Blog Archives
The Two Options for Building a Team
Right now we are in the heart of the summer season for travel ball teams. But soon enough it will be time to start looking to the future with open or private tryouts.
(I know some teams have already started this process, and some actually started just as the season was getting going, but that’s a story for another day.)
College teams are also facing that challenge. They are hot on the summer ball recruiting trail, and now with the transfer portal they are also busy scouring the list of players who are thinking a change of venue might be just what they need to achieve whatever it is they’re trying to achieve.
If you’re in that position right now, it’s important to consider the path you want to take to building next year’s team. In my mind there are two options that will yield success: A) know the approach to the game you want to take and then work on finding players who fit that system, or B) bring on the best players you can find, then build your approach based on who you have on the roster.
Both are valid and can yield success if you do it right.
Let’s start with option A, the one where you have a system or approach you like to take. Say, for example, you want a team that can put up lots of runs.
You’re not too concerned about how many runs the other team scores because your plan is simply to out-hit and out-score them.
In that case you’re looking for players who can bang the ball, hitting it to or over the fence on regular basis. In that case you’re looking for big, strong players who know how to hit.
You’re not too worried about speed, although you’ll take it if it comes in the right package. You’re also not too concerned about defensive prowess; you need perhaps an average level of competence but that’s about it.
You can also get by with pitchers who have a bit higher ERA because you’re planning on out-scoring your opponents anyway. Although if you can find a couple of pitchers-only with higher levels of pitching skills you can also have someone else hit for them, giving you the best of both worlds.
On the other hand, if you believe (as many of the teams from Asia do) that it’s easier to win if you keep your opponents from scoring then find a way to scratch a run or two across the plate, you’re going to be looking for a very different set of players. They will probably be lighter and quicker, with great gloves and great arms.
You’re also more likely to want speed on the basepaths, so that will be another asset you’ll be hunting for. If you can find enough of those you’ll be able to run the game the way you prefer. If not, it’s going to be awfully tough to win with players mis-matched to the system.
With option B, you’re primarily looking for raw athleticism, and/or softball IQ, and/or whatever basic attributes you value. You want players who are the best at whatever it is they do, so you’re probably going to have a mix of skillsets.
The challenge here is once you find those players, you need to figure out how best to use that hodgepodge of skills. You have to figure out where to place them on the field to take advantage of their plusses and cover their minuses, and how to build a batting order that will use their skills most effectively.
It can definitely be challenging, especially if you forget and, say, put a slow girl with a powerful bat in front of fast girl or two. That slow one, if she hits a single, is going to clog the bases for the next 2-3 hitters, perhaps costing you a few runs in the process.
Regardless, either way can work as long as you understand what it is you’re trying to do.
Where coaches run into problems is when they land on a system and don’t select players who fit it, or go for the best athletes and then don’t use them properly.
If you’re dead set that you want to play the short game, take the extra base on a base heat, steal, etc., you’re best off not loading up on big, strong, slow players. If you want to sit in the dugout or the third base coaching box and wait for doubles, triples, and home runs (the Earl Weaver school) you probably don’t want to make the ability to hit a ball 225 feet your primary offensive yardstick.
On the other hand, if you don’t know how to take an eclectic mix of skills and mold them into a cohesive team, you probably shouldn’t be taking the best available athlete approach. You’ll want to find players that are easier to fit into a preconceived notion of how you want the game played.
Otherwise, you’re going to be disappointed in the results.
So as you start thinking about next year’s team and how you want it to play. If you’re committed to a system or approach, try to find the athletes who fit within that narrow box.
If you don’t have a consistent set of skills available to you, start learning how to take that stew of a team and mold it into something that works.
You’ll be a lot happier with the results in the end.
Building blocks photo by ClickerHappy on Pexels.com
Fall Ball Is a Great Time to See What You Have
It seems like only yesterday that the summer travel ball season was getting started – and teams were already promoting open workouts and private tryouts for the next season.
