The Youth Softball Coaching Clinic Blog is your free online source for youth softball and little league softball coaching tips and drills. Our articles and daily post covers all aspects of coaching girls softball and girls softball teams.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Softball Training Tips Taking Your Lead #1



http://www.softballperformance.com Softball Peak Performance Coach Marc Dagenais demonstrates both the rocker start and that track start for taking leads off the bases.

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Thursday, July 22, 2010

Softball Coaching Tips on Helping Players Deal With Defeat

Youth Softball Coaching Tips on Helping Players Deal With Defeat
By Guest Author Marc Dagenais

It's not something that you prepare for, but when it hits you, it hits you real hard. I'm talking about losing here.

There's no escaping losing at least one game in a softball coach and player's life. Even the greatest softball players have to deal with this fact from time to time.

As a coach, what's important here is that you motivate your players to pick themselves up and prepare themselves to win the next game. It could be difficult but there are several strategies you could help them overcome the emotional slump of losing.

Here are some of these softball coaching tips I'd like to share with you:

It's Not the End of the World

It's not the end of the world whether your team loses a big game or a small one. You should let them realize that. There are some ways to help them alleviate this feeling. You could probably go out with them, or do anything that would help lighten their mood. Your goal here is to lift their spirits up and make them want to look forward to another day and another game.

It's Not One Person's Fault

There could be instances where there would be a lot of finger pointing on who cost the team the game. It's a negative attitude that you want to get rid of as soon as possible because it can destroy the team's morale and camaraderie.

Remind them that softball is a team sport. And when the team goes down, there must be something that the entire team did wrong, and not just one person. It's then the entire team's job to regain its composure for the next game.

Offer Incentives

Some people might consider it as bribery, but those who deserve to get occasional honors and praises for a job well done should get it. The key here is to motivate your players to try harder by giving them an immediate goal they could strive for.

Help Them Step Up Their Game

Sometimes, it's the lack of skills that could cost you a game. You have to accept the times that some teams cold pull off fantastic games against you.

But instead of punishing your players for that, try a more productive approach: give them longer hours of training until you see positive results during training and the game itself. They might protest against it, but it would be a lot milder compared to when you tell them that you're punishing them for losing.

Let the Emotions Pass

It can be very easy to get emotional after a loss, but don't let it get the better of you or your players. Again, as I said earlier, it's not the end of the world. Give yourself the time to mend the emotional wounds caused by the loss. And believe me, you'll turn out fine after a day or so.

Nobody wants to lose, and we all have to deal with losing at one point or another in our career. But I hope that the softball coaching tips I shared with you will help you and your team deal with it a lot easier.

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that 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. Visit his site and sign-up to get his FREE softball hitting tips!

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

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Sunday, July 18, 2010

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Bats and Gloves - A Parent's Spring Ritual

Bats and Gloves - A Parent's Spring Ritual
By Guest Author Mike Ripley

Whether it's picking the right size bat or the best glove for playing infield or outfield, many parents find this task very challenging and rewarding at the same time. Appropriate softball/baseball equipment will help your child to show his or her talent at the field. However, there are a few differences between softball and baseball equipment, which makes good sense since softball descended from baseball. Some baseball equipment can be substituted for softball equipment, such as helmets, youth shoes, but bats as well.

However, you can play softball with a baseball bat and reverse, but the gained results will vary. You should keep in mind that softball bats are lighter and while playing baseball it will probably get cracked. Then, baseball bats are heavier and softballs are larger, so it may be bad choice as well. Youth League uses bats long from 26 to 31 inch with weight between 16 and 23 ounces. Today, baseball and softball bats are made of a wide variety of materials Long time ago, softball/baseball bats were made from solid wood. Since the sports technology progressed, baseball/softball bats are now usually constructed from metal alloys such as aluminum, titanium.

More over, it is very difficult to determine if a bat is the right weight for your child. The best thing to do is to see how he/she performs against pitched balls. Hitting off a tee or at soft ball may give you faux results. It can happen that you purchased a bat that is either heavy or too long, and then it is the best solution to stick it in the bag and wait next season. Inadequate bat may discourage your child and it can also hurt his/her team ability to win games. Above all, you can find bats as very expensive, especially when you try to weigh the price and performance. On the other hand, you have to be aware that no matter how good you maintain a bat, your child may grow enough, and in this respect a bat can last only one season.

