should I or shouldn't I

never had detailed diagrams or plans, despite best intentions to do so. I would simply break girls down for majority of practice into as small groups as possible. typical stations were:

fly balls (mostly using tennis balls/racket), no throws
ground balls and throws to a net or bucket
hitting (typically pitched one bucket of balls to each girl, might also have them hit wiffles from tee prior to create another station)

would tailor degree of difficulty of skills to the girls at the station (and would control break down of groups to allow this). ie one group might get all the fly balls right to them, another might have to run more to get them. They all need maximum number of reps at this stage, with correction for bad mechanics (ie basket catches, etc.). No reason each girl cannot get 50+ pop flies, 50+grounders, 100+ throws, etc in a 2 hour practice. having them all lined up in field they maybe get 20 each, with those at 1B and P getting to make (or not make) a lot of catches on thrown balls and subsequent throws in to AC at HP.

would do about 25 minutes near the end where entire defense was assembled maybe with a couple of baserunners, to kind of bring all the defensive skills together. Or maybe a 5v5 scrimmage with ACs in OF, coach pitching.

bmakj said:

never had detailed diagrams or plans, despite best intentions to do so. I would simply break girls down for majority of practice into as small groups as possible. typical stations were:

fly balls (mostly using tennis balls/racket), no throws
ground balls and throws to a net or bucket
hitting (typically pitched one bucket of balls to each girl, might also have them hit wiffles from tee prior to create another station)

would tailor degree of difficulty of skills to the girls at the station (and would control break down of groups to allow this). ie one group might get all the fly balls right to them, another might have to run more to get them. They all need maximum number of reps at this stage, with correction for bad mechanics (ie basket catches, etc.). No reason each girl cannot get 50+ pop flies, 50+grounders, 100+ throws, etc in a 2 hour practice. having them all lined up in field they maybe get 20 each, with those at 1B and P getting to make (or not make) a lot of catches on thrown balls and subsequent throws in to AC at HP.

would do about 25 minutes near the end where entire defense was assembled maybe with a couple of baserunners, to kind of bring all the defensive skills together. Or maybe a 5v5 scrimmage with ACs in OF, coach pitching.

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Print and make a copy of your post and leave it on the bench for the coach to find and then work really hard feigning ignorance!

Greenmonsters said:

Print and make a copy of your post and leave it on the bench for the coach to find and then work really hard feigning ignorance!

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actually, coach must have ESP. our last indoor practice tonight (team got use of junior high gymnasium once a week as program is kind of a feeder for their local HS). after warmups and stretching , and perimeter run, HC breaks em down 3x3.

hitting station - girl on tee hitting into net, girl setting balls on tee, one AC side tossing golf wiffle balls to 3rd

fielding station - HC hitting wiffles to three girls with soft hands pad on glove hand, then 11" softies with soft hands trainers, then 11" softies with gloves (not ideal, as balls hop very differently, but I think softies was condition of getting space)

strength/agility station, girls had a routine using a training ladder, stacks of cards, etc..

at end, they did a few silly races (would go up and back, segmented in four different type of movement, ie bear crawl, army soldier, running, cartwheels, crab walk, duck walk), then 30 minutes for Ps and Cs

next week we are all outdoor (2X a week), hopefully this trend continues

bmakj said:

next week we are all outdoor (2X a week), hopefully this trend continues

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A compliment can say a lot..."I really liked the small groups at the indoor practice. It had everyone involved and active. It keeps them from getting bored."

In rec ball, the coach is expected to teach the kids how to throw, catch, field, and run...everything.

In TB, the players should develop their skills outside the team practices. So, team practices focus much more on team than on individual skill work.

It doesn't sound like a well run practice, but it is really hard to tell. Some very high level TB teams barely practice, and when they do they look awful...then the team goes out and murders all the competition.

There are bad TB coaches, just like there are bad Rec ball, HS and college coaches.

Additionally, you have to be a little mercenary about TB. Take the time that you would have spent coaching the team, and spend that time developing your DD.

sluggers said:

In rec ball, the coach is expected to teach the kids how to throw, catch, field, and run...everything.

In TB, the players should develop their skills outside the team practices. So, team practices focus much more on team than on individual skill work.

It doesn't sound like a well run practice, but it is really hard to tell. Some very high level TB teams barely practice, and when they do they look awful...then the team goes out and murders all the competition.

There are bad TB coaches, just like there are bad Rec ball, HS and college coaches.

