Life in the Fastpitch Lane

Watched a great fastpitch softball game today

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-05-27T04:16:42Z

Just had to comment on this one. Today I watched Carmel Catholic High School v Mundelein High School in a Regional championship game here in Illinois. For those who don't know, both schools are in Mundelein so it was a true cross-town rivalry.

The play on both sides was impressive. Lots of great defensive plays supporting strong pitching. Carmel was able to put a few more legitimate hits together, though, and ultimately won 2-0.

One of the great plays I saw was Mundelein pitcher Molly Ellett (one of my pitching studnets) fielding a suicide squeeze and getting the out at home. She also took on another bunt and got the out at first. Those were big outs.

On Carmel's side, one of the memorable plays was shortstop Kathleen Felicelli fielding a ground ball that had first hit pitcher Nicole Bitter's glove, grabbing it on the run and throwing for the out.

Have to admit I was proud of my hitting student Amy Abel as well. She hit a timely single for Carmel, and later laid down a perfect sac bunt (although I would've rather seen her swing away as she has had a hot bat lately).

Baserunning was good on both sides as well. I saw a couple of runners take advantage of balls in the dirt, aggressively taking the base even though the ball didn't get far from the respective catchers. Each team was looking for every edge it could get.

The only shame was the way the game ended. Molly was rung up looking on a pitch that was clearly mid-shin high. I hate when that happens, but such is life.

Both teams are to be commended on a great game. I've seen a lot of badly played HS games this year, so it was fun to see such a good one. Congrats to both sides.

No magic bullets in fastpitch softball instruction

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-05-19T17:00:37Z

It often seems like fastpitch softball players (and their parents) come to lessons seeking a magic bullet -- a tip or hint that will turn them from average to awesome. I wish that was a possibility, because if it was my teams would win a lot more games.

But the truth is that the only real "magic bullet" in fastpitch softball is hard work. And that isn't very magical, because it takes a long time and many correct repetitions to make the leap players are looking to make. It is possible in time, however.

This is a theme that's explored to great length in The Talent Code, an incredible book that every coach, parent and player should read. As I've written previously, it explores the myth of being born with "talent" and shows how the people we perceive as talented were actually just more single-minded in their pursuit of excellence. When others would normally quit to do other things, they'd continue on with borderline (or sometimes over the border) obsession.

Of course, those are the ones who are driven to the highest level of whatever they do. Not every fastpitch softball player aspires to play on a National Team or at a top D1 college. Many just want to play and be successful at whatever level they're at now. But you can't get there by showing up for a lesson once a week, or once every weeks, and then practicing either not at all or very little in-between.

The most successful players I've worked with do the same things:

Come regularly for lessons -- usually once a week
Put in two or more practice sessions between lessons
Make time to practice, even if they have homework, school projects or other activities on their plates
Work diligently at whatever it is we're trying to improve
Give themselves the opportunity to fail now in order to succeed later

It's as simple -- and as difficult -- as that.

The other thing they do is give themselves time. They realize that while they can make small improvements over a short period of time, more long-lasting and better-impacting changes take time to sink in during game situations.

With the pressure on it's all too easy to fall back on old habits, no matter how hard you try not to. But given sufficient time you can replace old habits with better ones, so that's what you go to when the heat is on. And that's when real softball success occurs.

In my experience it takes about a year of dedicated effort for real, permanent improvement of a particular skill to set in. What about you? Do you agree? Do you think that's too long, or too short? Share your thoughts.

And while you're at it, be sure to subscribe to Life in the Fastpitch Lane so you're always on top of new posts as they come out. The easiest way is to leave a comment and check the box. Otherwise, choose the RSS feed you like and it to your reader!

Interesting info on moms for Mother's Day

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-05-12T02:54:47Z

Not really fastpitch softball-related, but I got an email today that led me to an interesting infographic on moms and the sacrifices they make for their kids. You softball parents no doubt know all about this, but it's interesting to see it in hard financial figures. And this doesn't even count all the time that goes into driving to games, lessons, practices and all the other stuff.

In any case, enjoy! And happy Mother's Day.

