We"re in Full Swing, "Spring Training" is over!

[doyle]

This is my first post...

I was thinking about the comment mentioned concerning the season is now in full swing and the threads now focus more on strategy, rules, and playing time...rather than, technique...

I guess as a professional instructor...that caught my attention right away. I, like you, and many, many others who have a little bit of "knowledge" and "experience"...are aware of the continued importance of "technique!" I just happen to work at a facility where I see many travel teams come in to play games and work out during the Winter months, and more often than not, after evaluating the team/individual play...the last thing they need is games.

I watched a District play-off game a week or so ago that was greatly affected by a ground ball that allowed a runner to just beat out an infield hit. To the un-trained eye, the player did everything he/she could do. Had the "entire play/technique" been performed properly...the runner is out by 2 steps, instead of being safe by a 1/2 step.

I believe the biggest enemy in the game of softball is "lack of time!" Late with the catch, tag, throw, swing, to the base, etc. "Technique" (attention to detail!)is how we save/make-up, that oh so precious time. Saving time is accomplished by proper technique of repetitive drills. Teach the athlete how to perform the "task" properly/efficiently, coupled with athleticism...and you should have additional success.

Less games(you don't get better playing games...you get experience), more drills with extreme attention to detail...is a huge part of development for the highest levels of play.

We see Derek Jeter on TV perform the plays. What we don't see is the countless hours of ground balls/drills, and work with his fielding coaches, throughout, the season...every day...before games.

My ideal travel team would play 1 - 1.5 weekends per month and drill and play simulated/stop and review games the rest of the time. In order to "prepare" for games. A student(player) studies(practices) in preparation of taking(playing) the test(game). After the test...he/she..."reviews" the test(game), and studies(practices) again to prepare for the next game.

Just some of my opinions...hope you don't mind. Let me know what you think.

 

[obbay]

I think of practice as work and the game is where the excitement is. i don't think too much of either is good. maybe 50/50?

 

[3'sDad]

Doyle: You are probaly correct in that playing 2 weeks/month and practicing 2 weeks/month is ideal for proper training.

Given living in the northeast where you can't go outside to practice 3+ months a year, we have 10-12 weeks in the Spring/Summer & 8 -10 weeks in the Fall before its gets to lousy to play outside. This is to get ins a reasoable number of games. Divide these weeks by two and many parents would be grumbling about paying a lot of money for a minimal number of games.

 

[2 DD Coach]

This sounds an awful lot like a work week. Nobody wants to work softball, they want to play softball.

 

[doyle]

DD,

If they want to KEEP "playin"...they better get to "work!"

 

[doyle]

When I was in Jr. High I saw the Globetrotters and wanted to spin the ball on my finger. So night after night I would go down into the basement, start the ball rotating, say, "shoot" after it dropped to the floor...I'd do it again...long story short, after weeks, months of nights I could spin that ball for ever walking up or down steps.

Lots of intense hours of "practice" working on my technique. Problem was...I couldn't shoot or dribble, cuz I had not put the "work" in. Ever play a game of basketball against skilled players when you can't shoot or dribble. It's not fun! But I could "spin" better than them! That was fun!

It is work...but anything worth working hard at is soooooo worth it. Spinning took me 100's of hours...but I became very good. Such is the life of the softball athlete. It's not about games...it's about the work to prepare for games.

 

[2 DD Coach]

DD,

If they want to KEEP "playin"...they better get to "work!"

That's right, Wan't to keep playin, not want to keep practicing. The only reason to put in the hard work is to have something to show for it in the games. Start eliminating games, you eliminate the reason for the hard work. There has to be a balance of both, otherwise whats the point?