The softball coaching bible. Volume II

384 Pages·2014·3.886 MB·English

by  National Fastpitch Coaches Association

The
Softball Coaching
Bible
VOLUME II

The
Softball Coaching
Bible
VO L U M E I I
National Fastpitch
Coaches Association
Project Coordinated by Gayle Blevins
Former Head Coach
University of Iowa
Human Kinetics
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The softball coaching bible. Volume II / National Fastpitch Coaches Association ; project coordinated by
Gayle Blevins, University of Iowa.
pages cm
1. Softball--Coaching. 2. Softball for children--Coaching. I. National Fastpitch Coaches Association,
editor of compilation.
GV881.4.C6.S65 2014
796.357'8--dc23
2013017610
ISBN-10: 1-4504-2465-1 (print)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4504-2465-3 (print)
Copyright © 2014 by Human Kinetics, Inc.
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te·na·cious
/t e ′na¯ SH e s/
1. Not readily letting go of, giving up, or separated from an object that one
holds, a position, or a principle: “a tenacious grip.”
2. Not easily dispelled or discouraged; persisting in existence or in a course
of action: “a tenacious legend.”
This single word sums up the life of Elaine Sortino. It does not just sum up her
coaching career but her very existence through her lifetime. No obstacle was big
enough or difficult enough to stop Elaine from maximizing everything she could
get from her players, her staff, or herself. Her last season was her first losing season
in 34 years of coaching. But the wins and championships never defined her. They
were just fodder for others to talk about. They were only the byproduct of what
she loved to do more than anything in her life—be a coach, teacher, and educator.
First and foremost, her love of teaching was the driving force behind her success.
Teaching each athlete that wore the UMASS uniform through her many years of
coaching—teaching each one as though they alone could be the one to make or
break the team's ability to succeed and that they were important. The importance
of getting a little better every day was her mantra to each player whether a starter, All-
American, or pinch runner. Each player represented a challenge to Elaine that she
relished—make them better softball players, better teammates, and better people.
She never lost sight of the big picture. Many coaches use the excuse of having to
win to justify bending the rules or playing in the grey area. Elaine only ever knew
that doing the right thing was always the right thing to do. She recruited players
who loved the game as much as she did. She was one of the best pitching coaches
in the country, and she never pitched a game in her life. She was self-taught. She
worked harder than most people and loved every minute of it. The softball world
will not be the same without her passion or her courage or her vision. It’s lucky
for all of us that a small piece of Elaine's heart resides in each former player or
assistant coach who had the honor of playing for her or coaching alongside her and
will hopefully one day pass on that piece to another little girl who loves the game.
Ruth Crowe
Contents
P A R T O N E
COACHING PRIORITIES AND PRINCIPLES
1 Sharing the Passion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
CHAPTER
Patty Gasso
2 Defining Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
CHAPTER
Jeanne Scarpello
3 Establishing a Winning Attitude . . . . . . . . . . 23
CHAPTER
Chris Bellotto
4 Playing Hard and Respecting the Game . . . . 31
CHAPTER
George Wares
5 Leading by Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
CHAPTER
Kris Herman
P A R T T W O
PROGRAM BUILDING AND MANAGEMENT
6 Building a Successful
CHAPTER
High School Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Bob Ligouri
7 Building a Successful College Program . . . . . 63
CHAPTER
Karen Weekly
8 Selecting and Mentoring Your Staff . . . . . . . 79
CHAPTER
Elaine Sortino
9 Promoting Your Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
CHAPTER
Frank Griffin
10 Recruiting the Right Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
CHAPTER
Bonnie Tholl
vi
P A R T T H R E E
EFFECTIVE PRACTICE SESSIONS
11 Structuring Indoor
CHAPTER
and Outdoor Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Michelle Venturella
12 Minimizing Monotony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
CHAPTER
Beth Torina
P A R T F O U R
PLAYER SKILLS AND TEAM STRATEGIES
13 Batting Practice for Power
CHAPTER
and Consistency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Jenny Allard
14 Firming Up Offensive Fundamentals . . . . . . 163
CHAPTER
Ehren Earleywine
15 Developing Your Pitching Staff . . . . . . . . . . 185
CHAPTER
Erica Beach
16 Developing Your Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
CHAPTER
Stacey Nuveman Deniz
17 Fielding Practice for Errorless Play . . . . . . . 221
CHAPTER
John Tschida
18 Strength Training, Conditioning,
CHAPTER
and Agility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Teena Murray
vii
P A R T F I V E
PLAYER MOTIVATION AND LEADERSHIP
19 Establishing a Positive
CHAPTER
Player–Coach Relationship . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Donna Papa
20 Understanding Today’s Athlete . . . . . . . . . . 277
CHAPTER
Carol Bruggeman
21 Assessing Your Team’s Mental Makeup . . . . 293
CHAPTER
Kyla Holas
22 Building Team Chemistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
CHAPTER
Kelly Inouye-Perez
23 Developing Student-Athletes off the Field . . 315
CHAPTER
Sandy Montgomery
P A R T S I X
COACHING CHALLENGES, PRESSURES,
AND OPPORTUNITIES
24 Handling Each Season’s Highs and Lows . . . 327
CHAPTER
Rachel Lawson
25 Continuing to Learn,
CHAPTER
Continuing to Develop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Kristi Bredbenner
26 Coaching, Family, and Personal Priorities . . 349
CHAPTER
Deanna Gumpf
Works Cited 359
About the NFCA 361
About the Contributors 363
viii
P A R T O N E
COACHING PRIORITIES
AND PRINCIPLES