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BE A COACH FOR MVLAGS

Coaching Resources

External Resources

The purpose of the site is to aid team staffs of the Recreational League in their understanding of the fundamentals of the sport.

 

Specialized information, clips and references to other websites may be found in the links to the left, which cover Hitting, Pitching and Catching. These are typically the three main areas of interest. Generalized information for managers and coaches can be found in the links of the sections that follow.

Team Staff Certification 

MVLAGS moved to an age division-specific certification training process last year.  The intent is to gear the training to the age of the players and maximize the benefits to Staff.  In 2012, MVLAGS will provide more training for players and Staff in response to feedback from the 2011 Parent Survey.  Our goal is to provide the latest training techniques while ensuring consistent training that bridges one age-division to another

A Manager or Coach will need to complete the training for a specific age division to be certified.  Once certified for that age division, they will only be required to take League-specific refresher training as long as they continue in that age division.  This model is used by other sports leagues.

 The online ACE (Achieve-Certify-Educate) Training Course, which is mandated by the Northern California ASA, continues to be the cornerstone of the training.  The League is working with NORCAL ASA to enhance ACE to fit our needs, and this will continue to evolve over time.  The League will not require Coaches to take levels of ACE that are not applicable to the age of players they are coaching.  Supplemental training will be designed to address the needs of the League.  Chaperones are not required to be ACE certified, but must complete Safety and First Aid training.  All Staff members must be Background Checked to insure the safety and well-being of our children. 

Coaching Philosophy of MVLA Girls Softball


Coaching Youth Sports @ Yahoo! Video
(If a video is not present above this sentence, it is because your browser is set to restrict certain types of website content until you give the browser permission to allow blocked content of the particular website.  The direct link for the video is Coaching Youth Sports.)

 

Planning Practices

There is a clear correlation between team improvement and practice organization.  This is true regardless of the experience of the staff.  That is, a very experienced coaching staff which does not plan practices may not witness as much skill improvement as a less experienced staff that puts an emphasis on practice planning.  Probably the most important factor is dividing the team members into groups, so that each player has a higher ratio of activity (to inactivity).  If different staff members are teaching different skills at separate stations, the groups of players can be cycled through the stations with less downtime and with more variety.  Keep the players interested.

In considering a practice, there should be:

  • 1.  A PURPOSE - What you're trying to accomplish.  Such as, what are the different skills you want to impart during this practice (or this week or this season)?

  • 2.  A PLAN - The approach to accomplishing the purpose.  Such as, what drills will be used during the practice?

  • 3.  THE DETAILS - Which staff members will lead which drill?  How can player inactivity be minimized?  What space and what equipment are required for each drill station?  How much time should be devoted to the drills.

A more thorough analysis for practice preparation is available if you download the file: Planning practices.pdf

Alternatively, here is a link on "How to Run a Bad Softball Practice."

Available Clinics for Players and for Coaches

Stanford Winter Clinic for softball athletes ages 12 and up.  The clinic will be held on the campus of Stanford University on Sunday, January 16th , 2011 from 9:00 am 3:00 pm.  More details can be found here.

Many additional clinics TBD!

RECOMMENDED WEB RESOURCES FOR IMPROVING OUR COACHING SKILLS
There are a number of different types of FREE resources for obtaining coaching information.  They include on-line instruction videos, open discussion forums, and instructional websites.  Many discuss only particular skills, such as hitting or pitching, but recommendations for the more general recourses are:

1.  If you only have time to benefit from one source of free instructional videos, there is a site that features the Olympic players and their Head Coach (Mike Candrea).  They cover a variety of different skills.  The direct link -          http://www.sportskool.com/sports/softball

 

2.  There is an amazing array of sites that describe practice drills.  It is difficult to single out just one.   But if you only have time to benefit from one source of drills, here is one that includes video demonstrations for some of the drills - 

 http://www.weplay.com/youth-softball/drills

 

