Having a Team Website is a Great Way to

• Stay in touch with your team
• Share your team with others
• Make sure important dates or events are recorded in a place where parents can’t “lose them”
• Share stories and pictures with others
• Share useful news or resources with your team members (i.e. many team sites share links to sites like AllAboutFastpitch.com with their visitors/members)
• Promote your team or your team’s events
• and more…

I know eteamz offers free team sites, but I also came across another site called InfoSports that offers free sites for teams as well.  I wish they would show a little more about how creating yoru own site works, but the few samples they show look pretty decent.

Like eteamz, they also have a listing of camps and tournaments in different areas of the country that you can search through and allow you to post your camp listing as well.  I find the InfoSports layout and design a little cleaner and easier to look at/navigate through than eteamz.  They even have some free instructional videos you may want to take a look at too.

1. Use Runners: Add runners to your defensive practice so that your fielders have “competition.” They have something to “beat.” Additionally you can give your runners an advantage to really put the pressure on your D. Runner will go on the hit, but let them start 5 feet closer to 1st base or let them start off the bag with a larger than normal lead. As a coach, you can decide how much of a jump to give your runners so that your defense really has to focus, attack the ball, and make clean plays.

2. Race the Clock: Stop watches come in really handy for adding pressure to practice. They can be used for defensive practice in place of baserunners. They can also be used during baserunning drills so that players again have something to “beat.” You’d be surprised how much more effort and focus you get just because they players know the clock is on. It no longer, just a drill they go through the motions in. It’s a drill where their performance is also being measured. Knowing that adds pressure to the situation. Whether the players feel the “pressure” or not depends on their mental toughness.

3. Add Consequences or Rewards: A combination of both throughout practice days and drills are probably best. Consequences can be set (before the drill) for failure to achieve a certain goal. Or, on the other hand, you can set rewards for desired performances. Consequences can be as simple as additional reps, push-ups, sit-ups, running, dragging the field, etc. Rewards can be as simple as not having to put away equipment, getting a water break, getting out of the drill faster, getting to hit first when batting practice comes around, etc, etc, etc.

4. Keep Score: I find that keeping score works well in many different drills, bunting, hitting, and fielding. Set up some kind of scoring system for your drill. Give points for desired actions/results and subtract or give 0 points for failure to perform the task. Give each player as set number of reps and keep track of what their score is after their turn. This helps give the players that feeling that every play and every swing matters (just like in the game).

5. Set Goals - Raise the Bar: Instead of just hitting balls to your defense or pitching balls to your batters, tell them what you want them to accomplish during their turn. Tell your infield how many plays in a row you want the, to make without an error for example. If your hitters are young, tell them they are only allowed to swing and miss once in their at bat. If your players are older challenge them to hit a certain number of balls on the ground or on a line during their at bat. The idea is to give them a clear goal to reach so that there’s more of a focus during the drill.

These ideas are so simple and easy to incorporate that you can begin using them immediately! Just choose one or two of these to add pressure to your next practice session and help you get the results you want on the field.

There was something cute and very interesting I saw happen on the very first day.

Five players were just arriving at a hitting station where they were going to be hitting into a net. The players were about 8-9 years old so, to make things fun, the coach running the drill asked, “Who wants to go first?”

Guess what happened?

Four of the players immediately raised their hands.

That left one player who didn’t raise her hand.

So which one of the four hand-raising players did the coach pick?

NONE

The player that got to go first in this drill was the “other one”-the one that didn’t raise her hand. Why?

Because when the coach asked the question and all the other girls stood there and raised their hand, this player stepped right into the drill and got ready to hit. She didn’t bother to raise her hand to “say” she wanted to go first. She took action and went first.

There are times, when you KNOW what you want, that it’s better to shut your mouth, stop talking about it, and just do it!

So are you just talking about what you want to do and what you want to accomplish?

Or are you out there DOING what you want to do?

This week, make the choice to start DOING. Every day, do something to get you closer to your goals. Don’t have goals? Time to set some! Need help? I can walk you through it step by step right here.

