4 Secrets to a Strong Start

Starting anything off good sure helps make finishing good a whole lot easier so make sure you know the 4 Secrets for Starting Off Strong.

It’s high school softball season here in Florida and the teams are into week 3 of practice and already kids are walking around with rag arms. Now given the fact that this is only the beginning of what will be a long season filled with lots of throws, I can’t imagine their arms getting any better. In fact, they usually go from bad to worse, just in time for the players to move into travel ball where the real madness starts in the way of numbers of games played.

Helping your team get a good solid start that limits injury while increasing skills and confidence sure seems like a logical thing to do, so let’s check out my list on just how to do it:

1. Take it Easy on Their Arms – By far this is the one area where coaches really hurt their chances (literally) for the season – by having their players throw too hard and too much too early. Of course you’ll need your players to work on their fielding early in the season since a solid defense is key to a winning year. But that doesn’t mean that every single groundball or flyball that you hit needs to be thrown. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Early on, until your players build up the strength in their arms you should have them throw 1 ball for every 4-5 that you hit them. What do they do with the rest? Simply have your players roll them off to the side or else toward an empty bucket so they can improve their fielding skills without killing their arms.
2. Keep it Fun! – Everybody likes to have fun and just because you’re practicing to compete at a serious and high level doesn’t mean that it can’t also be fun. Conditioning is a great area to mix in some fun as it can sure make the drudgery go by faster. Check out a few recommendations for ways to mix in some fun with a little competition and conditioning:
   • eDrill – Team Tag
   • eDrill – Bat Sprints

   Another drill that players really enjoy that mixes in competition with hand-eye coordination is called Bat Taps:

   • You can do this drill with either your entire team at once or else in groups. Each player will need a bat and a Zip Ball™ so base your group size on the numbers of each of these items that you have.

   

   • Each player holds the Zip Ball™ in one hand and her bat in her other hand as shown in Photo to the right.
   • The player then tosses the Zip Ball™ gently into the air and starts tapping it up and down with the bat (see photo below). The object is to keep the ball going up and down as long as possible. It might sound easy but it takes a lot of hand-eye coordination, and in some cases, quick feet.

   

   • Let each player practice the taps for awhile and then hold a contest to see which player can get the most taps in a row without the Zip Ball™ hitting themselves, a teammate or the ground.

3. Build it Up Don’t Blow it Up – I know that practice matters and that your first game is just around the corner but build things up gradually instead of blowing them apart. From their skills to their conditioning to their confidence your players need these elements as solid as possible during their season. But, that doesn’t mean they are solid week 1, or even week 3 for that matter. Each of these areas require constant building one groundball, and sprint and “atta baby” at a time. Too often our own urgency to be perfect by the beginning combined with our excitement over starting the season prompts us to start off too fast building too much too soon only to end up breaking our players physically, mentally or sometimes both. Just like any weight training or weight loss program it’s the gain or lose over time that really matters as nothing (including Rome) was built in a day!
4. Patiently Push – I really like this term as it says the two things I feel are crucial for any good coach: the ability to push their players to achieve what they may not have on their own, and the ability to be patient with their efforts and progress. Going nuts doesn’t eliminate errors but only brings on stress, high blood pressure and usually – more errors. While being everyone’s best friend and letting your players get out of everything doesn’t help any of them in the long run either so patiently push your players to new heights and you might be amazed at the result!

For more help with getting your players ready for the season check out the following:

• Zip Ball™
• DVD – High Performance Preparation