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Longtime coach, head of the Midwest Speed organization, and staple in the softball community Sean Hall shares his top ten tips for taking on an exciting week in Colorado over the Fourth of July with your program.
This has been copied from a Facebook post and published with Hall’s permission. You can find the original post here!
#1 Drink lots of water!
The elevation and hot temps are not a great combination. Be careful and look out for each other.
#2 NO DRAMA MAMAS
If your team is having drama it’s EVERYONE’S fault. Even if you just listen to people complain, you’re at fault in my opinion. I am not really talking about the little things but more the bigger one that create tension on a team. Do what you can to minimize the drama. When drama surrounds your team EVERYONE loses.
#3 NO Delusional Dads!
Your daughter may not be in the game every second even if there is a coach watching her. Keep in mind if the coach likes your kid they want to find out everything about her and her family. They will watch how she acts after a mistake, they will watch how she acts when she is on the bench. They will watch what she does and says after the game.
#4 Handling frustrations as a player.
If you are upset about playing time, positions or batting order you have two choices. You can get upset and be a “Debbie Downer” or you can try to “Prove the Coach” wrong. In my opinion if you are a “Debbie Downer” you are proving the coach right. One sad/upset player can really affect team chemistry in a negative way. As tough as it is, you need to put on a happy face and at least try to show your worth. Out work everyone, be the loudest person on the bench and be a great teammate. You should also ask the coach where you are at and what you can improve on. I know this is hard but communicating is crucial. Even if the coach still never plays you like you want you will at least know you have been the bigger person and are still being a great teammate.
#5 NO Insecure Coaches!
If a player makes a physical error you don’t need to point it out. They realize it. Instead try encouraging them. If you create an atmosphere that it’s ok to fail as long as you are giving 100% you will see a lot less failures. If you feel you need to make sure everyone knows it wasn’t my mistake your players will play with FEAR and TENSION. If you tell them the mistakes you have made, they realize we all make mistakes.
#6 NO MOUNTAINS OUT OF MOLEHILLS!
Enough serious things can go wrong on a week long trip with 13-16 families. Don’t sweat the little things. But also be respectful of other people’s opinions, even if you disagree.
#7 Players trying to get recruited should focus on controlling their controllables!
You can’t control whether you field every ground ball, hit every pitch or make the perfect pitch. But you can always control your attitude, effort, coachability and what type of teammate you are. When you make mistakes, use it as a time to show the college coach what type of bounce back you have. Forget about it and keep your head up. They want to see you fail so they see how you respond!
#8 Coaching Tip
If you play two early games and are trying to decide which game to throw your ACE – I would always throw them in the second game. It always makes for a better day to win the last game. Especially when you’re with the team for the rest of the day. If you play the late games it doesn’t matter as much because pretty much everybody goes to bed.
#9 Know your team goals!
If your team’s goal is to have a fun trip to Colorado then go white water rafting and horseback riding. If you are there to compete and get recruited try to do your best. You should avoid things that will probably impact your performance the following day. Sometimes there needs to be a compromise but your team should talk about these things so everyone is on the same page.
#10 A few fun things that shouldn’t impact your performance.
Pearl Street in Boulder, Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park are all fun things that shouldn’t affect your performance the following day. I also believe the Colorado Rockies are home.
Best of Luck to all the Teams!
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