Coaching Softball Technical & Tactical Skills [Paperback]

American Sport Education Program (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 22, 2008

Unlike other softball instruction books, Coaching Softball Technical and Tactical Skills goes beyond teaching the technical basics and focuses on skills such as in-game decision making and detecting the strengths and weaknesses of opponents—the tactical skills—to prepare players for game day.

This text is written by the American Sport Education Program (ASEP), the nation's leading sport education provider, in conjunction with content experts Kirk Walker and Mona Stevens and endorsement from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), the premier national organization for fastpitch softball.

Coaching Softball Technical and Tactical Skills features cues to help you teach your athletes the fundamental technical and tactical skills, over 175 photos depicting the appropriate techniques, and examples of season and practice plans to help you prepare for games. Skills are organized and cross-referenced so you can see how they relate to each other.

Coaching Softball Technical and Tactical Skills covers virtually all facets of softball: evaluating techniques, situational tactical skills, and season, practice, and game planning guides. Softball coaches and players alike will reap the benefits from this easy-to-use resource.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Unlike other softball instruction books, Coaching Softball Technical and Tactical Skills goes beyond teaching the technical basics and focuses on skills such as in-game decision making and detecting the strengths and weaknesses of opponents--the tactical skills--to prepare players for game day.

This text is written by the American Sport Education Program (ASEP), the nation's leading sport education provider, in conjunction with content experts Kirk Walker and Mona Stevens and endorsement from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), the premier national organization for fastpitch softball.

Coaching Softball Technical and Tactical Skills features cues to help you teach your athletes the fundamental technical and tactical skills, over 175 photos depicting the appropriate techniques, and examples of season and practice plans to help you prepare for games. Skills are organized and cross-referenced so you can see how they relate to each other.

Coaching Softball Technical and Tactical Skills covers virtually all facets of softball: evaluating techniques, situational tactical skills, and season, practice, and game planning guides. Softball coaches and players alike will reap the benefits from this easy-to-use resource.

About the Author

Coaching Softball Technical and Tactical Skills is written by the American Sport Education Program (ASEP) in conjunction with softball coaching legends Kirk Walker and Mona Stevens.

ASEP has been developing and delivering coaching education courses and resources since 1981. As the nation's leading sport education provider, ASEP works with national, state, and local sport organizations to develop educational programs for coaches, officials, administrators, and parents. These programs incorporate ASEP's philosophy of “Athletes first, winning second.”

Contributing author Kirk Walker drastically improved the Oregon State softball program when he became head coach in 1994. Walker has become Oregon State's all-time winningest softball coach with a 462-347-3 career record. Each season his team has improved—they've had eight seasons of winning 40-plus games. In 2005 Walker earned his second Pacific-10 Conference Coach of the Year Award after winning the Pac-10 title for the first time. Walker also coached in the Amateur Softball Association, where he led his team to four consecutive women's major fastpitch national titles. Currently he is coaching in the Pro Fastpitch Xtreme Tour. He also edited and contributed to The Softball Drill Book (Human Kinetics, 2007).

Contributing author Mona Stevens was a University of Utah softball stalwart, coaching from 1996 - 2005. She led her team to three NCAA Tournament appearances, three Mountain West Conference Tournament titles, and one regular-season championship. Throughout her coaching career, Stevens amassed a 281-239-1 (.540) record. In addition to coaching at the collegiate level, she has served as a coach for national and international competitions. In 1989 she created Mona Stevens Enterprises, conducting workshops, clinics, and camps for thousands of coaches and players annually. Stevens is the author of The Fastpitch Softball Drill Book: A Coaches' Guide to Common Problems and Corrections. She also coauthored the Softball Coaching Bible (Human Kinetics, 2002).

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Human Kinetics; 1 edition (December 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073605376X
• ISBN-13: 978-0736053761
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #271,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #23 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Softball

More About the Author

The American Sport Education Program (ASEP), a division of Human Kinetics, is the leading provider of youth, high school, and elite-level sport education programs in the United States. Rooted in the philosophy of "Athletes first, winning second," ASEP has educated more than 1.5 million coaches, officials, sport administrators, parents, and athletes. For 30 years, local, state, and national sport organizations have partnered with ASEP to lead the way in making sport a safe, successful, and enjoyable experience for all involved.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to help you improve your coaching skills, February 25, 2009

By 

Jim Feldman (MInneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coaching Softball Technical & Tactical Skills (Paperback)

I coach high school fastpitch and younger kids in travel ball. I see many coaches who have enthusiasm and commitment but lack a basic understanding of fastpitch ranging from teaching old school technique to not using strategy effectively to inadequate planning for practices and the season. This book can help in all those areas.

As a reasonably experienced coach I have found this to be stimulating in both reviewing the technical aspects of the game as well as strategic tactics. Yet the book is written in a very easy to read manner so that novice coaches can begin learning in the first few minutes without having to plow through lengthy and often confusing descriptions that I find in many other books.

For example if you look up squeeze bunting in the index, it refers you to a section on the technique, a different section on defending the squeeze and another section on playing the short game. In the technique section it suggests glancing at other parts of the book dealing with sacrifice bunting, hard bunts, slap hitting, protecting a runner and situational hitting.

The book has many pictures and little inset boxes that have lists for the key points in the section, referrals to other parts of the book and lists of common errors the players make (and corrections).

In addition to the sections on technique and tactics, there are sections on practice plans, planning for a season and coaching in games. The skills taught are very current based on what I learned at NFCA and NSC clinics this winter.

I'm not prepared to lock the rest of my books on fastpitch in a closet, but this will certainly be the one at my fingertips both in my office and at practice.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for read Softball SUCCESS!!, April 11, 2009

By 

Dennis R. Russell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coaching Softball Technical & Tactical Skills (Paperback)

I was looking for a book that would teach me all about Softball and this is it!! This book looks at every point that a parent or coach would need to teach their child the game. What I really like about the book is that each topic it covers is very specific and to the point. I have coached sports for years--Softball for the last 3 years and I learned a lot--very well written. No coach should be without this book!!