork wasn't perfect, but the aggressiveness and winning attitude was there. We ran fast breaks with our fastest 2 girls and let them run, run, run. We didn't rush our shots and they went in. At the end of the 3rd quarter, we were tied at 12. The ref told me that if we were tied at the end of the game we' d play 1 extra quarter. I smiled at her and in front of my team I told her we wouldn't need overtime and that we were taking this one home.
I turned to look at my girls who were all looking at me as I said this. I put my hand out and said let's win this one girls... we did our 1-2-3 "Cyclones" yell and off they went to glory.
Winning certainly doesn't really matter in the end. But after a rough season of focusing on fundamentals and the basics, it's pure validation as a coach. Our next playoff game is this Wednesday and win or lose, we've already won.
Measuring Improvement
Last night, my 4th grade girls basketball team (remember, I have a 5th/6th grade team too!) finished up our regular season with another loss.
But...
The improvement from player to player is stunning when I think back to the beginning of the season. I insisted that we focus on fundamentals and stuck to my guns this year - drill, pass, shoot and play defense.
While our record doesn't reflect it (1-7), our last 3 games are clear indicators that every girl has improved her game in some significant way.
I was just about beaming watching our girls play aggressive man-to-man defense, matching up, being aggressive and dominating on the boards. We still can't seem to make baskets (I bet we shot 10% from the floor) and have big problems against overly aggressive defensive pressure, but I'm confident we're going to surprise someone in the playoffs in a few weeks.
It's been an interesting seasons so far, but we're not done yet.
Got Our First "W"
Tonight, we got our first win in 5 tries. To the girls, it was fun, but for some reason, it was important to me to get a win before the end of the regular season. The first quarter was a bit of a nightmare, but the girls settled in and played really well.
At the 4th grade level, it's interesting to see different teams and their strategies (or lack of).
Most teams have 1 star player who they lean on.
Some coaches have opted to play zone defense (boooo), which at this level I do believe should be banned.
Some coaches (like me), choose to rotate the girls all over the place and really try to get them to learn the game. That makes our teams weaker at first, but hopefully, much stronger by the end of the season.
I think we're there.
Wishing Doesn't Work
My 4th grade basketball team is now 0-4 and isn't improving the way I had hoped. Even so, there were some interesting things happening last night in our game that are worth talking about.
At the half, we were down 10-4 and the final score was something like 30-10. The other team had only 5 players and I thought that we'd be able to run them down in the 2nd half by pushing with an aggressive fast break style.
At the beginning of the 2nd quarter, I noticed that a few of our girls stopped trying hard in getting back on defense and were standing around. I'm thinking... if this was high school, I'd be yelling my head off and these girls would be running their butts off at practice. But then I snapped back to reality and remembered where I was.
I called a time out and talked to my team, telling them that the game wasn't over and that we had a chance for a great comeback if ONLY they came together as a team and all gave 200% effort on every play. Hands in, 1-2-3, we all yell go team and off we go...
Almost immediately, a few girls simply stopped trying at all. Literally walking back on defense while the other team continued to pile on the points.
Now, here's where it gets interesting.
At the half, my "tired" team ran out on the court and started shooting around, throwing up shots behind their backs and goofing off. I was so pissed I had to walk outside the gym for a minute and calm down.
I didn't push the issue but did rotate more than usual with subs for the rest of the game. I'm a bit confused as where to go from here. Obviously the girls are getting frustrated that we aren't winning, I get that. But what kills me is that they aren't connecting the dots that their effort is what will help them be more competitive.
It really seems as if some of my players are doing more wishing than working to try to get better.
Got any suggestions?
Softball Signups!
It's about 10 degrees outside and I just realized that it's time to sign my daughter up for spring softball again. I'm definitely coaching again as softball is my favorite sport to coach.
I'm already developing some basic practice plans and have some ideas on how to really super-charge things this season. I'm planning on buying a popup net and a good tee for portable (and frequent) soft toss and hitting off a tee. I really want to focus this season on (fundamentals of course!) teaching the girls how to rip the cover off the ball.
It's hard to imagine it ever being warm enough to play softball outside though!
I heard that many of the better players are moving on to travel softball this season which is fine by me, I'm still more interested in helping girls find themselves and building basic skills and an understanding of the game. There's nothing quite like teaching young girls about force plays at second and seeing them finally get it halfway through the season.
Ultimate Coaching Resource List
A list of great resources, web sites, books and information to help you become a great youth sports coach! Please leave additional resources in the comments and I'll add them to the listing.
General Coaching
- Rebound Rules: The Art of Success 2.0
- Whose Game Is It, Anyway?: A Guide to Helping Your Child Get the Most from Sports, Organized by Age and Stage
- Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior
- Website: Guide to Coaching Sports
- Website: Y-coach
Sport Specific Resources
Basketball- The Complete Idiot's Guide to Coaching Youth Basketball
- Coaching Girls' Basketball
- Website: Coaches Clipboard
Softball/Baseball
Bang, Zoom!
Ralph was a big yeller, always yelling at everyone and anyone. After doing a lot of thinking about my own yelling during games, I resolved yesterday to try coaching a basketball game with no yelling or screaming at all.
