10U pre-game warm ups

[southwestsoftball]

Any thoughts on my teams pre game warm routine?

5:15-5:20 Team jog & Arm stretches

5:20-5:25 Dynamic warm up

5:25-5:35 Throwing( start with wrist snaps and progress to throws)

5:35-5:56 Rotating groups 7 minutes each: groups of 4 or 5( Starting pitcher goes with a coach by herself)

Group 1: Infield Drills Hand roll grounders, hand roll short hop, hand roll to girls and they must decide if they throw the ball of soft toss it to get the out. One girl fields, the other covers the bag. Once you field you progress to covering. Once your done covering....you move to the end of the line.

Group 2: Outfield Drills 2-3 pop flies each, Then progress to what we call the hustle drill. In this drill a girl starts in the outfield about 10 ft away from coach. We give her a short toss and she has to hustle, run or dive to cacth the ball and then throw it back. Then she turns and runs toward the fence. We give her aball to go run and grab and she cacthes or fields it and throws it back. She then hustles back where she gets another short ball to come up and get.

Group 3: Hitting drill We give our girls front toss with wiffle balls. About 15-20 balls each. We stress only swinging at strikes and of course watch fundamentals from the ground up. We also mix in 3-4 bunts during this time.


I would like to do more hitting wise but at the end of the day its hard enough to even get our girls through this stuff. Half of our girls dont even show up on time and heck sometimes we are even a coach short. This has gotten us to a 12-0 start sp far but its not perfect. I would love any suggestions and would love to hear what kind of warm ups you all firmly beleive in and like.

 

[Ken B]

Are your arm stretches dynamic?

 

[nanotech14]

Not to hijack your thread but what good are wrist snaps? I find no benifit in them ,overhand or as a warm up for pitchers. I just would like to know what others think?

 

[marriard]

I am assuming this is rec so there are some 'rules' related warm ups and some things you can do to help move things along.

Warming up: With rec I don't bother with team stretch, jog etc because as you said - you never know when they are going to arrive. Instead we have a set of things players do when they arrive to warm up before they get put into the drills. If some of them arrive together then they can do them together but it doesn't matter if they don't. (Basically it is run to the fence, do a few dynamic stretches and get in one of the lines)

Throwing: I only build up the throw with new players during warmups. Also a lot of players can get through throwing before warm ups even start for those who get there early. With rec I prefer to get in more hitting and I move any formal throwing warmups to before the game if we have time (or they have 'finished' warming up). I sacrifice throwing for hitting.

Hitting: Add in real balls/soft toss into a net (Bownet's are the best thing ever for any team both for warmups and practices). Wiffles are good for bunting and front toss but nothing beats the thumping of a real ball. I love the two ball softtoss (throw two balls and yell which one you want to hit "top"/"bottom") for your better hitters. I also do a LOT of bunting practice. Bunts are the rec coaches nightmare in 10U.

Catchers: If you have dropped third strike and stealing home you will want to do some catcher warm ups (blocking pitchers, throwing, etc) and have them involved in the pitcher warmups. If you don't then you can skip this. In 10U it just depends on how important catcher is as a fielding position.

Pitchers: If you know you are going to pitch more than one, then warm up more than one pitcher. Trying to do this during the game in rec never seems to work out.



BTW, this is nothing like my travel warmups which are much easier to arrange since they all arrive on time (or else) and is an hour of specific tasks and much more regimented.

 

[marriard]

Wow, is there where the 'rec' attitude starts: Show up when you want, don't need the catchers to warm up their arms or the pitchers, etc. Is this to keep rec in their place, low expectations, bad parents, what?

Please explain marriard why the approach is different.

Now I understand why HS coaches have so much trouble.

Why are you allowed to show up when you want? I played what everyone would call rec in my day (we really did not have it, but it was not travel either) and we had specific times to be there and regimented warm ups. If not, you were benched....oh I forgot there are no bench sitters today, you are guaranteed your spot.

Because rec is what it has developed into today. It is a place for everyone who wants to play to get a chance to play. There is room for the girl who has never played before to get the opportunity to play and enjoy the game no matter what their age is. It is coaching, development and making sure they have the opportunity and desire to come back the next season. There is certainly still penalties for coming late to warm ups or missing practices (they move to end of line up, they are first to sit out, they don't get to pitch) but they are still going to play.

And guess what? Because I understand exactly what rec is, I am VERY successful at coaching rec. We win roughly half of our regular season games and we then win or lose in the championship game every season (including this one) and ALL THE GIRLS PLAY SOFTBALL AGAIN NEXT SEASON. Also because it is a great environment for the most part they all do turn up on time and come to practices.

