Episode 71

Training Team Players -- w/ University of Michigan's Hutch & Bonnie Tholl

Published on: 3rd February, 2020

Training a team player has taken a back seat to showcasing the individual in today's recruiting culture. Fortunately, the new recruiting age change and travel ball coaches like our Sweet-Spotters are working to shift that culture back to a team focus.

Because when it comes down to it, coaches like us want to develop good people. And those people will be much more successful in their life, career and family if we're focused on training a team player above all else.

Today we have TWO amazing guests to share their experience in training athletes how to work hard for the team and program.

Michigan's Coach Hutch & Coach Bonnie Tholl are a part of the winningest staff in all of college softball and have been named regional coaching staff of the year 15 times. They've won 21 Big 10 Conference titles and have taken 12 trips all the way to the Women's College World Series. To top it off, they were the first team east of the Mississippi to be named National Champion

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About the Podcast

The Softball Shift
Coaching Softball from the Inside Out
Welcome to **The Softball Shift: Coaching Softball from the Inside Out**—the go-to podcast for softball coaches dedicated to enhancing their team's mental game and fostering a winning team culture. Hosted by seasoned coaches Mel Rushing and Alicia Smith, who bring over 30 years of combined experience in sport psychology, leadership, and performance coaching, this podcast offers actionable strategies to develop mentally tough athletes and cohesive teams. Each episode dives into topics such as mental training techniques, building resilience, effective communication, and leadership development, providing you with the tools to elevate your coaching game and lead your team to success. Whether you're a seasoned coach or just starting out, **The Softball Shift** is the leader's guide for coaching the mental game of softball.

About your host

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Melanie Rushing

If you're the type of coach who believes team culture is key, mental training is a secret weapon, and we can make the biggest impact when we coach the whole person, this podcast is for you!

Hey! We're Melanie Rushing & Alicia Smith - just a couple of softball coaches like you, who want to share our passion for building team culture & mentally tough players.

New episodes are released on Mondays and are typically about 30 minutes long. Just enough time to drive the field or give it a good drag.

We share what we've learned in our 30+ combined years of on-field experience (influenced by our Sport Psych, Coaching Sport Performance & Leadership education)

PLUS we bring on guests from the top softball teams, field of sport psychology and those who specialize in sport performance!

SO if you want to learn actionable tips and strategies to help your team win more games and have more fun head to your podcast player of choice & subscribe!

Talk to you soon!