8U Playing Time

[stox]

Having watched the worst 6U and 8U coaches in our rec league yell "THROW TO FIRST" every play - for multiple years because I've now had 3 kids in those age divisions over time - I disagree.

Your league's coaches tell their kids to throw? Not bad! Some of ours will have the kids play tag with the ball in their hand.

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[CoachCeetar]

Having watched the worst 6U and 8U coaches in our rec league yell "THROW TO FIRST" every play - for multiple years because I've now had 3 kids in those age divisions over time - I disagree.

Yes there are moments to get the out at first, but young girls should be taught that softball is a thinking game and a game of planning ahead. I watched a coach screaming at my daughter, who was a third, to throw a ball to first when she had a runner coming at her from second in a force out situation and my daughter was maybe 3 feet from 3rd! I was about to lose my mind. The coaches in 8U who bring up solid teams of girls to 10U have started drilling situations into their heads and go for the easiest out, not always the out at first. In order to go for the easiest out, you first have to know what the easiest out is. That means situations, situations, situations in practice.

imo, this should be coached incrementally. At 6, 8, their first "games" they probably don't even know TO throw the ball to first. But, there's always an out at first. You're training them to focus on fielding and making that part of the play, _and then_ throw to first for the out.

Then you build on it. "Okay, you're playing SS. If the ball is hit to you here, I want you to get the closest out. Where is that? Second."

Then you introduce the decision. But to do this you have to explain force outs. And the difference between force outs and tag outs. And explain why they can't just throw to second on the first play of the inning. AND you have to explain COVERING second to someone else. If it's not the shortfielder, you have to teach the SS/2B about Ball/Base/Backup and if they're going for it or covering. You're gonna get a lot of kids picking up the ball, and then doing a lot of spinning around, and then throwing it to first anyway.

This is a lot of thinking for a a child who's only been playing games for a couple dozen months at best. If you introduce easiest out you really have to DRILL IT in, and not every 8u team has the time for that. It takes a lot of mental practice and reps, in a game, to think of what you're going to do with the ball before the play, and do it in the moment. Oh, and no matter what you drilled, you'll have two coaches and 7 parents yelling stuff at them during it. Maybe some teams can handle it, but certainly not all teams. Gotta adjust based on the level of familiarity with it all.

I think a lot of this becomes individualized. If one kid is competently understanding the force situation and getting the out, then you take them aside and explain to them the next thing "okay, so runner on second, no force but that runner might try to run, so this is how you tag them. Give them one second and they're not running, throw to first" sort of thing.

But most importantly I think, coaches ON the field at that level. Not just pitching, teaching the whole time.