If you follow baseball or read Sports Illustrated, then you’ve probably heard of Bryce Harper. I actually just heard of him for the first time this week via conversations that were going on over at Twitter.

Apparently an article recently came out that this young man will take a high school equivalency test and forgo his last two years in high school in hopes of entering the MLB draft earlier. He’s actually registered at a community college and will start taking classes in the fall as well as play baseball there next season. He then hopes to enter the draft in 2010 or 2011 since players become draft eligible at age 16 if they have already completed high school.

There are two main thoughts that run through my head when I think about this situation:
1. Provisions should be made for higher education (in case he blows his millions and has a career that’s prematurely shortened for whatever reason)
2. There no doubt will be others ambitious parents out there who think they should take this route with their kid even though their child is no where near the one in a million type prospect that Harper is

What do you think about Harper Leaving High School Early?

This is the kind of interesting and valuable information available in the NCAA’s Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete (and this guide is free, just Google it for the most current version). If you have any inclination that you *might* want to continue your athletic career in college, then you should definitely have a copy of the NCAA’s Guide. Read it front to back and USE the information and the tools they provide for you in that free guide.

If you’re between your junior and senior year right now: Are you getting calls from coaches? If not, you’re behind the game. Believe me, coaches ARE already contacting players they are interested in. But don’t give up yet!

• Get the NCAA Guide
• Read all the College Recruiting Articles here at AAF
• Check out the other free College Recruiting information AAF provides
• And take action!

If you are feeling overwhelmed and have no idea where to start…If you need someone to take you by the hand and help you put a plan together and get moving in the right direction, there’s no one else I recommend at this time than NCSA. I love these guys because they are good people who are passionate about what they do and they help student-athletes and their families just like yours every single day. Check them out and fill out the form HERE and they’ll call you to help you with that college recruiting plan.

Fundraising is one part of sports that not many get a kick out of, but sometimes it’s necessary!

If you’re looking to raise funds in the next 2-4 weeks, please let me know. Jessica Jobes of Mitt Mate just told me that she’s ramping up her new fundraising program and is looking for teams and organizations to try it out.

I know many out there are either just starting their season or going into tournaments soon. Like I mentioned, tournaments are a great place to raise money with Jessica’s Mitt Mates. They’re fun, fresh, and can actually be used by anybody, not just softball players (people are using them on gloves, equipment bags, school bags, luggage, and more).

If you don’t know what Mitt Mates are or have never heard of them before, check out the short video I did on them.

Then if you’re looking to raise some cash for your team or organization, let me know so that I can get you hooked up with Jessica and set your team or organization up with one of the most unique softball fundraisers out there. Plus Jessica will do everything she can to provide you with all you need to have a successful fundraiser!

OR simply to go MittMate.com and use Promo Code STM017 to receive a special savings on your MittMate fundraiser.

The Competition is FIERCE!

I know, you’re probably thinking, “Duh, I already know that.”

I’m not talking about the competition you’re in for a scholarship, I’m talking about the competition coaches are in battling to get the best players and strengthen their program.

Have you ever thought about that side of it before?

One thing you have to realize about this whole thing is that technology has seriously changed the game.  People are connecting like never before.  Information spreads from one end of the country to the other (heck even around the world) in seconds!  The internet has forever changed communication and, as a result, the college recruiting game.

After all, put yourself in a college coaches shoes for a second.   You’re trying to build the best team possible so that you can have successful seasons and keep your job.  However, with the speed at which information travels now days, if you know about  great player, chances are so do at least a dozen other coaches.  Great news travels fast and news about a great player is certainly no exception.  Wouldn’t you, as a coach, want to be on top of the game and get in touch with this player before some other big fish has the chance to snatch her up?  After all, if you sit back and wait, some other team is going to get stacked up with all the best players and you’re team will end up losing to theirs 8 days a week.

