{"id":92,"date":"2011-06-22T19:29:57","date_gmt":"2011-06-22T19:29:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.coachingafemaleathlete.com\/?p=92"},"modified":"2014-07-09T05:31:16","modified_gmt":"2014-07-09T05:31:16","slug":"how-to-coach-the-natural-athlete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.coachingafemaleathlete.com\/?p=92","title":{"rendered":"How to Coach the Natural Athlete"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to Coach the Natural Athlete<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Natural Athlete is one that conquers most skills with ease.\u00a0 They are able to perform actions more easily and quickly than some of their peers.\u00a0 Even though we want female athletes to be mechanically sound, the natural athlete is able to \u201cget the job done\u201d her own way.\u00a0 This can be a positive factor for your team, but it does not necessarily mean she does not need training.\u00a0 The Natural Athlete can field, hit, dive, make remarkable plays, but they do not know how they do it.<\/p>\n

You may say, \u201cWell, if they can already perform the action, why do they need to know HOW they do it?\u201d\u00a0 It is important for your female athlete to know how to do it because they need to develop their mental game as well.\u00a0 If your natural athlete has a poor game and does not perform to their potential, they may become mentally weak because they do not know why the game did not go their way.\u00a0 This may also cause a domino effect with the rest of their performance and put them into a slump.\u00a0 When an athlete does not know what they are doing wrong, the potential for them to pull themselves out of a slump is slim.<\/p>\n

This is where you come in as a coach.\u00a0\u00a0 You need to help your female athlete hone in on her muscle memory and understand how her body works in order for her talents to shine.\u00a0 If she does not understand how her body performs an action, she must learn it.\u00a0 As I have stressed in previous posts, keeping instruction simple is the best way to get through to your female athletes; the Natural Athlete is no exception.\u00a0 Now as a coach, you cannot teach natural talent, but you can teach mechanics.\u00a0 Being that she does not know what or how to fix something, it is your job to teach her.\u00a0 If she does not understand how she hits line drives, explain to her how she is doing it.\u00a0 The more she understands her body\u2019s actions that produce her performance reactions, the better she will consistently be in practice and games.<\/p>\n

Lastly, your natural athlete must be treated as an equal to her teammates.\u00a0 Even if she is the best athlete on your team, you want to maintain team unity.\u00a0 When you single out your best player, or compare your athletes to her, it makes her teammates feel self-conscious; they already know she is the best player, they don\u2019t need you to make it even more obvious.\u00a0 Every female athlete seeks acceptance and if you continue to say things like, \u201cWhy can\u2019t you field like Taylor does; did you see how Taylor hit that ball\u201d, you are alienating your natural athlete from her peers.\u00a0 This could cause major emotional problems among your team.\u00a0 A great way to avoid such problems is to have all your athletes practice the same drills; your Natural Athlete needs drills just as much as the rest of her team and it helps maintain equality.<\/p>\n

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Key Coaching Tips for the Natural Athlete:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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1.) Even though your natural athlete can out perform you, it does not mean you cannot teach her.\u00a0 You have knowledge of the mental game that she can utilize throughout her performance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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2.) Teach muscle memory and sound mechanics.\u00a0 It may be tedious to exaggerate the \u201clittle things\u201d, but your athlete will understand her body and performance better with time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

i.) Drills for the Natural Athlete:<\/strong><\/p>\n

A.) One arm swings-switch between top and bottom hand getting the bat \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0through the zone.\u00a0 The goal is to hit a line drive.<\/strong><\/p>\n

B.)\u00a0 Bat toss- Use a wiffle ball bat and when she gets to her point of contact, she should throw the bat.\u00a0 If it goes up the middle, she performed the drill correctly and is throwing her hands at the ball.<\/strong><\/p>\n

C.) Soft toss with popcorn kernals- Have your athlete hit popcorn kernals to increase hand-eye coordination and focus.\u00a0 If they are able to hit popcorn kernals successfully, softballs will look like watermelons to them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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3.)\u00a0 Just because she is a natural athlete does not mean she will not make mistakes.\u00a0 Treat her equally to all of her teammates, even if their playing ability is unequal.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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How to Coach the Natural Athlete   The Natural Athlete is one that conquers most skills with ease.\u00a0 They are able to perform actions more easily and quickly than some of their peers.\u00a0 Even though we want female athletes to be mechanically sound, the natural athlete is able to \u201cget the job done\u201d her own … <\/p>\n

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