Fastpitch hitting: that magical moment

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-05-11T20:17:42Z

The other night I was doing a fastpitch softball hitting lesson with a high schooler named Becky. She has developed a nice swing overall, but I wasn't quite seeing the pop I was looking for. She was trying, but it just seemed a little off.

Then all of a sudden it happened. Her timing was right, and she just turned like heck on the ball, and the ball really jumped off her bat! Like Lucy instructing Schroeder on how to play the piano I got all excited and said "That's it! Keep doing what you did there." And she did.

And that's the thing sometimes with fastpitch hitters (and their instructors). We all get so caught up in trying to perfect the mechanics that sometimes we don't put enough emphasis on just plain being aggressive. So what you wind up with is a swing that looks awesome when played back at 60 or 120 frames per second on video, but that doesn't deliver a particularly well-struck ball.

That whole idea of being aggressive, or swinging with enthusiasm as I like to put it, is very important. As I've said many times there are no style points when you're hitting in a game. On a tee, or in a drill, we're going to work on getting the mechanics as close to what we think is perfect as possible. But when you're in a game, or facing live toss or a machine, you need to forget about all that, go with what you have, and hit with the intent of driving the ball.

It's an awesome sight when it comes together. With Becky I could just see the magic happening. She'd gone through her load, had gotten to toe touch at just the right time, and at that point she was able to let go and just finish the swing with a determination to hit the ball hard. If you're not trained to it you may not know exactly what you're seeing, but you just know it's right. And it's a beautiful thing.

What has your experience been? Have you seen a "magic moment" like that from a hitter, where it all just comes together?

Fastpitch softball coach's guide to scoring a game

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-05-06T19:05:08Z

In talking to some of my fastpitch softball students and former players in the past few weeks it seems like there is a lot of confusion among coaches as to how to score a game. In particular, I'm hearing some very interesting interpretations as to what is a hit versus what is an error.

So, as a public service to those who don't seem to quite get it (or who are making up their own rules as they go along), I offer the following guide. This ought to clarify things, and make it easier for them to keep an honest book that tells them how their players are actually doing -- good and bad. You're welcome.

Ball is hit solidly without coming close to a defense player -- should be scored as a hit.
Ball is hit solidly by a kid you don't like without coming close to a defensive player -- that is still a hit.
Ground ball goes through a fielder's legs without being touched -- that is an error because it should be an out.
Hard-hit ground ball is not fielded cleanly by an infielder -- should be scored an error, even if it took a tough hop.
Hard-hit ground ball is not fielded cleanly by your favorite infielder -- should still be scored an error. I am shocked at how many coaches seem to be scoring that as a hit in order to pump up the stats of their favorite players.
Hard-hit ground ball goes one foot to the left or right of an infielder who is too lazy to make an effort to get the ball -- seems like it should be an error, but technically it is a hit. You may want to consider replacing that player, though, because any halfway decent infielder should be able to field a ball hit one foot to either side of them. Just sayin'.
Hard line drive hit just to the side of an infielder, who sticks her glove out and has it torn off, not making the catch -- score that one a hit, regardless of whether you like that player or not.
Fly ball hit to an outfielder is caught -- not an error, even if you didn't like the way she caught it.
Fly ball hit pretty much right to an outfielder, who lets the ball glance off her glove or drop right in front of or behind her -- those are errors.
Fly ball hit pretty much right to the outfielder who babysits your kids for free so you and your spouse can go to dinner, who lets the ball glance off her glove or drop right in front of her behind her -- still an error.
Ball hit to the outfield, and your outfielder makes a diving attempt to catch the ball but doesn't quite make it -- is a hit.
Ball hit to the outfield, and an outfielder you don't like makes a diving attempt to catch the ball but doesn't quite make it -- still a hit. Only a complete jerk would score that an error.
Pitch bounces two feet in front of catcher and goes all the way to the screen because she couldn't be bothered to use good blocking technique -- that is a passed ball.
Pitch bounces a foot or two to the left or right of the catcher and goes all the way to the screen because she couldn't be bothered to use good blocking technique -- that is also a passed ball.
Pitch bounces on the ground and hits the outside line of the batter's box, getting by your catcher who tried to throw herself in front of the ball to stop it -- wild pitch.
Pitch sails in three feet over the head of the umpire and goes to the screen -- wild pitch.
Throw from an infielder goes into the dirt and wide at first; your first baseman tries to get it but can't make it -- throwing error.
Throw from an infielder pulls person covering the base off the bag, thus losing the force -- throwing error.
Throw from an infielder you love pulls your least favorite player off the base she's covering, thus losing the force -- still a throwing error.
Perfect throw from fielder is dropped by person covering the base -- error on the receiver.
Perfect throw from fielder you don't like is dropped by your favorite player, who is covering the base -- error on the receiver (detecting a pattern here?).

