This weekend our older teams played an indoor tourney at SWOBAT against several teams from the region and 1 team in particular, the Intensity from Northern Ohio. The Intensity won the tourney and I spent the weekend watching them and their coach Bill Lilly. Bill has a strong reputation in softball – he was the coach of the Slammers – regarded as one of the best SB teams in the Midwest last year. 

One thing I noticed is that too many of the players from the other teams (and some of our players) came to the game/facility unprepared to play. They came in threw their bat bags in the middle of the floor, wondered over to grab a hot dog, did not have their game attire on etc. When the Intensity arrived, they all found a ‘spot’ for their equipment together in the same place, they all came up to Bill and let him know they were there and they immediately put on their uniforms, shoes, etc… When warm-up time came everyone was in the cage at the same time, no stragglers. 

They were playing in the scrimmage/practice shirts (like our grays – this was an indoor tourney) but EVERY girl had her shirt tucked in, pants and socks pulled up and while they were relaxed they were prepared. There were now girls playing with their sleeves rolled up, none in shorts, they had the look of a team. They hustled on the field for warm-ups, NEVER walking and they had a purpose about them. 

I have long preached to my 11u team that we must have a purpose in our approach, we have emulated the approach the Intensity has for that last two years – I firmly believe it instills discipline that translates directly to the field in quality of play. Their success, winning 8 tourneys last season, only enforces that belief. Last year we started a policy that the girls love. We always place our bags in a row, next to each other, neatly, no throwing them on the ground (we hang them at the HIT Center), PLAYERS MUST carry their bags from the car, to the field, back to the car when the day is done – parents are not allowed to carry a players bag – it is their prized possession and responsibility. Lastly, when we come into a park we line up and walk single file into the park to the dugout, (usually chanting ‘HAWK POWER’), they hang their bags on the fence in a neat row, and then without being told, grab their gloves / bats for pre-game infield. Lastly, they all line up on the first or third base line with their bats from home plate to the end of foul  line and go thru their swings and getting their game face on. While the coin flip is happening, they are in single file, preparing and getting those final swings in.

Many times I have watched the other teams players (and coaches) stop what they are doing (usually chatting in the dugout) and stare at our girls as they come in. Larry and I call it ‘winning the warm-up’ – we have beaten teams before the first pitch ever happens. All of this I have assembled from watching the best teams we have played against. The best ones have a purpose and approach to their game.

I found this article on NFCA’s web site from Marc Dagenais – (he came to our clinic last Nov) – it speaks to the same thing. 

I have noticed that some of our girls are getting too relaxed in their approach – we require that the girls wear their gray practice/scrimmage jerseys to practice, we look like a team, we play like one. I am going to ask our coaches to make sure that their teams are practicing like they have a purpose and that all their players arrive attired and prepared to win. Success is no accident and our goal is to be a success at every level – I ask that you support your DD’s coach in this effort…

Thanks,
Doug Lenos, President

Name:	Getting Noticed - Little Things Do Matter
Author:	Marc Dagenais
Author's School:	www.softballperformance.com
Description:
A couple of weeks ago, I held an information session for the coaches, players, and parents of my association. The purpose of the session was to educate them about college softball. I talked about the reality of college softball, the recruitment process, the academic requirements, what coaches are looking for, and so on. I also spent time explaining to the young athletes that were present that besides refining their softball skills and having the best marks possible in school, they have to pay attention to the little things. I told them that college coaches are often looking at these little things to give them an idea of the personality of the player. They want serious and committed athletes and want to avoid potential slackers or trouble makers. Here’s a sample of the little things they might be looking at… How do you respond to your coaches and teammates? How respectful are you with everybody? How do you treat your parents? Do you hustle like running on and off the field? Do you look professional, like having your shirt tucked in? Is your stuff neatly organized or are you always looking for your glove? Are you prepared to compete? Do you take the game seriously or do you just goof around?   There are a lot more, but you get the idea. These little things reveal a lot about your personality, your mindset and your character. And personality traits, character and a winning mindset are absolutely crucial to the softball program. Good coaches know that and will try to recruit athletes that possess it. They evaluate that through the little things that I’ve listed above. Do you pay attention to the little things? Here’s another list for you.  A couple of months ago, I spent a week observing some of the best players of the planet at an international competition, and they don’t take anything for granted. They realize that little things and little details do matter when preparing for competition. They don’t leave anything to chance. And that’s true for ALL the teams. Here what I mean by that: They watch what they eat. They make sure their shoes shine. They tuck in their uniforms. They all have a bottle of water or Gatorade. They sprint to get on and off the field. They go for morning jogs and stretch even when they play later. They bring healthy snacks to the park. They do dynamic warm-ups. They are very serious in their pre-game preparation. They observe what the other team does. They share information with their teammates about what they notice. They are disciplined. They are always on time and even ready way before they have to.  They pick up after themselves and always leave dugouts clean. They take very good care of their gloves and bats. Non-starting players are keeping themselves ready to go in anytime. They take every swing very seriously, both in practice and in their pre-game warm-up. They put sunscreen on. T h e y stay in the shade between games to recover faster. They put ice on after games. They say “thank you” to anybody that helps. Do you do those things? Think about it.   .

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