Practice Advice

[coach_w_dirt_dobberz]

Hey all! I am back again. I was able to get my travel team all together and the girls are having a blast and really improving.

Running into some issues with juggling everything though. My wife the rockstar that she is helps me coach as well as handles all of the team management stuff. Normally she takes the girls out for infielder and outfielder drills works on our throwing routine and fielding dailies. She also makes awesome competitive games for them while I handle batting. She really is an awesome assistant coach even if she doesn't believe it.

With batting it takes me so long to get through it. I feel like if I only throw 5-10 balls to the girls, I am robbing them. I also get super bogged down with tee work and trying to pay attention to a lot of the fine details to get them where they need to be. I recruited girls coming out of rec ball as a developmental team, I didn't/don't expect them to go out and win a bunch of tournaments, I am mainly just trying to build them up for next season as they are all 2012/2013s.

I have asked parents for help as assistants but not much luck. They are good with helping here and there, but I am looking for a real assistant that can dig in and I can trust to work with the girls to develop them. Not just watch them through a lot of drills. I need one person that can be on 1st base in the tournaments as well as be at every practice and learn the stuff and dig in. I am not perfect, and I am ok with taking advice - but I do have a vision for my girls, and I want to keep it as uniform as possible. This is 100% volunteer and I pay my dues for my kid right along with the rest of the parents. I do it because I love the sport, I love working with the kids and I wish it was my full-time job instead of IT, but alas it can't pay the bills the way IT does.

How do you other weekend warrior Coach Dads manage this? My kids again are all developmental. They are not rockstar kids - they have heart and work their butts off, but they look to me to teach them. Parents aren't the types that go and drop a heap load on private lessons. My previous two seasons we have been awesome defensively, and batting has always killed us. I currently am focusing on batting all three practices - but due to field availability at the church (fundraisers, vacation bible school, competing with 11 other teams) we have to claw and scratch for field space. We have been at the indoor facility alot which lends to lots of batting work and fielding drills. I still need to work with pitchers and catchers. Just never seems like enough time . We practice three times a week - 1.5 hours per session. I have thought about offering individuals as well, but space to do that will be something I run into.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

I currently am focusing on batting all three practices - but due to field availability at the church (fundraisers, vacation bible school, competing with 11 other teams) we have to claw and scratch for field space. We have been at the indoor facility alot which lends to lots of batting work and fielding drills. I still need to work with pitchers and catchers. Just never seems like enough time . We practice three times a week - 1.5 hours per session. I have thought about offering individuals as well, but space to do that will be something I run into.

I would not hit at practice, you are wasting time. IF you can get another parent (or your wife) to cycle kids through soft toss one at a time (off to the side) that is your best bet.

The hitters aren't getting enough out of it and there are other things you could be working on. When I coach 10u All-Stars we don't hit at all in practice.

 

[coach_w_dirt_dobberz]

So how do you get hitting work in? I tried to approach it in that way previous seasons and it has bitten me in the butt with kids woefully unprepared to step in the box. Even kids that have private instructors.

 

[Hawk_]

Three nets, two with tees and one with soft toss. Get someone else to soft toss and players load up balls for the batter. They rotate through each net with 10-15 balls a piece. Don't commit to anyone area and make corrections as needed. You can get the girls hitting 45 balls really quickly....... but expectation is "you hit at home". Your 2 hour practice is not enough work.
We at a 14u level have two heavy hitting days (2hrs of just hitting) 2x a week..... field practice is 4 hours on saturday.

 

[Orange Socks]

We practice three times a week - 1.5 hours per session. I have thought about offering individuals as well, but space to do that will be something I run into.

IMO you don't work on swing mechanics with players during team practices. Takes way too much time. Yes, you are the coach and I used to do the same thing. But you have to be efficient and stingy with your time and team time.

1.5 hours is not enough time for good practices. You have to race through drills. If doing front toss, I would usually throw 3/4 bucket for each batter. You will get more out of 2-2 hour practices. You won't feel rushed but you will still not have enough time.

DD had 3 hour practices T, W, Th her last 4 years of TB.

There is no magic bullet other than lots of reps at this age. And supplement with at home work. Do 2 long practices during the week and weekends are for tourneys. You can always provide 1 day for optional batting practice where you can dig into swing elements.

 

[coach_w_dirt_dobberz]

Three nets, two with tees and one with soft toss. Get someone else to soft toss and players load up balls for the batter. They rotate through each net with 10-15 balls a piece. Don't commit to anyone area and make corrections as needed. You can get the girls hitting 45 balls really quickly....... but expectation is "you hit at home". Your 2 hour practice is not enough work.
We at a 14u level have two heavy hitting days (2hrs of just hitting) 2x a week..... field practice is 4 hours on saturday.

Thanks for the insight. What all do you work on during your 4 hour Saturday practice? As far as your pitchers and catchers do you work with them or do you expect them to go find a coach?


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[coach_w_dirt_dobberz]

IMO you don't work on swing mechanics with players during team practices. Takes way too much time. Yes, you are the coach and I used to do the same thing. But you have to be efficient and stingy with your time and team time.

1.5 hours is not enough time for good practices. You have to race through drills. If doing front toss, I would usually throw 3/4 bucket for each batter. You will get more out of 2-2 hour practices. You won't feel rushed but you will still not have enough time.

DD had 3 hour practices T, W, Th her last 4 years of TB.

There is no magic bullet other than lots of reps at this age. And supplement with at home work. Do 2 long practices during the week and weekends are for tourneys. You can always provide 1 day for optional batting practice where you can dig into swing elements.

Yeh I definitely feel the time crunch. I honestly end up being at practice for around 2 hours anyways as it feels like I am always spending that last bit of time wrapping up with someone. Thanks for the insight.


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[Rolling Hard]

Recommend each player own a bucket of balls, a bownet, a tee and maybe a pitching screen. At 10U you can probably throw front toss without one but they are going to need one soon enough. They need to do tee work and some side toss and preferably some front toss 2 or 3 times a week at home/park.

 

[Cannonball]

Remember "Jack of all trades, master of none." If you don't have the ability to have an efficient practice, or within a couple of hours, then have different focuses for each practice. For example, you might want your team to do 30 minutes of infield/outfield including catch and then have them hit for an hour and a half. The next practice, flip this. The next practice, do situations and baserunning. You are not going to be able to be everything to everyone. Believe me, for 40 years I have tried that. I finally got smart. (My "smart" is relative and should not be compared to actual smart people.)

 

[_MIA_]

Unless you have 3 hr team practice ever day, kids develop most of their skills at home. Coaches who think otherwise think too much of their coaching ability..