It was awkward and felt odd to be honest. I guess I'm just one of those guys. But, I did it and I survived the experience. And the odd thing, is that the more I think about it as I write this post, the more I realize that it's the right thing to do.
The girls I'm coaching range from 9-12 years old (4-6th grade, 2 different teams) and while they need lots and lots of coaching and lots and lots of encouragement, they simply don't need it at extreme volumes while they play the actual game.
I am slowly starting to remember how confusing and fast it was to play basketball as a 10 year old; the last thing these girls need is me yelling and screaming at them. It's about time eh?
Meanwhile, the girls played much better tonight. The basics are there but we need more practice time that we just aren't going to find. Two of our smaller girls played extremely well, one getting a basket and the other coming up with at least 2 rebounds and one terrific defensive stop. It's pretty much the best feeling to see those weaker players start to slowly but surely improve over the course of the season.
Pounded
We had game last night and got absolutely crushed. In addition to missing 2 players we came out totally flat from holiday break. It was like all that practice we had put in was totally gone; the girls were sloppy in their dribbling and pivoting and couldn't keep up with the other team's fast breaks.
Interestingly, the other team played a very basic 2-3 zone defense and because we were so flat, we simply weren't able to get any penetration because of really poor passing. We'll have to take another look at our basic offensive set up and we're going to have to be a lot more careful about who is playing guard - we need someone with some level of intensity and ball handling skills. We must have turned the ball over twice as often as we took shots.
We've got another game on Thursday, then a key practice on Saturday where we'll refocus on pivoting and ball handling in particular, along with basic rebounding drills.
I didn't keep stats, but I'm guessing we got 10% of the rebounds in the game - there were at least 2 times the other team had 5 or 6 shots! I was a bit frustrated!
The most interesting thing however, was that the girls didn't seem to care that much that we were losing. In fact, I am pretty sure that one of them asked me at the end if we had won or lost... wow, girls sure are different than boys!
Update: I watched some of the video I shot from the game last night and am really embarrassed by how I acted. I posted earlier about coaches yelling and have to say, I need to really focus my attention on NOT yelling. In fact, I think I'm going to be a silent as possible from now on.. it will be tough, but after watching the video, I have no other choice. I wasn't inappropriate I don't think, but it was close enough to the line that I need to make some major changes immediately.
Words Matter, a lot
There is nothing like an awe inspiring gipper speech to rally the troops. As I watched the Tennessee vs. Rutgers match up this weekend, I kept thinking what Pat Summit would say at halftime. Sure enough, a NYT article pulled a terrific snippit from legendary coach Pat Summit that really made me laugh.
"The last thing I told them coming out of the locker room is you do not want to go home with me tonight having played this way." Summit went on saying "We better at least show up and play with some Tennessee pride."
That's powerful and challenging. I can imagine being a member of that team and really knowing that it was time to step it up.
During the broadcast, they also showed Summit talking, in front of the entire team to Angie Bjorklund (what a shooter!) and challenging her to step it up. I loved that she did it in public like that, and it seemed to work. Incredibly, Rutgers folded and Tennessee staged an amazing comeback.
Separately, Pete Carroll's quote after beating Penn State soundly is also revealing.
"I just wish we could keep playing. Unfortunately, we don't get to. Maybe someday there will be a chance, but not today.
I love it. He's not directly knocking the system, and he remains positive about his team and the things that he can control. I'm not a USC fan, but I'm in awe of Pete Carroll for doing things his own way and reaping the rewards.
Video as a Teaching Tool
I'm addicted to using video with my youth teams, but before you roll your eyes, let me tell you how simple it's been to set up and use.
I have a tiny Flip video camera (they even have an HD one now!) and a cheap tripod. During practices and games, I just turn it on and point it at one of the hoops and let it run. I've been sharing that video with commentary via email with my players and parents and letting them see what they are doing and then using that to help them get better.
I've just started using this as a technique, but I'm convinced it is making a difference already. It's terrific for showing the girls footwork, defensive positioning and showing them where they missed something important (like an open player to pass to!).
Most surprisingly, when I viewed my own daughter taking a jump shot, we noticed that she was using her left hand (she's a righty!). We were both shocked, and what she took away from seeing that was a need for better practicing, and to try to slow things down a bit and not play so frenetically.
I've also become addicted to watching basketball coaching videos on youtube and have embedded one of my favorites here.
Have you used video before with your teams, and if so, how has it worked for you?
Interactive Worksheet for Basketball Coaches
I wanted to share this (free) resource I've been using for a few weeks with everyone. After reading every web site I could get my hands on and a stack of coaching books, I've developed a simple matrix you can use to develop your practice plans. This is designed to be modular and for you to use it to develop a specific set of skills through progressions.
I *THINK* this is best for 4th - about 7th graders, but feel free to adapt it to your own needs.
This spreadsheet is open and editable by everyone and anyone, please do add your own drills (but don't delete any) by adding them to the list.
Here's how to use it...
- The left column shows fundamentals that must be taught. Without getting these right, you will have a rough season
- Across the top are 3 levels of drills that you can use to interactively pick for either the group or individuals
- As you develop your practice plans, keep the fundamentals and skill levels in mind!
I'd love any comments you might have as well!
