Before the Big Colorado Tournaments: What you can do to prepare your athletes
Beginning next week, there will be over 800 softball teams in the state of Colorado playing in 1 of 3 major tournaments over the course of the next 10 days. Along with the massive amount of athletes, there will be hundreds of college coaches from all levels evaluating and possibly offering some of the athletes an opportunity to play at the collegiate level. Along with the tournament there are countless add-ons to play. There’s All-Star games, Academic Games, Camps, Practice Games, etc. To put it simply, it’s a huge weekend for athletes and coaches to compete and honor the game we all love. It can also be quite overwhelming for the young women who want so badly to be noticed and recruited by their dream school.
I remember the first time I competed in the Fireworks tournament. I remember walking up the long pathway at Olympic Park and noticing a sea of college coaches in their visor and polos, displaying their respective school name and mascot. It was very clear what school they represented and their clipboards sealed the deal in communicating they were out to watch us and decided if we were players they wanted. That was the first time I remember thinking, “maybe I could play in college.” I was 15 years old.
Things have changed quite a bit since then. 12 year olds are making verbal commitments to major Universities. Parents of 10 year olds are asking me what they should be doing to properly train their little girl for college. More often than not, teenagers are asking me how they can get recruiting or “exposed” rather than asking me how they can get better. We can’t erase the mindset we (the adults) have created, but we can try to keep them focused on what truly matters to college coaches who will be scattered across Colorado this next week. Here are a few tips to keep your players focused and committed to what college coaches love.
COMPETE: Coaches love seeing kids who play the game with passion and a competitive edge. It’s never about being perfect; it’s about playing the game right. Play to win, not to showcase.
BE A GOOD TEAMMATE: This one is not discussed as often as it should be with young athletes. In a team sport, selflessness is a quality that is shown through behavior, rather than with words. For example: When a pitcher is pulled in the middle of an inning, make sure she knows to look her replacement in the eye, say an encouraging word and hustle into the dugout. Of course, she may be disappointed, but her ability support the new pitcher instead of sulking slowly back to the dugout will communicate to college coaches that she’s in it for the WE, not the ME.
FAIL THE RIGHT WAY: Believe it or not, we actually like to see players fail at some point when evaluating them. A persons’ reaction/behavior immediately after a moment of failure is more revealing than after a success. Everyone knows how to behave when they do well. We want to see how you handle failure, because you will fail A LOT at the next level. If you lack emotional control or the ability to make adjustments, college coaches will find someone else. They’ll find the player who’s willing to continue to represent their team in a classy manner even after a bad call, or an error. They’ll find the player who continues to show fight in the batter’s box even if they’re outmatched.
MAKE THE ROUTINE PLAYS: Most plays in softball fall under the category of “routine.” Think about it, how many opportunities are there in any given game for an extraordinary play? Coaches are looking for players who are consistent at their job on both sides of the ball. Big plays are great, but they don’t happen very often. Consistent players are what build a championship programs. Keep your athletes focused on the simple things; field, throw, catch.
WORK ETHIC: Even during warm-ups, college coaches are watching. Players should be in the habit of always hustling on and off the field. Warm-ups are just as important as the game. How they approach their preparation will be directly related to what happens in the game.
CHARACTER: Remind your players to be aware of others when they’re on a break in between games. Be kind, polite, and respectful to others. You never know who’s standing behind you in the concession stand line. Coaches want people they enjoy being around. If a player is rude, lazy, or disrespectful it’s an easy decision for a college coach to move on and find another athlete.
With 800 teams in town and each team averaging a roster of 13 players… There will be 10,400 fish in the sea to watch in the next 10 days. Make sure your players play the game because they love it and love the people they get to play it with. When teams play the game with passion and guts, college coaches will find them. Good luck to all of you and thanks for what you do for these young women.
For more information on training & development visit https://www.nicoletrimboli.com/
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