New To Coaching

[softballrl]

I am new to coaching and need to ask an opinion on drills. Is it best to keep on the same drill in a practice until it is done right or keep things moving so the girls don't get bored and pick up at a later practice? Also, what is the opinion on practice plans: have a strict practice plan with time limits for certain drills or go more by feel?

 

[quincy]

You will get better opions if you let the board know the age group and level of your Team.

Congratulations, I think.

 

[softballrl]

10U now 12U come spring B level town travel team Thanks

 

[Momo'sDad]

I am new to coaching and need to ask an opinion on drills. Is it best to keep on the same drill in a practice until it is done right or keep things moving so the girls don't get bored and pick up at a later practice? Also, what is the opinion on practice plans: have a strict practice plan with time limits for certain drills or go more by feel?

A variety of different drills can be used to teach the same softball skill. The goal should be for the players to develop the skill, not merely to become proficient at a specific drill. Keep things fresh.

ALWAYS have a practice plan, even if you do not stick to it perfectly.

 

[RichK]

I don't know about "strict" practice plans but do have a well-organized and written one. And then be ready to adjust based on how the practice actually goes (ie, you may end up needed to spend a whole practice on throwing, when you thought you'd just take 10 minutes, etc).

I am HUGE on getting basics down first, especially at such a young age. Catch and throw, catch and throw -- and do it right. Don't let mistakes go by, fix them right away.

So I don't know about doing the same DRILLS over and over, but I would make sure they can properly throw and catch before moving onto fielding a grounder and I'd make sure they know how to properly field a grounder before moving on to double plays, etc. etc. How can they do an advanced play -- say first-and-third steal "play" unless they can catch and throw. Same with hitting -- do they have a good tee swing? If not, don't worry about whether they can hit live pitching. Fix the basics first.

Work to build that kind of solid base and you may start off slow (wins and losses) versus other teams but you'll win in the long run.

Good luck.

 

[bucketdad99]

When I coached 10u/12u, I would vary the drills to keep them fresh and girls engaged. I always drafted up a practice plan based on the same structure: warmups, 2 or 3 sets skills-drills & conditioning (combining the skills and conditioning whenever possible), and finishing with some kind of activity like scrimmage or other competitive but fun challenge. The practices would never run exactly as planned but I would mostly accomplish what I set out to accomplish at the practice. That's what worked for me anyhow.

Funny thing this year though, I am coaching 14u this season and the girls are really focused on mastering the particular drills. At the girl's request, we are now running the same drill a few practices in a row until they've got it down to perfection. It's weird, they really like honing their skills with drills now and not just want to scrimmage all practice long...who knew? I am thinking it is because they are all preparing for their high school tryouts and know that the HS coach will be evaluating technique.

 

[shockcoach]

Some of the best advice I ever got was, "Stop the drill at the peak of it's success!" Don't harp on them until they all get it right, but do correct them as you're going through the drill. They will lose focus if you keep at the same drill and it's time consuming. Give them something else to do and move on to the next drill. Personally, I rarely spend more than 5 minutes on a drill. I have the next practice to correct them, and the next, and the next....

Good luck

 

[sluggers]

Is it best to keep on the same drill in a practice until it is done right or keep things moving so the girls don't get bored and pick up at a later practice?

It depends upon the drill.

E.g., for basic grounders and pop ups, you should expect perfect execution from the players.

For a new drill or a complex task, you would accept something less before moving on.

Also, what is the opinion on practice plans: have a strict practice plan with time limits for certain drills or go more by feel?

Usually, you make a list of activities to do in a practice. It is doubtful you will ever get through the entire list, but it is better to have too much to do than too little.


For each drill, you have an expectation of the performance expected from the kids at the end of activity. Sometimes, the kids learn fast and quickly master the skill. Other times, they struggle. It could be two or three practices before they get it. So, you will have to modify your practice.

The coach also has a filler for the end (usually a game or two), so that there is no dead time.

 

[JerseyBall]

I think it depends on the skill level of the girls on your team. My team, 14U, I have several rec players and girls from tb teams that never took the time to teach them anything really. So I will run the drills through 2 or 3 times and I will be sure to explain when the girls do their mechanics incorrectly, and tell them when they are right. I will then move onto a similar drill. For example I might do charges from third to first and then reverse it from first to third. So now the girls get twice the amount of charging grounders but one set with the crossover throw and one with a pivot throw. My girls think drills are fun and there seems to be a lack of drill running with teams in the area because some of the girls tell me they've never done drills other than the coach hitting fly balls to them.
And yes, I always plan out my practices. It's important to have a plan and make sure you attack the things you want to work on from a variety of ways that keeps practice interesting and challenging. If you keep your plans, you can review them and keep a master list of every aspect of the game and see how much you covered each aspect and what you need to work on.

Just don't keep it all drills, be sure to include some competitive games and work through the playbook. Start with singles to left, right, and second with nobody on and practice those. I've found that many girls have only some vague idea of how to play each situation and as we've worked through the playbook as a team, the girls have gotten so much better with getting the ball to the infield with no hesitation.

Best of luck to you!

 

[PA SB Dad]

For younger players, I think keeping the practice moving is very important along with water breaks and the "mental health" break for the coaches. I draw out a plan for each practice and share it the day before with my assistant coaches. I ask them to take on specific tasks/drills, and if they are helping me, they are the ones to take a player aside for additional instruction while the drill continues for the rest of the girls. I try not to bring the entire practice to a halt unless the point I am making is for the entire team, not just the one player. I don't always get through everything on the plan, but if I get through 80 or 90% of it, then we had a productive 2 hours.