I could win all the regular season games but I would be sacrificing developing players and many of them will then not play the next season and that is unacceptable. The serious and really talented ones will go on and play travel where it is a very different environment.

If I take your old attitude today and try to apply it, it will destroy your rec league. No fun = no play = lower registrations especially as they get older. There isn't seasons anymore where it is softball in summer and soccer in fall and there is nothing else - there are lots and lots of options. They will go play something else and if that is fun they wont come back. The girl who sits on the bench or pays outfield only doesn't come back.

Our rec league continues to grow because we make sure all our coaches are onboard and we provide them resources to be successful and develop players. Numbers are up - teams are up and our retention rate is over 90%. Our travel teams have gone from 2 a few years a go to fielding 6 right now and possibly 7 in the fall.

Rec may now be a competitive level below where it may have been when you were growing up, but this isn't a bad thing. And travel has replaced what rec used to be and provided a better and more appropriate place for the serious or committed player who wants to play at that next level. It may not be better or worse - it is just different.

With the warmups above - catcher is less important because our 10U rec doesn't have dropped third strike or allow stealing home - that means my catcher is less important and I can give more players the experience of playing catcher in a lower-pressure environment. And as rec is not the level of commitment travel requires, I understand other activities interfering and have worked a way to accommodate people appropriately.

Around here if you don't play travel, you are not going to make your high school team. It just isn't happening. Travel is different to rec and I have no problem with any of our travel program players turning up because they are ALL hungry to play and learn. But guess where they all came from - they all came from enjoying the rec league experience we provided. Our local HS coaches have NO issues when it comes to players both in terms of quality, quantity or level of commitment.

 

[marriard]

Please explain what any of that has to do with being somewhere on time for TEAM warm ups, not MY warm up (or not if I don't feel like it)? So I have never played soccer, I can show up when I want for the game if I sign up?

This is about honoring your commitments, not the level of experience.

The catchers have throws to make to second or elsewhere I presume. Same with the pitchers and their pitching. These are the two most fundamental members of the team. They are always critical to the team and their future development should be important.

I don't get it. Wow.

I knew something was amiss with the rec players that are now at HS (in attitude, talking back, not hustling, not trying, goofing off), but now I get it. It does not make any sense not to have boundaries in rec. Thanks for sending those kids who have run amuck on to the HS teams. Travel kids aside of course, the ones who have never played end up being better than rec players.

You are out of line here.

First - you will see I suggested EXTRA pitcher warm ups. So don't assign me things I didn't write.

Second - I never suggested that we not developing players or hold them to standards. I am fully committed to developing players of all positions and have been extremely successful in doing so. I go above and beyond what is required and I arranged for our rec league/travel program to have pitchers and catchers clinics led by the local HS pitchers and catchers every Sunday during the season to specifically develop these two positions. This has directly effected the level of play in rec and also the quality of our travel program.

Third - it is level of commitment. You can be like me and believe "on time" is 30 minutes late, but that isn't everyone. I also understand that in rec not everyone is going to be at the "#1 commitment is my rec league softball team" level and not every player is looking to be the greatest softball player they can be and you need to understand and accommodate that. Between school, other sports, other planned activities, other siblings activities and so on, softball may not be the #1 activity and I am not going to punish a player in rec for being late or missing a practice because they have different priorities. I have a travel soccer player on my current team - they are very good at letting me know conflicts which is great - but when she is there I want to make sure it is a great experience for her. I am thrilled to have her playing softball with what little free time she has.

The cream will float to the top - and the travel teams are full of the players who are committed and they are held to the level. Softball is high in their priority list (normally right after school).

I don't know the HS girls you are talking about - all I can talk about is the High Schools local to me (4 are within the area most of our rec league players come from) where there isn't a single rec player on any varsity team. So I am not sending 'rec players to HS' - I am sending TRAVEL girls to HS (most who developed out of our rec program when they were young). Maybe there would be enough travel girls to send to HS if your local rec leagues were properly run and developing the level of talent where you aren't fielding rec players on the HS team.

 

[marriard]

This is a false division and hurting softball as a sport. Both rec and travel should have rules, commitment, boundaries, etc. The priorities and who we are beholden to are just all out of whack in both rec and travel.

