Can you explain the 'bat head throwing' and 'casted swing?'
I coached a 4-8 rec team one spring and half that team was like yours. You will need help don't try to do it all unless you have too. Small groups from 3-4 kids. I split the kids up based on what they could and couldn't do. Basically I didn't put all the kids that couldn't hit in one group I split them up. When teaching how to throw and catch. I used foam softballs or tennis balls, no gloves just their hands for the first month. Fielding I rolled the balls at first, hitting we used a tee a lot. Work on running the bases that one area I didnt and wished I had.
Same as jnw96 stated.
DD, nickname is stone hands, coach started with the player throwing to their parent and the parent rolling the ball back to them.
I would start catching with tennis balls or some other softer ball with bare hands, introduce the mitt, and then introduce whatever ball you play with.
It is a slow process for some of the players.
Edit: For 8U and under you are going to have a lot of parents there, show them what to do and they will help.
It's simple, it's dull, but it's very important to know when the fingers should be pointing up versus when they should be down.
The girls I have coached have always enjoyed one on one races (use two bases side by side, stand past the bases and the first to touch your hand wins), learning how to round first and the another is half of them start at 2nd and the other half at home and have each girl run back to the base they started from and see which team wins. Don't short change the girls, some of them will be more capable than you might think.
Some players will put their mitt in the most convoluted position trying to catch the ball, both grounders and fly balls. No idea why. Bare hands they look great, put a glove on their hand no idea what is going on. Jump back and forth as needed. DD is 11 and I still hit tennis balls to her in the OF, she is her Team’s best OF even though she doesn’t get to play it very often.
I don’t like the player throwing a tennis ball too hard so it is usually a ½ throw. Rolling the ball is great.
Mike Candrea: USA Softball - Defensive Drills - YouTube