1st Year U10 Team

[covrec1]

For the last 3 months my first year U10 team has been going over a lot of fundemantals, pitching, hitting, and throwing to bases with runners on and off. We had our first game last night and the girls had no concept of the game of softball. We were not going on pass balls, stealing when told, sliding, swinging at bad pitches, and so on. Any thoughts or is this normal for 8 and 9 year olds 1st year of playing because at U8 it was coach pitch.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

That sounds about right. Grrr. No one is helping them outside of practice.

 

[SoGASoftball]

Normal. Try to run a scrimmage at the end of practice or dedicate an entire practice to a scrimmage. Otherwise, repetition, repetition, repetition.

 

[chinamigarden]

For the last 3 months my first year U10 team has been going over a lot of fundemantals, pitching, hitting, and throwing to bases with runners on and off. We had our first game last night and the girls had no concept of the game of softball. We were not going on pass balls, stealing when told, sliding, swinging at bad pitches, and so on. Any thoughts or is this normal for 8 and 9 year olds 1st year of playing because at U8 it was coach pitch.

So the other day my dds game, we have runners at 1st and 2nd. 2 outs we are tied. Batter hits a fly ball to center. Runner on second goes back to the base to tag up, ball is dropped, she only gets to third. If she is running on contact she easily scores. Cost us a run and the game.

Yes 10 u players will make mistakes. And so will a 16 year old who have been playing half of her life whose father was a minor league player, who has coached his dd (and all the other girls around) on how to properly run bases... It happens, kids forget, or have a brain fart. Its normal. I'm not saying it should be accepted and never addressed, I'm just saying its going to happen.

 

[robertc3]

Not only is it normal, it is as it should be. Focusing on the fundamentals in practice and using the games to teach game skills is totally appropriate at that age. The girls need to develop their basic skills so that they can get to the point where the other stuff matters. The sliding needs to be taught in practice and the swinging at bat pitches can be address during batting practice, but I wouldn't devote practice time to teaching the girls to run on a passed ball. They will get plenty of chances to practice that during the games.

 

[FP26]

Normal. Try to run a scrimmage at the end of practice or dedicate an entire practice to a scrimmage. Otherwise, repetition, repetition, repetition.

Good answer. Not only is it normal, but it can be contagious. Especially at the younger ages.

 

[CLM265]

Welcome to my world.

 

[WinThemAll]

I used to let the players play an "unorganized" game of kickball before practice officially started. It was amazing to see how aggressive they became at base running and how they translated it to softball. If it started to get outta hand, I stepped in and asked them questions about how it related to the game of softball and why you would or wouldn't to do it that way.

It is also helpful to have someone in the dugout during the game that will talk to the kids about what is going on on the field. It helps, especially when you are playing a good team and your team is on offense and that person can explain the game. Sometimes the "dugout coach" spends to much time just watching the game and not explaining the game to the players.

It is also a good idea to have the girls watch a game as a group. It can just be an older age groups game. They need to pick a player that plays the same position. Tell them up front to be able to tell you what that person did well, if there is something that they could do better. You have to sit with them and guide them through a couple of innings of the game. Otherwise they will make multiple trips to the bathroom or concession stand. ;-)

Sometimes the quickest way to learn is to make mistakes. . .

 

[chrispots]

I've been at 10U for 3 years...I could write a book on what worked and what didn't

Here's my reader's digest version:
Rule #1: Have ZERO expectations
Rule #2: Make ZERO Assumptions
Rule #3: Have FUN with IT!

You are starting to eat the proverbial elephant...don't try to eat it all at once (or jam it down their throats all at once) because you'll either choke on it or throw it up because they can only absorb so much. One bite at a time!

It does get better...we've won 2 of our last 6 tournaments and lost another in the finals. Patient and persistence. One last tip...I never have more than 2 or 3 things that I focus on in a practice. For example, if you are focusing on defensive base coverage, I move the bases in to make the throws shorter and the catches easier. Why? Because I don't want the focus to be on throwing and catching. I want the focus to be on "runner is here, ball is hit there...now what?" If I want to focus on throwing and catching, I don't care where the base runners are and every throw will be to 1st base, for example. This falls under my eat the elephant one bite at a time mantra...you will be tempted to do this often...It's always been a disaster for me...K.I.S.S. Keep it simple softball has been very effective for me at the 10U level...CP

 

[GOINGDEEP]

We were not going on pass balls, stealing when told, sliding, swinging at bad pitches, and so on.

My advice is break EACH of these problem areas down, one at a time, over time. Don't try to cover a dozen scenarios until they are comfortable with a couple. Have every girl working on pass balls until you see who gets it, and who doesn't, same way on each objective. It will give a better understanding ( at 10u ) concentrating on one thing at a time, than a practice cramming 6-7 things into their minds. The cramming will come later as their skills increase.