Coaching Girls Softball - Coach Pitching

Coaching Girls Softball - Coach Pitching
By guest author: Lisa A Mason

This season I had the benefit of coaching my oldest daughter's Coach Pitch softball team. Coach Pitch is the league for girls aged 6-8 and as the name suggests, there is a coach pitcher with girls filling all other positions. This is the next step up from T-ball in our Parks and Recreation league.

The leagues are ran completely by volunteers, most often the parents of the children who play and it's a much more difficult task than some might think before they have tried it for themselves. However, it can also be a very rewarding experience if you take the time and energy to learn from it.

The first thing to know about coaching this age group is that many of the girls will be playing for the first time. Even those who have played in the past are likely going to forget many of the rules and regulations. Even when you tell them, they have short attention spans and short memories. You may have to tell them again and again.

Patiently and politely recite the rules that you expect them to remember over and over with each practice and game. There is also a lot of hands-on coaching happening during the games. Girls are going to look to you in the middle of a play to tell them what to do. You need to be loud enough to be heard over the crowd and be sure to use their names loudly and clearly so they know what you're asking them to do.

At this age, there will often be a lot of tears. Bumps, scrapes, disappointments, hurt feelings and sometimes teasing will all come into play. Try to treat each girl equally and always be sensitive to their emotions. There's a time to tell them to be tough and keep playing and there are times when a girl may just need to sit out for a break. You can't push them too hard at this age or they will give up and become discouraged.

Remember that it's all about fun. Some parents and coaches push so hard for wins and being "top" of the league that they forget that it's about fun for the girls. At 6-8 years old, few girls will be thinking about going pro. They just want to have a good time and as parents and coaches, it's our job to ensure they have a safe environment in which to do so.

Lisa Mason is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content. She has also authored her own books and works as a consultant to other writers, Internet marketers and Internet businesses.

Lisa Mason, Professional wordsmith for hire: gamer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, published poet, co-owner of game guides company (http://www.liti4.com), public speaker and Internet business consultant. You can learn more or follow Lisa's blog from her website: http://www.freelancewriter4hire.com

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

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Coaching Youth Softball - 1st and 3rd Strategies

Coaching Youth Softball - 1st and 3rd Strategies
Uploaded by softballperformance
http://www.softballperformance.com - Softball Coaching Expert Marc Dagenais share one of his great softball coaching tips for those coaching youth softball on how to deal with 1st and 3rd situations.

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The Categories they have are: BatAction Hitting Machines, Hurricane Hitting Machines, Batting Cages, Pitching Machines, Jugs Equipment, Game and Practice Baseballs, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, Portable Pitching Mounds, Baseball DVDs & Books, Clearance Items on Sales, NEDCO Bataction Replacement Parts, Baseball Training Equipment, Youth Baseball Training Equipment, Training Bats, Pitching & Throwing Trainers, Defensive Trainers, SKLZ Hurricane Replacement Parts and Much Much More! Visit Baseball2U.com today!

Softball Drills - Quick Drills to Get Players Fired Up

Softball Drills - Quick Drills to Get Players Fired Up
By guest author: Becky Wittenburg

Some traditional softball drills have been around since the beginning of the sport for a good reason: they get the job done. These drills are simple and easy to explain, and they get players in shape and fired up for the game.

Hitting Drills


•3-Player Bunt: This softball drill requires two players to pitch and one to bat. The pitchers alternate pitching and the batter bunts back to the one who pitched.
•Broomstick Hitting Drill: Hit whiffle balls with a broomstick to work on batting technique. First use the right hand, then the left hand, and then both hands.
•Hitting Machine Drill: Fill the hitting machine with three different colored balls. Have the players bunt on certain colors, take certain colors, and hit away on other colors.

