Thinking About Coaching Youth Sports Like Baseball Or Softball? Go For It! You Won't Regret It

SoftballrUs.com

By Bob Langys

You've been on the sidelines, watching your child play for the softball, baseball, soccer, football, or any other team. You'd like to get involved, but you don't know enough about the sport or about coaching.

Here is the deal: As long as you know a little more about the game than the players, you know enough. As long as you take some time along the way to attend a clinic or two, or even to research drills on the internet, you can stay ahead of the kids and provide value to them. If you can bring some enthusiasm and have a genuine desire to help the players progress, you can learn to coach them!

My Experience

My children started to play baseball and softball at a young age. I've never played any kind of organized sport, nor have I followed any professional sports. When my son joined the t-ball team, I initially sat on the sidelines and watched. As I saw what the drills were, it was quickly realized that they coach could use some help by breaking this team down to smaller, more interactive, groups. My offer to help with immediately accepted and my coaching career began.

As my children moved up through the levels of baseball and softball I studied along with them. My best gains in learning were had through the coordination with other coaches and with clinics that our league sponsored. The clinics were great in that they broke down individual skills down into a repeatable, numbered process. I've never pitched, but I can now get players started pitching. I've never been a catcher, but I can help kids be catchers.

Other considerations

The relationship with your child will change a little on the field and in practices. They are one of the team so you have to treat them like you do their teammates. That is often hard for the child, as they can't understand why you won't just be their mom/dad instead of the coach. A helpful technique for getting past this issue is to team up with another coach, and to have them responsible for coaching your child. It works well to tell the other coach the points that you want to get across to your child and let them do the work. Your other coaches will need the same from you.

Get Involved!

Go to the practices. Insert yourself into the process by helping with some drills. The coach may not know how to ask for help but most will not turn it down. Not sure what you are doing? Have the coach break down a drill for you. Start out as an assistant, but when you are ready make sure the league knows that you want to coach a team. Often times, they are short coaches and are looking for people who want to step up.

Assistant Coaches - the "Volunteering" of help.

Just like you have may have been a little hesitant to get involved many of the other parents are in the same boat. If a parent is at the practices and has not clearly indicated that they are not interested - they are a potential assistant coach. Learn some names, call them coach, and give them a drill to run. Believe me, more often than not that parent will be happy that they were able to help.

The Payoff

Coaching is very rewarding. Most coaches find that he benefits received consistently outweigh the time and energy put in. You will know that you have done it right when your players return for the following season and parents inquire as to your plans for next year. Over the years you will gain many relationships with parents, other coaches, and the players. When you get a chance to see the player - who has never made a play before - make the play for the first time you will never again wonder if you should have been a coach.

Bob Langys is an experienced telephone systems engineer and sales professional who has been in the industry for over 15 years. His interest in the technology and applications combined with his love of coaching / sharing the knowledge has served him well throughout his career. Bob works with Medlin Communications, in the Chicago Suburbs, and has the pleasure of working with a team of can-do people. Find out more about the information in this article at:

Find out more about Bob at:

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Bob routinely works with a variety of systems including Asterisk, Elastix, Toshiba, Cisco, and Avaya. Whatever the communications need, Bob will put his experience to find the best solution for you. Call Centers, Call Recording, ACD (automatic Call Distribution), and general office telephone solutions are all in his core area of expertise. Single sites or multiple locations. Located in northern Illinois ( Chicago area ) or across the nation, Bob can help.

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SoftballCoachingDigest.comCoach, Be Consistent

By Stacie Mahoe

When you learn about raising children, you hear about consistency. When you learn about working with animals and training animals, you hear about consistency. This key of consistency also applies to coaching softball as well.

It's only fair to your players, not to mention vital for you, that you be consistent in your actions, words, rules, and discipline as a coach. Ground rules should always be laid out at the beginning of the season. These ground rules should also include potential disciplinary actions for when those rules are broken. Be sure that you do NOT set a consequence that you will not enforce. This carries the same effect as "empty threats" in parenting. When you fall into the trap of using "empty threats" the following things happen:

1. Your players know that you won't follow through and will push the envelope as far as possible
2. You are undermining your own credibility and believability because you haven't kept your word
3. Chances are, you'll respect or make it harder to gain the respect of your players.

