Fun in Practice – No Way

I recently heard a fellow coach state, “Fun in practice is not allowed.” Man is that wrong. As a coach for almost 30 years I have seen a lot of athletes participate in sports. Every athlete comes to practice to learn skills, participate, compete, develop fitness, and I think most all to have fun. What can we do as coaches to make our athletes have fun and of course win?

It all starts within your practice. Just like our bodies get accustom to our workouts, the athletes get accustom to our practices. As coaches we need to make change in our practice sessions. Why because doing the same drill every day becomes boring. This in turn makes playing a team sport boring and dreadful. Yes, a repetition is the key to getting better, but we can do this by changing the drills.

How do we accomplish this? First, we all should be planning out our practices. That means get a variety of drills. There are different drills that teach the same skill. These drills are out there. You don’t have to recreate the wheel. Search and you shall find them. That means we have to prepare to make it fun for our athletes.

By doing this we might just be motivating our athletes to come to practice. This makes the players come to practice not knowing what to expect and motivates them to come to practice eager to practice. If they are eager they will work hard. When they work hard they practice at game time intensity.

Yes expect mistakes in practice. That is what practice is for. Create a positive atmosphere. I can tell you if the player knows that they will not be punished for every little mistake they then will work harder and be more aggressive. Your players should not be afraid to make mistakes.

Help them to understand that we all make mistakes and these types of people are trying very hard and who care about becoming a better athlete. The greatest athletes in every sport make mistakes. If your team is having fun and are getting better in the process, chances are good that you will be having fun too. Do your coaching in practice.As the great Coach John Wooden said, “The way you practice is the way you play.” Let them have fun in practice and they will have fun in the game!

Savannah Area Prep Baseball Poll 2009

I thought it might be time to come up with a Savannah Area Prep Baseball Poll for the 2009 season after yesterday's game between Savannah Christian and Calvary. These two teams have common opponents and have had success against them. So, I wanted to see how others felt about who is the top team in the area. Here is my ranking. The records are the team's overall record followed by their region record.

1. Effingham County 9-0 2-0
2. South Effingham 10-1 3-0
3. HV Jenkins 10-1 3-0
4. Savannah Christian 9-3 6-0
5. Calvary Day 10-3 5-1
6. Richmond Hill 9-4 3-1
7. Groves 6-4 2-2

Let me know what you think.

What’s the difference between a Strain and Sprain?

We hear these terms, strain and sprain, but many parents and athletes don’t quite know what they mean. These terms should not scare you. Both terms mean an injury, specifically a tear, to a part of the body. If there is pain, its means get treatment.
A strain refers to an injury to a muscle or tendon, where a sprain refers to an injury to a ligament. Other terms you are likely to hear are: pulled (a muscle), tore, rolled (an ankle), and "tweaked". All these terms mean the same thing-an injury has occurred.
Strains and sprains are classified into three categories, Level 1 is mild, Level 2 is moderate, and Level 3 is severe. Most strains and sprains are mild injuries that can be treated at home and by an athletic trainer. Moderate strains/sprains should be referred to a physician with severe injuries definitely requiring immediate treatment by a physician as soon as possible. All levels will require some type of rehabilitation and treatment before returning to activity. Most of this can be done by the athletic trainer at the school or institution.
The best way to treat these injuries is to apply ice for the first two days with rest or decreased activity. Slow progression back to activity is best with ice applied after every work out. Remember if there is pain there is an injury. How serve the injury needs to be diagnosed by a professional.