How to Coach Softball

Coaching softball is a major challenge. You and your co-coaches have to be on the same page when it comes to teaching the game's lessons. You have to have a plan for what you are going to accomplish in practice. You have to emphasize situational hitting, and you have to develop pitches. While you are teaching the game, it's important to make an assessment in your mind as to what your best lineup is and what players give you the best chance of winning.

Instructions

    • 1

      Meet with your assistant coaches at the start of the season. Talk about what you want to accomplish this season and how you plan on meeting those goals. While it's always important to win, teaching skills, sportsmanship and strategy may be more important than overall winning. Tell your assistants what you want to emphasize and how you want a skill taught.

    • 2

      Emphasize teamwork, hard work and fun when your team comes together for the first time. Introduce yourself and have your assistant coaches introduce themselves. Have each player introduce herself to her teammates and tell one thing about herself---softball position, favorite food or favorite TV show---before you hit the practice field.

    • 3

      Work with your pitchers on the skills needed to become consistent performers on the mound. The first thing you want to emphasize is control. Then develop a pitcher's instinct on how to work a batter and add in how to throw risers, drops, curves and change-ups.

    • 4

      Emphasize situational hitting with your batters. Competitive softball is a low-scoring game that has an emphasis on pitching dominance. As a result, you have to work on bunting, hitting the ball to the opposite field and hitting the ball where it's pitched. Since it's hard to take a full swing at a pitch that may be going 70 miles per hour, teach slap-hitting to hitters who have a hard time getting around on a fastball.

    • 5

      Coach your players on what they need to do on defense. Catching the ball is obviously important, but getting rid of the ball quickly indicates that they know the situation in the field and that they are aware of how to play the game. The last thing you want to see is your outfielders standing around and holding the ball while the runners speed around the bases. Teach them to throw the ball into second base after a base hit, and teach your shortstop and second baseman to cover. You will look like a team when your outfielders don't stand around and hold the ball.