Baseball Practice Planning Tips and Sample Baseball Practice Schedule

Baseball Practice Planning Tips and Sample Baseball Practice Schedule
By guest author: k Dixon

The word is PLAN

There are many four letter words that baseball coaches know, but few are as important as the word for today, PLAN. There are very few volunteer jobs more challenging, time-consuming or rewarding than being a coach in your local league. There are many four letter words used by coaches that I can not use here. Here I want to discuss the 4 four-letter words that can and will determine the amount of success a coach has during the coming season. The four words are Goal, Plan, Work and Time. In part one I discussed the important of the word Goal and the importance of setting a goal to drive a team toward success.

The Baseball Coaches four letter word of today is P-L-A-N:

Planning is one of the most important responsibilities of a head baseball coach is planning. Planning is organization. Planning is delegation of duties and responsibilities to your assistants. You must plan every practice. You must plan your season. You must have a game plan going into every game. Planning practice after you start is a sign of bad coaching. If the team has practice at 3:00 PM, and the head coach turns to the assistant coaches as the team is warming up, and says, Well, guys what do you think we need to do today? A team with a coach like this is destined to have a difficult year. The coach is not organized and does not have the dedication to do his coaching homework at home before he arrive at the field. Have a plan and a schedule before you arrive at the field. The practice plan should be in the can! Planning as you go will waste valuable practice time that will never be recovered. It is extremely important to have a daily practice schedule written down. You must decide on each practice activity for that day, the assigned amount of time to be spent doing each drill or activity, and the objective or reason for doing the activity. A written practice schedule is a must! You practice plan must be detailed, easy to read, and easy to understand. Your practice plan begins with the first minute of practice and ends with the last minute. Every minute is scheduled. Include breaks and transition times from one activity to the next. You should write out the practice plan, run copies, and give each coach a copy. The schedule will have time slots, each coach drills and duties, and location of each activity.

A sample practice plan:

3:00 to 3:12 Team Stretch and Warm-up

3:12 to 3:27 PFP (Pitching Fielding Practice)

3:30 to 3:45 Outfield Drill Work & Infielder Drill Work

3:45 to 4:00 Team Defense, Infield, and Outfield Cuts

4:00 to 4:45 Team Batting Practice

(4 Groups, 4 Station, 12 Minutes and Rotate to the next station

-Station 1 On-field Batting Practice -Station 2 Batting Cage Work -Station 3 Bunt Station -Station 4 Tee & Soft-toss

4:45 to 4:55 Break

4:55 to 5:15 21 Outs Drill

5:15 to 5:25 Base running Drills/Conditioning

Coaching Note:

6 Pitchers will throw after practice bullpens. List Names. The greatest difficulty in having a practice schedule is staying on time. You must have a set rule that when drill time is up, the drill ends. If the drill was performed so bad that it needs to be done again, it will be done over after practice. Always have a coaches meeting after each practice to discuss what the staff has to say about the day practice. You also need to ask what they think the next practice schedule should cover. Listen to your assistants and consider what they say when you make out your next practice plan. Another part of having a plan is the delegating of responsibilities. You can not do it all. Recruit some good volunteer coaches to help you.

Good coaches always delegate task and duties to assistant coaches. Let certain coaches work with certain positions. One of the crucial assignments on every team is the position of pitching coach. You must have a coach that oversees pitching practice, bullpen work, and that calls the pitches during the game. Another important role is that of the team hitting coach. The hitting coach is often the offensive coordinator and 3rd base coach. This coach oversees all batting drills, batting practice and base running practice. Organize you pregame routine. Plan it, write it down, and make sure every coach know it by heart. Have a set time when you start stretching and warming up. Have a set time that you take pregame defensive infield and outfield warm-up. a set time that players may have 3 minutes to go to the restroom if they need to. Have a set time that you have a team huddle. Plan what you are going to say during this team moment. Having a plan is having a purpose, a time, and a place for everything and everyone.

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Fastpitch Softball Tips - Building Your Endurance

Fastpitch Softball Tips - Building Your Endurance
By guest author: Marc Dagenais

When you think about sports and endurance, the sports that will come to mind might include marathon and triathlon. But somehow, you never ever associate softball with sports that require players to have a good amount of endurance.

That's perfectly understandable because when you look at it, it seems that the only job of players are to stand up, run occasionally, and throw or hit the ball.

But endurance also plays an important role on softball. That's especially the case if we're talking about long stretches of games or games under the heat of the sun.

