Getting back on the field. Whats your Strategy?

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radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Getting back on the field what will be your first few practice strategies?
Same 'ol thing?
Or a plan to get acclimated again?

For catching & hitting students we will review all of our mechanics with muscle memory drill work.
Befor handling the ball.
Or swinging the bat at a ball.
Remind the body exactly what we would like it to do.
To avoid sloppy.

As an important note.
Please take stretching seriously. With some bodies gone dorment for a couple months.
Stretching will be important to lengthen out muscles and ligaments that have been relaxed.
Even shortened slightly by lack of use.
Especially throwing which result pulls muscles like a stretched out rubberband.
Light stretching after working out will help recuperation also.

GO SOFTBALL !!!
 
Last edited:
Apr 20, 2018
4,581
113
SoCal
I hope players would have been encouraged to stay in shape during the pandemic. Throwing with a parent or a sibling. Tennis balls against the wall if need be. No TB player should have "bodies gone dorment for a couple months." Out team has been doing Zoom strength and agility and hitting at least twice a week. There is a social aspect to Zoom too. Girls look forward to it. Players get to see each other and interact, talk and laugh. Pitchers better be throwing at least 2 or 3 times a week. If your DD plays TB, a bownet and a bucket of balls are necessities.
When we resume to play, will there be a fall-out of players quitting the game shortly thereafter? Will some have lost interest? parents lost interest? financially tough to continue?
 
Feb 15, 2017
391
43
Zero doubt its going to look different than normal. We are moving forward with the assumptions that everyone has been doing individual work and the workout suggestions provided. Practice will consist of reps on the field, bunt rotations and throws/tags. Pitchers and catchers will work together. We wont be lining up tee, bunt and soft toss stations etc. A ton of IF and OF reps can be done in a short time if you know how to organize. If everyone did the work they should have, then 2 two hour intense focused sessions should be enough to get us on the field with little rust to knock off on the fly. There just isn’t enough time to do it “the old way”
 
Feb 10, 2018
496
93
NoVA
Like others, we have been doing Zoom practices 2 or 3 times a week that include some calisthenics, hitting into a net, as well as some activity designed to boost softball IQ (e.g., watching and analyzing games). Of course, there is a team cohesion/social aspect to this too. I have to say, though, that the girls are generally getting tired of doing things virtually...aren't we all.

We have started to talk about in-person practice again when the state and county authorities give the green light to folks gathering in groups of 10 or less in outdoor spaces. We are planning to divide the team in half so that we can have one set of girls getting reps with coaches for an hour or more and then bring the next group in (or do them on alternating days). This phase would also allow us to have live bullpens with pitchers and catchers.

When we get clearance for larger groups (25+), the goal would be to hold full team practices and to organize friendlies/double headers with other local travel teams. We've even discussed forming a summer league with several local travel teams, which could be interesting. I don't really see playing softball any other way in our area this summer and probably the fall. And all that assumes no setbacks. Setting recruitment to one side (we are 13U and move up to 14U in the fall), I don't how much I'll miss the whole tournament merry-go-round. Playing 7 inning games a few times a week against solid or good competition sounds pretty damn good.

Even if we get to do any of the above, we will be taking additional precautions (coaches wearing masks, few if any parents present at game, social distancing among players not on the playing field, etc.). It's going to have to be different until we have a much better testing regime and treatments and, most importantly, a vaccine. Don't see how the old tournament model can possibly stand up to this disease.
 
Apr 20, 2018
4,581
113
SoCal
"We've even discussed forming a summer league with several local travel teams, which could be interesting. "

I love this idea! Twi-light double headers and three games on Sunday. Four week season. Playoffs and championships on the 5th weekend. Do it again if need be.
 
Feb 28, 2015
307
28
Heatbox
"We've even discussed forming a summer league with several local travel teams, which could be interesting. "

I love this idea! Twi-light double headers and three games on Sunday. Four week season. Playoffs and championships on the 5th weekend. Do it again if need be.
Our Coach just told us that we're doing something similar but no details yet. We just know some of the teams who are participating. Thinking we will have to play at night because of the heat.
 
Mar 22, 2016
505
63
Southern California
"We've even discussed forming a summer league with several local travel teams, which could be interesting. "

I love this idea! Twi-light double headers and three games on Sunday. Four week season. Playoffs and championships on the 5th weekend. Do it again if need be.

I've always envisioned league-style of play for softball/baseball travel as more attractive then weekend tournaments.
 
Feb 21, 2017
198
28
I have always thought the baseball way is better. Mostly double-headers every weekend (some are league games and some are scrimmages). Play a set number of league games and that seats teams for a tournament/playoff at the end of season.

My son played 40-50 games a year with only 1 or 2 tournaments and the amount we saved in travel, hotels is huge but really the time because we didn’t travel as much.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Oct 4, 2018
4,611
113
I hope players would have been encouraged to stay in shape during the pandemic. Throwing with a parent or a sibling. Tennis balls against the wall if need be. No TB player should have "bodies gone dorment for a couple months." Out team has been doing Zoom strength and agility and hitting at least twice a week. There is a social aspect to Zoom too. Girls look forward to it. Players get to see each other and interact, talk and laugh. Pitchers better be throwing at least 2 or 3 times a week. If your DD plays TB, a bownet and a bucket of balls are necessities.
When we resume to play, will there be a fall-out of players quitting the game shortly thereafter? Will some have lost interest? parents lost interest? financially tough to continue?

Much easier said than done of course. Especially at younger ages. :(
 

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