Batting Order:
1. Batting 10. Have 10. I put my best batters at the end of the lineup. The idea here is we bat all 10 regardless of the number of outs, so a strong 10th batter can drive in all that’s left on base.
2. I start the line up with 2 girls I KNOW can get on but are not my biggest bats. This puts a couple of girls on when my small bats (that hit it maybe a foot or two or hit into easy put outs at first) come up. I use the potential outs of these batters to push around runners, most of the times scoring them. Keeps up the excitement for the players, the outs feel like they have done something, and strikeouts are contagious; we don’t want to start an inning with 2 strikeouts.
3. Batting 10. Have 9. This gives you a slight advantage in offense. Put your best hitters at the TOP of the lineup. One through four will probably get to bat twice each time and you will still have a good bat to drive in anyone at the end of the inning. Each inning one of the first 4 will start and end the inning. (ex, 1st inning 1st batter bats twice, 2nd inning 2nd batter bats twice…)
4. Batting 10. Have 11 or 12. This is harder. If you load your best batters 8, 9, 10 then each inning after the first you will loose one of your best batters from the lineup. If you put them at the top of the lineup then you can’t take advantage of their power. I would arrange them with my girls that couldn’t hit much at all around 9-12 ending my best at 6-8 That way the outs would just be outs (as they probably would be anyway and you would end the game in innings 3 and 4 with your best batters at the end of the lineup.
5. Running bases: The players have to know to run through the base at first. Work hard with that. That will help them in later years more than now. Have them learn to listen to the first base coach though because if the offensive player has any speed at all and a play is being made at first have her keep going to second. By the time the first baseman gets control and sees what’s happening the runner is half way to second.
6. Running Bases: Have the players learn to look at the third base coach half way to second.
7. Running Bases: place bags on the field halfway between 1st and 2nd and 2nd and 3rd out of the baselines and instruct the players to run on the inside of the bags… this teaches the players to go STRAIGHT to the bases.
8. Running Bases: I have the girls listen to me at third and “Round the base” when a play is not made at third… they are to go a 4th of the way to home watching the ball. They come back when I Yell “BACK”. We practice this all the time.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Softball Practices....
One of the hardest things is for a league coach to have worthwhile practices when parents don't bring their players.
I've always had a policy where practices are manditory, but if you were going to miss, call me.
Sometimes it could be a case where I might be able to arrange transportation to help.
The team can NOT get better without practices and when you play a team sport, you have to think about the team as a whole. It should be the one thing that players learn after playing Team Sports, the TEAM comes first, not the individual.
Coaches should be the same way. The team is more important than even his own daughter. AND his daughter should be placed in the position SHE earns. Anything else is Daddy Ball and can bring down the overall performance of the team itself. That doesn't mean that on his own time he doesn't work her more... and try to bring her up to the level he is looking for out of his own daughter.
Practices if held right can do the most to bring up the level of a team, but to do them right all players must participate. They bring the players closer together so that they play as a unit, and the repetition of the drills make plays seem natural.
Bottom line, if your coach calls a practice, make every effort to be there or give him advanced notice that your player won't be there so he can make plans for her absence.
I've always had a policy where practices are manditory, but if you were going to miss, call me.
Sometimes it could be a case where I might be able to arrange transportation to help.
The team can NOT get better without practices and when you play a team sport, you have to think about the team as a whole. It should be the one thing that players learn after playing Team Sports, the TEAM comes first, not the individual.
Coaches should be the same way. The team is more important than even his own daughter. AND his daughter should be placed in the position SHE earns. Anything else is Daddy Ball and can bring down the overall performance of the team itself. That doesn't mean that on his own time he doesn't work her more... and try to bring her up to the level he is looking for out of his own daughter.
Practices if held right can do the most to bring up the level of a team, but to do them right all players must participate. They bring the players closer together so that they play as a unit, and the repetition of the drills make plays seem natural.
Bottom line, if your coach calls a practice, make every effort to be there or give him advanced notice that your player won't be there so he can make plans for her absence.
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