Pre-Season Thoughts, Tryout Tips Wanted

Have you ever had that season? You know the one where you're just so overwhelmed that coaching is more stress than fun? I'm getting ready to go to our first player sign-up for the 2009 this afternoon. This, of course, has me thinking about, planning, and getting ready for the upcoming season. Of course, I have the holidays and a number of family birthdays to get through before the "real" on-the-field season starts. But I just started thinking of all the things I could prepare for prior to being given the okay to hit the field. I believe that preparation plays a big part in your level of success. The more I have taken care of prior to the season starting, the less I'll have to deal with in-season.

While it's true that you can still be successful even without thorough preparation, I don't think that's the "ideal" scenario. You have enough to deal with during the season without having to deal with a bunch of odds and end issues that could have been taken care of prior to the season even starting. You'll probably never think of everything, but if you begin preparing early and start laying out the groundwork for your season, you're season will go more smoothly than if you don't. After all, you'll be able to readily address the unexpected issues and challenges that pop up during the season because you're not busy still trying to take care of things that could have been done before the season started. All that is taken care of, so now you have the means by which to deal with the new "fires" that come up.

If your season begins in the spring like mine, now is a great time to begin thinking about 2009. I know it's a busy time of year with the holidays coming up and all (I really love this time of year), but if you don't have time now, I'm pretty sure you won't have time once the season rolls around. You know how hectic your schedule gets during the first few months of the year. I understand that your "softball brain" may not be firing on all cylinders right now if you're not in season, BUT I've been doing a lot of brainstorming and thinking about '09...AND I'm willing to my preparation plans with you! Keep your eyes on your e-mail for my new "Pre-Season Paving" Report. I'm hoping to have it ready for you by November. 12th. I'll keep you posted.

Oh, if you have any tryout tips you'd like to share, post them here. Anyone who submits tryout tips will get a free copy of Build the Best Team: A Coach's Look at Getting the Most Out of Tryouts.