Softball Individualization

softball individualization

Who is your athlete? What are their goals in softball? How old are your athletes? Where are you at in your yearly training plan? Are your athletes involved in an individual strength and conditioning program?

Too often coaches use a training plan that was successful for an elite softball program that might not be appropriate for the team they are coaching. Perhaps a team that won a gold medal in the Olympics or a college team that makes plays in Division 1. The difficulty with this approach is that your team may not be physiologically prepared for those types of loads and intensities on the body.  They may also not be ready for the psychological demands of such pressure.  It takes more than a season or two for a softball team to become successful through progressive training programs that increased year to year as conditioning improved and experience is gained.

There are many programs on the market and make claims telling you or your athletes that THIS program will make them a superstar. It happens not only with physical training but technical training as well. And just like with technical skills, we need to always go to the fundamentals of the skill we are working on and start from the beginning, working at the capacity of the individual athlete and with the requirements of the game in mind. We are a results and quick instant payback oriented society that is not always willing to do the work to attain the most success.

There are many promises made on television and on internet sites from individuals who do not know you or your athletes. What is often forgotten is that there needs to be a starting point. Find it and use it as your basis for your entire training program. Work with a planning specialist to ensure that you are moving our team through your training phases in the annual training program to ensure your best results when it counts. Without injury or overtraining and burnout.

The “great program” may work in the short term, however the gains will not necessarily be there when you need them, which is during the competitive phase of your plan, and for the important competitions. The reason for this is that you may have been taxing your team for months prior to the competition so they may not have full reserves for when you need it.

So… what I am saying is .. be patient. Work not only hard but smart and methodically.  That will bring the best results and results that you can count on for your team because they were attained the way that the bodies can process and maximize its potential  in all components of their game.

Train to ensure success rather than hope for results.