I think that covers it. But may not. Anyone have any more situations like this to add to the list?

Fastpitch competitors know how to deal with adversity

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-05-01T02:42:27Z

Tonight I had the opportunity to watch one of my fastpitch pitching students, Tayler Janda, and her Grayslake Central High School team demonstrate what it means to be a competitor.

It's rained a lot in the past 24 hours, so I texted Tayler's mom to make sure the game I'd planned on going to was still happening. It was, she said, and then a few minutes later she texted that it started out ugly.

From all reports (not just Tayler's mom Jennie) the umpire had a strike zone the size of a loaf of bread. Tayler isn't a big girl, so she relies a lot on movement and finesse to get hitters out. But the umpire was having none of that, forcing her to leave the ball on the plate when the hitters didn't swing. By the time I got there, she had given up five runs in the first and three in the second, and her team was down 8-1.

But in the top of the third, she didn't give up any runs, and from then on started to cruise. She only gave up one more run for the rest of the five innings (which meant the game I saw was pretty awesome). Instead she was inducing easy outs from the hitters, along with a few strikeouts.

What I liked about what I saw was watching a competitor in action. Rather than complaining about the umpire or continuing to throw the same pitches that weren't working for her, Tayler adjusted. She figured out how to adapt her pitches to get the results she wanted. Yes, she had to leave the ball on the plate more than usual, but she did it in a way that didn't allow for the big hits the opponents had gotten earlier.

Now, she may have been stoked by the comeback efforts of her team at the plate. They chipped away at the lead, and went on to win it in the bottom of the seventh on a short sacrifice fly to right and some heads-up baserunning. But I think a lot of it was her own inner fire.

When I work with pitchers we talk about the mental game, and what you can control versus what you can't control. Tayler was the epitome of that tonight.

She couldn't control the umpire's miniscule strike zone, so instead she controlled her own frustration and instead decided to work with it. That's what a competitor does. And knowing how these things go, I'll bet she inspired her team to go out and snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat.

I know Tayler doesn't plan to play softball in college. But a competitive spirit like that is sure to serve her well no matter what she does in life. Kudos to her, her teammates and her coaches. It was a fun game to watch!

Rolling bats no substitute for hard work

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-04-29T21:46:14Z

Got an interesting text today from the mom of one of my fastpitch softball hitting and pitching students. She was out at a game, and her daughter was apparently putting on quite a hitting display. Someone else there was impressed and thought that she had a doctored bat. He was talking about getting his daughter's bat "rolled" to help her out.

The mom had no idea what it was, and asked if she should get her daughter's bat rolled too.

Of course I immediately answered no and explained it is illegal. (That's right, it is against the rules for those of you considering it.) That was enough for her, and she was glad she checked. But as she explained why she was asking it brought up an interesting point.

There are no shortcuts on the road to success, but people still continue to look for one. Rolling the bat is one of them. I'm sorry, but there's no substitute for quality teaching coupled with hard work.

That's what the girl whose mom contacted me has done. We've worked together for three years, ever since she was 10, and during that time she has made amazing strides -- a little bit at a time. The display she put on today was the result of all that time and effort she put in, not a bat that had been doctored.

Yes, it can be tempting to try to get that quick edge. But rather than paying someone to treat a bat, instead invest that time, money and effort in actually learning how to hit. The results will be a lot more satisfying.

As for the mom, if you knew her you'd know how horrified she was to find out she'd even considered doing anything illegal. As she said, she and daughter want no part of cheating. Glad she asked before she did it!

