Putting Across Your Ideas
     Stick to fundamentals.
     Plan your practices.
     Have a long-range goal. Keep it in sight as you plan.
     Whenever possible, give individual attention.
     Try to encourage players to practice on their own once you have shown them a skill and corrected their mistakes.
     Progress only as fast as the players can absorb it.
     Interject new skills and drills to dress up the fundamentals.
     Keep charts.
     Be patient.
     Follow these steps when teaching: Explain and demonstrate Have players perform the skill Correct faults Repeat correct form.

Getting Players to Practice Fundamentals
     Introduce novel and interesting games, skills and drills when teaching fundamentals.
     Make your drills competitive.
     Change the drill or fundamental before interest lags.
     Show enthusiasm and genuine interest yourself
     Have players "buddy up" and work together after practice, correcting and assisting each other. It not only eases your burden, but makes players stop and think about what they are doing. This may be used extensively and successfully from novice to senior level.

Understanding Your Players
     No two are exactly alike. Adjust your methods and techniques to fit their differences.
     Get to know each player as an individual. Your job does not end when you leave the diamond.
     Be patient and sympathetic to a player's limitation.
     Get the team together occasionally on a social basis.
     Go as a team to see the best softball games possible and discuss them.
     Trips away from the home town can be memorable experiences for players and teams.
     You must gain a player's confidence before he or she will respond to your teaching and leadership.
     Remember how you felt, thought and acted as a girl or boy.

Creating and Maintaining Team Spirit
     Confidence on a large measure determines morale.
     Every player must be in top condition all season.
     Players must strive to master the fundamentals until they become automatic.
     Let the players know that you have confidence in them.
     A sense of humor among players is indispensable.
     Keep the diamond in A-1 condition.
     Try to take some trips, if only to the next town.
     Be sure that the competition is neither far below nor far above the level of team.
     Work towards "crucial games" and "rival games".
     Build up a natural healthy rivalry with other teams.
     Play well as a team regardless of the outcome.

How To Do A Better Job of Coaching
Enthusiasm, patience and genuine desire to know and to help girls and boys is essential.

     Constant self-analysis of your coaching methods and techniques is necessary.
     Search constantly for new and better methods and techniques.
     Attend coaching refresher courses.
     Talk to other coaches and read authoritative material on your sport.

Teaching Game Fundamentals
Whether your team plays "pee-wee" or "senior" softball, the basic skills do not change.

The most important factor is to teach the RIGHT TECHNIQUE EARLY. Then constant repetition of the right way will eventually make its execution automatic.

A Few Tips On Teaching Game Fundamentals
     Break down each skill into its parts. It is easier to teach and learn when presented in this manner.
     Use games, skill and competitive drills to put across fundamentals.
     Be patient, praise improvement but don't be satisfied with anything less than perfection.
     Analyze each fundamental game skill.
     Evaluate your teaching methods and techniques constantly.
     In all drills insist upon good form. Don't let them get sloppy and careless. Stop to check all errors.
     Time is always too short. Once you have taught the proper techniques, pair the players off so that they may practice together.