Team Comraderie - Chemistry

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I am coaching 14U team with many of the girls being new and I am struggling to develop team unity and a one for all - all for one mentality.

We have absolutely no positive talk or chatter for each other. I am not asking for them to be cheer leaders, but we are literally silent in the field and on the bench when hitting.

I actually sarcastically looked in the dugout last week while coaching third and I said, shh.. you guys stay quiet, don't worry, I'll support our hitters from here...

What can I do as a coach to facilitate?

Drills/Activities ??

Thanks.

 

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One of the biggest ways is to get the team together in a "fun" situation. Easiest prior to the season, but sounds like you are already there. I take mine to putt putt golf, have them over to do Rock Band, cook outs, etc. I make sure I have things planned that are inclusive. By this I mean that I plan specific ways to create a need to share information between the girls. I make it into a competition. We all know how the girls love to win. . .

Take time at your next practice and have the girls go around and learn one new thing about each other at the beginning of practice and by the end they have to learn two things about someone the don't really know well and share it with the team.

Set goals for the girls to achieve the next game in regards to communications/Team support. If they meet that goal there is some type of reward.



Keep at it, it's hard to get the me out of Team, but when it happens, it is huge! Believe me, my team understands that I do not allow nor accept individual players. They want to play individual, there is golf, ice skating, tennis, etc. . . .

 

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One of the biggest ways is to get the team together in a "fun" situation. Easiest prior to the season, but sounds like you are already there. I take mine to putt putt golf, have them over to do Rock Band, cook outs, etc. I make sure I have things planned that are inclusive. By this I mean that I plan specific ways to create a need to share information between the girls. I make it into a competition. We all know how the girls love to win. . .

Take time at your next practice and have the girls go around and learn one new thing about each other at the beginning of practice and by the end they have to learn two things about someone the don't really know well and share it with the team.

These are the types of things I would suggest.

 

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Hi Jim, I am facing the same problem with new girls on a team and pretty much asked the same question. Try looking at the thread, "Building a Team." There are a lot of great ideas there. I am using them and they're working out really well.

 

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adding to feisty's wonderful reply...

we do pizza party's after practice, during the winter workouts hold bowling fundraisers, encourage texting (not at practice), and try to do "group" things as much as possible. Now at 14... boys, exponential issues deriving from hormones, boys, parents, life and any other "thingy" may just get in the way. Trying to get to "their" level is so important and is not easy to do!! Good luck!!!

The other thing I do is encourage them to work as a team, let me explain... we have three sets of uniforms. Aaannnd, many don't like the "pink" set. So, we save them for the tourney's that have a 3rd day as a rule, they don't a "a say" on this. So, the other day 4-5 girls wanted to go "pink" for a league game. Lots of YEAH and NOOOO's erupted in the dugout. Now, prime opportunity... I had them work it out and let me know. Ultimately they had to talk, debated, and come to a common ground.

We've also given them softball quizzes as home work and they had to text, call, spend the night to get the answers. Slowly but surely a team was blossoming. At 10u you can manipulate/stimulate these types of activities. Again, at 14u, oh my!!

 

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Try looking at the thread, "Building a Team." There are a lot of great ideas there. I am using them and they're working out really well.

Good idea Phil. Here is the link...
http://www.game-ex.com/vb3/showthread.php?t=15347&highlight=building+team&page=2

I know it is hard to build that sense of team, all-for-one mentaility. Hope the suggestions in the thread help.

 

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encourage texting (not at practice)

Too funny you mentioned this. My girls are texting each other and facebooking non stop. They want to stay in touch with each other. They are in my opinion the definition of "Team".

 

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We took all of our young ladies to the local YMCA rented out the pool and had a party then a wiffle ball game against some of the DADS in the GYM

 

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I agree with Fiesty and Lester. Get them out together and let them have fun off the field. The more they just hang out together, the more they will mesh. My girls always exchanged phone numbers and texted each other too. Let them get to know each other.

 

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hey feiste, didn't i see 2 of your girls texting while playin second and short the other day... they must have been discussing who was gonna take the throw..............lol

 

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Too funny you mentioned this. My girls are texting each other and facebooking non stop. They want to stay in touch with each other. They are in my opinion the definition of "Team".

Fiesty my DD still talks to the girls she played with last season the same way.It's really great to form relationships and these girls talk during the week and on the weekend they take it to the field together.