"Some teams win with great pitching and solid defense while others focus on developing a high-powered offense. Different strategies can produce winning results, but few teams win without confidence. As all successful coaches know, coaching goes beyond the X's and O's and into the hearts and minds of the people they teach. Developing a confident team is one of your most important tasks as a coach. Confidence is one of those important "intangibles" that allows a team to rise to the next level. Take a moment to assess your coaching by reflecting on the following questions.
How do I build my player's confidence on a daily basis?
Do I do anything that erodes the confidence of my players?
Some coaches leave confidence to chance, hoping it will somehow miraculously happen, but successful coaches consciously build and develop confidence on a daily basis. If you are not doing so already, try working some of the following suggestions into your coaching and practices.
1. Display a consistent belief in your player's abilities and potential. Show your players you believe in them through your words and actions. Set high, yet realistic, expectations for each player and help them meet those expectations. Convince them they can reach their goals if they are willing to put in the necessary time and effort. Your belief and confidence in a player can often make or break him or her. Whether a player is a beginner with a lot of potential or an all-star in a slump, your unwavering confidence is an important key. A player can quickly sense when a coach has given up on him or her. Remember, sometimes players don't realize how good they could be, and it takes a patient and confident coach to help them realize their potential.
2. Emphasize proper preparation through quality practices. Proper preparation gives players the right to feel confident. Quality preparation and practices are the price of success. Thus, you and your players must realize the importance of getting the most out of your practices. Quality practices give players the right to feel confident because they've done the necessary work to be successful. It is a matter of getting your players to expect that they deserve to be successful because they have invested the necessary time and energy.
3. Use practices to simulate a variety of game situations. Knowing what to expect is another important factor for building confidence. By simulating various game situations, your players learn exactly how you want them to respond because they have worked on it in practice. Doubt and confusion arise when players are put into situations they have not experienced. Design your practices to include working against various situations like runners on first and third, bunt defense, and scoring runners from second.
4. Design practices and drills so that players achieve small, early successes. Coaches, recognize you are trying to build confidence as you build physical skills. Structure practices and drills so that your players can achieve some small, early successes. Set challenging, but attainable, daily goals so that players can see progress being made. Many coaches similarly structure their early-season schedules to play easier teams and leave the more challenging teams until later. These early, small successes will help build a strong base of confidence that will be beneficial later when you are tested against the better teams."
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KOD
