The Softball Shift
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.
- Update frequency
- every 8 days
- Average duration
- 31 minutes
- Episodes
- 159
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2025
Coaching Players Past Fear of Failure -- w/ Michigan standout & private instructor, Tiffany Worthy-Deering
We've got another awesome episode lined up for you today! We're talking to a private instructor this time and the specific, actionable ways she trains her athletes to help them overcome the dreaded f…
Simple Mental Training Activities For All Ages -- w/ former DI Head Coach, speaker & consultant, Karen Linder
Many coaches we talk to want quick, actionable things they can do with their girls to build their mental game.
Bonus if they can be worked right into the practice plan or games.
That's exactly what tod…
Get Your Team To Compete Every Day -- w/ Author, Speaker & former baseball player, Jake Thompson
What will it take to get your girls to COMPETE?
Jake Thompson of Compete Every Day has an idea!
First of all, thank you for your patience with this episode release. Been all-consumed by our Bootcamp, b…
Creating A Culture That Feels Home-Made -- w/ University of Alabama's Patrick Murphy
You're probably noticing a trend in coaching...
Coaching the PERSON before the PLAYER
It might be a little intimidating at first. Your reaction may even be like mine was: "I just wanna coach softball!"
…
What Does A Gold Medal Mindset Look Like? -- w/ 2-time Olympian, Gold medalist & National Champion for UCLA, Natasha Watley
Tips from one of softball's GOATs: Natasha Watley!
Your players may not know today's guest as well as I do because she played before the softball on TV boom... But they SHOULD!
She's the type of perso…
How To Take Your Team To The Next Level
In this episode, we share an overview of Alicia's Team Bootcamp!
Sweet Spotters have big aspirations for their teams. They usually revolve around working on 3 main things:
- Getting (and keeping) our gir…
Progress Faster With A United Team -- w/ Emerging powerhouse, University of Illinois' Head Coach, Tyra Perry
One superpower I think we have in the sports world is the ability to bring a diverse group of individuals together for a common purpose.
That skill is why I'm proud to be a part of the softball commun…
Getting Your Team Play to Their Potential -- w/ Kent State Head Coach Eric Oakley
Regardless of who's in the other dugout
I'm willing to bet you've been here before...
You have a strong team that's experienced success before, but now...
- They're falling short of expectations
- Nobody is …
How To Build Female Athletes' Confidence -- w/ Girl Mindset Mentor and former DI Northwestern Standout, Paige Tonz
Do you have that player (or players) who
- Is super hard on herself
- Doesn't handle failure well
- Feels really bad when she makes mistakes
I'm pretty sure we all have!
That's exactly what Paige Tonz helps pla…
Real-Life Experiences In The Coach Bootcamp
In this episode, two of our former bootcampers share what they got out of our 5-day bootcamp and how they're now using their Dream Team Blueprint.
Want to create your own blueprint for your dream team…
Get Your Girls To See The Importance Of The Mental Game
Wish your girls would understand how IMPORTANT the mental game is?
We've come up with a simple process to do so!
If you're a regular listener to this podcast, you know how important the mental game is.…
How To Build And Sustain A Championship Culture -- w/ Michigan's Hutch & Bonnie Tholl
Do you ever feel like the coaches who've made it to the highest level are in a league of their own?
You're not really wrong. The best of the best have worked their butt off to get there and they've pu…
Building A Program That Fits Your Personality -- w/ Longwood Head Coach & "Next softball coaching star," Dr. Megan Brown
Your culture won't work
If you're not being true to yourself
Most of us want to be authentic, but it's not always that easy, right?
» Second-guessing if we're doing all we can for our girls
» Constantly …
Get Your Girls to OWN It -- w/ Michigan pitching standout & Central Michigan pitching coach, Sara Driesenga
Have you ever wondered how some teams just seem more bought in? That magical team that seems to play for each other and put the team first? Well today's guest shares some practical tips on HOW to cul…
Mastering The Little Things For Big Success -- w/ Director of Coaching for 5Tool Softball in Florida, Amy O'Brien
Mental training can feel like a big topic - there's so much to cover!
From confidence to competitiveness, courage to composure... It can quickly become overwhelming trying to figure out what to cover…
Getting Rid Of Cliques & Team Drama -- w/ High school counselor and team consultant Jessica Nelson
Team cohesion is one of the things every team needs, but it's not so easy to come by. Maybe you can take a page out of one of our former guests' books and bring in a ringer!
Today's guest is the schoo…
Insider Tips For Building A Winning Culture -- With National Champion, Florida State's Head Coach, Lonni Alameda
In this episode we take a closer look at Coach Alameda and her Florida State team - one of the most successful and CONSISTENT programs in the nation.
They have classroom time once a week, they focus o…
Supporting Your Players AND Pushing Them -- w/ former Ball State Head Coach turned Texas Assistant, Megan Bartlett
If there's one thing we know about kids these days...
It's that they need to know you care about them!
You've heard this before about this generation, right? They don't care how much you know until th…
Coaching Is Who We Are -- w/ Mississippi State Standout, softball and life coach, Dr. Iyhia McMichael
We make an impact regardless of the situation.
Even during COVID!
It was a ROUGH spring for coaches. We miss our girls, we're having to adjust to being off the field for the first time in forever, and …
How To Build Your Dream Team Part 2
In this episode we share more details on the actionable Culture Bootcamp
Almost every coach who has joined our group has said they want to build a united culture but haven't focused on it as much as t…