Fastpitch Softball
for Girls
ages 5-14

Parent Information

Thank you for letting your daughter play softball this year! We are excited about the upcoming season. Attached is some information that we felt might be helpful to you as parents. We believe in the positive coaching model as opposed to the win-at-all-cost model of coaching girls’ fastpitch softball. Don’t get us wrong, Positive coaches want to win, but we also want to help our young athletes learn to honor the game, improve in the softball fundamentals, and have fun.

We will promote three major objectives this season. We’d like your help in promoting these objectives. It is important that parents understand and support these objectives so that our athletes are getting a consistent message from coaches and parents.

1. Softball Fundamentals
Many parents often ask us how they can help their daughters get better. “Should we buy them a better glove? Should we convert the garage into an outdoor batting cage?” Whoa! Our coaches will work on the correct way to throw, catch, hit, base running, and offensive /defensive strategy. The most important thing you can do is to spend time with your daughter and play catch! Repetition of the key skills of throwing and catching is one of the best ways to get better and build self-confidence.

2. Redefining “Winner”
In professional sports, there is only one goal: to have the most points at the end of the contest. In youth sports, however, there is a second goal: to produce young people who will be “winners”. To become “winners” our athletes must act like winners. Here is what winners do.
1. They make a maximum effort.
2. They continue to learn and improve.
3. They refuse to let mistakes (or fear of making mistakes) sidetrack them.

Here’s how you can help:
1. Tell your daughter that you appreciate it when she and her teammates try hard even if they lose the contest.
2. Don’t ask “Did you win?” Instead, ask her if she acted like a winner. “Did you try as hard as you could?” and “ Are you learning and improving?” and “when you made a mistake did you bounce back?” But especially ask her “Did you have Fun?”
3. Recognize that acting like a winner is hard work. Support your daughter in this hard work. Don’t criticize her play. Instead point out situations in which you noticed her trying hard. Tell her when you notice that she is improving regardless of the outcome of a particular contest.

3. Honoring the Game
The concept of “Honoring the Game” represents the behavior we want to model. Honoring the game is getting to the ROOT of the matter, where ROOT stands for RESPECT for the:
Rules
Opponents
Officials and
Tradition of the game.

RULES: Coaches must teach athletes to respect the rules, even when it is possible to cheat without being caught. We want all our teams to play within the spirit of the rules and refrain from “bending” them when it dishonors the game.

OPPONENTS: Without opponents, competitive sports make no sense. A worthy opponent calls out the best in us. We must respect opponents and remember they are members of our community. We want to try our hardest to win but not at the expense of demeaning or demoralizing our opponents. We want all our coaches, athletes and parents to show respect for fellow coaches and teams.

OFFICIALS: Officials have been selected and trained to enforce rules to keep sports from degenerating into chaos. Officials are not perfect (just like coaches, athletes and parents) and sometimes make mistakes. However, there is no excuse for treating officials with disrespect when they make an error. We want all our coaches, players and parents to show respect for officials even when they disagree with the call.

TRADITION: The game our daughters play has a great tradition. We want to share that tradition with our young athletes. We want our teams to play the game in such a way that all of us can be proud of them.

Here’s How You Can Help:
1. Let your daughter know that you want her to honor the game. Discuss the meaning of each element of ROOT with your daughter.
2. Be a good role model. Honor the game when you attend your daughter’s games. Cheer your team and the opposing team when good plays are made. If, in your opinion, an officiating mistake is made, refrain from yelling at the umpire. Use this as an opportunity to think about how difficult it is to officiate a game perfectly.

Bottom of the Sixth Inning
These ideas come from our experiences in youth fastpitch softball and from the Positive Coaching Alliance. For more information on the Positive Coaching Alliance check out www.positivecoach.org

What should your daughter bring to practice?
1. Glove
2. Water Bottle
3. Wear Cleats
4. Wear a light coat or sweatshirt and use sunscreen
5. Cap
6. Finally, a big smile with a great attitude.