{"id":185,"date":"2011-09-28T20:47:24","date_gmt":"2011-09-28T20:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.coachingafemaleathlete.com\/?p=185"},"modified":"2014-07-09T05:30:37","modified_gmt":"2014-07-09T05:30:37","slug":"how-to-create-a-strong-presence-even-if-your-team-is-the-bad-news-bears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.coachingafemaleathlete.com\/?p=185","title":{"rendered":"How to Create a Strong Presence, Even if Your Team is the Bad News Bears"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Just because your team has a record of 0-14 doesn\u2019t mean every other team has to think of you as the bad news bears.\u00a0 You may not be coaching the best team around, but you can help them create an intimidating presence in their practice, pre-game warm-ups, between games, and on the field.\u00a0 After following 5 key elements<\/strong> of maintaining a strong presence, you will notice the difference in your team\u2019s appearance and how other teams react to these changes.<\/p>\n

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1.)\u00a0\u00a0 Hustle.\u00a0 <\/strong>Every team that has caught my eye hustles on and off the field.\u00a0 It is extremely noticeable when athletes sprint to their positions and sprint off the field, every inning.\u00a0 This shows other teams that your team is serious, that they are here to play, and that they are disciplined athletes.\u00a0 Your team could be a 1st<\/sup> year 10u team that just learned how to catch the ball in the outfield the day before your tournament.\u00a0 Just because you and your team know that, doesn\u2019t mean other teams need to know that.\u00a0 Giving a presence of hustle shows that your athletes are disciplined enough to know they need to run on and off the field, as well as sets a tone for their opponent.<\/p>\n

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2.) Aggression.\u00a0 <\/strong>Every inning, every out, should be played like it is the last out of the game, tied ball game, with runners in scoring position.\u00a0 Keeping the game competitive from start to finish is one of the most intimidating things a team could do all game.\u00a0 To exploit aggression, have a plan for your fielding warm ups.\u00a0 Typically, you see the pitcher warming up and the fielders receiving ground balls from the 1st<\/sup> baseman.\u00a0 What we also see are lazy grounders and throws back to the base.\u00a0 Make your warm ups look skilled and effortless; this is where the other team notices your aggression.\u00a0 When they can see how strong your fielders are in warm-ups, the intimidation factor sets in.\u00a0 Rather than having your fielders all throw back to 1st<\/sup> base, have them make plays.\u00a0 For example, once they all field and throw to 1st<\/sup>, have them turn a double play.\u00a0 Also allow for your 1st<\/sup> baseman to field a ball and throw to a base.\u00a0 Do note, it does need to be reinforced that every fielding warm up should be performed like they would in a game.\u00a0 Remember that female athletes need a lot of repetition in order to perform a task correctly; beginning your weekly practices in a similar fashion as your pre-game warm-ups will help reinforce success. Not only will this intimidate the other team, but it will promote efficiency in game-like situations as well as confidence in making the play.<\/p>\n

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3.) Appearance.\u00a0 <\/strong>As clich\u00e9 has it sounds, appearance is everything.\u00a0 Appearance starts when the athletes walk into the stadium.\u00a0 Being so, make sure your team enters together.\u00a0 When the whole team is walking to the fields as a unit, rather than coming in one by one, it shows that they are a team instead of a bunch of individual players wearing the same uniform.\u00a0 When the team does walk into stadium, their hair should be game-ready, uniforms tucked in, and tennis shoes on.\u00a0 No athlete should walk into a stadium with a messy appearance, and that includes flip flops.\u00a0 When a team looks prepared and well-kempt, other teams will take notice and assume you mean business.<\/p>\n

The first two key points, hustle and aggression, also fall into appearance; the more your team looks like they know what they are doing, the more other teams will think the same.\u00a0 As the saying goes, \u201cfake it \u2018til you make it.\u201d\u00a0 Not only will your team look good, other teams will take notice to you and think you are good based on your appearance.<\/p>\n

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4.) Confidence.\u00a0 <\/strong>Confidence is essential in every good athlete, and every good team.\u00a0 The more confident you and your athletes appear, the more other teams will take you as a serious opponent.\u00a0 Exuding confidence not only intimidates other teams, but it is also extremely beneficial to your athletes.\u00a0 If you have athletes that struggle in games, it is noticeable that they lack confidence; they are nervous fielding and HOPE to hit rather than KNOW they will hit.\u00a0 This is another scenario where you want your athletes to \u201cfake it \u2018til you make it\u201d.<\/p>\n

Sometimes confidence building takes a long time and many female athletes struggle to believe in themselves.\u00a0 Telling your athletes, \u201cpretend to be confident, even if you aren\u2019t,\u201d will help your athletes more than you think it could.\u00a0 Have your athletes think of themselves as the best hitter on the team, that they can hit the opponents\u2019 best pitch with ease.\u00a0 The more you instill confidence in your athlete, the more they believe they can do it as well.\u00a0 Furthermore, your athletes will begin to produce the more they tell themselves they are confident.<\/p>\n

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5.) Relentlessness.\u00a0 <\/strong>Relentlessness ties in all 5 key points to creating a strong presence as a team.\u00a0 The more your team shows hustle, determination, aggression, and confidence, the better they will look as a unit.\u00a0 Even if your teams\u2019 skills are not up to par with their age bracket, they can still look good trying.\u00a0 Make sure your athletes run on and off the field, warm-up as if it was a game situation, and play like it was your last out, every single out.\u00a0 Every athlete should swing hard, run hard, and make effort as if it would be the winning hit, pitch, or out.\u00a0 The more your team works hard and gives 110% each play, the more your opponents know you will not go down without a fight.\u00a0 When your team battles every pitch and every hit, it allows for other teams to respect their work ethic, determination, and stamina to never give up in a game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Just because your team has a record of 0-14 doesn\u2019t mean every other team has to think of you as the bad news bears.\u00a0 You may not be coaching the best team around, but you can help them create an intimidating presence in their practice, pre-game warm-ups, between games, and on the field.\u00a0 After … <\/p>\n

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