Sometimes players and coaches can be stuck inside or not able to go to the field and spend time with their teams the way they have done without question for years. This is where softball home ideas can come in. This is the time to maybe learn about the game or to improve skills such as mental training skills that do not take a group of players or coaches to work on.
Softball Home Ideas
For Coaches:
Coaches can work on planning for when the team is able to reconvene. Bring in the team. You could have team meetings over conference calling. Or send out homework for your players to keep them thinking about the game.
While you are doing your planning, devise your practice plans that you can use when you get back to the field.
Revisit your selection process if you have one. If you do not have one, consider an evaluation tool that you can use to determine what kind of path your team needs to go on to be successful.
You could even write up evaluations on all of your players with your other coaches using the phone or face-time.
You could even look at your scouting information that you never have time to do and put it away for later when you can use it. Some things may change when you get back on the field but some things will not. Things such as game tendencies, speed of runners, and their game sense or technical and tactical fundamental abilities.
For Players:
Give your players homework and have them send it in by email. A project that they have to do once per week will give them something to do on their own or over the phone or face-timing with team mates. This will keep them in connection with the team and teach them about the game. You could ask them to research theoretical questions about the game or have them develop practice plans and even a plan for the season to see what they think of the strategy.
Have them do self evaluations. Give them a list of softball skills and team tactics and have them evaluate themselves on that criteria. With their evaluation, have them tell you what they feel they are good at with that skill and what they feel they need to improve on and how they can do that.
Have watch one of the many games that are available on YouTube and critique the game. Players can watch the players and even their position and write down similarities between the game they watched and the game that the team plays. If you select the game and have them all take part, you can even have them exchange their observations with team mates and see how they compare as they discuss their observations.. You do not want them to critique their specific performance and then pass it to their team mates which is why it is a good idea to have them critique the team play rather than individual play.
Be Creative:
Consider all the things that you need to do as a softball coach in a season. Write them all down and see what you can work on without being on the field with the team. Organize your information and prioritize it so that by the time you hit the field again, you are more prepared than you have ever been.