A big win for Kristi Gandy and Grayslake North

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-04-27T03:34:34Z

Just had to share this fastpitch softball story today. Tonight I received a very excited text from John Gandy, father of Grayslake North HS pitcher Kristi Gandy. He said Kristi's team had beaten rival Cary-Grove HS 4-1.

What made this so remarkable is that A) C-G also has an outstanding pitcher, one who receives a lot of publicity in the area and C-G is known as a very strong hitting team. They're very well coached and always a tough opponent. They've won a lot of games, but not tonight.

John told me all of Kristi's pitches were working, and she racked up a lot of strikeouts. She received a lot of defensive support too, and some timely hits (including a couple of her own).

I sometimes feel that Kristi doesn't get the recognition she's due. She's been an outstanding high school pitcher ever since her freshman year, and has received some visibility. But because her high school has been in a "building" phase since it opened a few years ago it doesn't have the established reputation some other schools may have. She's now a senior, so it's great to see all her hard work paying off. Next year she'll be pitching at Lake Forest College so it will be fun to see her move to the next level.

This was the first time Grayslake North has defeated Cary-Grove in fastpitch softball so it's a big deal for that reason too. They also recently defeated Crystal Lake South for the first time in school history, so they seem to be on a roll. I just hope they don't peak too early!

One other reason I thought this was worth noting is that Kristi is not only one of the hardest-working softball players you'll ever find, she is also incredibly kind and humble. She will always stop to talk and encourage a younger pitcher, and if you compliment her she'll smile and say thank you, but you'll never see that attitude so many high performers seem to adopt.

So congratulations Kristi (and Grayslake North), and keep up the great work. This is a win worth savoring. Just remember what you did today has no bearing on your next game, so you have to keep working hard!

A little long-distance correction

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-04-23T00:42:01Z

One thing you can say about being a fastpitch softball coach is life is never dull.

Take today. There I was with my wife at the grocery store when the call came in. One of my pitching students was mid-tournament, and suddenly she was having control trouble. Her pitches were going high and wide, and she needed a quick correction before her next game.

I know my students pretty well, at least the long-term ones, so I thought for a minute and made a couple of suggestions as to what the cause could be. I was fairly certain she was pulling her front shoulder out early instead of leaving it in place and driving around it. So I gave her some advice and she said thanks.

Later that day she did pitch in the next game. She did what I said and control problems were solved. That's the report I received, anyway.

It's not ideal. But it is nice to know I can make the long-distance correction when needed!

Perfect storm of stupid

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-04-11T01:35:18Z

The title of today's blog post was an inspiration. In fact, I like it so much I'm thinking of trademarking it.

What I'd like to do is get descriptions from readers of this blog of situations in your fastpitch softball world that fit that description. Now, to be a perfect storm of stupid whatever happened can't just be one bad idea. I'm not looking for "my daughter should be playing varsity" or "the coach is dumb because she lets so-and-so pitch instead of me" or "the coach has an all-conference player on the bench while he plays two girls who babysit for his kids." While all of those may be stupid, they're not a perfect storm of stupid.

To qualify as a perfect storm of stupid there have to be several factors that converge at once in a momentary explosion of stupidity far above the norm. It's several bad ideas at once, all rolled up into one. I'll provide an example.

A high school team is playing on a cold day, clinging to a late lead. Coach decides to pull her #2 pitcher to put in #1 to hold the lead and bring home the win. Ok so far. But she doesn't give the new pitcher time to warm up (again remember it's about 50 degrees outside and falling), sticks her in the game, then calls nothing but fastballs despite the fact that the opposing team is a good hitting team, and her #1 pitcher (like any smart pitcher) relies more on movement and speed changes than trying to overpower hitters. It's a perfect storm of stupid that winds up with her team losing.

So how about you? What's your perfect storm of stupid story?

Contact points as easy as tic-tac-toe

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-04-08T21:36:41Z

Yesterday during a fastpitch softball hitting lesson I was trying to explain the different contact points for pitches depending on their location, i.e. inside, down the middle or outside. The player, a girl name Sydney, is a 10U player so I tried to be aware of the terminology I used.

