Think of some of the biggest moments in women’s college softball and Michael Lotief was likely there. He says it was the competitive fire in his athletes that led to those moments, but who instilled them with this fire? Lotief did, and it shows in his success over the years.
Major Events
Lotief was the coach when Danyele Gomez of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns drove in more runs than anyone in the sport other than those wearing UCLA or Arizona uniforms. Holly Tankersly followed Danyele and landed in the top 10 list of hitters in NCAA history, and Christi Orgeron produced two of the sport’s most prolific RBI seasons. She did so while hitting home run after home run, ending with one fewer than Tankersly.
Lexi Elkins’ turn-around story is probably the most notable example of how Lotief’s learning environment helped his players thrive. Elkins attended Texas Tech in 2013 and struggled as a freshman. Her freshman stat line at Texas Tech was: .282 batting average, 0 homeruns, 350 slugging percentage. Elkins transferred to ULL her sophomore year in 2014 and her stats were: .388 batting average, 24 homeruns, .835 slugging percentage and an All-American. She earned multiple All-American honors and was drafted №1 in the 2016 National Pro Fastpitch player draft.
These achievements happened while Lotief was heading the Ragin’ Cajuns, which shows the importance of his coaching in developing excellent players.
The Players
Was it Lotief’s coaching or were the players responsible for their success? Many people wonder if Lotief just got lucky, but the players feel his coaching got them where they are today. He took on players that other schools overlooked and developed their talents, making them athletees other teams had to watch out for. How did he do this?
Accomplishing This Goal
Lotief’s system focuses on hitting the ball. If the ball isn’t in play, the team isn’t going to score. To ensure more hits, Lotief had the players work on their hitting skills through a method called deliberate practice. The development of college softball players doesn’t only involve mechanics. It’s hand-eye coordination, it’s pitch recognition, it’s movement patterns, it’s understanding motor learning, it’s using constraints and enhancing attractors, it’s timing, it’s mindset, it’s plan and approach. And it’s experience.
These skills can be trained and taught with the right protocols and through deliberate practice. Hitting is as much a science as it is an art. Lotief has spent the last 25 years studying the science and teaching the skill allowing his eyes to see movement patterns. By knowing the process and understanding deliberate practice, his players develop swings that are highly efficient and that produce elite results.
Lotief’s players were provided access to many of the hitting aids found at bigger schools so they could develop their talent. They were encouraged to use whatever was necessary to find the method that worked best for them.
The split-grip technique has been heralded by many as the key to success in the game, but Lotief didn’t require his athletes to use it. If they felt it wasn’t for them, he didn’t force the issue. He gave them an opportunity to find what was comfortable for their specific needs and use it in the games.
Mind Over Body
When working with players, Lotief also stressed the importance of training the brain along with training the body. Biomechanics, in his mind, weren’t as important as motor learning. The mind must automatically know what the body must do for the body to be able to do it. If the mind is required to determine what the body needs to do, it takes too long and this shows in the game. Lotief focused on both aspects in training, and then took it a step further.
Player Input
Players loved that their coach listened. He encouraged feedback because they were the ones out on the field. They knew what worked for them personally and what didn’t. If a player came to Lotief and said something wasn’t meshing for them, the two would work together to find the right swing, the right technique or whatever was needed for more hits. Others might not see this when they watched one of his teams in action, but that’s what was taking place behind the scenes.
Off the Field
Lotief also worked with players off the field because he realized that affected their success on the field. He looked for solutions that allowed his players to achieve their goals, including in the classroom, where many of his players won national recognitions and honors. Lotief explained on more than one occasion that a female college athlete needs a healthy learning environment to thrive. That’s what his program strived to provide for every athlete who came into the system.
Although the demands placed on his players were high, so was the reinforcement. Athletes received immediate instruction and feedback so they could get better. Lotief made sure this instruction was precise, concise and state of the art, knowing this provided the girls with the best opportunity to succeed. When players are given this instruction in a safe environment, they are willing to take big risks and achieve great heights. Lotief referred to this as the circle of safety and used it with his own child. He and his wife, Stefni, were co-head coaches at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette for 13 years and had the pleasure of having their daughter Chelsea on their team the last three years. If the Lotiefs were willing to use this technique with their own child, other parents could feel comfortable allowing Lotief to use it with their offspring.
Today, Coach Michael Lotief is sharing his knowledge with athletes through Excel Elite Fastpitch. He oversees the structure, clarity and development of the skills-training academy. Lotief is also collaborating with the program’s teams and coaches, offering skill instruction and coaching clinics. The organization has asked that he assist with talent evaluation and college recruiting to ensure the highest level of excellence.
In addition to working with Excel Elite, Lotief is on the Titleist Performance Institute’s/On Base U advisory board for Fast-pitch/Windmill Pitching. He is also working in official and unofficial capacities with Olympic softball teams, college softball teams and Major League Baseball teams, all in player development.
In these tasks, Lotief is continuously exposed to the best technology, the best research, the best state-of-the-art information in the sport, the best minds and the most progressive thinkers. Knowledge is power, and Lotief’s track record shows that by applying the available resources and doing it through deliberate practice, he assures his student-athletes have the best opportunities to develop to their potential and pursue greatness.
Source: FreePressJournal