Whenever you give your word as a coach, be it in speech or in writing, ALWAYS do your best to stick with it. If for whatever reason, you can't follow through, let your players know before hand and figure out what you need to do to make things right. If you don't make it a point to keep your word, players will begin taking what you say "with a grain of salt" because they won't know when you actually mean what you say and when you're just talking the talk without walking the walk. This is not a good situation for you to be in as a coach. If you're players don't believe you, how can you lead them?

Avoid making up rules and consequences as you go along. Clear guidelines and boundaries from the start make life much simpler for players, parents, and coaches. Be up front about what your expectations, your rules, your guidelines, and your consequences and follow through. Choosing to follow through only *sometimes* is only asking for trouble as a coach. Make sure your rules, guidelines, and consequences are reasonable enough for everyone, including you and your staff, to follow and abide by throughout the season. Be consistent. Consistency will save you and your team a lot of heartache and frustration.

by Stacie Mahoe
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stacie_Mahoe

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Fastpitch Softball - Shortstop Positioning

By 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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Moyer

Softball Pitching Machines Dos & Don'ts - Softball Training Aids - Coaching Tools

Jugs Pitching Machines


By Jimmy Holmes

There is no doubt that using a good pitching machine has advantages. You can build arm, back, shoulder and upper body batting strength, hand eye coordination and improve batting technique if you use the machine properly. Whether you use a baseball pitching machine or a softball pitching machine they both have the same advantages, disadvantages and should be used properly to get the best results.

One of the first things to look for to find the right machine for you and the players on your team is the age group that is involved. If your child or group is five to eight years of age you would need a machine with pitch speeds from 20 to 40 mph. Preferably a machine that is very accurate and delivers pitches to the same general area every pitch. The last thing you need is to have the young player afraid of being hit! Never start off with to fast a speed when practicing with a young beginner.

I have been asked whether to use the practice balls or real balls when using a pitching machine. The answer is that practice balls are more accurate because the tire does not hit any seams. A seam on a real ball can cause the pitch to differ on every pitch however with older players that is not all bad. Never use synthetic balls in a machine. They leave a buildup on the tire that is hard to remove and the do not product accurate pitches.

Usually when a new pitching machine arrives the tire is brand new and needs to have the shine removed from the surface that contacts the ball in order to get a good pinch on the ball. This is done by turning the machine on and using a peace of sandpaper to remove the shine from the tire before using it in an actual practice.

A well built, quality machine should last for years even with heavy use. Be sure to check the warranty offered on a machine before you make a purchase. Warranties can range from a year to five years. Some pitching machines even come with a thirty day return policy. I highly recommend purchasing one with the return policy because if you get it and you are unhappy with it you can simply return it. Some pitching machine companies even offer free shipping as sales promotions. This can literally save you sixty to one hundred dollars.

One of the costliest parts on a pitching machine is the motor. Do a little research to see what brand of electric motor is used on a machine. If a top quality motor is used you can bet that the rest of the machine is top quality as well. Leeson is a motor used on some pitching machines. It is a world class electric motor and usually comes with a five year warranty that is covered by the pitching machine manufacturer.

Another costly item is the tire wheel assembly. I suggest not buying a machine with a solid rubber tire. When they get old they can literally come apart and cause an injury. I have actually seen this happen. "Warning"Always replace tires before they are old and worn no matter what kind of tire they have! Also on those models with solid rubber tires if you need to replace the tire you may have to buy the tire and wheel since the tire is usually glued or attached to the wheel.

For the older group of players from middle school through high school one of the two wheel curveball pitching machines models should be used. By this time players will be seeing curveballs, sliders, knuckleballs and different types of pitches. A single wheel machine simply will not product these types of pitches. The two wheel machine will produce the speed needed as well. Some models have speeds ranging from 20 mph to 105 mph. Even professional players seldom see a pitch of 105 mph.

Some models come with swivel action. That means that you can shoot a ball to right field then swing it around and shoot a ball to left field. It will also tilt up and down for grounders or popup's. This option is great if you intend on using it for more than batting practice.

If you purchase a baseball pitching machine or softball pitching machine there are other optional items that you may want to consider. A good quality batting cage will save on ball recovery time when used by two or three people and an automatic ball feeder can be used when one person needs to use the machine. The practice dimple balls will save wear and tear on your real baseballs or softballs and are more accurate. An additional option is an L-Screen to protect the person feeding balls into the pitching machine.