At first I said the usual - the contact point goes on a diagonal, from out in front on the inside to a little behind the front foot on the outside. I then asked if she understood the term "diagonal." She nodded a weak yes, which I took to mean "not really but I don't want to admit it."

That's when it hit me - a way to explain it using something familiar. I asked if she'd ever played tic-tac-toe. Of course she had. I drew an imaginary board, and showed how if you put an O in the upper left hand, center, and lower right hand boxes you get a diagonal, which corresponds with the contact points for a right-handed hitter. THAT she understood.

This was indoors, so we couldn't actually draw the boxes. Outdoors you can draw the game board in the dirt if it helps. Either way, you have a winner!

Keeping players in the dark

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-04-05T21:29:05Z

I know, I know, I talk about subscribing and then don't post anything for a while. But I'm back now.

One thing I will never get is why some fastpitch softball coaches (or coaches in general I suppose) like to play everything close to the vest. In other words they randomly bench kids, or cut their playing time, or move their positions around without ever telling them why.

Not sure if they think it's a way of motivating players, but in my experience all it does is de-motivate players. Especially teenage girls who have enough worries and self-esteem issues already without adding why the coach doesn't like them anymore to the mix.

It may be unpleasant as a coach to have to tell a player you want to put someone else in her spot, but it's a conversation you need to have. It also helps to tell her what she needs to do to win her spot back.

Competition is a good thing. If players feel like they have to compete for a spot they will try hard. But only if they feel like the competition is fair, and they know on what basis they're competing.

The easy thing to do is just make the change and say nothing. But it's not the right thing. Take care of your players and in the long run they will take care of you. It should be Coaching 101 -- but apparently it's not.

Easy way to subscribe - and contribute

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-03-28T02:09:46Z

Just noticed this as I was responding to a comment today. If you want to subscribe to this blog so you never miss a new post, the easiest way to do it is to make a comment on a post, and then check the "Subscribe to this blog" box.

Not only will will you receive email notifications of new posts, you'll be sharing your thoughts with the rest of our little community. It's fun, it's easy and you'll be helping your fellow softball fanatics.

Why mess with the best players?

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-03-25T04:11:53Z

This is one of those mysteries of fastpitch softball coaching that just stumps me. Every year when the HS softball season starts I hear tales of coaches trying to "rebuild" the swings of players in the two or so weeks they have before they start playing every day.

It's pretty unrealistic to think you can make significant improvements in a swing in such a short amount of time. What really gets me, though, is that these coaches rarely focus where it might do them some good, i.e. the kids who can't hit a lick, and for whom any instruction might yield some benefits.

No, instead they decide to focus on the team's top hitters. That's just wrong on so many levels. The most significant of which is there is a reason those players are your top hitters.

There's an old coaching saying that says if a player can hit .400 standing on her head, the coach's job is to get her a pillow. In other words, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Now, I'm not in 100% agreement with that way of thinking; truth is it's always broke to some extent. But if the player is a good hitter the odds are she's had some training and all she might need is a little tweaking here or there. Yet Mr. or Ms. "Helper Coach" ignores that fact and instead tries to completely change what these players are doing.

When you have limited time and a wide range of ability, it's not the top of your order you need to mess with. Let's face it. On most HS teams if you're lucky you have five good, solid, reliable hitters. That means nearly half your lineup still needs help. A smart coach will work with those hitters and try to get them up to the level of the top five to give them a better chance of avoiding the dreaded bottom of the lineup black hole -- that place where hopes of victory go to die.

Yes, it's tempting to want to put your own stamp on good players. Everyone wants to claim they helped those players get to where they are. But that's not where your efforts will pay off.

Instead, work with the players who really could use the help -- the ones without a clue -- and not only will you raise their games, you'll avoid screwing up the players who are your best hope of gaining more wins. Just sayin'.

What has your experience been? Do you know coaches who mess up their top players (and teams) by trying to change what's working? Or do you disagree and think the coaches should work with the top ones instead of the bottom-level players?

Softball humor

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-03-21T03:01:51Z

Here's a little softball humor for you all.

