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Efficient verbal communication: A gateway to softball success.
by Scot Thomas Are the things we say to players what we
really want them to hear? How is what we say as coaches being interpreted by
players? Does the subconscious interpretation of what we say interfere with our
true message? We know that communication is important in
our profession, however are our verbal communication skills being used
efficiently? Everything we do well in the game of
softball comes down to being efficient. We work on a player's hitting skills in
order to attain the most efficient batter standing in the batter's box come game
time. We practice rundowns in order to get an out efficiently with the fewest
number of throws, and so on. How often do we look at our communication skills as
coaches to see if we are doing our job efficiently? It is the purpose of this
article to take a quick look at some communication examples and get us thinking
about our own abilities and efficiency. Practice Communication. Many of us as coaches have physical
education degrees or a teaching background. All of us who have gone to college
have taken a communication course at one time or another. IĂm not even going to
begin to put a semester's worth of information into one article. It does bring
to mind a question: Why does it seem that we often forget the teaching skills
that we learned in college when those skills often can be used in coaching? One common mistake that I see all the time
is giving to many cues at once. A coach may say to a hitter, "get your
hands out away from your body, bend slightly at the waist, bend your knees, keep
your front side closed and stay balanced!" Wow! By the time the coach gets
to "stay balanced," the player has forgotten the first two or three
cues. When teaching a skill or adjusting a
movement or stance, it is better to concentrate on one or two cues at the most.
Perfect one or two parts of a skill at a time before you move on to another
piece of the puzzle. Trying to communicate too much information at one time
tends to break down a player's ability to comprehend, retain knowledge of a
skill or muscle memory to a movement, thus hampering efficiency. Another problem that I see is coaches who
do not require enough verbal feedback. We tell a player to perform a certain
skill or act out a game situation and she does it correctly. However when a
similar situation occurs requiring a slightly different reaction, an adjustment
is not made. This happens a lot in game situations that may vary due to the
number of outs or possibly the score. When practicing a skill or game situation
ask the players questions that begin with "Why?," "What
if?," or "How does ...?." An example would be when working on hit
& run cuts in the cage you ask the batter, "With a runner on first and
one out, you receive the hit & run signal, what are you trying to accomplish
and why?" If the player gives you appropriate feedback you know that she
knows the situation well. If you don't ask the question then she may be
practicing hitting the ball to the right side of the infield with no purpose in
mind. One thing that I have learned the hard way
is to not assume a freshman knows anything. Even players that come from good
programs sometimes donĂt know about things like hit & runs, bunt &
runs, or safety squeeze bunts. By asking appropriate questions your
communication efficiency will rise and so will the play of that individual. Game Communication. At the 18 and under ASA Nationals a couple
of years ago I was watching an elimination game with Kennesaw State Head Coach,
Scott Whitlock. In the bottom of the 7th inning with the tying run on second
base and two outs, a batter who has not had a great day, steps up to the plate.
The third base coach walks halfway down the line towards homeplate and shouts,
"You will not let her throw the ball by you!" At this point, Scott
turns to me and says, "Nothing like adding a little pressure." On the
second pitch her mission was accomplished when she hit a weak ground ball to the
second baseman for the third out sending her team home. Scott turns back to me
and says "Well she didnĂt let the ball be thrown by her." Although she accomplished the task that was
presented to her by the coach, I am sure that the coach had a different outcome
in mind. I have often wondered if the coach had said, "Take a deep breath,
find the center of the ball and hit it hard!," What might have happened? The old addage of be careful what you ask
for because you might just get it, certainly applies to this situation. We hear
it at games all the time, coaches saying things like "Just meet the
ball!" or "LetĂs make a little contact!." How does a player
actually interpret statements like these? A player "just meets the
ball" when she hits a weak grounder or fly ball and popping up means that
she has "made a little contact." A communication expert would probably say
that subconsciously these general statements are sinking in to some degree. As
coaches we do not want garbage to sink in, so we must avoid it no matter how
harmless it seems. Don't take a communication risk, it may be permanent.
Statements such as "Hit it Hard!", "Find your Pitch!" are
more proper, positive and efficient terms. Most of the time, keeping things positive
is the best form of efficient communication. I realize that there is a time and
place for everything and I too use some attention getters every now and then.
However, some of the things that coaches get away with on a game to game basis
is unbelievable. I continually wait to see a parent come down out of the stands
to cart their kids off because of what I deem as verbal and sometimes physical
abuse vs. good coaching techniques. Softball at any level should be fun for the
coaches, players, parents and fans. Having fun and staying focused should also
improve our communication avenues. Off The Field Communication. Good, positive general communication off
the field is also very important in my coaching philosophy. Players need to be
treated like adults, if you want them to act like adults. General questions
about their academics, family life, or social life tend to open lines of
communication. Athletes need to know that coaches are real people too. Stories
about previous experiences sometimes entertain and let players know that we put
our pants on one leg at a time just like they do. Showing interest in their
lives outside of softball lets them know that you care about them as people not
just as softball players. Efficient communication does not exist where there is
tension and good off the field communication can be the key. Obviously, I have not covered all there is
about efficient communication. It would take a book 500 pages long to discuss
all the details, problems, and solutions dealing with the subject. I do hope
that this article has stimulated some thoughts and ideas to improve your game.
Efficient communication is truly one of the gateways to softball success. Scot Thomas is the head softball coach at Virginia Tech. |
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