Never let a child operate the machine. When used properly they are safe but should never be left in the hands of minors. They are meant to be used to train and condition and should always be used with grownup supervision.

Pitching machines are great training aids. Coaching tools for batting, hitting, infield and outfield practice as well. When used properly they will greatly improve your batting and playing skill level. Choose a machine that is right for you and your child and you will have years of reliable service.

Visit my site FirstPitch Sales Buy a tough, durable, reliable and affordable pitching machine that is right for you.

http://www.baseball-pitching-machines.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jimmy_Holmes



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5 Core Mechanics to a Good Baseball and Softball Swing

www.Baseball2u.com

By Todd Thomas

In hitting there are 5 core principles that as a hitter you hope to execute on every swing. No thanks to pitchers constantly attempting to mess up a hitter's timing and balance, these core movements aren't always present in every swing. These core mechanics are dependent upon each other for a player to really execute their best swing. In order to successfully execute one's best swing, these "parts" need to work together to maximize the hitting process. These five core principles are the "blueprint" of a hitters basic mechanics. They are:

1. Weight Transfer
2. Hips lead the hands
3. Matching the swing plane to the pitch plane or "leveling"*
*(this involves the shoulder dip, tilting, & getting the bat level to the ball)
4. Ideal contact
5. Staying inside the ball

These principles of hitting are the foundation and are present in every good swing but they are not all always present in EVERY swing from the same player. A player cannot, and will not, be consistently successful if they are regularly lacking in any one of these areas in the hitting process. This is why Ted William's said that hitting a baseball is the single most difficult thing to do in any sport. Although, I tend to disagree with Ted on this thought. Hitting a baseball(or softball) may be the second most difficult thing. I believe TEACHING someone to hit a baseball/softball may be the most difficult thing to do in sports!

Do great hitters always look great or even good at the plate? The simple obvious answer is NO. If the pitcher is successful as they often are, their pitch will take one of the core elements away from the hitter. When this happens take a look at what happens to their swing. The result are often less than favorable in these cases.

Oftentimes, a player who has excellent core hitting mechanics can be struggling at the plate and even look awkward. If you regularly watch a lot of games and hitters as I do, you will clearly recognize when a hitter gets into advantageous hitting positions and when they obviously did not. In the situations when their swing looked "bad", that doesn't mean that the hitter has poor hitting mechanics. Rather, something in the process was slightly off. One(or more) of the core mechanics was out of whack for whatever reason. A lot of times it's a hitter's rhythm, timing and tempo that are off and they are "chasing" a pitch the pitcher fooled them with. Whatever the pitcher has done, it has worked in that the hitters core mechanics are thrown off. As well all know, this doesn't always mean the hitter doesn't get a hit. We've all seen the crazy off-balance swing where the hitter drops one in for a base hit. As well as, we have all seen the "perfect" swing where the hitter smokes the ball only to have it fielded for an out by the defense.

One thing to add here is two-strike situation. A hitter should be less concerned with staying perfect with their mechanics and should be simply focusing on doing whatever it takes to make contact and put the ball in play. There is typically not much a hitter can do when they have two strikes on them except let the ball travel as deep as possible and simply put the bat in the path of the ball. Any thoughts of putting the perfect swing on a pitch when a hitter has two strikes must be out the window and he/she should focus on making the adjustments necessary to put the ball in play.

What is the perfect swing anyway? It's the adjustments a hitter makes appropriate to the pitch they get. This is the reason why a lot of times no two swings look very similar. It all starts with the core mechanics and then expands from there. Every element is necessary to maximize the swing process to a consistently high level. When a player is taught improper core mechanics or if core mechanics are not firmly established, hitting problems are exacerbated greatly and hitting frustration is escalated. Learning the core mechanics and learning them correctly while continually working on them is crucial to all hitters.

Todd Thomas is a Baseball Coach and Professional Hitting Instructor for Mike Epstein Hitting. Coach Todd's personal hitting website is http://www.HitItHere.net. Coach Todd also enthusiastically endorses http://PlayMyBestBaseball.com as a place where baseball and softball hitters can master the Confidence, Composure, Focus and Consistency of their game so they can reach their full potential.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Thomas

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Working on Softball Hitting Tips - Your Line of Attack to Win!

