I sent out a request for my newsletter subscribers to send in their best [tag]softball coaching strategies[/tag]. Check out this one that Ray sent in (very creative!).
During [tag]conditioning[/tag] training last year, I noticed their attention and enthusiasm waning, I suppose the prospect of running more “suicide drills” was not high on their list of things to do.
My solution to this was the following and I offer this as a tip to other [tag]softball[/tag] coaches finding themselves in a similar situation—I set up Three Stations in the gym:
1. Speed Ladder-Far end
2. Zig-Zag Cones-Half Court
3. Clothesline strung between 8″ cones-Near end
The girls begin at the Speed Ladder (drills through the Speed Ladder vary)—shuffle to the Zig-Zag Cones ( sprint to each cone and Squat Jump)—Shuffle to the Clothesline (Double Leg jumps back and forth across the line till the end)—Sprint back to Speed Ladder.
Now to keep their interest during these sessions, I brought out a Boom Box and had the girls make high tempo discs. The girls had a great time picking out the music (all had to be reviewed for content) and their workouts were just as intense as they were in the fall.
I hope this tip is helpful for anyone facing the same situation, we all want our players to respond to our training programs with enthusiasm, however many of them are multi-sport kids and are probably approaching “burn-out” by the time our season starts.
By adding a little bit of fun to a fairly intense workout [tag]drill[/tag] it brought the results I was looking for: intensity, improved coordination, and team building.