Watch as Coach Bonnie Tholl explains this 90-second hybrid drill and emphasizes that the time of the drill can be changed to fit your personnel. This is a 5-station drill covering 3rd, 2nd, and 1st […]
Selecting an Assistant Coach with Ricci Woodard – Texas State Univ.
Watch as Coach Ricci Woodard explains that the biggest thing in hiring a new assistant coach is for them to understand what the program is about and what it takes to be successful. Loyalty, how […]
Infield: Sacrifice Bunt with Megan Smith Lyon – Marshall Univ.
Watch as Coach Megan Smith explains and a corner demonstrates the proper positioning and responsibilities for fielding a sacrifice bunt. When a batter squares to bunt, the corners yell “bunt” and slowly creep toward the […]
Developing a Culture
By: Jen Welter Originally Published in: Winning Ways of Women Coaches Provided by: Human Kinetics You must give players a voice in shaping the identity and setting the tone. With the most powerful teams I […]
Developing Routines for Handling Pressure with Bob Ligouri – Des Moines Area CC
Watch as Coach Bob Ligouri asks three of his players if they have developed any routines or tricks for dealing with pressure. Player #1 looks in the mirror as she is doing her hair and […]
5 Ways Champions Keep Their Heads in the Game
By: Cindy Bristow Provided by: Softball Excellence The biggest difference between champion softball players and everyone else who plays softball is that champions control their minds – they don’t let their minds control them. Discover […]
Why I Don’t Yell at Players with Matt Blackburn – Lake Belton High School (TX)
Watch as Coach Matt Blackburn explains why he does not believe in yelling at his players. Players emotionally respond to their coaches during a game and when a coach is mad or angry the players […]
Hitting: Ball Under the Back Knee Drill with Mary Jo Firnbach – Southern Illinois Univ. Carbondale
Watch as Coach Mary Jo Firnbach explains, and a hitter demonstrates this ball under the back knee drill. The hitter is in a ready stance and the back knee is over the ball. Emphasis is […]
Changeup: Flips and Grips with Jennifer Williams – Dartmouth College
Watch as Coach Jennifer Williams discusses changeup flips and grips. The variety of flips are the classic flip change (flip and pull back, flip up and pull back, or flip and reach), and the horseshoe. […]
Are You Building a Better You? with Chet Scott – Built to Lead
Watch as Chet Scott explains why it’s necessary to build a “better you” to be an effective leader. The way coaches regulate or react to a room influences the type of team they have. He […]
6 Steps to Better Bunting
By: Cindy Bristow Provided by: Softball Excellence Bunting isn’t glamorous or exciting but doing it successfully can be the difference between winning or losing a close game. Like free throws in basketball, bunting seems almost […]
Challenging Athletes Without Destroying Their Confidence with Dr. Greg Dale – Duke Univ.
Dr. Greg Dale explains that it is key to hold athletes accountable but do so without destroying their confidence or undermining their dignity. He talks about the difference between being intense and being emotional as […]
Safety in Sports Includes Mental Health Care
Medical professionals agree that about 20% of high school athletes and 30% of college athletes have or will have a serious anxiety or diagnosable mental health disorder that causes some degree of impairment in their […]
Teaching Defensive Skills with Larissa Anderson – Univ. of Missouri
Watch as Coach Larissa Anderson explains that she wants to teach everybody everything and make her players great athletes and her athletes great softball players. It is important that all the players practice defensive skills.
Team Culture Is Everything with Scott Whitlock – (Retired) Kennesaw State Univ.
Watch as Coach Scott Whitlock discusses team culture and how you must create a culture that does not compromise your core values and at the same time is a culture that allows the team to […]
Resistive Swings Slapping Drill with Donna J. Papa – Univ. of North Carolina
Watch as Coach Donna J. Papa explains, and a slapper demonstrates this resistive swings drill. The drill works on getting stronger through contact and strengthening the hand path. The batter should only take five swings […]
Tire Slam Drill with Caitlin Blanchard – Lourdes Univ.
Watch as Coach Caitlin Blanchard explains and demonstrates this tire slam hitting drill. The batter should hit the tire as hard a possible, as this allows them to feel the connection and power in the […]
Duties and Personalities on a Team
By: Kelly Inouye-Perez Originally Published in: Winning Ways of Women Coaches Provided by: Human Kinetics All the best teams in every sport have strong leadership among team members. But not every team member is going […]
Pitcher’s Load and Posture Drills with Stephanie VanBrakle Prothro – Univ. of Florida
Watch as Coach Stephanie VanBrakle Prothro explains and shows video examples of these four drills to help load and posture. These are great drills for working on pitching movements without pitching. The Standing Glute Activation […]
Building Bat Speed Using Hand Weights with Ralph Weekly – (Retired) Univ. of Tennessee
Watch as Coach Ralph Weekly explains and shows a practice clip of a batter using hand weights to help build bat speed. This is a great exercise when your student-athletes are working circuit hitting and […]
Setting Goals
By: Dan Gould & Cliff Mallett Originally Published in: Sport Coaches Handbook Provided by: Human Kinetics Setting clear goals helps coaches and athletes achieve success. Goals offer direction and purpose for our day-to-day activities; in […]
Slapping: Baserunning Keys with Karen Weekly – Univ. of Tennessee
Watch as Coach Karen Weekly explains how baserunners and slappers need to work together. As the infield adjusts positioning when a slapper is at bat, the baserunner can influence the infielder as a potential threat.
Less Instruction, More Coaching and Teaching with Scott Whitlock – (Retired) Kennesaw State Univ.
Watch as Coach Scott Whitlock discusses the importance of using practice to put athletes into situations where they are going to improve and develop skills that they will have success using in games.
Recognize, Respond, Refer with Dr. Lee Dorpfeld – Univ. of South Florida
Watch as Dr. Dorpfeld explains the necessity that all coaches on a staff understand the recognize, respond, and refer guidelines. It is important to recognize at-risk athletes and the symptoms of mental health problems that […]
Coaching Tips: Athletes Who Have Experienced Trauma with Dr. Lee Dorpfeld – Univ. of South Florida
Watch as Dr. Lee Dorpfeld discusses some tips for coaches who are dealing with athletes that have experienced some form of trauma. These athletes are not trying to push your buttons or be difficult but […]
Why Should Coaches Coach?
Coaches at high levels at prestigious programs need to win to keep their jobs. Winning consistently makes recruiting easier, keeps the fan base energized, the administration and boosters happy, and the financial bottom line healthy. […]
Elements of a High-Performance Culture
By: Carla Nicholls Originally Published in: Winning Ways of Women Coaches Provided by: Human Kinetics Being a part of a high-performance culture team is exciting, yet these environments can be extremely vulnerable and cannot be […]
Slapping Keys with Karen Weekly – Univ. of Tennessee
Watch as Coach Karen Weekly explains the keys for slapping which include: the hands should be inside the ball with a short compact firm swing, use a level swing and do not chop down on […]
The Role of Coaches in Addressing Diversity/Equity/Inclusion/Social Issues with Dr. Karissa Niehoff – NFHS
Watch as NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations) Executive Director Dr. Karissa Niehoff discusses the role of high school coaches in addressing social issues such as diversity, equality, and inclusion. She cites an […]
Defining Commitment with Jeff Janssen – Janssen Sports Leadership Center
Watch as Jeff Janssen discusses defining commitment with your athletes and obtaining their feedback. It is important to question where they feel their commitment level is in regards to practice, social life, and acceptance of […]