Q. How do you get a girls fastpitch softball team to play .500 ball?

A. Find a team capable of playing .800 ball and make them feel bad about themselves.

Funny, because it's true.

Why I like working with high school age and up players

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-03-19T01:00:59Z

This is the third part in my series about working with various ages of fastpitch softball players. Today we're looking at high school age and up -- generally speaking 16U-18U and college players.

As a private instructor, working with older players is a lot of fun -- assuming they are there voluntarily and not being forced to come to me by their parents. Usually these players have experienced some form of failure, so they're highly motivated to listen, learn and get better. They work hard on their own, and tend to make quick progress. They often have a broad enough experience base to understand certain concepts quickly, and want to know the "why" behind what we're doing instead of just executing it because I say so.

At a team level it can be a little more challenging. If you have the right players they will also learn quickly. But you may find you have some who aren't interested in learning anything new. They want to do what they've always done -- especially if they've had some level of success. For them, the best thing you can do is expose them to players with better skills so they can see they're not quite as all that as they thought.

What does make it fun with the right team is you can get into more complex concepts and plays. The game is faster, so execution becomes more important.

There's nothing like the satisfaction of seeing your players recognize a situation and make an adjustment without you having to tell them what to do. It could be a defensive change -- moving into slap defense against an obvious slapper -- or something as simple as recognizing a changeup when it's thrown and stealing a base.

Of course, at that age they can definitely have attitudes -- some more than others. But if you take the time to get to know them as people you can often overcome that. In fact, you can build relationships that will last long after the last pitch is thrown. Just tonight I had a Facebook exchange with a girl who last played for me about 10 years ago.

Most importantly, with players this age you can really make a difference in their lives. Giving them confidence, helping them to overcome adversity or fear and teaching them to give everything they have to whatever they do. You can also help them build softball memories that will last them a lifetime.

With younger players coaches tend to need to exert a lot of control. With the older group, if you've trained them properly, you get to sit back more and watch all the hard work pay off. Which is a lot like parenting when you think about it.

Congratulations to Mary Chamberlain, pitcher of the week

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-03-14T02:34:42Z

Gotta love Facebook for keeping up with people. This week I saw that one of my long-time students, freshman Mary Chamberlain, was named Pitcher of the Week at Blackburn College. The honor came during their Spring trip to Myrtle Beach, SC.

Mary is a great player and a great person. Nice to see her getting this kind of accolade so early in her career. I'm sure it's the first of many!

Incredible blog post on the value of losing

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-03-09T16:26:05Z

Saw a reference to this blog post show up in my Twitter feed today, courtesy of @jbmthinks, and just had to pass it along even though it's not directly about fastpitch softball. It tells the tale of Olympic skiier Edie Thys Morgan and how she ultimately learned more from losing than winning -- and how losing made her a champion.

Yes, no doubt as a parent it's hard to watch your child lose, especially if it seems to be turning into a habit. I've certainly been there. We all want our own kids and our players to win and experience success. Yet if they're constantly the big fish in the small pond, sooner or later there will be a day of reckoning when they run up against other big fish who are better-prepared.

We've certainly all seen those tales of woe. A kid who was always the big gun (and therefore didn't have to work at it) gets passed by one who may not be as athletically gifted but has a better work ethic. It can be a real shocker for that player who is used to winning.

The same goes for teams that play in tournaments or leagues that don't challenge them so they can brag about how many trophies they won. We've all known them as well. If you're going to get better you have to challenge yourself, even if it means going home early on Sunday now and then. Because again, sooner or later you'll have to face that level of competition and it could be a real shocker if you haven't truly paid your dues.

In any case, check out the article. I think you'll find it really strikes a chord.

Why I like working with 12U-14U fastpitch players

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-03-04T16:54:06Z

Sorry, this took a little longer than planned, but here is the second in my series of articles on what I like about working with different age levels of fastpitch softball players. The first installment covered the very young players, essentially up to 10U. Today we're talking about the next level, which I've pegged as 12U-14U -- which is basically the pre-high school group.