3.  If you have time to benefit from regular reading of only one discussion forum, one is far superior to the others.  It is not a merger of softball and baseball and it does not permit bickering among contributors. There are many well known and knowledgeable contributors.  The site is -  http://www.discussfastpitch.com/

 

4.  If you only have time to benefit from one site that is directed toward helping us understand our responsibilities in our interactions with the players and other adults, there is one that has more than thirty short videos, including two videos that feature Jessica Mendoza showing the passion she has for the sport and what it has to offer.  The site is -      Responsible Sports

 

 

 Other resources that are also worthwhile include:

Type of Resource The Link Personal Comment
1.  USEFUL WEBSITES    
  Fastpitch Videos A launch pad for a wide range of short instructional videos - VERY helpful for any age.

 
  Drill Directory If you look to the right side of this page, you will see headings for drills for various skills.

 
  Mavenvideo - Quick Tips An index of hitting and pitching tips.
  http://www.girls-softball.com/ An archive of more than four years of articles covering almost every topic.
  The Science Behind the Sport A page for Softball and Baseball "Nerds".
2.  DRILL BOOKS    
  Drills and Practice Plans The sample practice plans at the end are good examples of preparing for an organized practice.

 
  Drill Book Comprehensive, but most drills are for the older age categories.

 
3.  ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION  FORUMS    
  HeyBucket

 

 Too much bickering.  But there are interesting discussions, particularly under "Fastpitch Discussions"
  Baseball Fever While youth baseball is the focus, useful information is available.

 
4.  YouTube VIDEOS    
  Sportsmanship An inspirational story of a game in the state of Washington.

 
  Sports Science Jennie Finch proves that hitting a baseball is NOT the toughest thing in sports.

 
5.  PODCASTS    
  Audio Files Some interesting topics.  You can listen on-line or download them for later listening from your computer or iPod.

 
  Rotational Hitting Opinionated, but knowledgeable description of the "rotational hitting" approach (as compared to the "linear hitting" approach). 
     

IF I HAVE TO WATCH A COMMERCIAL, THIS IS THE ONE I WANT TO SEE:

 

QUOTES:

"He who dares to teach must never cease to learn."   --   Richard Henry Dana Jr.

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth."  --  Muhammad Ali

"If your players aren't learning what you are teaching them, then you need to learn how to teach them."  Lonnie Alameda, while coaching at Stanford.

"At the college level, softball players will often struggle for a single name if you ask them who taught them their swing or taught them how to pitch, but every one of them can state without any hesitation the name of the person who taught them the love of the sport - strive to be that person because there's no greater compliment a coach can receive."  -- Tom Martinez at a coaching clinic in 2001.  Tom Martinez is best known as being the mentor of quarterback Tom Brady, but he also is known as a strong softball coach.  

"If you allowed yourself to generalize the difference between coaching boys and coaching girls, perhaps the best explanation would be 'Boys need to play well in order to feel good, while girls need to feel good in order to play well."  --  Unknown

"You can observe a lot by watching."  -- Yogi Berra

 

COACH'S CREED:

ALONE AT THE PLATE
She puts on a helmet, picks up a bat
And walks to the plate, "Gotta hit, and that's that!"
The crowd starts to cheer, the game's on the line
Last inning, two outs, and the score's 9 to 9.

Dad yells "Go get it!" and Mom's wringing her hands,
Coach says "Hit the ball", but alone there she stands.
Heroes are made on seconds such as this,
But she's just a little girl, what if she should miss?

Years after the the game's ended and she's little no more,
Will she remember this day, the outcome, the score?
One day she'll have forgotten if she was out, hit or run,
She will only look back on all her friends and the fun.

So cheer this girl on, alone with her fate,
Help her remember with fondness this stand at the plate.
Spend your time wisely and help in her quest,
To be a hitter with confidence - always her best.
So when the game's over, this girl can stand tall,
For you've helped her prepare to give it her all!