Coaching Softball and Hitting Success - A True Story

That was exactly 10 years ago. I was coaching a competitive 16U and it was probably one of the best offensive teams I've ever coached.

It was a well-balanced team with the unique characteristic of having the same number of lefties and righties.

At the beginning of the season, the team was composed of 9 girls that could hit (contributing offensively) and 3 girls who were  struggling to put the ball in play.

These 3 girls were very frustrated and didn't feel they were contributing to the success of the team. Their confidence and self-esteem were low.

One thing I learned very early as a coach is that confidence and "the feeling at the plate" are everything when it comes to softball hitting.

I made it my goal to have all 12 of my players being an offensive  threat by the end of the summer.

So, I went to work. I started to spend a lot of extra time with  these 3 girls doing individual practices.

My goal was to get them to get that "effortless" feeling at the plate when you're not thinking and every goes well - you know "see the ball, hit the ball" in addition to working on  their self-confidence and getting them to see that I was  believing in them (this is so important!).

Bottom line, I worked with each a few hours a week for 6 weeks putting in a lot of time and efforts to help them out.

They also worked very hard. They wanted to succeed.

Then, at the end of June, something magic happened. We were at a major tournament. It's my coaching philosophy that everybody gets to play in preparation tournaments, so they played.

Here's what happened:

Strugging girl #1 - She had the only hit (a double) against  a pitcher that threw a one-hitter against us. That was her first  hit of the season! She had a terrific weekend.

Struggling girl #2 - She Went 3 for 4 in the first game and  got the "player of the game" award! She batted over .300 in the tournament.

Struggling girl #3 - She got one hit in each of the game she played.

They were all extactic. And I was proud.

This competition was a turning point as they started to hit the ball regularly and all contributed to our huge success that summer. I achieved my goal faster than expected.

Just imagine - no holes in the line-up with 3 players on the bench that can hit.

So, what are the lessons of that amazing story?

As a coach…

1) Never give up on your players. Believe is them - it's a powerful motivator.

2) Spent time with them. Give them individual attention and help them get their swing right, get that "feeling" and help them boost their self-confidence.

As a player…

1) Everything is possible. As the old saying says: "The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionnary!"

2) Build on small successes. Focus on the things you do well.

3) Work really hard to feel loose and good when you hit the ball. You swing should feel powerful but effortless.

4) Don't think too much at the plate, that will kill you.

If you want amazing resources to improve your hitting, check my Super Hitting Bundle. It has everything you need to develop dominant hitting.

Who loves ya?

Marc
"Your Softball Peak Performance Coach"