Then, very important for your child is catchers' mitt or a glove. Before you go shopping for these items you need to have some knowledge of them. First, you don't want to purchase a glove at toy store. Those tiny mitts end up being dreadful for catching the baseball or softball. They can never soften up as authentic mitts. Above all, they are too tiny to be able to help the young player scoop even a marginally wayward toss. Then, you should very seriously approach to the size of the glove. If your young athlete can wiggle his/her fingers inside the baseball mitt, the fingers of the glove will move. If ever those small fingers simply cannot shift the glove fingertips, the glove is just too big, and therefore you should go for size down. At last, if your child requests a 1st basemen's glove or perhaps a catcher's mitt, wait until he/she is at the least 10 and after that invest in a quality mitt.

If you have a young softball player you will need to invest your money in other softball gear besides bats and gloves. You have also to think of protective softball equipment, which includes shin pads, chest protectors, masks, helmets. In addition to all mentioned softball equipment, there are softball uniforms. Softball uniforms differ in colors, brands and sponsorship. Above all, softball girls don't put on caps but they often use visors. It is really difficult to distinguish softball from baseball outfits. However, young baseball players employ gloves and helmets. It is very important for all young baseball players to have spikes that fit them. Protective baseball equipment includes shin guards, a chest protector, protective cup and a mask.

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

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Monday, July 12, 2010

Youth Softball - Things You Should Know

Youth Fastpitch Softball - Things You Should Know
By Guest Author Blaine F Johnston


People who love softball often take their family to play this sport, including their children. This activity can enhance their skills, especially if the parents want the children to be professional players. However, there are several things that parents should know before starting to do efforts to make the children like softball superstars.

For you who do not have any idea about this sport, you can try to understand that softball is sport game played by nine players in a team. The game needs two teams that alternate between offense and defense. The team who makes more runs than the opponent team will be the winner. In addition, it can be played for both girls and boys, so it eliminates your worries that your kids will be rejected.

This game requires several skills that include strength, teamwork and craftsmanship, eye-hand coordination, and also some position-specific skills like running, pitching, and fielding. That is why the minimum age to play this game is 4 or 5 for tee ball and 7 or 8 for player-pitch teams. A kid needs to be patient and attentive enough to deal with the slower pace of baseball. In addition, the kid should be team-oriented, as the game requires team coordination to win.

If you put your kids to a softball course, you will find that they spend a lot of time lingering in the outfield. Physical activities are not done too often, but the play will become more athletic and aggressive depending on their growth. You should provide the suitable equipment that fit their body well. You can go to stores and ask the shopkeepers or even go there with your kids to know which ones that fit them perfectly. Things you must buy are uniform, gloves, cleats, batting gloves, and batting helmets. The price may vary, but the equipment for beginning players is mostly cheap.

Then, you need to consider the potential injuries that possibly happen during the game. That is why you should know the tricks to prevent injuries, such as using softer balls to reduce injury factors. This kind of ball is often used by younger places as it is well known for the ability to reduce the risk and severity of head injuries. Then, you can also reduce the risk of ankle sprains and other injuries by giving your kids breakaway bases, or also called safety-release bases.

There are several conditions you may find after certain periods of play. If your kids throw too many pitches, they can experience an overuse injury. In a response to this, you can make sure that the kids get plenty of rest for their arms. The coach may even ask you to do this. Further, you can get some tips to prevent the injuries by contacting the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.

You can buy a baseball softball pitching machine to enhance your kids' skill of hitting. However, there are also other types of softball pitching machines available on markets that you can choose base on the kids' needs.

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

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Friday, July 9, 2010

Softball Drills - Training Catchers Not to Fear the Ball

Fastpitch Softball Drills - Training Catchers Not to Fear the Ball
By Guest Author Geoff James

All humans have the same general reaction when an object is plummeting towards them: flinch. Softball catchers do not have time to flinch; they need to keep their eyes on the ball and catch it after each strike or ball. Try these drills to prime your softball catchers for the big leagues:

Are you Nervous?

The best way to keep players calm while being attacked by 60 mph balls is through repetition. By the 30th, 80th, 1000th ball, no catcher will flinch when she sees the ball coming towards her. As with every skill, practice makes perfect.