SoftballrUs.com

By Marc Dagenais

All games require energy, concentration, alertness and staying power in order to achieve one goal - to win! In softball game, these behaviors must be in attendance to every player of a team. When you engage into this game or kind of sport, there are certain things that you need to take serious of and to consider. And, softball hitting is one of those many things which you are required to make focus on because hitting is the best way in order to win in the game.

Here are some strategies for you to be able to deal with softball hitting:
· The first important thing in hitting is the weapon that you are using in striking or hitting a softball - the bat! It is very essential for a player to have a good bat and when we say well, it involves the features of it, for instance the size. You should consider the size of the bat when buying one. And, you should be able to get used to it or go well with your bat; it is like you have the connection from both of you. Size is important in terms of your speed, for some players want a big bat that can somehow help them to strike, however having a weighty one is not suggested by experts, and it really should be of a good size to help you out in when you swing it with no difficulty and within your control. The best part is to use the bat to strike the bottom part of the softball.

· Focused - mind is needed in softball hitting. It is pretty important when striking because your attentiveness on the softball tells and describes how good and brawny you are in the game. You should be able to keep your head in one place and in one course, for this will help you out to put your 100% focus and awareness to the softball and in order to make a nice strike. Keeping your focus steady and secure towards the ball, will provide you time to guess your accurate timing in hitting the softball.

· Hands are also playing as one of the most important parts in softball hitting. They are the ones who make hold of the bat and striking the ball in a very nice manner depends on how will you hold your weapon. You should not grip the bat too tight or too loose, just handle it in a relaxed way and be certain that your fingers are in a proper position when you are holding the bat to give you comfort. This will certainly give you a good speed when you strike the softball and give you much awareness to hit than how will your hands move when you make a strike.

· Your stance must be at a good place. You should make your knees bend and allow your feet to carry out your body's weight and have a distance between your feet, enough to make you at ease with your stance.
You should give enough time and effort when practicing these softball hitting strategies for you to achieve your goal - to be triumphant!

Marc Dagenais is a 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 sign-up to get our FREE softball pitching tips!

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais

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Softball Coaching Tips on How to Have Effective Practice Sessions

By Marc Dagenais


Coaching a softball team, whether women's softball team or youth softball team even, can be pretty overwhelming at times as you take charge of practices, knowing your players inside and out, familiarizing yourself with the dynamics of the team as well as keeping your players enthusiastic and committed. And there would be times wherein you just want to sit back, relax and watch your players doing their thing on the field.

Nevertheless, here are some softball coaching tips that you can take in order to help keep these practice sessions fun and exciting, avoiding player boredom and increasing the number of players who would be wanting to attend practice sessions more than twice a week even when game season has arrived.

You must note that attendance is one challenge that a coach faces during practice sessions. You need to make sure that your players arrive on time so, that they can participate in the whole activity including warm up and cool down exercises. Most players, especially kids, have not firmly grasped the effect of regular tardiness, which conveys disrespect. But do not blame them too much as at times, it may not be their fault that they are late.
You must also understand that female players and young players are different in a way that women players value camaraderie with their teammates. Therefore, they need time to socialize with one another before they actually start with the practice sessions. On the other hand, for young players, you need to teach them the mechanics of softball in sections because they would not surely understand it if you given them the information in one go.

Other than ensuring attendance and learning about the idiosyncrasies of the team, you need to have good organizational skills. For instance, it would be good if you can assign numbers to your players based on the order they have arrived for practice. This way, all of you would know the order for the batting practice, which is usually the favorite part of most players during a practice session. And this creates an incentive for players to arrive early for practice.

Every once in a while, have a scaled-down version of batting practice even before your players do the warm-up exercises because doing so would enforce player's keenness for batting and when you keep this spontaneous, your player would be left anticipating it. Thus, this would further motivate the team to be on time for the practice.

Once all your players are present, ensure that they start with warm up exercises to prepare them for the practice. But instead of sticking to boring exercises like stretching and running around the bases, get creative with it. You can have your players play freeze tag or a relay race, which fosters a competitive spirit, get their hearts pumping and their muscles warmed up.
So, there you have it, softball coaching tips on how to have effective practice sessions. Good luck!

