Need Help Setting Goals for Fall and Winter....

So if left to my own devices, we would try to do everything and that just won't be any fun or good for either of us.

I have a 10U DD who is entering her 4th season of Rec. ball in the Spring. She has made lots of strides and most of it was made last Fall and Winter in our basement when her father was deployed between the Fall and Spring season. We just did a lot of everything and some of it I am sure I did a lot wrong, but everyone remarked how much she had improved over the winter.

So this year I want to try and set some realistic goals for us. A plan so that we all know what we are doing and when. She is taking pitching lessons each week and throwing in between. I talked to the PC last night about working in 1 hitting and 1 fielding lesson a month(can't afford much more on top of pitching) and he was very open to working with us--and she loves him.

Should we work on the things she does wrong and correct those first. She basket catches most of the time and her over-hand throwing is not where it should or work on new things like better defense and the mental game?

I know we can't accomplish it all. Is it better to perfect a few things and build or try and make her more well-rounded??

Thanks for your input.

GG

Work on fundamentals first. It's too hard to correct a poor throwing method when she gets older and it will leave her open to injury. Proper form when throwing and catching is the basis for other things. Put your emphasis there and throw in some fun games to reinforce them.

Work on hitting, fielding and throwing, emphasizing proper form and technique. If she is playing 10U rec ball, everything else can wait.

Having sound fundamentals, good technique and proper form will help your DD make more teams in the future and will make her a better player at the same time .... the best of both worlds.

Agree with the chorus of fix the throwing and catching first. Improving her offense (hitting) without improving her defense (throwing and catching) will be counter productive. For example, she scores a run when she gets up to bat, but allows a couple of runs to score with overthrows/bad throws or bad catches. She will get discouraged in a hurry. Get the throwing fixed in 8U and 10U because by the time they get to 12U the girls (and their parents) know-it-all.

I had one girl who had the drive to be a great player but not the sponge-like ability to soak in good coaching fundamentals. She was a side-arm thrower and resisted every attempt to change it. After she left my team (because I was constantly trying to get her to stop) she went to another team who tried buying her devices to put on her arm to try to get her to stop throwing side-armed, she still resisted. When coaching her it was like this: Our teams coaches say something to her, she nods then looks at her parents, then she disregards what the coaches said. That is why she didn't last long on my team. I played against her and she lost several games because of her bad throws. This was at 10U. in 14U she is still making those throwing errors and has been through at least 5 teams (that I know of). Her parents kept taking her to hitting lessons but even they were saying that they were frustrated at her side-arm throwing, but continued to work on other stuff instead of putting their foot doan and saying to her "Unless you learn to change your throwing motion, we will not work on anything else."

Thanks guys. You have put it into perspective for me. Fundamentals it is! It is so easy to get sucked into learning all the other cool stuff, but you are right, if you can't do the fundamentals, you won't be able to show off any other skills!

-GG

GatorGirl, I think you need to ask an additional question: What are *YOU* going to do to improve your ability to help your DD? For example, do you know how to catch a popup against a fence? Do you know how to pick up a softball (there is a specific way, believe it or not)? Do you know how to demonstrate the seven different throws (overhand, outfield, snap, sidearm, underhand toss, side toss, dart)?

When you are training a child, you need to know the skill progression. You have to do a lot of reading, watching DVDs and talking to people.

1. Work with junior J Bands.
2. Come to Tucson

Just wait until they turn teenagers and the boys start coming around. Then you'll REALLY need this advice.

*grumbling* I hate boys.

@sluggers--you are absolutely right in that I don't know the progression. I started watching this series Softball Instruction Infield Fundamentals Part 3 - The Warm-UP - YouTube by the Olympic Softball Coach and it is helpful, but breaking it down to a realistic progression for a 10 year will be a challenge.

I have made a calendar for the next 5 months that will include all of our pitching lessons, throw days and the pitching clinics we have signed up for to see what is left. Our PC, who instructs hitting as well is going to do half/half 1-2 days a month and we will do the hitting homework as we have done the pitching. He can teach fielding too, but I feel that is spreading that too thin.

So I am planning the calendar two fielding lessons in advance. Plan for the 1st, learn what I am going to teach as best as I can. Review at end of lesson and see how realistic the next lesson seems and then adjust. Lesson 2, See what was retained. Review what wasn't retained, and cover what I had planned and then adjust.

I don't agree that talking to a lot of people can help. Sometimes it can hurt. So many people have different opinions of what is right and wrong and at the end of the day, I have to do what "feels" right for her and I. We can only take so much of each other. Too many opinions confuse matters.

On my part, I have to change most of what I learn, see and read to fit a lefty. Everything is geared for righty's. I am very visual and I am trying to pick up on when they say glove hand and throwing hand as opposed to focusing on their hands and feet too much. So I have to learn it both ways. Luckily, I will be able to act like a mirror for her, so that is one plus.

Our first lesson for fielding: Ready position and all the ends and outs of that that I see. Next lesson is footwork from the ready position, fielding a basic, basic ground ball and throw. We will see how it goes.

Our goal for the Winter with fielding will be to understand the difference between the ready positions for middle infielders and corner infielders and why, when to get ready and when to relax, how to focus when you have to, basic footwork and proper throwing based on distance, proper catching below the waist and above and the mental basics of each base. PLUS we have to fit in fielding as the pitcher.

I hope this is realistic. If not I will just adjust as we go along.

GG

Have her set the goals she wants to accomplish. Make her write them down. Post them on the fridge. Have her read them regular.

Based on what you have written, if suggest this routine for lessons....
Lesson 1: Throw and catch stressing getting her body in a position to receive the ball mid body, at chest and shoulders, glove up if throw is above the waist. Below the waist glove down. Like a 360 degree "wave". Throw for an hour.
Lesson 2: throw and catch as above.
Lesson 3: throw and catch as above.
All successive lessons are throw and catch until a point that she is able to effectively catch and throw correctly without having to think about it. Very tedious, very boring. But an absolute must. Simply being able to field the ball on a throw will improve hand/eye coordination and benefit the rest that you are trying to do. And don't throw to your daughter. Throw to a girl you are trying to help improve. Put some pep in it when she is ready. Throw some high. Throw some low. Don't baby her. Don't jump ahead to fielding lessons until she knows how to throw and catch correctly!!!!!! It's akin to teaching someone how to drive Indy when they don't know where the key goes in the car!!!