Here is the hand book I put together for my team. Might be a good starting point for new teams or coaches looking to get a little more out of their girls. It is important that everyone is on the same page and goals are inline to have a successful team.
Player’s
Handbook
The Coaches Goals For The Team
·
Have fun!
·
Win the World Series
in Orlando, FL
·
Prepare each player
for a college program
·
Teach new aspects of
the game
·
Turn you into
athletes and not just softball players
·
Stay classy
everywhere we go
·
Teach leadership
and teamwork
·
Help you set healthy
lifestyles and how important it is to take care of your body as an athlete
·
Be the smartest team
on the field
·
Be fundamentally
sound
·
Be the most athletic
team on the field
·
Be the most mentally
tough team on the field
Each practice will be devoted to the
development of the five tools of a softball player:
1.
Hitting for average
2.
Hitting for power
3.
Base running and
speed
4.
Throwing abilities
5.
Fielding
abilities
This team will win if everyone possesses
at least 3 out of 5 tools. My goal is to help you identify your strengths and
weaknesses. Your goal is to improve your weaknesses and gain the tools missing
from your game.
Team Goals
(Allow the players to create their own goals)
(Allow the players to create their own goals)
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5.
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Basic Nutrition Policy
Good nutrition
will affect how your body performs. If you do not take care of your body by
eating a good healthy diet, you are not going to perform to your potential. You
will mentally start to get weak, start to feel fatigue quicker, and you will
have a hard time handling your emotions. I cannot punish you for not eating
healthy but you will punish yourself by not eating healthy. Follow the 20/80 rule; 80 percent of the
time, eat healthy and cheat 20 percent of the time which is about 4 meals where
you can eat whatever you want.
Dietary Guidelines
·
You
need to try to get 80-100 ounces of water everyday
·
Eat
breakfast everyday-Whole wheat, fruit, and protein
·
One
for One rule with beverages: If you want to drink a soda, you have to drink a
glass of water first.
·
Always
have protein and carbs for every meal or snack
·
Stick
to lean meat like chicken, turkey and fish. Avoid fatty meats like beef and
pork.
·
NO
ENERGY DRINKS! Red bull, Monster, Rock Star, 5 Hour Energy will dehydrate you!
·
Eat
a fruit or vegetable with every meal or snack
Tournament Eating Policy
Night Before: Eat
something heavy with a lot of carbs (bread, pasta, rice) with a lean protein
like chicken, turkey, fish or lean beef and water to drink. *Urine should be
colorless if you are hydrated.
Game Day Morning: You must eat
breakfast. Some type of bread and protein like eggs, turkey, ham, bacon, or
peanut butter. Finish eating before warm up. Drink water, milk, or A LITTLE caffeine to
wake you up like coffee, 8 ounces or less of soda, or hot tea but NO
ENERGY DRINKS. Water intake should be 17-20oz.
Warm Up: Gatorade is
OK warm up and as games start.
During Games: Drink 4
ounces of water every 15 minutes or 1 bottle of water per game. No soda, sweet
tea, or juice. Only food allowed is fruit, vegetables, or something containing
protein (PB&J, PB crackers, Snickers bar, granola bars) but no other candy
or fried foods. Gatorade is OK after lunch but balanced with water.
Between Games: No Asian,
Mexican, or pasta; nothing heavy or high in carbohydrates. Stick to sandwiches,
subs, salads, burgers, and chicken nuggets. Avoid fried foods as much as
possible. Drink sports drinks or water only. No soda, sweet tea, or juice. You should be eating some type of carbohydrate
& protein every 2 hours.
Tournament Guidelines
-Five
Minutes Early is 10 Minutes Late!
-Warm up
will begin 1 hour before the first game and 30 minutes before every other game.
-You carry
your own equipment at all times.
-No Cell
phones. They are to be left with parents. If your parents are not there you can
keep your phone close for emergencies only.
-Get your
drinks before the game. You know you are going to be thirsty; it shouldn’t be a
surprise in a game.
-Do not
interact with anyone other than your coaches and your teammates during the
game. Do not talk to other teams, umpires, and fans. Keep contact with your
parents to a minimum! You should have your drink so you should be ok for the 70
minutes or whatever the time limit is.
-You will not
do any activities that will make you tired 24 hours before a game. No swimming,
beach, go carts and if you think it might make you tired… you need to ask.
Shopping or movies are ok. You are there to play softball, not to play on
vacation.
Umpire Policy
Umpires are
always right. Period. If he says it is a strike, he is right. If he says it’s a
ball, he is right. If he calls you out, he is right. If he calls the other girl
safe, he is right. You have to play his game and adjust to each umpire. If you
do your job right as a player, the umpire should not affect the outcome of the
game. I do not argue with umpires if we are making errors and missing signs and
striking out. You do not talk to the umpire negatively under any circumstance.
