Post by Admin on Dec 16, 2012 19:24:10 GMT -5
I began to think the other day, what components make up success on the softball diamond? And what exactly are the weights by percentage of those components?
In my opinion, a winning softball team owes it success to the following four components:
1. Athletic talent of the players
2. Competitive spirit of the players
3. Coaching
4. Luck
Athletic talent obviously plays a role because teams with no talent are rarely winners. Competitive spirit obviously plays a role because a talented team of players that does not care about winning will not achieve much success. Coaching surely plays a role because a good coach can bring out the best in players; maximizing their talent and honing their competitive spirit. Luck is also a factor because even the best player in the world can lose a game by guessing wrong on a pitch or falling down before getting to an easy fly ball.
To properly weight these components, I would separate between the lower levels of softball (Little League) and the higher levels of softball (college, pro).
Here is how I would weight them for Little League:
1. Coaching - 60%
2. Athletic Talent- 30%
3. Competitive Spirit - 10%
4. Luck - 10%
I think that coaching is the most important factor in success at the lower levels of softball because the skill and competitiveness of the players has not yet fully developed. In the aggregate, I the talent and spirit between all teams is essentially equal--all teams will have a few good players and a few awful players, and the rest will fall into the middle. In this setting, a coach that can successfully demonstrate and communicate the technical skills of the game to his players will have a tremendous edge over other teams. That being said, athletic skill still has a part to play. Players with great athletic ability cannot hide themselves for too long on the diamond, even at the youngest levels, and their contributions propel their teams to victory.
Here is how I would weight them for higher levels:
1. Competitive Spirit - 40%
2. Athletic Talent - 30%
3. Coaching - 20%
4. Luck - 10%
At the higher levels, the best players know who they are and likely will not learn any more about how to play the game. At this stage the coach's role is reduced, though still important, because he moves from a teacher to a mentor and a strategist. The coach's job is to figure out what motivates his players and maximize their competitive spirit and confidence in the team's ability to win. The coach also much play match-up games (like when to pinch hit a batter who has a good history against a certain pitcher) and shift the effects of luck over in his team's favor.
Talent becomes a much more important factor in success, but a team's competitive spirit will always trump talent. An ounce of desire is worth a pound of talent. Plus, even at the higher levels, the talent level between any two teams is going to be essentially equal. Just like in little league, every team is going to have a few stars, but it is the competitive spirit of a team that separates it from the rest. Competitive spirit is the most important component of success at the higher levels of softball.
Are there any components I missed? Anyone feel one is weighted to high or too low?
In my opinion, a winning softball team owes it success to the following four components:
1. Athletic talent of the players
2. Competitive spirit of the players
3. Coaching
4. Luck
Athletic talent obviously plays a role because teams with no talent are rarely winners. Competitive spirit obviously plays a role because a talented team of players that does not care about winning will not achieve much success. Coaching surely plays a role because a good coach can bring out the best in players; maximizing their talent and honing their competitive spirit. Luck is also a factor because even the best player in the world can lose a game by guessing wrong on a pitch or falling down before getting to an easy fly ball.
To properly weight these components, I would separate between the lower levels of softball (Little League) and the higher levels of softball (college, pro).
Here is how I would weight them for Little League:
1. Coaching - 60%
2. Athletic Talent- 30%
3. Competitive Spirit - 10%
4. Luck - 10%
I think that coaching is the most important factor in success at the lower levels of softball because the skill and competitiveness of the players has not yet fully developed. In the aggregate, I the talent and spirit between all teams is essentially equal--all teams will have a few good players and a few awful players, and the rest will fall into the middle. In this setting, a coach that can successfully demonstrate and communicate the technical skills of the game to his players will have a tremendous edge over other teams. That being said, athletic skill still has a part to play. Players with great athletic ability cannot hide themselves for too long on the diamond, even at the youngest levels, and their contributions propel their teams to victory.
Here is how I would weight them for higher levels:
1. Competitive Spirit - 40%
2. Athletic Talent - 30%
3. Coaching - 20%
4. Luck - 10%
At the higher levels, the best players know who they are and likely will not learn any more about how to play the game. At this stage the coach's role is reduced, though still important, because he moves from a teacher to a mentor and a strategist. The coach's job is to figure out what motivates his players and maximize their competitive spirit and confidence in the team's ability to win. The coach also much play match-up games (like when to pinch hit a batter who has a good history against a certain pitcher) and shift the effects of luck over in his team's favor.
Talent becomes a much more important factor in success, but a team's competitive spirit will always trump talent. An ounce of desire is worth a pound of talent. Plus, even at the higher levels, the talent level between any two teams is going to be essentially equal. Just like in little league, every team is going to have a few stars, but it is the competitive spirit of a team that separates it from the rest. Competitive spirit is the most important component of success at the higher levels of softball.
Are there any components I missed? Anyone feel one is weighted to high or too low?