Have your geared up catcher stand against a wall and the pitcher stand a foot and a half in front of her. The pitcher will lightly throw the ball directly at the face of the catcher, bouncing the ball off of her helmet. Have the team do this a few minutes each day, and soon enough your catcher won't even blink when she sees the ball coming! Having your pitcher throw the balls also builds a trust between the duo that is integral to game day success.

The next drill is two-fold: not only does it help keep the catcher on her toes when a ball approaches, but it also forces her to think about the next move.

Bombardment

Have three players line up horizontally between the pitcher's mound and home plate. The catcher gets in position. She is wearing her full gear. The line "pitchers" each have a bucket of balls in front of them. The first throws the ball at the catcher, who then rolls the ball off to the side. The minute the ball leaves her mitt, the next player throws. The rapid succession forces the player to immediately move on from one element of the game to the next, which is a skill that can benefit all players, not just your catchers.

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

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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Softball Throwing Drills

Softball Throwing Drills to Improve Distance and Accuracy
By Becky Wittenburg

The Throwing Skills to Pay the Bills

Of the key elements of a well-rounded softball player, a good throwing arm is definitely near the top of the list. While some are lucky enough to be born with throwing skills, even they won't be hurt by softball throwing drills which aim to improve distance and accuracy.

When demonstrating these softball throwing drills, make sure to run through each drill at half speed first before increasing the pace. Also give every player who desires a chance to practice the motions slowly first. Not only will this reduce the chances of unnecessary injury, it will also allow the player to feel the correct way of doing things which will translate when the motions are sped up.

From the Four Corners of the Field

If you're looking for a drill that highlights throwing conditioning, quick sprints and improving your players' accuracy on throws from first to third then consider the Four Corners drill. To set up the drill, have your all your infield players line up behind second base except for one player at first base. In addition, this drill requires one hitter at home plate with a bucket of balls.

To begin, the batter hits a ball towards second base. The first fielder in the line fields the ball, throws it to first base and sprints to third in time to receive a throw from a player at first. In order to continue, the fielder must be in a proper receiving position at third base with their left foot touching the home plate side of the base.

Upon catching the ball from first, the fielder sprints towards home plate, hands the ball off to the batter, and runs to first just in time to receive a throw from the fielder at second. Once she has completed her throw to third she is to run to the back of the line at second base and await her next chance at playing fielder.

This is a very fast-paced drill with lots of running so make sure to give your players an adequate break for water and resting following its completion. To minimize down time and standing around, use no more than five players on the field, not including the hitter.

Rotating Infield Drill

The next softball throwing drill employs a rotating infield to get players throwing from all over the infield. To begin with, have no more than five infielders line up behind third base with an additional player at first base. One at a time they are to field a ball that is either thrown to them or hit by a batter. Upon successful receipt of the ball, they are to throw to first base, then run over to the shortstop position.

The drill is repeated for shortstop, second base, and a spot halfway between first and second where the hit is a slow roller towards first. For the slow roller, players are to charge out and field the ball in front of first base, then throw the ball lightly to the player at first. Remind the first base player to ignore any throws that cannot be caught easily so that she can always be ready for the upcoming throw. This is a great drill for tryouts as it showcases throwing skills from a variety of positions.

Becky has been coaching softball for well over a decade. She's constantly on the lookout for new softball throwing 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

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Monday, July 5, 2010

Jessica Mendoza Softball Training - HIT: The Load : Softball.com



Jessica Mendoza Softball Training - HIT: The Load : Softball.com
Posted on Youtbe by TeamExpress
Softball Jessica Mendoza Louisville Slugger USA.
Jessica talks about hitting with "The Load":
"The negative movement of hitting",
Hitting the offspeed pitch with a load. Using it as a timing mechanism to hit the pitch.

Brought to you by Softball.com


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Sunday, July 4, 2010

Free Softball Practice Drills

Free Softball Practice Drills
By Marc Dagenais

These softball drills are all great to use during practice and are free! If you play softball you may want to take the time to practice these drills during practice or on your own time because they can help you out tremendously.

Drill 1 - Merry-Go-Round (Softball Infield)

Purpose: To warm up or work on conditioning while fielding ground balls.

