- Jul 29, 2023
- 1
- 1
Coaching 11u for the first time this year, travel team C level. Trying to set up a practice plan for each practice/week spreadsheet to keep us all organized, does anyone have any tips or resources?
Coaching 11U Practice Plans
- Thread starter Softball luv
- Start date
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We are starting here and we want to end up there: Offense (now break it down)
We are starting here and we want to end up there: Defense (now break it down)
We are starting here and we want to end up there: Mental (knowledge, motivation, competitiveness, coachability, team minded, sportsmanship, why we're doing what we're doing, when we do it and when we don't do it, etc)
These are the fundamentals you need to ask yourself about and your ACs, if you have them. The answers are somewhere in DFP.
We are starting here and we want to end up there: Defense (now break it down)
We are starting here and we want to end up there: Mental (knowledge, motivation, competitiveness, coachability, team minded, sportsmanship, why we're doing what we're doing, when we do it and when we don't do it, etc)
These are the fundamentals you need to ask yourself about and your ACs, if you have them. The answers are somewhere in DFP.
Spend 80% of your time on the things that occur the most in games (hitting, fielding, throwing, base-running, common situations).
I try to develop a standard pattern to each season’s practices so that there’s a feeling of routine that things occur in. Pay attention to the rhythm of the practice-
if something you are doing will require more than typical listening or waiting for a turn sandwich it between high intensity drills. I try to introduce no more than 2 new drills per practice (many of the frequent flyer drills can be run with a different focus/ emphasis or degree of difficulty).
Each season/‘group seems to need / respond different things. For instance, some might benefit from lots of drills framed as competition. A drill or game that is fantastic at one age or with one group will flop with another.
Maybe most importantly before anything else is possible: plan practices. That means you know who will be there, players and helpers. Think about equipment, balls, time… and afterwards be introspective and think about how you can get better.
And then (this was the hardest for me) -
Be ready for your careful plans to fail and learn to flex and take it in stride.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I try to develop a standard pattern to each season’s practices so that there’s a feeling of routine that things occur in. Pay attention to the rhythm of the practice-
if something you are doing will require more than typical listening or waiting for a turn sandwich it between high intensity drills. I try to introduce no more than 2 new drills per practice (many of the frequent flyer drills can be run with a different focus/ emphasis or degree of difficulty).
Each season/‘group seems to need / respond different things. For instance, some might benefit from lots of drills framed as competition. A drill or game that is fantastic at one age or with one group will flop with another.
Maybe most importantly before anything else is possible: plan practices. That means you know who will be there, players and helpers. Think about equipment, balls, time… and afterwards be introspective and think about how you can get better.
And then (this was the hardest for me) -
Be ready for your careful plans to fail and learn to flex and take it in stride.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Start with an overall picture of your year. Break it into seasons such as fall ball, winter practice spring/summer. Then take each season and look at what you want to work on . For fall you may not have much time for practices before games start. Keep it basic. Fundamentals never go away. I have, along with many other coaches, a standard warm up routine. Exercise, stretching first. Then a progressive throwing and catching routine. Then another routine which I call everydays that add glove and footwork in.
In the first practice you will quickly see what you need to work on as far as defense. CVsoftball said it well but take it in smaller bites. First week what do you want to cover. Then break that down into practices to see if you can really cover that material.
I break things down into two sections - technical and tactical. Technical show them how to do a certain technique or skill. Tactical shows them how to apply that skill in reality.
In the first practice you will quickly see what you need to work on as far as defense. CVsoftball said it well but take it in smaller bites. First week what do you want to cover. Then break that down into practices to see if you can really cover that material.
I break things down into two sections - technical and tactical. Technical show them how to do a certain technique or skill. Tactical shows them how to apply that skill in reality.
Keep practice fast paced and up beat.
At this age and according to skill level, they may need dry drills,
Just learning the proper movements.
#1 learn to catch and throw. Receiver is just as important as person throwing.
#2 infield drills. Start with rolling ground balls. Search for Mile Candrea USA softball to get an idea.
#3 Outfield drills - learn how to drop step, glove and throwing side.
Above should be done every practice for everyone. Lots of reps, keep it moving.
I also like a 4 corners drill to help with communication, footwork and learning to catch and throw around the bases.
Base running - work on this, how to get leads, how to read and react quickly
I would add in other drills to keep things interesting but the fundamentals should be done every practice.
Lots of drill wok and then spend some time doing situational work.
Pitching and hitting - to be any good, they must work on their own. But definitely incorporate this into practice .
We would always add some from of completion when possible. We would play a hitting game. At the end of practice. Have them all get their bats and gloves.
Everyone hits. You get one pitch. If it’s fair, you keep hitting., swing and miss or foul, you get glove and go to the field. If you catch someone hit cleanly, you get to go back in line and hit.
Last person hitting is the winner. This is fun, girls love it, it teaches them to really do for the ball on defense and also teaches them to hit the ball hard. This is a great end of practice game for this age group.
We call it fair or foul
At this age and according to skill level, they may need dry drills,
Just learning the proper movements.
#1 learn to catch and throw. Receiver is just as important as person throwing.
#2 infield drills. Start with rolling ground balls. Search for Mile Candrea USA softball to get an idea.
#3 Outfield drills - learn how to drop step, glove and throwing side.
Above should be done every practice for everyone. Lots of reps, keep it moving.
I also like a 4 corners drill to help with communication, footwork and learning to catch and throw around the bases.
Base running - work on this, how to get leads, how to read and react quickly
I would add in other drills to keep things interesting but the fundamentals should be done every practice.
Lots of drill wok and then spend some time doing situational work.
Pitching and hitting - to be any good, they must work on their own. But definitely incorporate this into practice .
We would always add some from of completion when possible. We would play a hitting game. At the end of practice. Have them all get their bats and gloves.
Everyone hits. You get one pitch. If it’s fair, you keep hitting., swing and miss or foul, you get glove and go to the field. If you catch someone hit cleanly, you get to go back in line and hit.
Last person hitting is the winner. This is fun, girls love it, it teaches them to really do for the ball on defense and also teaches them to hit the ball hard. This is a great end of practice game for this age group.
We call it fair or foul