It is not as black and white as you are trying to make it sound. I don't know your area, so I can't comment on how your local rec leagues are run or how you feel that effects the level of play in your area, but the way it is set up here is providing a good balance for everyone who wants to play along with the environment to foster the talent we have locally who want to get better and the opportunity to take it to the travel level.

Our Rec and Travel certainly do have rules, commitments and boundaries but they are different and providing the right balance provides us access to a much broader group of players who have access to play this great game. Calling rec a 'false division' is insulting to those who organize and play rec at any level. This is the base of softball - travel players come from rec at some stage even if it is at the 8U or 10U level.

We have many girls who have played the last 5 years in our rec league who are AT BEST below average. Our rec league gives them a place to play in an environment where they will get a lot out of the game and they come back year after year. I hope they play all the way through their high school years. How are these girls 'hurting our sport'? How is providing a good environment for them to play detrimental to our sport?

And at the same time, 75% of the 2 closest high schools played in our rec league when they were younger. 30% of the other 2 local HS girls played in our rec league when they were younger (balance for these schools came from other rec programs or moved into the area). These girls all went from our rec league to travel (and sometime both at the same time) and many have NLI's signed. This is a good progression.

Maybe you are right with the parents thing - but there is nothing a rec league is going to be able to do to help bad parents and I am not going to punish some poor girl in rec because their parents are nuts/selfish/always late/have over committed their daughter or other siblings/etc. Rec is take everyone and figure out the best way to handle it.

 

[init4thegirls]

We have 14 on our 10-u rec team and 4 will get there 10 minutes before the game. They are the same four that miss practice, can't pay attention for more than 10 seconds, and hug all over you. Its really sad but, some parents just don't seem to care about their kids. These kids get little to no affection or direction. They also have 4 or 5 and can't keep up with all of them.

I can't really tell someone in that situation to get their kids there on time. They'll tell me where to go real quick. A lady at church tutors two of these girls and they don't even show up for that. They aren't concerned about education so warming up for a softball game is way down on their priority list.

Going through our roster 6 girls have a dad that's active in their life. That's not even half! It would help us out a ton if they would all show up but, most of these moms/grandmas are doing the best they can.

 

[southwestsoftball]

Wrist snaps are something I like as a progression towards throws. This is part of dynamic warm up of their arms. IMO they are valuable because they are a dynamic warm up. Its takes 1 minute of our time and again its all part of a progression.

I disagree firmly that the balls HAVE to be hit to them. I have talked with NUMEROUS D1 college coaches and they themselves use hand rolled grounders as part of their progression. Our girls take plenty of reps at practice with grounders hit to them, but this allows us to condense the warm up into a faster pace( with limited space) and IMO when it comes to most of the girls at this age playing rec ball, building up some confidence in early reps and grdaually increasing difficulty is pretty important. I see a lot of coaches just nailing balls at their girls and they forget they are grown men hitting to 9 years olds who 70% of them in rec ball are pretty intimidated. I feel when the girls dont have a very good pre-game warm up, your kind of setting them up to play bad in the game.

The most improtant thing for me in warm ups and pre-game is to establish and practice our good fundamental mechanics and positioning. Doing it right and re-establishing that muscle memory before the game is very important IMO. Plus last and not least.........one of those coaches I have talked with is Mike Candrea and if this infield drill is good enough for him and Arizona it is certainly good enough for me and my 3rd , 4th and 5th grade girls as a pre game progression.

As for the girls being late often. Well unfortnutaley thats just the way it is. The girls cant drive and so the people to blame are they parents. Their parents are teaching them some awful things and most of all they are keeping their daughters from being succesful in the sport they are investing a bunch of time in. Normally the girls who are late are usually the ones who come to practice sporatically and are the ones you need to get on for being lazy or not listening. Its not coincidence. However, this is REC ball and if you didnt allow those girls to play you wouldnt field a team and again ultimately its not their fault. Just the way the world is these days, unfortunately.
If I coached club ball I wouldnt stand for that at all but coaching rec ball is pretty different IMO.

 

[southwestsoftball]

Again my team has rules but at the end of the day we would have to cancel games if these girls were punished. Thats not really fair to anyone. Especially the girls who are there early, hustle and work very hard.

As for the wrist snaps...........I dont like them for picthing. I use overhand snaps as a progression to throwing and as a dynamic warm up for their arms and wrists.

Oh yeah. I do have a hitstick and we use that as well. However, IMO I like our girls to see some live front toss because IMO the bigggest issue for girls at this age is tracking the ball and keeping their head down. I like for them to have some warm where they have to track and then hit. We do use our hit stick though.