Softball Coaching Tips for Fall - Games or Practice?

Guest post by Ken Krause, Life in the Fastpitch Lane blog

It's a common dilemma many coaches face at this time of year. With school in session and limited time with your team, do you spend the time you have on practicing, or do you try to get in as many games as you can – especially if you live in a cold weather area?

There are certainly arguments to be made for both. Games are nice, of course. Parents like them, players like them, and they do give you an opportunity to see what your team can do in game situations.

On the other hand, playing games without adequate time to practice can be a recipe for disaster. Odds are between school and school activities, not to mention practices for other sports that are in-season, your players don't have a whole lot of time to throw, catch, hit, etc. during the week. So what you may find is your team gets progressively worse as the fall season rolls along.

I know that was my experience a few years ago. Some teams (including ours) put together somewhat of a fall league. Each Sunday we'd play double header against one of the other teams.

The first week, which was about three or four weeks after the previous summer season, we'd play pretty well. The next week would be a little weaker but still not bad. But by the time the six-week session was over, we'd usually look like all of our players had been dropped off by a UFO from a planet where they had never seen a softball game.

Part of the decision, of course, depends on whether your team has played together for a while or is brand new together. The more time you already have together the more you can get away with playing more games.

Still, you don't get better in games. You get better in practice. It's important for coaches to keep that in mind and make sure to schedule time for practicing — especially if the winter months are going to put you in a gym. But even if you're fortunate enough to be outdoors year-'round, it's still important to plan practice time.

The big advantage to practicing in the fall is the opportunity to break things down and make major changes without suffering significant consequences. Yes, we all like to win all the time, but in the fall you can afford a few losses more easily if it leads to more wins the following summer.

As tempting as it is to play games, games and more games. work in some practice time too. It may not be as much fun, or as crowd-pleasing, but it will pay off in the long run.

Anyway, that's the way I see it.