Procedure: Players form two fielding lines at opposite corners of the infield - one to the left of second base and one at home. Be careful that the players in line at second do not trip over the base. Two hitters hit or throw from the pitching-circle area, one to each line. Players field and run to the end of the opposite line. Hitters hit ground balls, fly balls, range balls, line drives, and scoops. Players return the ball to their hitter or place it in a bucket at the line they are running to. Hitters should have a bucket of extra balls to replace balls that fielders miss so the drill can be done at a steady pace.

Drill 2 - Knee Dives (Softball Catching)

Purpose: To learn how to dive to catch the ball.

Procedure: The tosser is six feet in front of the diver, who is on her knees. Using soft safety balls, the thrower tosses balls to the side just out of reach so that the diver must dive to catch them. Players progress to starting in a squat position and then to a full standing start. When using a mat have one tosser and never more than six fielders in a line so players don't waste too much time waiting for their turn but still have time to get ready for their next attempt. When bad weather forces you inside, this is an excellent drill if you have access to tumbling or wrestling mats.

Drill 3 - Sequence Throwing (Softball Throwing)

Purpose: To force concentration so that players can work on accuracy.

Procedure: Players use this sequence when throwing to a partner. Because the numbers are not in a logical sequence, the thrower must concentrate on each throw.

1. left shoulder 3.right shoulder

3. right hip 4. left hip

Drill 4 - Watch and Take Advantage (Softball Baserunning)

Purpose: To practice holding the leadoff until the pitcher has the ball.

Procedure: A pitcher with a bucket of balls on the mound throws to a catcher. Runners form a line behind first base. The runner works on getting a good jump on her leadoff and then maintaining a balanced position until the ball is successfully returned to the pitcher. The catcher occasionally overthrows the pitcher or the pitcher drops the ball. The runners looks for the error and reacts by going to second.

Drill 5 - Air Drill (Softball Bunting)

Purpose: To evaluate and practice bunting technique.

Procedure: The coach calls a particular bunt, and the batter then assumes position in an imaginary batter's box. On the command "Ball" the batter executes the basic movement. The emphasis is on proper bat angle and contact spot, good balance, and using the legs to lower the body for low pitches.

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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Thursday, July 1, 2010

Get Your Hands on the Most Effective Softball Tips Ever Written!

Get Your Hands on the Most Effective Softball Tips Ever Written!
By Guest Author Marc Dagenais

Softball claims to be one of the most popular sports in the United States. Mastering the different skills in softball can help the team score and score and score again. Take your game to the next level using these powerful and proven softball playing tips. These will assure you of maximizing your team's performance. These very effective mechanics includes tips about the game itself, tips in playing softball, tips in effective softball coaching and tips on effective softball team building.

Simple tips about the softball game:

Softball is played by nine players in a team. The playing field is divided into the infield which is the lines between the bases and is sixty inches apart, and the outfield which is outside the baseline but inside the playing field. Any ball going outside the first or third base line is a foul ball which means runners cannot advance and the batter gets another try unless the ball was caught in the air, which translates to an out. An official game is seven innings. An inning is done when both teams have had their turn to bat.

Tips in playing softball:

You should keep your eye on the ball. Bend your knees when batting the softball. Don't backtrack; run sort of sideways while tracking the ball with your eyes. Run through first, but don't run through any other base. You can only step on a base and get somebody out when there is a strength or force; otherwise you must tag the runner playing softball.

Tips for effective softball coaching:

Plan a practice. Create a motor plan through mental preparation of the players. In this way, there is a development of unique set of mental rules. The plan will definitely becomes effective in matching drills to the player's ability, refining of action through an action plan, and further refining of the existing softball skill. Give appropriate rewards every time a player does a skill successfully. Review each successful game and compliment the player's effort as much as possible. Set practical goals. The goals must prepare the player for a realistic end. Teach a skill, by starting with the simple movements. Shape their behavior by being an example. Communicate with the players like a proficient and a capable coach.

Tips on Softball Team building:

It is often said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. In softball paying, you must know not only your personal strength and weaknesses but also the others. A team is a group of people working together to achieve a common goal. Softball team building is the process of enabling that group of people to achieve that goal and that is to win in any softball competition!

It is about learning the simplest ways in getting started with softball that gives the sure ball in the game. Awareness of these softball tips can fully bring out the best in you and ignite the sports juices and stimulate new ways of looking at sport.

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

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

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