Coaching Girls Softball - How to Restart After a Break

Took-a-Break-to-Avoid-Burnout-but-Now-I-Have-to-go-Back Blues
Guest Post by Don McKay
BellaOnline's Softball Editor
http://softball.bellaonline.com

Everybody needs a break once in a while, and my softball players (and my coaches and myself) are no exception. One of the many blessings of living in southern California is being able to play softball pretty much all year long, but the cloud to that silver lining is that there is always a balancing act between
working hard on softball and burn-out. There are things that players and coaches can do to prevent, or at least delay, burn-out including scheduling fun team-building activities on a regular basis, playing more games (as opposed to practice), doing a favorite drill within practice, and the like. However,
eventually even the most passionate softball player (and coach) needs some time off periodically.

I think it is easy to recognize when it’s time to take a break from softball: when it becomes a bit more of a chore than being fun. And while a mental and physical break is needed and even welcomed from time to time, what is not so easy for me is getting back into a routine once time is taken off. I notice
this with my players as well. When we’re in-season and softball is a regular part of their weekly routine, showing up for practice is not that big a deal. However, I’ve noticed that I have the highest amount of attrition from our teams after a break is taken. I believe that there are a couple of possible reasons for this, and understanding them and preparing for them will make the transition from break to in-season
again easier.

Probably the most understandable reason that restarting a player’s season can be such a chore is simple inertia. A body in motion tends to stay in motion and a body at rest tends to sit around watching TV all day long. Just getting more active after a period of lounging around eating bon-bons can be a deterrent to wanting to play the game again. Most parents can push and prod their kids to get them moving again whether the player wants to or not, but to sweeten the deal, I make my first couple of practices light on drills and heavy on fun. I may bring cookies after a first practice, and we always throw in a fun game or two the first week or so (such as over-the-line, softball-football, softball-golf, water gun fights [weather
permitting] and the like).

Another more subtle reason coming back from a break can seem overwhelming to a player is that softball is such a difficult sport in which to learn and be successful. Once a little bit of rust has accumulated on our players’ skills, coming back and getting razor-sharp again can seem like overwhelming task. Players who tend to be perfectionists, like my daughter, fall into this category.  What I have found that works for her is to practice softball periodically over our breaks (maybe once or twice a week) for maybe an hour at a time, and I let her pick what she wants to work on. This way, when the season comes, she’s a little less intimidated by the work she needs to do to regain her sharpness, as she’s been working some during the break. Also, for a perfectionist, a bit of patience is required – mistakes are going to happen, and if she feels that mistakes are part of the learning process (and not the end of the world) then coming back is much less intimidating.

Finally, there is the player moving up in level of play (whether because she’s gotten an year older or otherwise) who is nervous about having to perform at a higher level. To combat this condition, action should actually be taken during the season before the break. Get her to substitute once in a while for an older team so that the next level isn’t so scary. Within our own travel program, we have all the girls practice together once a week. Not only does this help with the transition to the higher age-group, they have already gotten to know the older girls. Hint – this is also a great way to retain players from year to
year within your travel ball program.