Situational practice.

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Jun 19, 2019
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Is there particular situations that you go over first over others or feel more important to go over before others? You can also answer this question by stating what situations you think or more important to go over in a list from top to bottom. And we really don’t have to talk about no runners on, throw to first unless there is something important in which your average coach might not know. 12u. 10u. Thanks.
 
Jul 22, 2015
851
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Rundowns. I'm irrationally angry about missing an out in a rundown. If we get the opportunity that has to be an out every time. The younger the age-group the more of those opportunities you seem to get and getting an out each time can be really significant. Also small-ball (both bunts and slaps) situations with runners on base. I absolutely hate to give up bases due to nothing more than someone not understanding where they should be and/or leaving a base open.
 

NBECoach

Learning everyday
Aug 9, 2018
408
63
Besides giving the players a basic rules test at those ages make sure they know you can play the orange base on a dropped 3rd strike in foul territory. The runner must use the white base so position the 1B properly.
 
Oct 26, 2019
1,375
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The best thing I have found is to simulate those situations in practice. When we are using live runners in practice our rule is to run until they get you out. This means we are always advancing the extra base which puts extreme pressure on the defense and will bring up a bunch of situations (especially rundowns). As a bonus - your runners will learn to be more aggressive and they will have a better baseline for when they can take an extra base and when they can’t.
 
May 4, 2020
167
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Rundowns. I'm irrationally angry about missing an out in a rundown. If we get the opportunity that has to be an out every time. The younger the age-group the more of those opportunities you seem to get and getting an out each time can be really significant. Also small-ball (both bunts and slaps) situations with runners on base. I absolutely hate to give up bases due to nothing more than someone not understanding where they should be and/or leaving a base open.
Not every time. Sometimes you gotta be happy with sending the runner back to the base she came from. Balls get misplayed, overthrown, and some runners are fast/shifty.
 
Jul 22, 2015
851
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Not every time. Sometimes you gotta be happy with sending the runner back to the base she came from. Balls get misplayed, overthrown, and some runners are fast/shifty.
NOPE. Has to be an out (at anything over 10u anyway). When you play good teams and they give you the opportunity for a free out you have to take it. If you coach your team to be happy with just chasing the runner back that's exactly what they will do every time. Let them know what's expected and don't settle for less. Clearly, there will be times they don't execute the play and I'm not saying you pull a kid out of the game or chew them out, but always explain what went wrong and how to fix it. You'll rarely get better results than you ask for, and you'll often be amazed at what they can achieve when you set the bar higher.
 
May 4, 2020
167
28
NOPE. Has to be an out (at anything over 10u anyway). When you play good teams and they give you the opportunity for a free out you have to take it. If you coach your team to be happy with just chasing the runner back that's exactly what they will do every time. Let them know what's expected and don't settle for less. Clearly, there will be times they don't execute the play and I'm not saying you pull a kid out of the game or chew them out, but always explain what went wrong and how to fix it. You'll rarely get better results than you ask for, and you'll often be amazed at what they can achieve when you set the bar higher.
High standards are great. Your looking for perfection and that doesn’t exist. That’s like saying your going to make the right coaching decision every time. Trust me you are not.
 
Jun 19, 2019
60
8
High standards are great. Your looking for perfection and that doesn’t exist. That’s like saying your going to make the right coaching decision every time. Trust me you are not.
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I’ve seen a big difference in my girls by teaching them we will mess up and when you do be positive and keep your head up so your ready for next play. I’ve been more positive out loud after mistakes and all that has helped with our attitudes. But I also feel you can try to be perfect as long as you handle it well when you are not perfect. I would say Trying to be perfect is trying to do your best and do everything Your taught correct. Just have to also know that you will mess up and be ready to handle it.
 
Jul 29, 2013
6,782
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North Carolina
Situational live scrimmages going over certain scenarios that your team struggles with, or have been burned by one time too many! Fix it!

And I agree with everything in mmeece’s first post! We worked on rundowns every practice at that age, if you don’t get an out, they BETTER go back to the base they came from!!

And outfielders hitting proper cutoffs AND throwing ahead of base runners..........those two make my head explode! I don’t like outfielders anyway! ;)😆
 

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