Make no mistake, the competition among coaches to get players for their team is probably close to as fierce as the competition to get that spot on a college team.  That’s why college coaches are starting to identify prospects earlier and earlier. Don’t kid yourself by thinking that this doesn’t happen since college coaches aren’t allowed to talk to players until junior year.  Scholarship funds ARE being “allocated” BEFORE student-athletes reach their junior year for many program.  If you wait until then, it may be too late to get the opportunities you were looking for.

Yes, it’s true that not all colleges are that far ahead of the recruiting time line.  Not all college coaches start looking for prospects in the freshman and sophomore classes.  The FTR Episode I did with Bill Vasko, DII Softball Coach explains that a bit further.   However, why eliminate a chunk of your options simply by making the decision to WAIT in this college recruiting process?

Remember, college coaches are starting earlier and earlier to get a jump on their competition.  That means YOU need to be ready sooner than players of the past.  Don’t wait!  If you’re a high school aged softball player, your journey has already started. What have you done so far?

Need help getting started? Check out these awesome college recruiting resources.

1.  Get the NCAA’s Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete (free download).  I won’t post a link here because it changes every year as they put out a new publication every year.  But if you Google “NCAA Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete” you should be able to find it rather quickly.  Get the guide.  Read it cover to cover.  Make sure you understand it and do the things the NCAA suggests.

2.  I have a couple of free college recruiting resources up on our Fastpitch Freebies page.  Check those out as well.

3.  $1 College Recruiting Webinar:  I did a webinar on why it’s so super important to start early.    Got some valuable information in there and it’ll only cost ya a buck.

4.  Online College Recruiting Educational System:  Feel like there’s more you need to know about the college recruiting process?  Learn the ins and outs of college recruiting so that you can create your own blue print for success.

5.  Help from NCSA: The college recruiting process can be overwhelming and frustrating.  If you feel that you need personal assistance through this journey you can get it from people who help families like yours every day.  They are as passionate about what they do as you are about softball.  The only people I recommend for this is NSCA.  As much as I know about this process, I plan in tapping into the wealth of knowledge and expertise they bring to the table when my oldest daughter begins her journey in 2010.

Congratulations to Po’okela for winning FIVE games this past Sunday to come back through the loser’s bracket to win the Hawaii State 12U ASA “A Division” Tournament.

They looked strong in the beginning of the tourney, but when they were 1 of just 4 unbeaten teams left in the tourney, they lost 6-4 to the Lady Rebels in the last game of the evening on Saturday.

They had to come back at 8:30 am the next morning and play at 8:30, 10:30, 12:30, 2:30, and 4:30. They didn’t just come back and win, they came back and obliterated every opponent they faced on Sunday (including the Lady Rebels who had just beaten them the night before). I don’t think there was a margin of less than 5 runs in any game. In fact, I think most of the 5 games were run-rule games. I didn’t get to see every game, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team come back from the losers bracket with that kind of dominance in the remaining games.

Just goes to show you, even if you have the loooooooonnnngggggg road on the last day - it CAN be done. Nice to see it happen every now and then. Congratulations again to the Po’okela girls (and coaches and parents and supporters too). Awesome job!

@jfinch27, @catosterman, @EricaBeach, @kempf5, @CaitlinLowe

@UACoachMurphy, @ProSballTrainer

Yes, that’s Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman, Cheri Kempf, Caitlin Lowe, Pat Murphy, and ProSballTrainer is Erin (Former Pro Softball Coach of the New England Riptide & Washington Glory, Private Instructor, Director of www.thesoftballnetwork.com).  Erica Beach is a 29 year old Assistant Softball Coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes and former Pro softball player!

And that’s in addition to all the great softball names I shared in this post.

See what these people are talking about, what their up to, possibly get into real time conversations with them too.  If you’re not on twitter yet, it’s free!  Lotsa WCWS talk this past week.  Join in the conversation by signing up for a free account at Twitter.com.

Being able to continue in sports after high school is over involves more than just good grades and physical ability.

