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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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


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Softball Baseball Batting Practice Trainer Videos

Softball Baseball Batting Practice Trainer Videos

Video shows the Hands Back Hitter baseball batting trainer. The Hands Back Hitter by Swing Buster is a great for all ages and ability levels. The HBH teaches and builds correct hitting fundamentals.



The Stayback Tee is designed to help teach and practice rotational hitting that can increase bat speed. The Stayback Tee helps the batter establish the proper axis to launch the swing. It virtually eliminates forward motion after swing initiation commonly called lunging. This enhances balance in the stride landing and allows the hitter to adjust to different speed pitches and maximize the power by leading with hips and turning into the ball.



Short video demonstration of the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball softball trainer, The BatAction offers high speed ball movement drills that are 100% Guaranteed to Improve batting averages, bat speed and hitting skill. Unit is suitable for all ages from t-ball to high scholo. Great for Little League team parctices and home backyard workouts. The BatAction is often called the "Backyard Basketball Goal" for baseball and softball players.




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Softball Coaching Tips - Top 3 Tips in Coaching Younger Players

By Marc Dagenais

You may not be coaching an elite team, but coaching younger players can be a very rewarding experience. Imagine yourself being a role model to kids and the huge part you will be playing in the way they will eventually look at life in general, not only on softball.

But you should know that coaching young players can be quite a challenge in itself. Kids think and see the world differently than older ones so, you should always remember that.

I hope that the softball coaching tips that I'll be sharing with you here will make it a lot easier and more rewarding for you to coach young players.

1. Always Keep the Fun in the Game

You could be very competitive when it comes to softball, but to children, softball is still just a game. And as a game, you want them to enjoy every second of it. That's why you should always put in the element of fun in their game.

Of course there will be days when they'll fall into a slump and start getting frustrated. But it's your job to help them pick themselves up from there and make playing softball fun again.

Another benefit of keeping the game fun is that younger players generally understand concepts much easier if there's an element of fun in it. So don't turn your instructions into a huge sermon. Instead, I suggest that you design or look for drills that are fun and at the same time, teach them the basics of the game.

2. Teach Them Concepts Bit by Bit

The brains of young players are fascinating in the sense that they are much capable of learning faster than the brain of adults. However, their brains aren't that complex yet that they cannot process anything complicated at this stage.

Therefore, you could let them learn the game much easier if you try feeding them with just the general concepts first then gradually progress into teaching them the nitty gritty of the game.

For example, you don't want to confuse them by teaching them the different types of pitches right away. Instead, you'd want to teach them how to properly throw the ball first. Once they've nailed that, you can work your way up from there. Start with the building blocks first and furnish it with the more complicated concepts.

3. Be a Good Role Model to Them

At this stage of their lives, young children are looking for people to look up to. And since you're in the position of authority, it would be natural that at least some of your players will look up to you.

Because of that, you should try to be a good role model to them. It may not be easy, but try to lead them by example. Teach them the concepts of sportsmanship, for example, by showing them how you gracefully accept wins or defeats.

Remember that you're not just molding future softball players here, but young minds who will eventually grow up and make decisions for themselves. Maybe your examples will help them in making decisions later on in life.

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

5 Softball Pitching Drills

By Marc Dagenais

Drill 1: Fast and Slow

Purpose: To practice changing speeds.

Procedure: Working with her catcher, the pitcher alternates fast and off-speed pitches. The goal is to keep the delivery the same.



Drill 2: Football Toss

Purpose: To develop correct rise-ball release.

Procedure: The pitcher throws a junior-sized football underhand to a partner. Grip it along the seam with all the fingers and with the thumb on the opposite side. The ball should spiral. If it wobbles in flight, the palm has turned toward the catcher at release.

Drill 3: Four-Corner Control

Purpose: To develop control and accuracy.

Procedure: The pitcher throws to the extreme four corners of the strike zone. When she achieves accuracy at one spot, she moves the target to the next corner. A catcher or a target on the wall can be used. To adjust for the in and out targets, the pitcher must adjust her body angle from her normal stance. She turns the toe on the rubber about a half inch in or out from the position she used to throw to the middle of the plate.

Drill 4: Wrist Snap Behind Back

Purpose: To develop the wrist snap by isolating the wrist, which prevents the pitcher from using the elbow to snap the ball.

Procedure: The pitcher stands sideways 5 to 10 feet from the catcher or a wall. The glove side faces the target, and the ball is behind the back. The pitcher flips the ball by snapping the wrist.

Drill 5: Oversized and Undersized Ball Spins

Purpose: To make the pitcher practice throwing a riseball.

Procedure: Using a baseball or an 11-inch ball may help the pitcher make the correct movements to get underneath the ball. The smaller the size of the ball allows the fingers to be more flexible and allows the correct movements to occur with less effort. A pitcher can use an undersized ball when initially trying to create muscle memory for the correct spin movements. An oversized ball is helpful in speeding up the wrist snap because the hand must pass under more area in the same amount of time. The oversized ball can also illustrate the spin to a pitcher who may be struggling with the backward concept. A 14-inch ball seems to be the perfect size because the pitcher can hold on to it comfortably throughout the circle before snapping the wrist at release. The routine used with these balls can mirror the routing used with the Spinner-starting close up without the circle and adding distance as well as the full circle.

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


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!