fun games / drills
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- Aug 5, 2012
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We like to finish practice some nights with a good old fashion relay race. Split the girls up yourself by speed so you have as even a split as you can. Half the girls at home, half on second. Each team runs a player around the bases back to where they started and when they slide in, the next girl goes. The first team to cross all their players wins. We do best if 3 and it fires up a lot of competition. The losing team has to clean up and carry all the gear to my car, but it always ends up, they all clean and carry.
Another game we play is coaches vs. girls. 5 innings, we are at bat the whole game and must score 10 runs. I use the fungo and my AC's run the bases. Holding the bat, I control a lot of the game, so I will make it hard by hitting on the gap, or make it easy if we're scoring too many runs early. We usually end up just short and my one AC has to do laps for losing lol.
Another game we play is coaches vs. girls. 5 innings, we are at bat the whole game and must score 10 runs. I use the fungo and my AC's run the bases. Holding the bat, I control a lot of the game, so I will make it hard by hitting on the gap, or make it easy if we're scoring too many runs early. We usually end up just short and my one AC has to do laps for losing lol.
My favorite game is "Shotgun". Divide your players into three teams. You start with one team batting, one team on the infield, and one team in the outfield. The coach pitches.
The coach pitches, the batter gets one strike or two strikes, depending upon how skilled the girls are. When the batter hits the ball, the batter takes off. She can be put out either by: (1) Force out at 1B, (2) tag out prior to reaching 1B, (3) Swing and miss, or (4) caught fly ball. If the batter is not put out prior to reaching 1B, she scores one point for every base she reaches safely.
E.g., suppose a girl hits a ball. She reaches 2B safely, but the ball is in possession of 3B well before she gets to 3B. She scores two points for her team (one point for 1B and one point for 2B), and returns to the line waiting to bat. However, no "out" is recorded for her team.
When the batting team gets three outs, they go to the infield, the infield goes to the outfield, and the outfielders go to bat.
This game teaches a whole lot of different things. First, the fielders have to calculate where to throw the ball in order to stop the runner from scoring more points. Second, the batters are always pushing for "one more base". There is a lot of action on the field.
Lots of fun, laughing and screaming.
The coach pitches, the batter gets one strike or two strikes, depending upon how skilled the girls are. When the batter hits the ball, the batter takes off. She can be put out either by: (1) Force out at 1B, (2) tag out prior to reaching 1B, (3) Swing and miss, or (4) caught fly ball. If the batter is not put out prior to reaching 1B, she scores one point for every base she reaches safely.
E.g., suppose a girl hits a ball. She reaches 2B safely, but the ball is in possession of 3B well before she gets to 3B. She scores two points for her team (one point for 1B and one point for 2B), and returns to the line waiting to bat. However, no "out" is recorded for her team.
When the batting team gets three outs, they go to the infield, the infield goes to the outfield, and the outfielders go to bat.
This game teaches a whole lot of different things. First, the fielders have to calculate where to throw the ball in order to stop the runner from scoring more points. Second, the batters are always pushing for "one more base". There is a lot of action on the field.
Lots of fun, laughing and screaming.
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This was not after practice, but was used after the girls had warmed up for a game but the game went into extra innings. Keeping the girls together, loose, and kind of semi-focused, he held a roast of himself by the girls. He always wears a floppy hat and each girl had a chance to wear the hat and do her roast. The ladies had a great time and kelp them busy without expending anymore energy. It must have worked, because they run ruled the next team they played.
All our girls are still addicted to playing 'Ninja' so we occasionally do that at the end of practice (and before games as well).
We also have a '5 minute' game - Rules as follows:
We split the squad in half - one team fields, one bats. Coach front tosses (hard) to batters who only get ONE strike (so they can foul off and stay but they can be out by not swinging at a strike or swinging strike).
Fielding team:
Can set up the field how they want (most decide to play a full infield but occasionally will rotate a player out to CF)
3 points for every out they make (however it happens)
Batting team:
As many at-bats as they can get in 5 minutes. Pitcher will not pitch until the previous batter is in the duguout
Batting team gets 1 point for a fair ball but out, 3 point for reaching safely and 5 points for a safe outfield hit. Batter returns to the dugout after their at bat (no runners)
It gets very intense. Batters and runners are hustling trying to get as many at-bats as they can. Fielders are trying to make every catch and every throw.
Play two innings of this at the end of practice is a great way to finish (and somehow it always ends up with them wanting to play more than that). We also do lots of variations (everyone tries to slap, bunting allowed, doubles only, live pitching, etc, etc).
I think the "fun" drill you wrap practice with should be something that is a culmination of the skills you worked on earlier in your practice (the culmination of skills so to speak) & shoudl really tie into your overall practice plan & strategy for the season.
