Coaching Girls' Softball: From the How-To's of the Game to Practical Real-World Advice--Your Definitive Guide to Successfully Coaching Girls [Paperback]

Kathy Strahan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2001 | Series: Coaching Girls

Coach Girls for Success on and off the Field
Coaching girls' softball can be a wonderful experience. Witness the intensity of a batter connecting with a ball, a runner digging for home, or a fielder making a great catch, and you can't help but be inspired. The effort, pride, and enjoyment on players' faces are great rewards for parents and the sign of a good coach—the type of coach you want to be. So how can you get there?
Perfect for coaches of girls up to age 13, Coaching Girls' Softball includes everything you need to be an outstanding coach and mentor to your team. Whether you are a seasoned coach looking to fine-tune your skills or a rookie looking to take the field running, you'll discover techniques for success that are tailored specifically to the needs of girls, including:
·Drills and strategies for coaches new to the world of coaching softball
·Tips on what girls want and need from their softball experience
·Practical suggestions on how to motivate in a positive and encouraging way
·Advice for helping girls deal with their changing bodies
·And much more!
Now you can be a coaching winner and help bring out the best in your players, both on the field and in the game of life.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Coach Girls for Success on and off the Field
Coaching girls' softball can be a wonderful experience. Witness the intensity of a batter connecting with a ball, a runner digging for home, or a fielder making a great catch, and you can't help but be inspired. The effort, pride, and enjoyment on players' faces are great rewards for parents and the sign of a good coach?the type of coach you want to be. So how can you get there?
Perfect for coaches of girls up to age 13, Coaching Girls' Softball includes everything you need to be an outstanding coach and mentor to your team. Whether you are a seasoned coach looking to fine-tune your skills or a rookie looking to take the field running, you'll discover techniques for success that are tailored specifically to the needs of girls, including:
·Drills and strategies for coaches new to the world of coaching softball
·Tips on what girls want and need from their softball experience
·Practical suggestions on how to motivate in a positive and encouraging way
·Advice for helping girls deal with their changing bodies
·And much more!
Now you can be a coaching winner and help bring out the best in your players, both on the field and in the game of life.

About the Author

Kathy Strahan has coached major-college sofball for the past 16 years, and since 1992 she has been the head softball coach at California State University, Sacramento. She played on the 1978 United States World Championship team and the gold medal-winning United States team at the 1979 Pan-Am Games. She lives in Folsom, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (August 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761532501
• ISBN-13: 978-0761532507
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.4 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Softball
  • #32 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Coaching > Baseball

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Guide for a New Coach, March 26, 2004

By 

Brian P. McDonnell (Holbrook, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coaching Girls' Softball: From the How-To's of the Game to Practical Real-World Advice--Your Definitive Guide to Successfully Coaching Girls (Paperback)

Thank You. I'm a father of two daughters (5 and 7) who has never coached before. Although I've played on a softball team at work, and am somewhat familiar with the game, I never actually played little league when I was a kid. With so few coaches however, one of my neighbors asked me to help her coach.

I was a little nervous about giving these girls any bad information. At this level you should just be reviewing the basics, but since I was never actually formally taught what the basics are, I didn't want to miss anything. I also didn't want to teach them something that might have the potential of hurting them by accident. After reading this book however I feel much better. It covered a lot of the things I might have overlooked, and gave me the confidence I'll need to get in front of these kids and parents and not embarrass myself.

The book was straightforward and easy to read (I got through it in about two days which was good for me.) I'd highly recommend it.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide For Coaching Youth Softball, June 15, 2002

By 

Andrea (Sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coaching Girls' Softball: From the How-To's of the Game to Practical Real-World Advice--Your Definitive Guide to Successfully Coaching Girls (Paperback)

Kathy Strahan's book is one of the most recent, well-constructed guides for coaching softball to young girls. The book provides a detailed compilation of drills, skills, strategies, and other information designed to assist the coach through the process of developing the players' social, psychological, emotional, and physical abilities. It is categorized in a systematic progression which explores the characteristics of an effective leader, responsibilities of a youth coach, important issues within the sport, and how to plan and teach the basic fundamentals of the game. Some of the topics addressed within these categories include information regarding safety, liability, decision making, communication, teaching methods, motivation, dealing with parents, sportsmanship, and much more! Major points of information are synthesized into creative and insightful coaching tips, which can be easily referenced throughout the text. The author also provides sample practice plans, line-up sheets, game strategies, evaluation worksheets, and goal setting plans. Ultimately, this book will guide you toward becoming the coach that every community, league, school, and parent wants for their children!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have Book for the Youth Coach, March 11, 2002

By 

Mike (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coaching Girls' Softball: From the How-To's of the Game to Practical Real-World Advice--Your Definitive Guide to Successfully Coaching Girls (Paperback)

I found this book to be invaluable for coaching young girls. I especially appreciated the sections that dealt with the psychological and social development to better meet the needs of female youth players. It was also helpful to find tips for coaching young girls for male coaches. If you coach girls softball, you will want to own this book!