Social Media Policy
Today, college
admissions offices are looking at your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. to
see what type of person you are and they will deny you admission to college if
you are inappropriate. Also, college coaches will look at your social media
outlets as well to have an insight to your personality and if you are a fit
with their program. You all must “friend me” on Facebook and I will be
monitoring what you post. When you play in college, fans, facility, and coaches
will monitor you more closely, and, you can and will be suspended for inappropriate
social media content.
College Prospects
Here is what college coaches look for:
·
What type of
student are you? (3.5 GPA and 25 or higher on ACT gets you $$$)
·
Are you
coachable?
·
Do you have a
good attitude?
·
How good is your
body language on the field?
·
Are you athletic?
·
Can you hit?
Injuries
If you get injured, you need to contact
your school’s athletic trainer and let them get you in with the team doctor.
You need to communicate with them so they can continue treatment once you are
back in school.
Communication
Communication is crucial. I need you to
communicate with me about any and everything that involves the
team. If you are hurt, missing practice, need to be late, if you are having
your cycle, or anything along those lines, I need to know as soon as possible.
Phone Number :
Email Address :
Phone Number :
Email Address :
Consequences
Missed practices - This will be handled on an
individual case instance. If you have something planned in advanced and I know
ahead of time then we are ok. If this becomes a chronic problem, then I won’t
have to bench you, you will lose your position to people who come to practice
every day. Missing practices without prior notice will earn you physical
punishment in the form of extra exercises and conditioning. *Three tardies
to practice will result in loss of game time.
Player Breach of Contract - Physical punishment then removal
from team without reimbursements.
Parent breach of Contract - Warning and then removal from team
without reimbursements. If you get rowdy and an umpire has to give a parent a
warning, then that will also serve as your warning.
At Home Workouts
Watch the video and do the following
routine twice per week.
Exercise
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Reps
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Do 10 of each on each leg and do all exercises
on one leg then switch
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Do 15 to 25 of each exercise and do
all exercises on one arm then switch
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Do 10 of each
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Do each for 30 seconds using your
10lb dumbbells
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Do 10 of each
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Do each for 1 minute
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“Whoever you are, whatever your dream, you have to be strong
in your head and strong in your heart. Be strong. There's no quitting in the
person who wants it bad enough.”
Why Stretch?
Stretching
is an important tool in managing the muscle imbalances that occur as a result
of the young athletes growing body. By maintaining this muscle balance
stretching plays an important part of injury prevention.
Stretching also aids
in:
·
Flexibility which
is critical for sport
·
Blood circulation
in the muscle
·
Relaxation in the
muscle
·
Decrease the
sensation of tightness in the muscle
·
Psychological
preparation
Static
vs Dynamic stretching
·
Dynamic: Stretching movements that
use muscle power to move arm/leg through full range of motion. Dynamic
exercises stretch the muscle in a more functional way. This should be done before heavy exercise, such as games and practice. You should be lightly sweating by the end of dynamic stretching.
·
Static: Placing a muscle in its
most lengthened position and holding for at least 20 seconds. The stretch is
taken to the point where resistance is felt but no pain. This is best done after workouts, games, and practice. The best time to do static stretching is 2 hours after you workout to get the best results but do not ignore stretching immediately after.
PRINCIPLES
- Always warm up before stretching
- Stretch to the point of resistance and not pain
- Hold static stretches for 20-30 seconds
- Keep breathing during stretch
- You can do light static stretching if you still feel tension in any muscles after dynamic stretching but do not hold for more than 5-10 seconds.
- To increase flexibility, doing a stretch for 30 seconds 3x a day is enough to make significant improvements.
Home Stretching
Routine
Do
all of the Legs and Lower Body Stretches and at least 3 of each of the others
for each category.
Player Agreement and Code of Ethics
I
______________________ have read this handbook and understand the rules and
policies. By signing this, I agree to all rules and policies. I understand that
violation of any of the policies hold the consequences listed in this handbook.
I also agree to the Code of Ethic listed below:
- Players agree to give precedence to their team over and above other extra activities.
- Players agree to give 100% in workouts, practices, and games.
- We will treat each defeat as an opportunity to improve.
- Players and parents will treat each other, as well as all parents, players and official with respect and dignity.
- Cheers will be positive and uplifting.
- There will be modesty in victory and graciousness in defeat.
- Our goal is to have a good time while pursuing and discovering the limits of our abilities.
- Do not get discouraged if your playing time is short, you were invited for that something special that only you can bring to the team unity.
Player_____________________________________________________Date________________
Parent_____________________________________________________Date________________
My personal goals for this summer
season:
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Three things I would like to improve
this summer:
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