Eaxmples that we've used -
1. Early in the season when we're focusing on basic mechanics, we'll run a practice that builds on basic fielding / throwing skills - the way we wrap this type of practice session up is a drill we call "two ball" - split the squad into two groups. Line them up, single file 35-45' away from coaches at cones. First pair starts with adjoining feet together in ready positions side by side. coach throws two balls (with same hand) - vary fly, hard grounder, slow roller, backstop, over their heads at the pairs. First kid to get the ball back to their respective AC's glove wins point. This emphasizes the basic fielding skills, paying attention, and really gets them working on making a throw under pressure, on the mark. Losers go for a run, winners help pack up practice. Variation for late in season - drop the coach partners and make the kid follow their throw to take over for a turn as receiver, adds more movement & gets them working on clutch catching
2. little later in the season when we're working more on base running and dynamic coverage we'll split the team into two again and run something we call four corners. Build diamond as normal & set up a second set of flat bases a few feet inside the regular ones. One team takes bases & plays as normal, including short & fielders if you have enough kids. The other team helmets up and runs. Kid playing C starts with ball, coach says go, runner runs hard on inside bases, defence moves ball around diamond. Runners get points for every base touched before the ball gets back to C & she tags home. runners get some practice working on their lines & running hard. Defence, throw under pressure, catch under pressure and learning to cover up for each other (ie after the ball's been by first, we try to get the 1b to come in and cover throw from 3b to c & get the fielders moving to cover for overthrows). We track the scores - we'll usually introduce this early in teh season, when the runners are doing 3 & four entire laps before teh ball finds its way back (good cardio! LOL) - later in the season, the ball will usually be home while the runner's somewhere between 3 & home not quite all the way yet).
Eaxmples that we've used -
1. Early in the season when we're focusing on basic mechanics, we'll run a practice that builds on basic fielding / throwing skills - the way we wrap this type of practice session up is a drill we call "two ball" - split the squad into two groups. Line them up, single file 35-45' away from coaches at cones. First pair starts with adjoining feet together in ready positions side by side. coach throws two balls (with same hand) - vary fly, hard grounder, slow roller, backstop, over their heads at the pairs. First kid to get the ball back to their respective AC's glove wins point. This emphasizes the basic fielding skills, paying attention, and really gets them working on making a throw under pressure, on the mark. Losers go for a run, winners help pack up practice. Variation for late in season - drop the coach partners and make the kid follow their throw to take over for a turn as receiver, adds more movement & gets them working on clutch catching
2. little later in the season when we're working more on base running and dynamic coverage we'll split the team into two again and run something we call four corners. Build diamond as normal & set up a second set of flat bases a few feet inside the regular ones. One team takes bases & plays as normal, including short & fielders if you have enough kids. The other team helmets up and runs. Kid playing C starts with ball, coach says go, runner runs hard on inside bases, defence moves ball around diamond. Runners get points for every base touched before the ball gets back to C & she tags home. runners get some practice working on their lines & running hard. Defence, throw under pressure, catch under pressure and learning to cover up for each other (ie after the ball's been by first, we try to get the 1b to come in and cover throw from 3b to c & get the fielders moving to cover for overthrows). We track the scores - we'll usually introduce this early in teh season, when the runners are doing 3 & four entire laps before teh ball finds its way back (good cardio! LOL) - later in the season, the ball will usually be home while the runner's somewhere between 3 & home not quite all the way yet).
We use this fun little game; Break the team into 2 squads - 1 squad batting 1 squad field
The field squad further breaks into 2 groups (1 group at 1B, 1 group at 3B) Field squad are the runners, 2 girls running at a time (1 at 1B, 1 at 3B).
The batting team can use tees, side toss, front toss whatever you want and use regulation softballs, tennis balls, racketballs whatever you want.
The batting team hits the ball and runs the bases as many times as they can, you count 1 point for each base reached.
The fielding team must run to where the ball is, when the first runner reaches the ball, pickes it up and waits for their teammate then hands the ball to them and runs back to what base they started from.
On a field with no fence and using golf balls (DO NOT USE A GOOD BAT) it tires them out.
The field squad further breaks into 2 groups (1 group at 1B, 1 group at 3B) Field squad are the runners, 2 girls running at a time (1 at 1B, 1 at 3B).
The batting team can use tees, side toss, front toss whatever you want and use regulation softballs, tennis balls, racketballs whatever you want.
The batting team hits the ball and runs the bases as many times as they can, you count 1 point for each base reached.
The fielding team must run to where the ball is, when the first runner reaches the ball, pickes it up and waits for their teammate then hands the ball to them and runs back to what base they started from.
On a field with no fence and using golf balls (DO NOT USE A GOOD BAT) it tires them out.
- Apr 25, 2010
- 772
- 0
With our last team, we played the bucket game.
Take a bucket, put it upside down on home plate. Put a water bottle on top. Divide the girls into 2 groups. 1 at short, 1 at 2nd. Hit to 1 line, they throw, trying to knock the bottle down. Then repeat with 2nd line. If you hit the bucket it's one point. If you graze the bottle but it stays up, it's two points. Knock the bottle off, it's 3. Play to 21.
Take a bucket, put it upside down on home plate. Put a water bottle on top. Divide the girls into 2 groups. 1 at short, 1 at 2nd. Hit to 1 line, they throw, trying to knock the bottle down. Then repeat with 2nd line. If you hit the bucket it's one point. If you graze the bottle but it stays up, it's two points. Knock the bottle off, it's 3. Play to 21.
