Help! Asked to coach girls 5-7 softball - what do i do at practice?

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Mar 13, 2010
1,758
48
I coach this age (Tball) and constant repetition. We had not done base running for a couple of weeks and our first base coach stood on third. First two batters ran to him!
 
Mar 3, 2013
19
0
Fort Worth, Texas
I coached a 4-8 rec team one spring and half that team was like yours. You will need help don't try to do it all unless you have too. Small groups from 3-4 kids. I split the kids up based on what they could and couldn't do. Basically I didn't put all the kids that couldn't hit in one group I split them up. When teaching how to throw and catch. I used foam softballs or tennis balls, no gloves just their hands for the first month. Fielding I rolled the balls at first, hitting we used a tee a lot. Work on running the bases that one area I didnt and wished I had.

1. So you made them play catch with tennis balls the first month? Was this beneficial in the end you think?
2. Fielding- so you rolled the ball to them, like a grounder? And made them field it as if it were a softball and throw it to 1st?

Just clarifying, thanks........
 
Mar 3, 2013
19
0
Fort Worth, Texas
Same as jnw96 stated.

DD, nickname is stone hands, coach started with the player throwing to their parent and the parent rolling the ball back to them.

I would start catching with tennis balls or some other softer ball with bare hands, introduce the mitt, and then introduce whatever ball you play with.

It is a slow process for some of the players.

Edit: For 8U and under you are going to have a lot of parents there, show them what to do and they will help.

Which practice would you introduce the mitt?

Would you have the parents playing catch with them (kid throws to parent->parent rolls grounder back to them) in this manner at the beginning of each practice as a warm-up or no?
 
Mar 3, 2013
19
0
Fort Worth, Texas
The girls I have coached have always enjoyed one on one races (use two bases side by side, stand past the bases and the first to touch your hand wins), learning how to round first and the another is half of them start at 2nd and the other half at home and have each girl run back to the base they started from and see which team wins. Don't short change the girls, some of them will be more capable than you might think.

This drill sounds fun. Do you mean have them run home->1st->2nd->3rd->home and time them?
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
Some players will put their mitt in the most convoluted position trying to catch the ball, both grounders and fly balls. No idea why. Bare hands they look great, put a glove on their hand no idea what is going on. Jump back and forth as needed. DD is 11 and I still hit tennis balls to her in the OF, she is her Team’s best OF even though she doesn’t get to play it very often.

I don’t like the player throwing a tennis ball too hard so it is usually a ½ throw. Rolling the ball is great.

Mike Candrea: USA Softball - Defensive Drills - YouTube
 
Last edited:
Mar 3, 2013
19
0
Fort Worth, Texas
Some players will put their mitt in the most convoluted position trying to catch the ball, both grounders and fly balls. No idea why. Bare hands they look great, put a glove on their hand no idea what is going on. Jump back and forth as needed. DD is 11 and I still hit tennis balls to her in the OF, she is her Team’s best OF even though she doesn’t get to play it very often.

I don’t like the player throwing a tennis ball too hard so it is usually a ½ throw. Rolling the ball is great.

Mike Candrea: USA Softball - Defensive Drills - YouTube

so you would recommend warming up with tennis balls?

doing grounders with tennis balls?
 
Dec 3, 2012
636
16
West Coast
One half of team on 2nd the other half at home. Each team has all the players run around all the bases one after another (one player rounds all the bases and then the next one goes) and what ever team gets all player back to where they started first wins. Just something to make practice fun, kids love to run. We start by throwing a ball in the air and they can start when it hits the ground.
 

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