Marc Dagenais is a 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 sign-up to get our FREE softball pitching tips!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais

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Baseball2u.com and CoachesBest.com is your online super store for baseball batting cages, pitching machines and protective screens and nets. This fully licensed company has a full time staff to help you from 8:00 to 5:00 CST. You may order securely online or by phone, toll free, at 1-877-431-4487.
Check out these categories that are featured at Baseball2u.com.
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60' Portable Batting Cage
55' Portable Batting Cage
70' Portable Batting Cage
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…and if you are looking for Youth Training Equipment, Advanced Baseball Training Equipment, Training Bats, and Pitching & Throwing Trainers, or Portable Mounds, they have those too!
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Coaching Youth Softball - How to Teach Softball Skills Quickly and Efficiently

By Marc Dagenais

Coaching youth softball is no easy task. Coaching involves multiple responsibilities and one of them is to teach the fundamentals of the game - hitting, pitching, throwing, fielding, and so on.

However, teaching is itself a skill and not as easy as most people would like to believe. Knowing the game is the easy part; teaching it is the hard part. Coaching youth softball involves a lot of teaching.

To make practices fun and enjoyable, youth softball coaches must be able to teach softball skills quickly and effectively using a sound pedagogical approach that takes into account the various types of learners.

Here is a sound approach that involves 6 steps:

Step #1 - What and Why

Kids today need to know why you are doing things. They are critical thinkers. So, when you introduce the new technical element (the ''what''), explain them why it is important. No need for a long speech or justification, just give a reason why so that they can more easily buy into it.

Step #2 - Demonstrate without instruction

This is crucial yet 95% of those coaching youth softball don't it. Most kids have no idea what the skill looks like. So, even before you start giving instructions, you must give them a visual picture or visual reference of what you are talking about. Someone once said that a picture is worth a thousand words and they were right.

Step #3 - Demonstrate with instruction using simple cues

Once the kids have a clear picture of what you are talking about, then you can provide instructions using only a few simple cues to emphasize key technical elements. Don't overload them with technical information, you will lose them.

Step #4 - Get them to try the skill

At this point, you get them to try what you just demonstrated so that they can ''feel'' what you are talking about. By nature, most athletes love to learn by doing.

Step #5 - Give them feedback

At this point, you want to give constructive feedback on what needs to be improved and what they should focus on.

Step #6 - Verify learning and let them ask questions

The worst question to ask to a kid is whether or not they understand. They will always say ''yes'' either because they think they understand (even if they might not) or they don't want to look like they are stupid. So, you want to quiz them asking them questions like what are the key points to verify their learning. Also provide them with a chance to ask their own questions so that they can make sure they clearly understand what was taught.

This 6-step approach is quick and efficient as it respects the fundamental principles of pedagogy. I strongly encourage you to use it with your athletes.

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that provides softball tips, softball drills, and information on techniques for hitting, pitching, coaching, and training through his blog at http://www.softballperformance.com/blog

He also helps softball players and coaches improves their game by sharing with them the tips and strategies used by the world's best softball players and coaches to achieve extraordinary performances. You can sign-up to get his FREE Softball Tips at http://www.softballperformance.com/softball-tips.html Go Sign-up Now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais



Check out these coaching articles at the Softball Coaching Digest:
SoftballCoachingDigest.com
• Articles from the Youth Softball Coaching Clinic Blog
• Articles from the Coaching Fastpitch Softball Pitchers Blog
• Articles from the Coaching Fastpitch Softball Hitters Blog
• Articles from the Tips for Fastpitch Softball Coaches Blog
• The Fastpitch Softball Training Equipment Blog
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SoftballrUs.com/FastpitchSoftballSupply.com is the ultimate online fastpitch softball online store. SoftballrUs.com has Batting Trainers,Pitching Training, Training Bats,Defensive Training Equipment

Free Girls Softball Practice Drills

SoftballCoachingDigest.com

By Marc Dagenais

Drill 1 - Soccer Ball (Softball Hitting)

Purpose: To learn how to drive through the ball.

Procedure: Place a soccer ball on a T. If the T is an open tube, place a small bathroom plunger in the T to hold the ball or use a traffic cone and a plunger. The batter hits the soccer ball hard off the T. If she does not drive through the soccer ball, it will not explode off the bat.

Drill 2 - Football Up and Down

Purpose: To develop the agility and quickness to escape a rundown.