I know a student-athlete who:

• Was a 4-year varsity starter
• Made the all-conference team 3 times
• Made the all-state team 3 times
• Was named player of the year in her conference as a senior
• Graduated with a 3.6 GPA
• Graduated with an Honors diploma from an academically challenging prep school
• Graduated in the top 10% of her class
• Took the SAT only once and scored a 1290 back when the test was still out of 1600
• Was on a “high profile” team (conference champs 4 times, state champs 3 times)

Her senior year the local newspaper did an article on her and said she was “a top college prospect.” In the 15 years her coach led his team to 4 state championships and even he said she was “the best fielding, throwing, hitting, and running player I’ve had in my 15 years of coaching.”

This player had physical ability and strong academics, but no college recruiting plan.

This player was me…

IF you have all of the above going for you right now, then you *may* get lucky like me  and get 1 lonely offer from a DI school.

Why do I call it luck?  Because I did NOTHING to get the word out about my interest in colleges.  I was LUCKY that I live in a small state where college coaches actually pay attention the to the local high school league.  I was LUCKY that the year I entered college, my team had a big incoming class.  My first year in college there were 9 incoming players…NINE!  That’s a lot!

Imagine if the coach only need 1 or 2 incoming players that year.  Would I still have made it? Would I still have received that offer?  Or would the coach  just have picked up the pitchers and catchers or the short stop instead?  I guessing the outfielder who had been invited to try out for the 1996 Olympic team may have beat me out had there been only a few openings on the team that year.

If you don’t have all those things above going for you…

• If you don’t live in a place where college coaches happen to pay good attention to the league you play in
• If you aren’t on a team that’s in the spotlight
• If you don’t have an 1290 or higher SAT (verbal and math only)
• If you aren’t in the top 10% of your class
• If you don’t have a 3.5 GPA or higher
• If you haven’t been a starter every year from the time you were 14
• If you’re local newspaper isn’t writing articles about you
• If the colleges you’re interested in or the ones that are interested in you don’t need 9 players for your recruiting year

…if all those things aren’t lined up for you the way they were for me…then the odds are quite high that you will NOT be as lucky as I was and you will NOT get that scholarship offer I did. Heck, even if they are all lined up and even if your line up is even better than that, why leave it to chance? Why not do everything you can do to give yourself the best chance possible at continuing to play this sport and get your college education at the same time?  Why simply cross your fingers and hope if there’s something you can DO to better your chances.

Crossing your fingers and HOPING is not a plan!

You need a real plan. You only get one shot at this.  There are no do-overs.  There are no second chances.  You only go through high school and the college recruiting process once.   Get educated about it so that you can make the best decisions possible during your journey.

Here are 5 great resources that can help you with this plan:

1.  Get the NCAA’s Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete (free download).  I won’t post a link here because it changes every year as they put out a new publication every year.  But if you Google “NCAA Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete” you should be able to find it rather quickly.  Get the guide.  Read it cover to cover.  Make sure you understand it and do the things the NCAA suggests.

2.  I have a couple of free college recruiting resources up on our Fastpitch Freebies page.  Check those out as well.

3.  $1 College Recruiting Webinar:  I did a webinar on why it’s so super important to start early.    Got some valuable information in there and it’ll only cost ya a buck.

4.  Online College Recruiting Educational System:  Feel like there’s more you need to know about the college recruiting process?  Learn the ins and outs of college recruiting so that you can create your own blue print for success.

5.  Help from NCSA: The college recruiting process can be overwhelming and frustrating.  If you feel that you need personal assistance through this journey you can get it from people who help families like yours every day.  They are as passionate about what they do as you are about softball.  The only people I recommend for this is NSCA.  As much as I know about this process, I plan in tapping into the wealth of knowledge and expertise they bring to the table when my oldest daughter begins her journey in 2010.

Here’s what one dad had to say about his experience with Joyce (the “softball lady” at NSCA)…

“My daughter had the pleasure of working with Joyce for the past couple of years.
You will find her well versed in the recruiting process and maybe more
importantly, she has an ability to help calm the nerves of the parents. She
takes a genuine interest in the ladies she is working with. We successfully
concluded our journey with my daughter finding the perfect fit for her. It took
a lot of hard work on my daughter’s part but certainly the journey was made much
easier with the unwavering guidance from Joyce.”