Well, next season is now officially upon us, and with that comes fall ball games. Back when I was coaching teams, fall ball usually meant one practice a week, a couple of double headers (if you could find another team that wanted to play), and maybe a tournament or two if you could scrape up enough players who weren’t committed to fall sports at their schools.
Nowadays for most teams, though, practices are multiple times per week (3-4 for some teams!), there’s a tournament practically every weekend through Halloween, and maybe even a few more “friendlies” sprinkled in here and there. That’s progress I guess.
If you are following this type of heavy schedule I do have a suggestion for you: don’t just treat it like summer ball 2.0. Instead, use at least some of this time to figure out what you have in the way of players. I mean, hopefully you chose well in the tryout process, but you never really know until you see them in action.
To do that effectively you have to be willing to do something that many coaches these days seem reluctant to do: potentially lose some games you might have otherwise won.
For example, instead of pitching your Ace for one out of two games of pool play and as many bracket games as she can go without her arm falling off like you usually do, try using your #2, #3, or even #4 more. Your #1 will probably appreciate the additional rest and recovery time, and you’ll have more opportunity to see what the other pitchers (especially the new ones) can do in a game situation.
There is also an added bonus to this strategy: If your #1 is a strikeout pitcher and the others are more “pitch to contact,” your fielders will get more work and you’ll gain a better understanding of exactly what you need to work on – whether it’s skills, knowing what to do with the ball, communicating effectively or some other aspect. Better to find out now than next summer when it’s probably too late to do anything about it.
One other thing you can do with pitchers is maybe leave them in the circle a little longer than you usually might to see if they can work their way out of a jam or regain their control if they start to lose it a little. Sometimes all a pitcher needs to get out of funk is to get more innings; this is the perfect time to make that happen.
You can also use the fall to shake up your batting order a bit and give hitters who normally are at the bottom a chance to get a few more at-bats. Maybe you don’t move the whole bottom up to the top at once – no sense in going crazy with it – but moving one or two up strategically might help them find their rhythm better and might give you some extra quality bats throughout the lineup for when you need them most.
Going back to fielders, the fall gives you a good chance to see what your backups at a particular position can do. Instead of using, say, the same shortstop or the same catcher, or the same something else in every game, put those backups into a starting role and see how they handle it; they might just surprise you.
The fall is also a good time to try out different strategies to A) see how your team handles them and B) short up any areas of deficiency you discover.
For example, I know the short game isn’t as important in fastpitch softball as it used to be. Everyone digs the long ball these days, but there are still times when the ability to perform a suicide squeeze or lay down some other type of bunt can make the difference between winning and losing a big game.
If you try it in the fall and it works, you’ll have more confidence trying it next spring. And if it doesn’t, well, that practice plan kind of writes itself.
The same goes for unusual defensive sets. If you’re facing a speedy slapper maybe you want to try pulling your second baseman or shortstop in closer, like up next to the circle, to see if you can take away her speed.
Or if you’re facing a situation where you’re pretty sure the offense is going to try a bunt, bring your first and third basemen in about 15 feet away from home to give them a better shot at making the play. You can even try having them shift into that from a more traditional set once the pitcher is ready to throw the pitch so you don’t give it away.
You can also use the fall to try some trick plays, like those first and third plays you keep practicing but never call, or faking a throw to first on a ground ball to see if you can sucker the lead runner into a rundown. The possibilities are endless.
Sure, there are times when you’re going to have to go with what you know. If you’re trying to win an early bid to Nationals next year to get that out of the way you’re probably going to want to play to win. But if it’s a meaningless tournament, or a showcase where you’re just going to play X number of games and then go home, why not use it to find out what you don’t know?
Yes, it can be difficult to lose a game you might’ve won, and nobody likes losing. But taking that small risk now can pay big rewards down the road.
Don’t just take it from me, though. On our From the Coach’s Mouth podcast Jay Bolden and I have spoken to several college coaches who have followed this fall ball strategy to help them get ready for the spring. If it’s good enough for them…
Leaves photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Life in the Fastpitch Lane 