Running Drills


•Base Running Drill: This drill helps increase endurance and base running technique. Have the whole team run the bases 10 times, but pace it so that they jog the evens and sprint the odds.
•Indian Relay Drill: The team runs laps in a single file line, and the player in front holds a ball. When the first player is ready she tossed the ball up in the air and runs to the back of the line. The second girl now leads the line and carries the ball until she is ready to move to the back, at which point she tosses the ball up for the next player.
•Base Stealing Drill: Players form a line facing the coach. At the coach's signal, they lead off the imaginary base. If the coach signals to return to the base, all players dive back to the imaginary base. If the coach signals to continue, all players spring to a designated area.

Fielding Drills


•Rapid Fire Drill: For this softball drill, a coach or player quickly bats to various positions on the field, and the fielders throw to designated areas. This drill has a lot going on at once, but it is good practice for focusing on fieldwork.
•3-Second Drill: This drill helps infielders quickly locate the ball and throw it where it needs to go. One player stands behind the fielder and gently tosses a ball at her feet. The baseman locates the ball and has three seconds to get it in a teammate's glove across the infield.
•3-Player Pivot Relays: Divide the team up into groups of three and have them form lines spread out across the outfield. Race to see who can complete the following drills, using the catch, pivot, throw method:

· Throw down the line and back, 1-2-3-2-1

· Throw down the line three times and back

· Make them think using the 1-3-2-3-1-2-3-1 pattern

And if you'd like to see more free softball drills and coaching tips, go here to watch a free video:

http://www.softball-spot.com/vid/

Becky Wittenburg is a kids softball coach, and the owner and publisher of Softball-Spot.com, the web's #1 resource for softball drills, tips, and practice ideas for youth and high school coaches.

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

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Baseball2u.com/CoachesBest.com is the ultimate online baseball training and coaching store. With over 1400 products organized into categories Baseball2u.com makes finding that baseball training product easy and simple. Order securely online or by phone. Baseball2u.com is a fully licensed company and has a full time staff available from 8:00 to 5:00 CST. Their toll free customer service number is 1-877-431-4487.

The Categories they have are: BatAction Hitting Machines, Hurricane Hitting Machines, Batting Cages, Pitching Machines, Jugs Equipment, Game and Practice Baseballs, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, Portable Pitching Mounds, Baseball DVDs & Books, Clearance Items on Sales, NEDCO Bataction Replacement Parts, Baseball Training Equipment, Youth Baseball Training Equipment, Training Bats, Pitching & Throwing Trainers, Defensive Trainers, SKLZ Hurricane Replacement Parts and Much Much More! Visit Baseball2U.com today!

Power Hitting - Ultimate Strength And Conditioning For The Softball Elite!

Power Hitting - Ultimate Strength And Conditioning For The Softball Elite!
By Brandon Richey

Being a strength professional and fitness trainer in the Atlanta, Georgia area now for over 10 years I have had plenty of experience in training athletes of all kinds. I remember when I played baseball and looking back I wished I knew then what I know now about strength training and athletic performance. Even though I didn't play softball on a regular basis the act of hitting comes from the same motion and the integration of the same muscles that are involved in swinging the bat. If I would have had the opportunity to add something to my strength training program it would have been the kettlebell swing lift. This is a great strength and conditioning drill for softball players to develop some serious hitting power.

Strength Training Softball

You see as a player you already get plenty of skills training in terms of your hitting and fielding when you are at practice. This is a common theme with baseball and softball players and is also something that can tend to hurt your softball playing performance to a degree. So you are probably wondering Brandon how can this hurt my game? Well, its not the practicing that will hurt your softball game, but I have seen many players neglect the implementation of a smart strength and conditioning program over the years by putting all of their emphasis on skills practice and none on strength training. The only way you are going to improve your hitting, throwing, and fielding abilities is by making yourself a better athlete and this starts with lifts such as the kettlebell swing.

