subject: Softball Tips Should You Make Major Changes To Your Game In-season? [print this page] Theres always a room for improvement in everything, including softball. Whether youre a softball coach or player, you always see a post-game situation as a time to check out what things worked and what didnt. For those things that didnt work, well, you probably know what to do: try to improve it.
But do making changes really help a softball team during the season?
To answer that, we must distinguish the amount of change we want to make in the teams game. There are the minor changes, and then there are the major ones.
What Minor Changes Are and When to Make Them
Minor ones, are the small tweaks that we create throughout the season to solve minor problems that the team is facing. This includes:
-Keeping the skills sharp
-Finding the rhythm
-Making minor tweaks that optimize the teams execution
-Perfecting offensive and defensive strategies and tactics
-Seeing what didnt work in the past games and fix it
-And preparing for specific opponents
As you see, these minor tweaks dont create dramatic changes on how the team works. All it does is make the most of the current framework where the team is playing.
Its actually very good to make constant tweaks in a teams game. It enables everyone to be always on their toes even if they are winning. Once hubris and laziness set in, it could spell disaster for the team so regular drills and practices should always be a part of the teams schedule.
When to Make Major Changes
On the other side are the major changes in a teams game. This may include training a player to change his/her swinging or pitching mechanics, or any training that involves huge amounts of time in order to master.
You should reserve huge changes for the pre and post-season periods. Thats because your schedule isnt as tight as during in-season, which gives you more time to learn new skills in preparation for the next season. Trying to learn something new during the season will only hurt your game instead of help it.
So if youre in-season now, I recommend that you stick to making only minor tweaks in the way you play your game. Reserve your off-game times practicing quick drills, refining strategies and most importantly, for recovery.
More In-Season Tips to Improve Your Endurance
Yes, you need to rest too, no matter how busy your schedule is. Getting enough rest gives you enough fuel to last throughout the season. Otherwise, your body will age much faster, therefore slowing down your game rather quickly as well as exposing you to the risk of injury.
And to speed up your recovery in between games, you should also have the proper amount of nutrition. That includes the right amount of carbohydrates to fuel you, protein to help repair your muscles and calcium to keep your bones strong.
So again, its all about knowing when to introduce changes in your team. You should make minor tweaks in-season to help you deal with minor problems on how you play your game. Meanwhile, reserve the major changes before or right after the season where you have more time to learn new techniques, improve your mechanics and the like.
