Practice Plan Question

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Aug 27, 2020
15
3
I am coaching a second year 12U team for the 21-22 season. We will have a batting practice during the week for an hour and an indoor practice every Sunday for 2 hours. The Sunday 2 hour practice will likely be split, an hour in the cages / tee work and an hour for defensive skills and strategy. I want to focus on development at this age and learning the game. Of the hour fielding practice what percentage should be skill development and what % should be learning game play? Should it be 100% development until we get closer to games them move closer to 50/50? Interested in how others approach this.

Thanks!

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Apr 20, 2015
961
93
Fundamentals are still way more important than game strategy at this age. How much team hitting you do depends on how much your girls work hitting on their own. Our national team practices 3 hours a week on Sunday together and its 2 solid hours of defensive Fundamentals with an hour of scrimmage at the end. Some game strategy sprinkled into Fundamentals but if you can't make the play then strategy doesn't matter

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Oct 26, 2019
1,375
113
I agree ^^. Let them learn the game during the game and spend practice getting kids as many good reps as you can. Teaching “Strategy” usually means coaches talking a lot and when coaches talk a lot the kids don’t usually get better.
 
May 6, 2015
2,397
113
will you have practice time still once games start? I have seen that strategy/situational practice sinks in much better after they have experienced the situation in game play (whether on defense or seeing how another teams defense handled it). if you will still be having practices once games start, note what situations the team flubs in games, highlight it in after game talk, then work on it in next practice.

now some situationals you have to practice up front, how many different ones, and how much depends on the level/experience of the team

basic situations:
rundowns
bunt coverages
rundowns
working on turning DP
run downs (DDs team had issues with run downs in spring ;)
BR on 1st and 3rd (have set plays, cut P, cut SS, cut 2, etc.)
 
Aug 27, 2020
15
3
Thank you all for the feedback. I agree and will focus on fundamentals.

We will play an indoor season in January so will use that to start developing game situations.

Also, yes we will still practice during the season so we will focus more on situations at that time

Thanks again

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