What do you think about running at practice?

[KCM]

We run one lap at beginning of practice after we stretch and do a few other exercises and then run one at end of practice. We do plenty of running from drill to drill or during our drills. Over all conditioning is for the players to do on their own but in reality they are also getting it during practice doing drills that keep the feet moving. If my players just run during practice then they must have really pissed me off (and this has never happened but there has been a few extra pole to pole runs). We believe in a steady pace for long periods at practice with very little wasted time.

 

[BuckeyeGuy]

Easy jog before dynamic warm-ups. This ain't football.

 

[Yellowjacket]

In my experience good coaches incorporate cardio into fast paced well organized drills. If practice is fast paced the girls will get plenty of running to get them in shape. Running to be running makes no sense in my opinion.
I also don't understand why coaches use running as a form of punishment after a loss or a bad tournament. If you're struggling in a certain area of your game, work on improving that area. Taking the first thirty minutes of a practice to punish the team is crazy. You wear them out and take away practice time fro what needs to be improved. If conditioning is an issue pick up the pace of your drills.

 

[Sparky Guy]

I am all for conditioning. But a conditioning practice needs to be geared towards just that. When I work my teams I will have specific days for conditioning, hitting, fielding and general situations. When we condition it is sport related. Running laps is not part of the sport. Sprints, stops, starts, direction changes, core and ladders are included in the conditioning. Core and overall strength improvements are the goal.

There was a coach in a program I was involved in a few years ago. This coach was a self-appointed fitness "guru." I watched the coach just kill the kids at the end of practice with running. The coach would basically undo any gains made during practice because the kids would be so thoroughly mentally and physically exhausted.

 

[#10]

What kills me is that I've seen a lot of teams that emphasize running during the "agility" portion of practice, yet spend no time whatsoever on BASErunning. It shows on Sundays which teams wisely incorporate running into game day applications.