Photo by Bryce Carithers on Pexels.com Female athletes face unique challenges and pressures in sports, especially regarding self-confidence and self-esteem. As a coach, parent, or mentor, you play an instrumental role in empowering the young female athletes in your life. Building up their confidence and helping them develop inner strength sets them up for success both on and off the field. In this guide, we’ll explore three key strategies to instill confidence in your female athletes: 1. Encourage focus on self-improvement over comparison 2. Foster a supportive and empowering community 3. P ..read more

Sat around thinking about all the things….all THINGS we as parents do to enable them to play their sports. Travel ball, in nearly every sport is now the ‘norm.’ Where I grew up, there was no such thing as travel ball, unless you counted taking the game to another weed infested field in a neighborhood far enough away that we had to take our bikes. Man, our parents had it easy. While some places in this country did have bonafide travel leagues, my area didnt. But here is how I imagine it would go. Coach Steve would show up to practice in some field at the local elementary school, where we didn ..read more

If you are a sports parent than you are no stranger to the elements. It’s freezing outside and we know that many places in the United States do not shut down activities just because its cold. (Cold loving FREAKS!) We have been blessed to try the Sports Sac, and we are pretty sure you will love them. Plus the story behind this small company is probably something that every single one of us can relate to. Here is their story! The Sport Sak team is comprised of a mom, Vicki, and her two daughters Heidi and Jamie from Utah. Vick spent her youth cheering on her brothers at their sporting events, r ..read more

Building confidence is essential for athletes to perform at their best. Here are five inspiring ideas to help athletes boost their confidence: Remember if you can make these lessons fun and age appropriate they will be easier to implement. Visualization and Mental Rehearsal: Encourage athletes to create a mental image of themselves succeeding. They should vividly imagine themselves executing their sport perfectly, feeling the joy of victory, and handling challenges with ease. Consistent mental rehearsal can help athletes develop a strong sense of self-belief. Positive Self-Talk: Teach athlet ..read more

I am a Dugout Mom, and I know your Daughter. You are pissed because your daughter got moved from 3rd base to left field! It's easy to feel the steam coming out of your ears from anywhere on the field. What you don't know, and what you don't want to hear, and what I have promised not to tell you is that your daughter actually made that request. Yep. Turns out now that she is older, she isn't really a fan of third base anymore - And...she's been working hard at playing outfield, ANDDDD she's pretty darn good at it. My name is Kris and I am a 53 year old dugout mom. I have been employed with a ..read more

Softball is a great sport to play, and it is truly a team sport. It is a sport that requires you to be part of a team on and off the diamond. I am one of many players on the dirt, but I sit in the best seat ever. I can see everything that is happening and even though it is stressful, I am proud of my position. I am there when the pitcher needs encouragement, I can call out plays to hype up my teammates, and I can even stop runners from scoring because I protect home plate. I am a catcher of a travel team but, it took a lotto get me where I am today. https://softballisforgirls.com/shop/i-squat ..read more

How I feel at the Softball Field By Jordan Yancey. Age 9 10-U Bloodhounds Hello my name is Jordan and this is my essay on how I feel when I’m at the softball field. I usually am super duper happy at the field. I love practice because that is when I usually get a hit LOL! Me and my friends get to throw with each other and I get to learn how to slide and corner the bases when you are running and how to steal a base. But, like when we were at the tournament, there was this one WILD pitcher on the mound. I was scared for my life that I was going to get hit. I almost got hit in the helmet twice. So ..read more

Team Work makes the dream work, right? In reality, not all team mates are friends, and you know what….THAT IS OK! In today’s world we need to stop holding our daughters to the standard that they have to like and be liked by everyone. And this is also true on softball teams, or any kind of teams for that matter. And sometimes to be honest, it works out better if players are not ‘besties’ off the field as it can reduce the drama on the field. As kids get older, and team dynamics change, girls will be placed together on teams, or tryout teams from all sorts of geographical areas. No longer is the ..read more

Lillie Power – 12 years old Indiana Klutch 11U Anderson What it feels like to be on the field no matter practice or a game, I feel like I can let go of all of my stress at school and other places. When I do that I’m able to find my peace and calm down. When I’m on the field at practice I don’t have to stress about a run scoring on an overthrown ball and I can work on that error with no pressure. When I’m in a game I don’t think just about me and say what if “I” win this game and get another award. Instead of thinking about myself and how wonderful it is to get an award to myself, I think about ..read more

Do you see this woman? That was me, except I didn’t have such a peaceful look on my face while I was icing my chin, AND I was using some ice pack that had been in a cooler with a bunch of frog toggs that have been GOD only knows where on God only know whose body today…So yeah, I am not melancholy. And wanna know why I was holding an ice pack on my chin? Because my daughter and her softball friends are a$$holes… She hit me in the face with her softball bat. Why? Well you know how kids act like lunatics in a cage when the you put your car in park and the locks don’t open immediately, and they s ..read more