The kettlebell swing is the base strength endurance lift that is performed with this ancient device and it involves all of your big core muscles in order to pull it off. You are basically implementing a swinging motion with the bell by moving it at an arc back and forth from between your legs up to at least chest level. This is done by you having to engage your hips and knees in a state of constant flexion and extension in order to create the necessary momentum to swing the bell. By doing this you are involving all the major muscles that work together in order to hit the ball for some serious power.

Kettlebell training is a movement based style of training which is why it is so effective for preparing you for all sports. You move during the game so you should train your body in the same way. If you haven't already started to implement the swing lift into your softball strength and conditioning program then you are falling behind. Remember that most any athlete can train hard, but only the best train smart!

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com.
To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at: http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html.

I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

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

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Coaching Youth Softball on How to Run a Successful Practice

Coaching Youth Softball on How to Run a Successful Practice
By guest author: Marc Dagenais


It's a headache to be a softball coach, especially if you're coaching youth softball players. Kids can be very undisciplined, their skills unpolished, and you also have to deal with their parents who watch their every game.

But kids are kids, and you can never change that. What you can change is the way you handle them. And that's what I'm going to share with you here. I'll show you how you can run a successful practice with your young players.

Get Some Experience

If you're an inexperienced coach, then I imagine how tough it is for you to handle this coaching job. But believe me, it will only get better with time.

Experience teaches you the best way to deal with young players and how to organize everything so your team runs smoothly like a well-oiled engine.

Reading books on coaching will also help you with the basics of coaching when you're just starting out. You'll need that if you don't want to walk out of the team because of frustration.

Organize Everything

You may not be the type who likes organizing things, but you will have to force yourself to learn this skill as a coach. Being organized with your schedule, how you will conduct drills, etc. keeps things easy to manage. You'll always know what you should do at a certain time.

Here's a suggestion: map out your team's schedule for the rest of the year. Include the pre-season, the in-season, and the post-season in the entire calendar. Then divide them into more manageable pieces and create mini-schedules.

An example: you'll spend the first 2 weeks of the year auditioning your players to see which positions you can assign them, as well as giving them time to get to know each other better. Then on weeks 3 and 4, you'll start teaching them the basics of the game, from throwing to batting. You get the idea.

Before you know it, you'll have the entire year completely mapped out. You'll know what to do, and you can track the progress of your team based on the schedule.

Know How to Deal with Youth Softball Players

You won't read it in a lot of books, but here's something you should know: coaching young players is different from older ones.

Unlike adults, kids can mostly grasp only the most general ideas about certain concepts. So when you're teaching them about batting, for example, just teach them the general idea of swinging the bat first before delving into the mechanics involved in it.

When you teach them the general idea first, they'll understand what you're telling them much easily, and that's key to running a successful practice session.

Another thing you should remember is that softball is still just a game for kids. And as a game, they're meant to enjoy it. So let them have fun when they're practicing. They'll be able to remember concepts of the game easier when they're having fun.

Again, it can be a nightmare coaching young softball players, but only if you don't know what to do. That's why I recommend you to invest in softball coaching books to give you an idea of what to do as a softball coach. Aside from that, keep everything organized during practices, and learn how to deal with kids, so you can ensure a successful practice session every time.

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/CoachesBest.com is the ultimate online baseball training and coaching store. With over 1400 products organized into categories Baseball2u.com makes finding that baseball training product easy and simple. Order securely online or by phone. Baseball2u.com is a fully licensed company and has a full time staff available from 8:00 to 5:00 CST. Their toll free customer service number is 1-877-431-4487.

The Categories they have are: BatAction Hitting Machines, Hurricane Hitting Machines, Batting Cages, Pitching Machines, Jugs Equipment, Game and Practice Baseballs, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, Portable Pitching Mounds, Baseball DVDs & Books, Clearance Items on Sales, NEDCO Bataction Replacement Parts, Baseball Training Equipment, Youth Baseball Training Equipment, Training Bats, Pitching & Throwing Trainers, Defensive Trainers, SKLZ Hurricane Replacement Parts and Much Much More! Visit Baseball2U.com today!