Procedure: In staggered rows, players assume well-balanced positions as if between bases. The coach faces the players and gives hand signals to indicate the direction in which players move. The signals are right, left, down, and up. Players shuffle to the side on right and left signals. On the down signal they quickly hit the ground. Players should be absolutely flat. On the up signal they get up quickly to be ready to go again. In a rundown, players use the prone position to trip the defensive player.

Drill 3 - Timed Throws (Softball Catchers)

Purpose: To evaluate quickness of release and speed of the throw.

Procedure: The catcher catches a pitched ball in full gear so that the drill is gamelike. The coach starts a stopwatch when the ball enters the glove and stops it when the ball is released or when the ball reaches the shortstop's glove at second base. Good times for the ball to go from glove to glove for college catchers are between 1.65 and 1.75 seconds. High school catchers should make the throw in less than 2 seconds.

Drill 4 - Wall Drill (Softball Pitching)

Purpose: To develop proper rotation of the arm.

Procedure: The pitcher throws imaginary pitches using a wall to keep the arm straight in a perfect circle. She stands perpendicular to a wall with the pitching arm close to the wall and about four inches away. The pitcher uses the full pitching motion (including the stride and the opening of the hips), keeping the arm straight and in tight so that it does not contact the wall. The pitcher walks and moves down the wall throwing imaginary pitches.

Drill 5 - Moving to the Base (Softball Infield)

Purpose: To improve quickness and range moving to first base.

Procedure: The first baseman takes a position halfway to home as if fielding a bunt. On the coach's command "go," she sprints to the base (turning inward to the diamond), finds the base, takes the receiving position, catches an imaginary ball, and tags the base. The player repeats the drills, moving ever closer to home to increase the distance and push herself to improve quickness in getting to the base.

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that provides softball tips, softball drills, and information on techniques for hitting, pitching, coaching, and training through his blog at http://www.softballperformance.com/blog

He also helps softball players and coaches improves their game by sharing with them the tips and strategies used by the world's best softball players and coaches to achieve extraordinary performances. You can sign-up to get his FREE Softball Tips at http://www.softballperformance.com/softball-tips.html. Go Sign-up Now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais

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SoftballrUs.com/FastpitchSoftballSupply.com is the ultimate online fastpitch softball online store. SoftballrUs.com has Batting Trainers,Pitching Training, Training Bats,Defensive Training Equipment,Coaching DVDs & Books, Softball Pitching Machines, Softball Complete Net & Frame Batting Cage Packages, Batting Cage Nets, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, and BatAction Hitting Machines, and much, much more. Visit Softballrus.com now!

Coaching Youth Baseball - Coaching Youth Softball - What Every Youth Coach Should Know

By Steve Polk

If you are coaching youth softball, or coaching youth basketball, there is one thing you need to know before you begin coaching youth sports no matter what the sport.

You Could Be Sued

Did you hear the story of the guy coaching kids baseball that was sued because of an injury that took place during a practice? Seems a 12 year old baseball player was injured during a drill to teach the kids how to catch a fly ball. The player couldn't find the ball due to the sun getting in his eyes and the ball hit him in the head.

Not only did the coach get sued but also the league the kid played in. In another story a softball coach who got sued when a player on his team slid into 3rd base and tore her meniscus. The parents claimed the coach didn't teach their daughter how to slide properly. The parents won the case and $125,000.

It really doesn't matter what youth sport you coach. You could be a soccer coach for youth, or any of the others mentioned here. You could be sued for the seemingly most innocent of things. An off the cuff remark or joke could be interpreted as being harassment or an innuendo of some kind. A kid not paying attention gets hits by a ball, or as kids sometimes do play practical jokes on one another and someone gets hurt. You end up getting sued.

Insurance Doesn't Solve The Problem

Your team or league may have insurance, but that doesn't stop a parent from filing a law suit against you. You could be totally not at fault and end up getting the case dismissed, but still have a bill from your attorney.

The Solution

There are a few companies that provide a low cost what is best referred to as a legal insurance plan. Such a plan will cover most if not all your legal expenses should you ever be sued. Such plans range from $17-$36 per month depending on what state you live in.

In The End It Doesn't Matter

In conclusion it really doesn't matter whether you are coaching youth baseball, softball, basketball, or soccer. If you are a coach you run the risk of being sued. It's becoming common place in this crazy world of ours. You just may want to look into a legal insurance plan.

