Advice for new coaches. | Open Fastpitch Softball Board. | Forum

Wow…two of the hardest things in coaching.  For me the two kinda go hand in hand. When I started my young team I looked for athletes and good parents.  Before making that phone call when picking a team do some home work and make some phone calls.  Cause everybody knows who the troubled parents are.  The up front work will pay off in the long run.

As the teams get older and older it is most important to set the rules, put them on paper and have the athletes and parents sign them.  Then it's a matter of keeping respect and dealing with things and not letting even the smallest thing slide.  I am at the rep level now and had to make a tough decision this year.  My # 3 pitcher was a pretty good kid but dad thought she was GOLD on the rubber.  I found out after the year was done that he would take parents aside and say things like we are not coming back next year and so on.  It was the toughest thing I ever done but I let this player go because the father was a cancer!

Other things for starting a new team depends on the level of play and talent level.  Fundamentals are the most important even in advanced kids…read somewhere that 80% of defensive errors are throwing errors!  Then find a way to keep practices competitive but also fun!  They can get really boring.   The last one I learned and really took my team to a new level is creating a culture.  By this I mean kids who will never ever give up on themselves or teammates and believe in you, your coaching staff and the program.  If you can do that and you have pitching  You got it made.