- Dec 28, 2008
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I suppose this is a rant, but I've waited the obligatory 24 hours since yesterday when I spent a miserable day at a tournament watching the sport I love become watered down with teams that should have been wearing soccer uniforms instead. But as long as these teams are there I wanted to pass along 3 key pieces of advice to them that might at least help. Please feel free to add your own.
Rule #1: Be at the park at or before the time you tell your team to be there.
Correlary #1: Especially when you have all of the equipment and you haven't bothered to teach your players to carry a ball in their bat bag and none of your assistant coaches understand the warmup pattern.
Correlary #2: Don't you dare show up 20 minutes before the game, rush your team through batting (5 balls each), no field practice and then berate them after the game for making "mental" errors.
Rule #2: Think through the fact that when you go to Podunk to play a tournament with 1000 of your closest softball friends, you should expect that the one Applebees in town might not be prepared to deal with you and your coaching staff during a "quick" lunch break.
Correlary #1: Ask for the check as soon as you've placed your order, and pay at that time.
Correlary #2: When in doubt, refer back to rule #1 and take PB&J sandwiches if you must, but don't ask parents to give up their weekend to drive to Podunk, pay $100's of dollars for a tournament and then leave their kids hanging until 2 minutes before the after your lunch break game.
Rule #3: Understand the simple fact that the circle they draw near your dugout is for your on-deck batter to get her timing down, and head into the game. She needs that time to build confidence and see the movement of the ball.
Correlary #1: If you choose to disregard that fact, then begin every sentence you share with your #1 or #2 hitter each inning with "What I'm about to share with you is much more valuable than you actually having success this at bat" and then commence your diatribe so you can hear yourself talk.
Correlary #2: Instruct your bookkeeper to disregard any at bats a player takes when you have forced a player to give you her focus and have not allowed her to utilize the time the sport has designed into the game via the "on-deck circle."
Rule #1: Be at the park at or before the time you tell your team to be there.
Correlary #1: Especially when you have all of the equipment and you haven't bothered to teach your players to carry a ball in their bat bag and none of your assistant coaches understand the warmup pattern.
Correlary #2: Don't you dare show up 20 minutes before the game, rush your team through batting (5 balls each), no field practice and then berate them after the game for making "mental" errors.
Rule #2: Think through the fact that when you go to Podunk to play a tournament with 1000 of your closest softball friends, you should expect that the one Applebees in town might not be prepared to deal with you and your coaching staff during a "quick" lunch break.
Correlary #1: Ask for the check as soon as you've placed your order, and pay at that time.
Correlary #2: When in doubt, refer back to rule #1 and take PB&J sandwiches if you must, but don't ask parents to give up their weekend to drive to Podunk, pay $100's of dollars for a tournament and then leave their kids hanging until 2 minutes before the after your lunch break game.
Rule #3: Understand the simple fact that the circle they draw near your dugout is for your on-deck batter to get her timing down, and head into the game. She needs that time to build confidence and see the movement of the ball.
Correlary #1: If you choose to disregard that fact, then begin every sentence you share with your #1 or #2 hitter each inning with "What I'm about to share with you is much more valuable than you actually having success this at bat" and then commence your diatribe so you can hear yourself talk.
Correlary #2: Instruct your bookkeeper to disregard any at bats a player takes when you have forced a player to give you her focus and have not allowed her to utilize the time the sport has designed into the game via the "on-deck circle."