Need some advice about the transition to 10U from coach pitch

[Rambler34]

My DD plays 8U travel for a well known organization in the SE. She is an 03 who will move up after the USFA world series in July. She is small at about 4'2" and 70lbs. She is a lefty and is very quick running 3.5 home to first and 14.7 home to home. She is already getting some basic slapping instruction and will get private lessons over the summer to work on her swing, slaping, and bunting. In USFA play they also let the baserunners leave on the release of the pitch so she is getting some work with that as well.

Do any of the experienced coaches out there have any advice on what we can be working on? What are some things that could help her stand out and be an asset to her team? She has the attitude and work ethic I just needs to know what skills to put these toward.

Thanks

 

[dazedownsouth]

One thing at 10u the age that can set a girl apart is baserunning ability. A girl who is smart and really aggressive on the bases, especially when stealing home, is a big asset for the team. My DD just started 10u travel this year, and while she is in the bottom 1/3 on her team in hitting, she leads the team in runs scored by several runs. This is all because she really knows how to run bases. She gets a big lead at 3rd the and if the catcher doesn't look her back, she is stealing home everytime. The other thing i would preach is being aggressive at the plate. Many girls struggle with this when transitioning from coach pitch. Make sure she has the mentality of "I'm swiing at this pitch, and adjust if it's a bad pitch" I see too many girls content to just stand up there and try to take a walk, this is the wrong approach.

 

[SoftSocDad]

3.5 home to first and 14.7 home to home.

8u TB aside, the fact that you even know those 'stats' for an 8u player spells trouble. My advice is not to mention numbers like that outside this forum until she is at least 12u, assuming she's still involved in the game.

Take the focus off of softball robot creation and allow her to continue developing her skills in a challenging but fun environment that isn't so focused on stats.

 

[Jesse]

I'm coaching 10U this year. I agree 100% with the baserunning. Many 10U games are walkathons and good baserunning/stealing not only adds some much needed excitement to the game, it gets runs in quickly without waiting for the pitcher to walk them in. It also keeps the rest of the team engaged while the pitcher struggles to find her groove, which could take most of the season. Not to mention, it trains the catchers to be quick, and the pitchers to help out. It’s all around good for both teams in my opinion. Obviously stealing home becomes more difficult as they move up and the pitchers and catchers get better, but it does teach them to be aggressive and gets them used to close plays at home, sliding under the tag, etc. Great skills that will benefit them as they move up, and it keeps them moving and having fun in an otherwise dull game.

We work on stealing home on passed balls in practice. I have a catcher, a pitcher, a batter, and a line of girls at third. I stand next to the pitcher and purposely throw wild pitches. The runner steals, the pitcher runs in to help cover, the batter steps out of the box (this is an oft overlooked skill that 10U girls need to learn), and it’s on. The runners learn how to read the catcher and the location of the ball to determine if they can get it or not. Sometimes I’ll even have a coach stand behind the catcher like a lump to simulate umpires who don’t get out of the way. You can also add a third baseman to make things really interesting, although this complicates the drill and takes up time. Once the runner has either stolen home or gotten tagged out, they replace the batter and the batter goes to the end of the line at third base. Every so often I rotate the catchers and pitchers. It’s proven to be a very effective drill for us. Not only are my girls great at stealing home, but my starting catcher has not allowed anyone in on a passed ball in two straight games.

As far as the hitting, in addition to the technical skills, they really need to learn the mindset. When the pitching isn’t good, it’s so easy for the girls to get into the mindset that they can just walk. We’re ¾ of the way through our season, and my girls (all first year) are just now getting aggressive in the box. We faced the best pitcher we’ve ever seen yesterday. In the first two innings she struck out 6 in a row. Sounds awful, but out of those 6 girls that struck out, 4 of them actually made contact and fouled the ball off, and all 6 of them went down swinging. I couldn’t have been prouder.

 

[Rambler34]

Easy SofSocDad. Her rec league had a skills contest each year. They won medals for the best time, best throw, and a home run derby. She asks me to time her about as often as she wants to be measured to see if she is taller. The latest came from her and her teammates trying to out do each other.

 

[marriard]

Yes on the base running. Good leads, good aggressive running and excellent sliding technique (straight 4 leg slide and the slide by/reach with the hand makes you safe and brings in runs)

More importantly is live pitching. 8U travel gets old because the coach pitcher WANTS them to hit the ball and some teams just recruit early maturing girls who can swing hard - then they go to 10U where the pitcher DOESN'T WANT them to hit the ball and they don't do well (also the other girls start to catch up maturity wise).

Start getting that eye in on balls and strikes. One of the big things we teach is sitting on bad pitchers who are struggling. Pick a nice strike zone area you like to hit in and be ready to put a big swing on the ball when it comes

We actually have our travel catcher and some of our batters come to my DD's pitching lessons every 2nd or 3rd week. With a batter in the box and a live catcher it has helped everyone develop their games.