1 hr...what would you do?

[iMlearning]

If you had 1 hour to work with your DD, what exactly would you do? How much time for warm up, throwing, bat speed training, hitting drills, etc...? High School fall sports end in about 1 1/2 weeks and I'm looking to get in efficient practices. I won't have much time to work with her outside of 2 scheduled practices and personal training so I'm curious was others do. I'm so excited to get back at it! Thanks!

 

[starsnuffer]

Enjoy it.


Seriously, she's in high school now, be glad that your kid wants to spend any time at all with you. Most of the teenagers I see roaming around have little to do with their parents.

My own 14yo is a pitcher, so we pitch quite a bit. We both have busy schedules so we can't always say "we're going to pitch for an hour". If we have 15 minutes, we use it. If we have an hour, great. We talk, which is awesome. I don't care if she throws the ball over the fence if she's still telling me about her day.

Did I mention she's a 14yo pitcher? They're self motivated at that age, at least the pitchers, or they wouldn't still be pitchers. I try not to coach her, I let her self correct. I nudge, sometimes suggest. She gets mad when I make bad throws, so I try to teach her not to get mad by not getting upset when she makes a bad pitch.

We have a goal for each session, usually that goal depends on what her pitching instructor assigned her for the week, or something she wanted to work on from a previous game. We never set out to "throw 100 pitches" or "pitch for an hour". We just set out to work on whatever it is we went out there for, with the goal of being better at it when she finishes then when she started.

We don't really have time to hit like we used to. If she wasn't a pitcher that's what I think we'd do. Kids don't need dad for this though nearly as much. A crazy dad down the street has a batting cage and pitching machine in his yard, so my daughter will go down there once a week or so to hit and feed 10 or so buckets with her friend. She does T-work on her own when she gets home from school (I'd rather she did her homework first, but apparently kids study better after exercise so I'm not going to fight it).

Just make sure you enjoy it, and that you enjoy it as her dad, not as her coach. She has lots of coaches. She only has one dad.

-W

 

[rdbass]

starsnuffer,
You said it so well. My DD is also a pitcher 14yo. I don't know how much longer she will get to pitch. So we work mostly on hitting. No scheduled either. It depends on the homework load. Homework comes first. So its not so much what we do in that hour its that we were together for that hour. I'm sure parents know how rare that time with the kids are. So DD thinks were "practicing". As far as iMlearning, what ever you do have a plan.

 

[iMlearning]

Thanks for the advice. I truly have missed going out to practice with her and we have a good time. I usually will take her to Chipotle after (her favorite place to eat). She just doesn't want her mother to go because she is harder on her than me If I asked her what she wants to do, it would probably be the walk-up-drill for the entire time.
As far as homework goes...I think she's done more already this year than I did my entire 4 years in high school!

 

[rdbass]

These are some of the drills FFS uses,he knows a few things lol
http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-hitting-technical/11038-coil-into-lean-5.html#post124703
I like the walk up drill also it captures all the moves. I like when you get to just pitching the ball to them to various locations. They may not be the best swings but, DD seems to figure out how to hit the ball. I will tweak and duck as we go along.

 

[3'sDad]

DD is 15 and also a pitcher (at least for another year). When we have an hour, we do the following:

Pitching for 20-25 minutes - she knows what she needs to work on. I catch
Hitting 20-25 - side toss and front toss. Dad does duck and cover on front toss as DD likes to hit the ball up the middle
Fielding - DD's other position is OF and she has a stronger and weaker side; so most of out time is spent working on fielding to her weaker side to even thins out.

 

[nanotech14]

My dd and I like to work on pitching and hitting off the tee and after that what ever she might want to do. She can pratice first, homework after that. I have a different idea when it comes to homework. I think it is a lazy teacher that assigns homework. I will help my dd with her homework, just to get it done and out of the way. Kids spend 7 hours a day now in a prison like setting, with adults that for the most part are on a power trip.They think that they are right and the child can't have their own ideas. Sorry don't get me started on the failed cookie cutter school system. My dd is a honor student not because of the teachers or the school. She is a honor student because I encourge her to look for many ways to solve the problems or find the answers. What can you do in 1 hour, what ever your dd finds fun and benefits her growth as a person and softball player. I question THE MAN all the time

 

[iMlearning]

. Dad does duck and cover on front toss as DD likes to hit the ball up the middle
Fielding - DD's other position is OF and she has a stronger and weaker side; so most of out time is spent working on fielding to her weaker side to even thins out.

I stopped "duck and cover" after getting hit in the temple with...it's embarrassing to say...a tennis ball. I definitely saw stars. Bought a a screen the day after.

 

[rdbass]

Be thankful it was "just" a tennis ball. My DD hit me in the side of my beer gut I started to cry.

 

[Perfect Circle]

If I only got one hour, this has to be in there.... fast and FUN!!! Hooks to anything...even bumpers of vehicles...that means at night with lights on.... :{)

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