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A guide for softball coaches offering instruction, guidance, recommendations, and expertise for every aspect of the sport, including developing players, building a winning program, and strategies for a variety of in-game situations.
List of contents
Part I Coaching Priorities and Principles Chapter 1 Sharing the Passion
Chapter 2 Defining Expectations
Chapter 3 Establishing a Winning Attitude
Chapter 4 Playing Hard and Respecting the Game
Chapter 5 Leading by Example
Part II Program Building and Management Chapter 6 Building a Successful High School Program
Chapter 7 Building a Successful College Program
Chapter 8 Selecting and Mentoring Your Staff
Chapter 9 Promoting Your Program
Chapter 10 Recruiting the Right Way
Part III Effective Practice Sessions Chapter 11 Structuring Indoor and Outdoor Practices
Chapter 12 Minimizing Monotony
Part IV Player Skills and Team Strategies Chapter 13 Batting Practice for Power and Consistency
Chapter 14 Firming Up Offensive Fundamentals
Chapter 15 Developing Your Pitching Staff
Chapter 16 Developing Your Receiver
Chapter 17 Fielding Practice for Errorless Play
Chapter 18 Strength Training, Conditioning, and Agility
Part V Player Motivation and Leadership Chapter 19 Establishing a Positive Player-Coach Relationship
Chapter 20 Understanding Today's Athlete
Chapter 21 Assessing Your Team's Mental Makeup
Chapter 22 Building Team Chemistry
Chapter 23 Developing Student-Athletes off the Field
Part VI Coaching Challenges, Pressures, and Opportunities Chapter 24 Handling Each Season's Highs and Lows
Chapter 25 Continuing to Learn, Continuing to Develop
Chapter 26 Coaching, Family, and Personal Priorities
About the author
About the NFCA Established in 1983, the
National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) is the professional growth organization for fastpitch softball coaches from all competitive levels of play. The organization’s 5,500 members include coaches, umpires, clubs, businesses, and fans of fastpitch softball.
Education, events, and awards are the pillars of the organization, highlighted by the annual national convention, regional coaches’ clinics, in-person seminars, All-America teams, Leadoff Classics, and summer student-athlete camps. Members are recognized for their contributions on and off the field, while student-athletes are honored for their academics.
In addition, education remains the organization’s top priority. Featuring a grassroots Coaching Tools package compiled of practice plans, drills, and evaluation forms, the NFCA also disseminates podcasts, forums, a digital education library, virtual coaches’ clinics, webinars, a mentoring program, publications, a drills database, legal counsel, and accurate and credible information surrounding the sport.
The national office is located in the Crescent Hill community of Louisville, Kentucky. This home base of 10 employees, 19 board members, and seasonal interns moved to the Bluegrass State in 2012.
About the EditorGayle Blevins served as head coach for Division I collegiate softball programs for 31 years, coaching at Indiana University from 1980 to 1987 and at the University of Iowa from 1988 to 2010. She brought the two teams to the Women’s College World Series seven times and never had a losing season at either university. She led her teams to eight Big Ten championships, winning five of them. She amassed 1,245 wins overall. Additionally, she has seen nearly 80 of her former players become coaches of their own teams across the nation.
Blevins was named NCAA Division I Coach of the Year by the National Softball Coaches Association in 1986 when the Hoosiers finished in third place in the Women’s College World Series under her tutelage. Blevins was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1999. Twice she has been selected as the Division I National Coach of the Year.
Blevins now works as a National Fastpitch Coaches College instructor. She also serves as a public speaker for national conventions, service organizations, educational institutions, and corporations across the United States.
