PETE Coaching Internship: Softball

Kamora Johnson

McKay Student Ambassador

Physical Education

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Have you ever wondered what it’s like to run practices, set lineups, and coach a real team? In the PE major, you don’t just learn about coaching, you get to do it. After taking a coaching class and observing a coach in action, you finish with an internship where you step onto the field and coach a high school team for a season.

Here’s what a current student had to say about her coaching experience:

Kyla Maldonado

Softball Coach at Springville High School

Why did you choose to coach softball? 

"I grew up playing softball so I chose that sport because I felt most comfortable with it. I haven’t played since before my mission so I wanted to be around the sport again at a closer level to get updated on the newest techniques and approaches to the game. I also am from Virginia, so I wanted to experience what high school softball is like out here in Utah and better understand the culture of the sport here." 

What were you hoping to gain from the experience?

"I was hoping to gain more confidence in my coaching abilities. It’s one thing to play a sport and another thing to coach it. I wanted to leave the internship with ideas for drills and practice plans to implement. I also wanted to better understand how Coach Thackeray was creating her lines up for the games and how she went about subbing girls in and out during the games. Ultimately, I wanted to observe and learn what this coaching staff did to establish such a  positive culture and how they motivated the girls." 

What surprised you the most about coaching from the “coach side” instead of the “athlete side”?

"How much time, energy, effort, and thought coaches put into their teams. As an athlete you think you live and breathe the sport you’re playing, but really, the coaches do. The players and the team are all the coaches think about 24/7. I also was surprised at how much of the logistics a coach takes care of. Anything that happens for a team whether it’s getting new gear, riding the bus to an away game, team pictures, or having meals after a game…it all leads back to the coach. They make so much happen for the players. I also was surprised at how much the coaches work with the administration at their school!"

What did a typical day look like during your internship?

"For practice days it looked like arriving at the high school around 2:50. Meeting with the head coach and getting a run down of the practice plan. Luckily, Coach Thackeray would send out a detailed plan every single day whether it was a game day or practice. Then each coach would be assigned to a station where the girls would rotate through. We would practice for about 2-3 hours. Then us ad coaches would stay back and share what we noticed from the girls that day and bounce around ideas for the line up and then head home. On game days we would arrive an hour before game time and start warming up and go over the line up. Varsity would play first. While varsity played I was in charge of keeping the score board. While JV played I was in charge of keeping stats in our score book. If the Sophomore team played it was my role to be out on the field as the first base coach! We would wait until all the games got done then do a quick debrief of the day and skills that needed to be worked on the next day at practice." 

What coaching or teaching skills improved the most for you?

"Because of this internship I feel like I gained a better eye at being able to notice what players may be doing wrong. As an athlete you can’t see yourself play. You think you’re doing everything right and then you miss the ball. Players would always ask me to watch them swing or field or catch and they wanted me to tell them something to fix. This was so hard for me at first. I wasn’t able to pinpoint the thing that they needed to tweak to be successful. But, as time went along I got way better at this! I felt like almost instantly I could tell if a player was dropping their shoulder or pulling their head and I was able to correct them on that. Ultimately I improved in my ability to give both positive and constructive feedback!" 

Was there an athlete or moment that taught you something unexpectedly valuable?

"At the end of the season, one of the girls wrote me a kind note. After reading her note I realized that coaches have way more of an impact than I realized. Players don’t necessarily remember all of the skills you taught them. But they will remember how you treated them. They will remember the way you supported them and uplifted them. This experience reminded me that being an influential coach goes beyond teaching skills." 

What was the hardest part of your internship?

"I think the hardest part was learning and getting familiar with how Springville softball does things. It just took time and patience to learn the ins and outs of the program. At the beginning I didn’t feel as confident about giving coaching advice because I wasn’t sure if it would be in line with the team’s philosophy. To handle this, I decided I needed to be less afraid to ask questions. I would ask the coaches and players tons of questions all the time. Eventually I felt comfortable and I understood what Springville softball was all about. After that I was able to coach in a way that aligned with what this program had established."

What should future interns know before starting?

"Don’t be afraid to dive right in. It may seem intimidating to step into a new program and environment but practice is the best way to learn. You are an experienced athlete. The coaching staff and players will appreciate your help and they want to hear from you. You can make a difference on the team!" 

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Schedule an appointment with a student ambassador here to learn more about the PE major and coaching.