If you're a softball player wanting to increase your endurance on the field, here are some tips I have for you:

1. Condition your body. Building up your endurance takes time. If you don't live an active lifestyle, it may take several weeks of intense training before you can build up your endurance. Jogging, interval training and other cardio exercises will help you do that.

This part of your training could be boring if you do it alone. So try working out with your team or with a partner.

2. Keep your body well-hydrated. Dehydration and heat are the enemies of any type of athlete. When it's hot, your body tends to sweat more to keep your body cool. While it's good, it's downside is that you lose important fluids in your body in the process.

And don't just rely on thirst to tell you already need to drink fluids. Once you feel thirsty, it's already a signal from your body that its supply of fluids is already severely depleted. So don't wait until you get thirsty. Take sips of water or sports before and during the game to keep your fluid levels normal.

3. Get enough rest. It's easy to succumb to all-night partying when you're young because you feel that you never seem to run out of energy. But the lack of rest can lead to a deterioration in your performance. When you lack sleep, you deprive your body of the time to recover from the day's work and to repair or replace any damaged cells in your body. So keep your partying to a minimum, or avoid it altogether if you can do that.

4. Eat healthy. You might not like eating healthy, but it sure can do wonders to your body and your endurance. That's because eating healthy means you get enough supply of the necessary nutrients that your body needs to function well. And when you're healthy, you'll be able to stay longer in the game even if it stretches to several innings or you're playing under the heat of the sun.

So in fastpitch softball, if you want to last longer than your teammates and the competition during long or exceptionally hot games, you must work on building your endurance.

Again, here's how you do it: condition your body, keep your body well-hydrated, get enough rest and eat healthy. Try them out today and see how they positively affect your game.

Marc Dagneais is Softball Peak Performance Coach that helps softball players turn their athletic talent into extraordinary performances and help coaches get more out of their players, turn their struggling team around or get an edge over their opponents. Visit us to access our directory of FREE softball drills!

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Fastpitch Softball - Shortstop Positioning

Fastpitch Softball - Shortstop Positioning
By guest author: Jim Moyer

Situational positioning of the Shortstop may be the most common coaching oversight in Fastpitch Softball. My guess would be 95% of the teams put the shortstop in the middle of 2nd and 3rd and never move her. Okay, that's great with no runners on base, but what about all the other situations.

Runner on 1st Base

In 10U & 12U it's almost a given the runner is going to steal. In 14U and up, the odds are still pretty strong that at some point the runner will try to advance, either on a straight steal or on a bobbled pitch. We KNOW this is going to happen a very high percentage of the time.

So why is your shortstop still in the hole? How many times have you seen the shortstop have to cut the corner to get to the throw in time, and therefore be two or three feet in front of 2B and unable to make a tag? Aaaaggghhh!!! I hate that! And there is no reason for it to happen.

When there is a runner on 1st base, move your shortstop about 5 feet towards 2B. More if need be. Depending on your age group, the odds are probably between 50% up to 95% that there will be a play at 2B. On the other hand, the odds of the ball being hit to SS are much lower. You might even get lucky and have a ball hit up the middle which the SS can field and tag 2B or even turn a double play.

Lead Runner on 2nd Base

If you use SS to cover 3B on steals, the same philosophy applies. Move her about 5 feet from the hole towards 3B. It's a very tough play for SS to cover 3B on steals. She has to get their, find the base, catch the ball, and make a tag. How many throws to 3B have you seen wind up in the outfield because the runner and SS got tangled up at 3B? Too many. Take the precision timing out of the play by getting her in a better position before the play starts.

By placing her in the optimal position before the pitch is thrown, you also avoid her breaking to the bag while the pitch is on the way. Huh? I'm sure you have seen shortstops break to the base as soon as the pitch is thrown, and then have a ball hit right where she should have been standing. Since she is breaking on the pitch, her momentum increases the size of the hole immensely. Whereas, if she is positioned correctly before the pitch, she can hold her position longer before making her break to cover the steal.

The Hardest Play for a Shortstop Runner on 1st and the batter shows bunt

I will cover this play based on age in more detail at a later date, but for now lets get the basics down. This play requires extreme discipline by the shortstop. First, you need to understand that if the player does bunt the out should be made at 1B. Don't even think about going to 2B to get the lead runner! So if the ball is bunted where does your shortstop go? Third base. Otherwise, the base is uncovered and the runner on 1B can make the turn at second and keep going to third. Oh, how you are going to hate that when it happens to you. So if the ball is bunted, make the out at one, be looking to throw across the field to third, and cover 3B.