Additionally, you have to be a little mercenary about TB. Take the time that you would have spent coaching the team, and spend that time developing your DD.

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I think at 10u (and almost all 9s) you still have to work on skills. additionally this team is brand new TB team in an existing org. some of the girls still need plenty of work on fundamentals, some are recruited from TB soccer team of HC's spouse, athletic, but still working on skills. gotta walk before you run.

about as well run practice as I can think of with the amount of help the HC has (two AC, I am willing to help, but only called on to catch for pitchers when they work so far, also volunteered to bring and let them use my net & tee whenever I am there). far better than last practice where 9 girls lined up in field and coach would hit balls and have them field and throw (1B for IF, 2B or cut for OF).

I try as much as I can to develop DD, been hard with weather lately, and we now have a softball practice scheduled every night of the week (DD1 plays travel level FH in addition to rec softball, 14u, DD2 plays softball for rec and travel teams). gonna try to convince DW to let me take them to a cage (need to find a new one, one nearest to us, 5 min away, closed last year) tonight, as no practices, rain all day

Since you are talking about a 10U team, I agree that the practice is not thought out. It is a difficult situation.

Sounds like your plate is full enough right now without trying to help at practice. I had 2 DDs--one played travel hoops and the other TB. There wasn't enough time to even attempt to coach both.

bmakj said:

never had detailed diagrams or plans, despite best intentions to do so. I would simply break girls down for majority of practice into as small groups as possible. typical stations were:

fly balls (mostly using tennis balls/racket), no throws
ground balls and throws to a net or bucket
hitting (typically pitched one bucket of balls to each girl, might also have them hit wiffles from tee prior to create another station)

would tailor degree of difficulty of skills to the girls at the station (and would control break down of groups to allow this). ie one group might get all the fly balls right to them, another might have to run more to get them. They all need maximum number of reps at this stage, with correction for bad mechanics (ie basket catches, etc.). No reason each girl cannot get 50+ pop flies, 50+grounders, 100+ throws, etc in a 2 hour practice. having them all lined up in field they maybe get 20 each, with those at 1B and P getting to make (or not make) a lot of catches on thrown balls and subsequent throws in to AC at HP.

would do about 25 minutes near the end where entire defense was assembled maybe with a couple of baserunners, to kind of bring all the defensive skills together. Or maybe a 5v5 scrimmage with ACs in OF, coach pitching.

Click to expand...

Love "50+ pop flies, 50+grounders, 100+ throws" . Reps reps reps.

Nothing worse than coaches who spend 1.5hrs of a 2hr practice working on 'situations'. Coach lays out the situation, imaginary base runners, imaginary right handed slapper who fakes a slap and lays down a bunt to second. Then the second baseman throws to get the wrong imaginary runner and coach talks for 8 minutes about what should have happened. 1.5 hrs later everybody got 6 balls hit to them. Come game time, routine grounder to SS and it gets booted, and a lazy pop up to left center and the outfielders look at each other while the loosing run scores. Seen it to many times in the past.

ian said:

while the loosing run scores

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which run is the loosing run?

as for plate being full, I am generally at practice anyway, so since I am there, I might as well help. I told both DDs rec/Ll softball coaches same thing, neither I nor DD will always be there (DD2 is 10u travel softball player, DD1 just made a 16u (she is still 14u) club/tournament field hockey team, basically equivalent to TB in softball, just not called that), but when I am there, I will help out in any way they want. just want the best experience possible for my DDs and all the girls really. I am also on BOD for rec/LL, as softball does not have enough representation compared to BB.

My main thing is girls should not be standing around at practice, including lined up defenseively while balls are hit and 2-3 girls are involved each time (even though they all should move somewhere on every play, but that takes time). I would take a little disorganization/lack of plans as long as they get a lot of reps of something in. situational is needed, but at 10u so is skill work, and situational should be kept to more common plays. As they get experience and the routine plays start to become truly more routine, then you move on to more complex stuff. Also, the situation stuff will sink in a lot better once the coaching staff has a few real game examples to hammer home how the little details kill you. burnt hand teaches best sometimes, gotta get some skinned knees when learning to walk and run.

this team is gonna lose, lose some big, and lose frequently this year, I am resolved to that, but they are young, and will learn, which is the real goal. no one in 10 years is gonna remember who won a local/regional B level tournament in 10u.

From experience losing all the time is no fun, things can get out of hand.