THROWING:
- Throwing Mechanics
- Grip: three fingers on seam, thumb on seam on opposite side of ball ("C" or backwards "C")
- Ball away from head (player should look at hand and see three fingers)
- Back elbow level or slightly higher than shoulder
- 90 degree elbow angle
- Point front elbow or glove towards target (Point glove-side shoulder)
- Feet are approximately shoulder-width apart
- Throwing Movements
- FIRST MOVEMENT: glove and front elbow "get out of the way" to open shoulders
- SECOND MOVEMENT: shoulders continue to rotate along with hips as throwing arm moves towards target (elbow should stay level or above shoulder)
- THIRD MOVEMENT: throwing hand should follow through all the way down/across body (slight bend in waist) to opposite thigh (shoulders should have rotated all the way: player starts with glove-side shoulder pointing to target and ends with throwing-side shoulder points to target) and throwing-side toe should drag towards target
- Throwing Progression
- Wrist Snap
- Dart Throw
- One Knee (slap opposite thigh)
- One Knee ( get elbow and glove out of the way)
- Rock & Fire (rotating shoulders)
- Regular Throws (work on slapping opposite thigh OR getting elbow and glove out of the way)
- Long Throws: Footwork Transition with Pivot Step (righty: "right, left, throw" / lefty: "left, right, throw")
- EXTRAS: front step ("open"), pull back with pivot step ("close"), throwing position ("open"); toe drag
DRILL: 4 CORNERS
DRILL: TARGET PRACTICE
FIELDING:
1. 3 R's
- Relax: chill/hang out
- Ready: two steps forward into a sumo wrestler (feet wide / hands out to sides)
- React: GET THE BALL!! (alligator mouth and bring up to belly button)
2. Footwork Transition into Throw (pivot step is FORWARD)
3. Backhands: turn hips, point toes, get back knee low/let ball come to you--DO NOT PUSH THROUGH IT!
4. Forehands: turn hips, point toes, get back knee low
DRILL: In-Air Reaction Drill (face, backhand, forehand)
DRILL: On-Ground Reaction Drill (feet, backhand, forehand)
DRILL: Touchdown Drill
HITTING:
1. Stance
- TV Face
- Feet Width
- Toes Forward
- Knees Inside Feet
- Weight at 50-50
- Slight Lean Forward
- Slight Bend in Knees
- Knob to Catcher
- Barrel at 45 Degrees
- Shoulders Downhill
- Back Elbow at 45 - 90 Degrees
- Front Elbow Pointing Towards Plate
2. Load & Stride, Follow Through
- Load: Shift weight (hips) away from pitcher (front foot may come off the ground)
- Stride: Shift weight (hips) towards pitcher (front foot comes down or STRIDE) / weight should be back to 50-50
- NOTE: KEEP HANDS & BACK ELBOW STILL DURING LOAD & STRIDE
- DRILL: FAKE SOFT TOSS
3. Rotation
- Rotation: turn hips, drive back knee and hip together towards pitcher
- Front knee should straighten just before contact
- Back foot should pivot so that toes point to the pitcher
- Back heel should point towards sky
- Power L at Contact: elbow of top hand is at a 90 degree angle at contact (palm up-palm down: hands are always higher than ball)
- (DRILL: FREEZE AT CONTACT)
- Shoulder V at Extension: elbows are extended towards pitcher
- (DRILL: POINT TO THE PITCHER)
4. Follow Through
MECHANICS: "flip" top hand to get bat on plane with the ball sooner
MECHANICS: "push" through ball with top hand
HITTING SOFTBALL TALK:
"Green Until Red": assume the pitch is a strike (green means go), then react (red means stop) if it is a ball
**Always have players take 10 - 15 warm-up swings before starting drills.
COACHING BASICS & TEACHING IDEAS:
- Dynamic Warm-ups (high knees, butt kicks, etc) at the BEGINNING OF PRACTICE (gets the body warmed up and ready to go): 7 - 10 minutes
- Static Stretching (hold stretch and count to 15) at the END OF PRACTICE (helps with flexibility with injury prevention): 7 - 10 minutes
- "Take your brain and put it in your ______."
- Always explain how to do the movement correctly; not what not to do.
- (Example: DON'T SAY: don't drop your hand = INSTEAD SAY: keep hands high/level)
- At the end of practice: ask the players what they learned & give movement homework.
- "Take your brain and put it in your ______."
- Age Group Time Limits for Drills: MAXIMUM of 15 - 20 minutes per drill
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ESTABLISH RULES:
- No walking (happy feet/hustle)
- When a coach/instructor is talking, players listen
- Players listen with eyes and ears
- High fives / fist bumps / etc
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COACH SHOULD ALWAY BE PREPARED:
- Progressive Sessions (don't move on until they understand and can do the drill)
- Key Objectives for each lesson/practice
- Use cones/dots to show where players stand, start, etc.
- Equipment Ready
- Drills Ready
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MODALITY TRAINING:
How do players learn best?
1. hearing
2. seeing
3. feeling (doing)
Do all three!
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Explain Stations:
- Focus of Station
- Brain in the body part
- reason of station/movement
- number of reps
- strength level (ex: 50%, 90%, etc)
- target variations (pitching/hitting/throwing)