Coaches You Run The Risk Of Getting Sued

Go right now while it's on your mind to http://coachyoucouldbesued.blogspot.com/ to find a low cost plan to cover legal expenses should you be sued so you don't have to worry and can get back to doing what you love most, coaching youth sports.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Polk

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SoftballrUs.com/FastpitchSoftballSupply.com is the ultimate online fastpitch softball online store. SoftballrUs.com has Batting Trainers,Pitching Training, Training Bats,Defensive Training Equipment,Coaching DVDs & Books, Softball Pitching Machines, Softball Complete Net & Frame Batting Cage Packages, Batting Cage Nets, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, and BatAction Hitting Machines, and much, much more. Visit Softballrus.com now!

Free Girls Softball Fastpitch Drills

By Becky Wittenburg

Any softball coach or player who wants to learn more softball drills can easily find a lot of drills in books and videos and on the internet. Most of these drills cost money but some of them are free. These free girls softball fastpitch drills are very good. Most of the free drills focus on throwing, fielding, and hitting the ball.

Throwing the Ball


The position of a player determines the most common types of throws that player will have to make. For example, a 3rd baseman will need to make hard throws all the way across the diamond to 1st base while a right fielder will most commonly have to make a longer throw from the outfield to a cut-off man near the infield or to a base.

The Before Inning Warm-up Drill


All softball coaches and players know what players do before an inning begins. The first baseman throws a grounder to each infielder while the outfielder stands in their positions and play catch. This is a common drill during games but it should also be performed everyday in practice.

The Relay Throws Drill


The Relay Throws Drill is another one of the good free girls softball fastpitch drills. This drill involves 2 outfields lining up on each side of an infielder. Each player should be about 100 feet apart.

One of the outfielders starts out with the ball and throws the infielder the ball using the crow-hop. The infielder catches the ball, pivots, and uses the crow-hop while throwing the ball to the other outfielder. That outfielder catches the ball and then throws back to the infielder, once again using the crow-hop.

This drill allows all 3 players to practice throwing using a crow-hop. It also helps teach the outfielders to hit the cutoff man. Finally, it helps the infielder practice receiving the cutoff throw, pivoting, and throwing to the desired base.

Fielding


It doesn’t matter how well a team can hit and pitch if the team can’t play good defense in the field. The key to playing good defense is for every player to be fundamentally sound. A great drill for this the No Glove Fielding Drill.

The No Glove Fielding Drill


Just as the name suggests, this fastpitch softball drill requires players to field the ball without a glove. The drill can be run with bare hands or with a board that is specially made for the drill and worn on the fielders’ glove hand.

Players can either field balls hit to them by the coach (more advanced) or they can field balls rolled to them. They need to concentrate on keeping their upper bodies square with the ball (get in front of the ball), bending at the knees, and cradling the ball with two hands into their body.

Once players master the technique of fielding without a glove then they will find fielding with a glove much easier.

Hitting


The only way for a player to get better with hitting the ball is for them to actually hit. Players can either hit a ball off a tee (to work on the basics) or they can hit pitches. Also, a part of hitting that is often overlooked is bunting. Players should be required to lay down at least 3 bunts every time they take batting practice (BP). If possible, players should take BP every practice and before every game.

Look for Free Girls Fastpitch Softball Drills


Softball players need to be drilled on the basics of the game (throwing, fielding, and hitting) as often as possible. Any coach or player who is looking for drills to do can easily find them. In fact, there are a great many free girls softball fastpitch drills on the internet.

Becky Wittenburg has been coaching softball for over 15 years- it is her true passion. She's constantly on the lookout for new free girls softball fastpitch drills. You can get instant access to a sample of her softball practice plans by visiting her website:


SoftballSpot.com

For a limited time, all coaches who visit Becky's site will also get a free copy of her special report: "The 7 Biggest Mistakes Softball Coaches Make". Go get your free copy today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Becky_Wittenburg


SoftballrUs.com/FastpitchSoftballSupply.com is the ultimate online fastpitch softball online store. SoftballrUs.com has Batting Trainers,Pitching Training, Training Bats,Defensive Training Equipment,Coaching DVDs & Books, Softball Pitching Machines, Softball Complete Net & Frame Batting Cage Packages, Batting Cage Nets, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, and BatAction Hitting Machines, and much, much more. Visit Softballrus.com now!