Help out a 1st time coach

[ultimate shcwarts]

Does anyone have and materials or advice that they would be willing to share with a rookie coach for running practices and keeping the girls interested and having fun?

It will be girls softball 8u coach pitch. We will start practicing for an hour a week in a gym till april 1st, then if weathers nice we can go onto the field.

thanks for your time
Mike

[DerekD]

Boy, I could write a book of a response here. My suggestion is to read, read, read. Message board, do google searches, etc. There's tons of web sites that will help you tremendously.

The biggest suggestion I can make about practice is to keep it fun. Don't have girls waiting in line for too long. Try to recruit some help to set up different stations for practice. Do not be one of the coaches whose practice consists of standing at home plate hitting balls everywhere.

[TG Coach]

http://www.y-coach.com/CD/Coaching.htm

[lhp2013]

Coach, I'd suggest getting as much adult help as possible, at least in the beginning. Having two or three girls playing catch with an adult will help keep things from getting out of control. Trying to teach basics with them just playing catch (chase) with each other may prove maddening. This arrangement also allows you to teach those two or three at a time, moving from group to group. Try to come up with small stations for all skills and keep them moving spending about 5 or 6 minutes at each. Best of luck !

[wogdoggy]

just make it FUN! :clapping

[jacksimpk]

Coach, I'd suggest getting as much adult help as possible, at least in the beginning. Having two or three girls playing catch with an adult will help keep things from getting out of control. Trying to teach basics with them just playing catch (chase) with each other may prove maddening. This arrangement also allows you to teach those two or three at a time, moving from group to group. Try to come up with small stations for all skills and keep them moving spending about 5 or 6 minutes at each. Best of luck !

Amen to this - exactly what I was going to say. Small groups with lots of adults keeps things moving and makes practice fun. Standing in line and waiting your turn for 30 seconds of drill is not fun. Try to have 3-4 things going at the same time. Plan Plan Plan - if you show up at practice 15 minutes early with a written game plan and have parents to help you you'll be a superstar. If you're wondering around trying to figure out what to do the girls will be too.

Start with a set warm up routine at you repeat every practice - that will help you get in the grove and it will give you some "Oh crap I didn't plan for today" time too.

Be careful to observe your players they will like some things better then others. Plan your practices with the stuff they love to do at the end so they are eager to get there.

There are a ton of coaching books at Barns&Nobles maybe someone here has a suggestion for soft ball. Also, usually the older players start practicing early. Go to some 12u practices or travel team practices take a notebook and steal steal steal. Baseball/softball is a game of fundametals most things you see them working on at older levels apply to your 8u girls.

Good Luck Coach

[shake-n-bake]

Coach, I'd suggest getting as much adult help as possible, at least in the beginning. Having two or three girls playing catch with an adult will help keep things from getting out of control. Trying to teach basics with them just playing catch (chase) with each other may prove maddening. This arrangement also allows you to teach those two or three at a time, moving from group to group. Try to come up with small stations for all skills and keep them moving spending about 5 or 6 minutes at each. Best of luck !

I'll give this a thumbs up as well. You can have both different drills @ each station or same skills and have the groups compete. I'd do some of each. Obviously you know keeping it fun is vital, but also focus on building their skills. You'll feel so much satisfaction at the end of the year when you look back at these first practices and realize how much the girls have improved.

This sounds sort of corny, but I was watching my daughter's (she's 8) basketball team practice. The coaches of another team practicing there were running lines every time their girls made a shot. The girls absolutely loved it and they started making more shots than I think the coaches bargained for. Just an idea.

[Ursa Major]

At that age, I'd definitely get the parents involved. What I (and many people) hate about many youth sports leagues is that -- if you don't get in the coaching hierarchy at these entry level spots, you're forever shunted to the margings and the same (often incompetent coaches) get re-upped as managers year after year. Many parents will sit quietly, thinking that it's too presumptious of them to raise their hands and offer to help. Tell them right off the bat that you want them out there whether they have experience or not. (Just don't let them teach hitting until they've passed your own litmus test.) Add as a recruitment incentive that any parent who crosses the foul lines to help out on the field gets addressed as "Coach", even by their own kids.

Otherwise, the others have hit on the main points -- keep it fun, busy, interspersed with competitions, and always, always, positive. Remember that the judgment on your success as a coach is largely determined by how many come back to play next year.

And check your PM.

[jacksimpk]

How many times have you seen a coach yelling instructions while hitting pops to the outfield. It's a great use for parents. Use them for labor so you can be out there with the kid catching the pops. Same thing with infield. Have a dad hit the grounders so you can physically work with the kids. You get much much more done when you on the spot demonstrating and talking, instead of across the field yelling!

[ultimate shcwarts]

All good advice coaches but how do you fellows teach little girls to throw a ball that is to big for their hands. What type of grip is the most effective to try.

Also what is the best way to get the girls to learn to catch when most of them are still afraid to get in front of the ball or show you the palm of their glove when it is above thier waist.

Thanks again
Mike

[TG Coach]

All good advice coaches but how do you fellows teach little girls to throw a ball that is to big for their hands. What type of grip is the most effective to try.

Also what is the best way to get the girls to learn to catch when most of them are still afraid to get in front of the ball or show you the palm of their glove when it is above thier waist.

Thanks again
Mike

http://www.monkeysee.com/play/1320-softball-throwing-mechanics-grips-and-releases

[jacksimpk]

Also what is the best way to get the girls to learn to catch when most of them are still afraid to get in front of the ball or show you the palm of their glove when it is above thier waist.


Roll up a pair of socks put some rubber bands on it and throw it at them!

[zocco]

Roll up a pair of socks put some rubber bands on it and throw it at them!
Great idea!!!! :clapping



ultimate shcwarts,
I asked the same question last year as I was a first time coach (albiet for 5yr olds t-ball).....some of the responses may help you...
http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=74677


The best advice I got was to have fun yourself, joke with them, laugh a lot....If you're having fun, the kids will have fun.....The best drills I found for the kids were the ones that had competition and were fun for them (i.e. getting them to learn, without them knowing they are learing).

Good Luck!!!!!