What if the batter misses the bunt or fake bunts and takes the pitch? Here is where the extreme discipline comes in. Shortstop has to cover 2B on the steal. Therefore, the correct positioning is the same as protecting against a straight steal. Before the pitch, move her approximately 5 feet towards 2B. This puts her in position to cover 2B on a steal and should the ball be bunted successfully, she should have ample time to beat the runner coming from 1B to 3B.

Make a mental note to yourself, after each batter look at your shortstops positioning. This is a chess game. Think about what you expect your opponent to do in this given situation, and position your shortstop appropriately.

Jim Moyer is the author of http://www.mysoftballcoach.com. Having coached over 600 youth fastpitch softball games, Jim decided to put his knowledge online to allow parent/coaches to draw on his unique experience.

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Softball Recruiting Camps - Be Prepared to Be at Your Best

Softball Recruiting Camps - Be Prepared to Be at Your Best
By guest author: Gary V Hawkins

If you are trying to make it to the next level in softball, softball recruiting camps may be something you want to consider. These camps, which are often called showcase events or evaluation clinics, can help you get noticed by scouts or by college coaches.

Before you attend one of these softball recruiting camps, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Show up in shape just as if softball season was starting that day
2. Be ready to be at your best, make sure your skills are sharp before attending
3. Bring a copy of your athletic resume with you

When you attend one of these events, the spotlight is directly on you. You need to be in great shape and prepared to play at your highest level. These events are run by coaches who know what they are doing and they will put you through drills which will show what kind of athletic and softball talent you really have.

One of the worst mistakes you could make would be to show up at one of these events not prepared to be at your best. It could end up being hurting your chances of getting the recruiting attention you have been looking for.

After leaving these softball recruiting camps, you can take your chances of being recruited to an even higher level. How? Glad you asked! You can do that by marketing and promoting yourself to college coaches. Coaches at all division levels need good players who are also good students. When you make direct contact with coaches, you could end up being just the student athlete they are looking for.

Softball recruiting camps are a good way to get exposure. An even better way to make sure you get the attention of college coaches is to contact them directly. Direct contact is the best way to make sure coaches know about you and what you can potentially do for their program.

Gary Hawkins is a well known recruiting and athletic scholarship expert and the author of a popular 17-page free report titled:

"Five Secrets You Must Know To Get Recruited For Athletic Scholarships"

Head over to http://www.recruitedforscholarships.com/freereport.html to get your FREE copy now!

Gary Hawkins is passionate about helping high school athletes reach their dream of playing at the college level. In his Athletic Recruiting & Scholarship System, Gary teaches anyone how they can finally get the attention of college coaches and start being recruited for athletic scholarships. Just visit http://www.recruitedforscholarships.com/ and pick up your copy today!

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Little Leaguers and Catching Fly Balls

Little Leaguers and Catching Fly Balls
By guest author: Marty Schupak

There is no set age for young players when they start to feel comfortable catching pop ups. Many of the really young players are afraid of getting hit in the face by the ball and will camp under a pop up very apprehensively. Unless catching a fly ball is practiced, their nervousness can lead to injury. There are numerous drills a coach or parent can practice with their players. Some drills will work for some athletes and not for others.

One of the first drills I do is to hit a soft covered ball off a paddle. I explain to the kids that I only want them to make contact with the soft covered ball with their glove. I do not want any kids catching the ball. Telling them not to catch the ball will do two things. First, you are making the drill uniform, with the goal attainable by everyone on the team. Second, the weaker kids will not feel bad if everyone catches the fly and he or she only makes contact with his glove. And, you want the really young kids to experience as much success as they can. This success will lead to more and more confidence when a real hard ball is used.

Another technique I have used is one of those velcro paddles with velcro balls for the young kids, and they love it. I toss up the Velcro ball as high as possible and they take turns catching it. This is another great confidence builder, and the success experienced with many repetitions will help immensely when catching a real hard ball, which is the ultimate goal. Wiffle balls and tennis ball are also good to practice with. Progression is the key. And you can even set up competitions with catching any of these balls. Even the young players love contests and competitions.

So remember that the key to teaching young players to catch fly balls is to do it by progression. Having them dive into the deep end with no experience might open up the possibility for an injury with never extinguishing their fear of the ball. Successful repetitions will lead to confidence and give them the best odds of mastering this skill.

http://www.YouthSportsClub.com

http://www.VideosForCoaches.com

Marty Schupak has coached youth baseball for 18 years and is the video creator of "The 59 Minute Baseball Practice", "Backyard Baseball Drills", "Winning Baseball Strategies", "Hitting Drills & Techniques", “Pitching Drills & Techniques”, and author of the popular book, "Youth Baseball Drills". He is a principle with Videos For Coaches and is also President of the Youth Sports Club, a group dedicated to making sports practices and games more enjoyable for kids.

