Thread: Team fun on a warm southern day

Hope you guys are having a good winter. I know some are probably starting some winter workouts soon and headed indoors. However I wanted to share a fun way to release some stress and let the parents and players get after it for fun. Stick ball slow pitch Parents v Players. We are 10U so we play with the Jugs Lite Foam Balls and Use a Shovel handle I cut in half as two bats (bases are wrapped in athletic tape to create a grip).

As the head coach I am the official umpire. I explain that I am horrible to both sides at the plate meeting. I also encourage a bit of trash talking and razzing so long as it is not something you would regret on the car ride home afterwards. I apologize in advance for the horrible calls I will make and ensure all they will happen. I then proceed make some on purpose to keep the game close between teams. I allow positions to be open for changing at any time so any player or parents can pick a place to field against their family member. Each team must have a pitcher and catcher. Each team can use players to be base coaches (allows girls to see what is done by coaches at 1st and 3rd). Each team then must work together to set their batting order and after that it is a coin toss and Game on!

After 7 innings, lots of laughs and being willing to take ourselves a little less seriously today the Parents won 8-7. For the next few months until our next game it will be the base of bragging rights for the parents. Our parents are a good group who sit, watch and wonder what we are doing and why on many occasions. They have waited patiently to see their player develop with little question this fall. Many of them have begun to see some cool things about their players they did not know was in them and have made note of it to me. We went from a lower level team last year to a middle of the pack team in the start of our second year. With a 650% record we have worked to test ourselves more and it is paying off. The team has won an event (our 1st), placed 2nd in another, 3rd in another this fall. I am proud of the group and the parents, and after today I found everyone's ability to have fun still exists and it brought me much joy as a HC.

Try it out find a way to blow off some steam in a fun way. Let me know what you do as a team. I am interested in haring of other cool ways to build team morale among players and parents.

Sounds like a ton of fun crush.

In my youth we use to play corkball, kids vs parents. The old fashion way, cork from a wine bottle wrapped in white surgical tape. Man you talk about making that thing dance all over the place, it puts a whiffle ball action to shame and then try hitting it with a broom stick. Great way to build eye to body coordination.

We were too poor to have a tee, but dad spent countless hours pitching to us with the old corkball. Made the baseball look like a beachball in real games coming to the plate. ( I always wondered where dad got those corks, he doesn't drink )

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Originally Posted by JAD

Our girls love to play kickball.....maybe we should schedule a parents vs. players kickball game!

You should. It is a riot. Lots of fun to do things that allow the girls to blow off a little steam and take some "trash talking" to the parents (and vice versa).

There's a local place that does dodgeball on trampolines. Kids are fine, adults get wrecked.