To me that's the most critical age for instruction, the one where doing a good job means you can really make a huge long-term difference. While you're also setting a good foundation when working with the younger group, they can still get away with weaker technique. At this age, however, the difference between well-trained and poorly trained (or untrained) players really begins to show up.

As a rule, girls in this age group are starting to get more command of their bodies. Yes, they are often changing, but they still tend to feel more comfortable with themselves which means they can cut loose a little more. Their coordination is also improving at this point, and they are getting stronger. All of those things contribute to achieving good results.

Often they are aware that other players are improving as well, so they are motivated to try new things in order to become better players. They usually have some rivalries or things to prove, which also helps keep them working hard.

At this age most have gotten past their initial shyness so as a coach you can talk with them a little more. They're becoming interested in more adult things (TV shows, movies, books, music, etc.) so you can base your relationship with them on more than just softball.

If you treat them right, girls at this age level are more willing to run through a wall for you. (Of course if you don't they'll shut you out completely.) They don't have the distractions of boyfriends, jobs, college plans and all the other things of high schoolers so you can get more of their attention on the field or in a lesson.

There are some downsides though, too. If they experienced success in the past, even if it was just being a big fish in a small pond, they may be reluctant to listen or change what they're doing to improve. Their limited experience has shown them that they are the best player in the league, so they assume that translates across the board.

It doesn't, as they will eventually find out. I've seen plenty of kids who loved being studs in their rec league only to find out they went to the bottom of the pile in high school when they had to compete against experienced travel ball players.

As anyone who has had or been a 12 to 14 year old girl knows, they can also get some real attitudes on them. If they don't want to be somewhere or doing something it's not too tough to tell. That can get frustrating as you can see the potential but know it will never be unlocked until they lose the attitude and start listening. For those with helicopter parents you often have to break down that inward focus so they can learn to be a real part of a team.

Still, I've found those are the minority. Most are sponges, eagerly learning, and they really appreciate you not just telling them what to do but showing or explaining why it needs to be done.

Again, for a softball player this is a critical time. You can give players at this age a huge advantage going forward, teaching them skills and strategies that their peers will have to learn much later. Instead of catching up, they'll be the ones showing well. And that's a beautiful thing to see.

Ok, now it's your turn. Why do you like coaching this age group? What challenges have you found? Having done it would you do it again?

Why I like working with young players

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — 2012-02-23T19:24:33Z

I was thinking about this the other day. I have a mix of students ranging from the 9/10 year old range all the way up through HS seniors. So I thought it might be fun to look at what's good (and not so good) about working with those different age groups. Starting with the youngest players today.

What I like about working with them is they tend to be open books. What I mean by that is they usually haven't acquired the bad habits (or ingrained bad teaching) that some of the older players face.

Very young players are usually eager to learn. Most of the time they don't resist new things but instead try their best to do whatever you ask of them. They don't need a lot of background information on why you're trying to get them to do something, although I have had a few who have that natural curiosity (which I like, by the way).

They also tend to be a lot of fun to work with. Some are shy, so if you can get a smile out of them you're doing well. Others are chatty. They'll tell you whatever is on their minds, from news of their new puppy to something that happened at school. When I've had a bad day at my day job, just being around them can pick me up. They really are the Fountain of Youth.

The downside is sometimes it's tough for them to pick up on how to do what you want them to do. They haven't mastered their bodies yet, and their bodies may have already started going through some changes. Also, the attention span can wander quickly. You'll be rolling through a half hour lesson when suddenly you realize you've accomplished all you're going to accomplish for that day, and you still have 10 minutes to go in the lesson.

As a result of all that the learning curve tends to be a bit slower. It can take a lot of repetition for them to get a skill down because they just aren't capable of the deep practice older kids can achieve. And every now and then you get one with an attitude, but those are pretty rare. And I doubt it has much to do with their age.

Some don't like working with young players because of all the heavy lifting you have to do. It isn't easy, and it does require patience. But if you can get past that it really is fun, especially when they do get the hang of it. You really feel like you've accomplished something.

So those are my thoughts. What do all of you think? I know there are a lot of coaches who read this blog. Let's get some dialog going on the upsides (and downsides) of working with young players. I'd love to learn from you too.