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Teaching Softball Drills To Win

Teaching Softball Drills To Win
By guest author: Becky Wittenburg

In softball, a coach cannot afford to underestimate the other team; they can only prepare their own team to be the best. As a coach, it's important to set the standards for your team. Along with setting an example of the right attitude, you are responsible to make sure that the players' skills and overall game improve over time. Therefore, teaching softball drills should always be a vital part of practice.

The most effective way for teaching softball drills is through hands-on demonstrations. For example, it's obviously necessary to teach softball players the correct batting stance. While they'll learn from your example, it is more valuable if you show them the way and then allow each member of the team to try it themselves. After you show them the ropes, allow them to use what you have taught to try hitting the ball themselves. As the coach, you should assess the placement of their feet, their knees, their hips, their shoulders and their eyes. Following that, you will know what the team needs to work on when it comes to batting stance and hitting the ball.

Videos are useful to give the team a visual of different strategies and skills. However, videos are even more effective if the team is interactive while it's playing. For example, the team can watch the video of a pro-game. You can show them part of an inning and then ask them to explain the different plays that they could execute. Therefore, you can make sure that they know the best actions to take in different situations. Teaching softball drills like this gives the team a chance to think logically and work out different strategies in their heads.

Another classic method for teaching softball drills is using a chalkboard, dry-erase board, or poster to work out different plays. This is one of the most important ways to coach the team because it gives you the chance to explain the ins and outs of different plays. Plus, during this time you can assign different players to practice different positions. Drawing out different plays is also an important part of tracking the improvement of the team. Having records of each play allows you to mark the ones that the team has mastered and to mark the ones that the team still needs to work on.

Teaching softball drills is one of the most vital tasks of a coach. All of the different drill methods are necessary to master the entire softball game. Using a variety of ways of teaching ensures not only that the team will perform well but they will know exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it. It's important to remember that the quality of your coaching directly affects the quality of your team.

Becky Wittenburg is a softball coach, softball blogger, and author. If your looking for more tips on teaching softball drills, please visit her softball drills library here.

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The Secrets of Successful Women Softball Coaches

The Secrets of Successful Women Softball Coaches
By guest author: Marc Dagenais

There are very few women coaches in youth's sports league nowadays. Some women decided to stop in softball coaching because they can't manage to survive and even thrive in youth's sport coaching. However, some women continue on and become really successful. How did these few women continue softball coaching?

Some women developed good strategies when they were just starting and then after breaking in to softball coaching to compete with the gender challenges they faced as the "woman coach."

How did these successful softball women coaches deal with the heightened scrutiny, while gaining respect of others and building their self-confidence?

So here are some tips in order to be a successful women coach:

- Decipher the secret language of coaches - A lot of what a coach know is learned through experience, not from books or sports clinics. Successful coaches are keen observers of other coaches, particularly those coaching in higher age-brackets. Try to learn their secret language and learn how to apply it by carefully observing the styles and techniques of the more experienced coaches.

- Join coaching classes - Although you have a playing experience, coaching classes can be very helpful in learning how to run a good practice with several great softball drills Coaching classes enhance your natural talents further.

- Find counselors - Numerous women coaches were recruited into coaching by some teams and then mentored by a more experienced coach. The individual men will coach the new women coaches and as a result many women become successful coaches.

- Define the stereotypes - More people completely think that a word "coach" is only reserved to a man. That's why, woman coaches often not even recognized as the coach by the kids or adults. As a woman coach, you have to be firm about your convictions and avoid being intimidated by the opposite sex. You can apply some of your styles that no men coach has.

Clearly, the main thriving gender strategies and techniques are group ones, like building a network of support that not only encourages and influences the other women in softball coaching, but it also creates the opportunity of expanding the culture of youth's sports, making it more comprehensive for women as much as for men.

These successful strategies can be very helpful to every woman who is very interested by being a softball coach. A woman coach must act more competitive, tougher and more assertive.

Marc Dagenais, MHK, CSCS, is a softball peak performance coach that helps players and teams hit with more power, run faster, throw harder, become mentally tougher, and be more dominant on the softball field. To get tons of great FREE softball tips to boost your game, visit us: http://www.softballperformance.com

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