Studying Team Dynamics in Softball
You don’t have to like all of your teammates, but you have to be able to play with them. This statement has been preached to young women (and men) in sports for decades. It couldn’t be truer. No matter what level of softball you find yourself playing at, there is bound to be at least one instance where you and another teammate don’t get along. It’s common and it’s more than okay as long as you don’t let it affect the team on the field.
Female athletes, especially those in their teen years undergo many different mood and behavioral changes. It’s all part of growing up. Some of these mood and behavior changes include mood swings, attitude changes, body changes, hormones, boy drama, gossip, girl drama, priority changes, softball and school stresses, you name it and it happens.
There is a 100% chance that when you bring 12+ girls together for a season where they practice, travel, play, and hang out together at softball and outside of softball, there is going to be some conflict. It is extremely common and happens on every team. So if you are a coach reading this article and can relate, don’t panic because chances are you are not alone.
How should coaches deal with conflict among the team? There are several different ways to go about it. First, at the beginning of the year meeting, no matter what team you find yourself coaching, address it by outlining some team rules and standards. Implementing a 24-hour rule among the team helped my college team deal with conflict. If you had a problem with someone on the team you had 24 hours to confront them about it. If the 24 hours passed and you didn’t confront them, then the problem must not have been as big of a deal and it’s your responsibility to let it go since the time window had passed. This rule helped hold teammates accountable, addressed issues in a mature and upfront way, and created trust among the team.
There is always something going on in our lives outside of the softball field lines. But once you step between the lines whether it is for practice or games, all that matters is what is in front of you. If you let outside factors come to softball with you, the game will eat you alive because you already have a big role among your team when you step onto the field. If your mind is on your outside factors while you are on the field, you are taking yourself away from your game which is taking away from your teammates. Every athlete needs to find a way to unplug from the world when they are on the softball field. Make softball your safe haven, where when you step onto the field – between the chalk lines, nothing else matters except you, your teammates, and the game you are about to play.
