Need coaching advise badly!

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Hi. I have been lurking here all season so far and have decided you guys all seem nice enough to jump in with a question.
I am coaching girls fastpitch for the first time this year. The girls are 4th graders (9 an 10). Most of the girls have not played any kind of softball at all and our league did not have enough teams for a 4th grade league so they threw us in with 5th grade teams that have played a year. Our second game was yesterday and we lost 18 to 0. The only thing that we did better yesterday than in the 1st game was that in two innings we got out of the inning before the 5 run mercy rule kicked in. We only played 4 innings each game because of the time limit.

I don't want these girls to get down soon because we are losing so badly and I want to find some good dvd's or other materials to help start them over with the basics. Everything they have learned at home (or just picked up on their own) is not good teachnique and I am having a hard time trying to take someone whose batting is so flawed and trying to get the idea of what a good swing should feel like across. I can show them myself but it is just not getting through. The same with throwing and fielding. I can show them how to charge a ball but they just don't do it. In the game they let it roll right to them (or right by them). With throwing I can't get them to actually use their whole body and aim the throw- it just goes where it goes (and not very far). I am really at a loss and I feel like I am failing them as a coach because I can show them how to do something myslef but it is not translating into them doing it. Are there any good basic videos out there that you all would reccommend? The books I have read are good for me but haven't helped giving me tips on how to coach and get ideas through to the kids (and have good and fun drills). Any coaching help at all would be SO WELCOME!! THANKS!! Karen

 

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Are you near a high school that maybe the school girls could help you? I know ours do a 3 weekend clinic in the winter with the girls every year, the HS coach does a coach clinic each year for the rec team coaches and then the H.S girls do another one once the rec season starts. An afternoon one to go over basics from throwing, swinging, running, fielding.

Tough age to start them at, but the main thing is emphasise the basics and remember it's not baseball. Many differences between the two.. praise any positives as well at that age too.

Hang in there.

 

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Some girls will learn by watching someone else do the skill, but many really need to "feel it" themselves before it will kick in. It sounds to me that you need to schedule 2-3 girls per half hour to do more individualized offensive (tee work) and defensive skill work. Make it mandatory for at least one parent to attend and show the parent what the young lady should be practicing on her own. To do this, you need to break down the skills into individual steps.

I'm not sure myself whether you should schedule additional session of 2-3 per half hour given the young age of your players. I'm inclined to say yes, but we also want to make sure at this age that the game doesn't become an unrealistic burden on the girls. As long as you can make the small group instruction fun, I think the smaller numbers are worth the increased learning. Of course the smaller numbers require a greater time commitment from you, which might not be possible.

These are issues that Ted and I will need to confront in a few years when we take on a 10U team, so keep us posted on what works for you.

BTW, you should also consider making the exercises into a fun competition when you have the whole team together. Put a Teddy Bear on an overturned trash can and divide the girls into teams to see how many times the team can knock the teddy over with their throws or their hits off the tee. That kind of stuff.

 

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Just one other suggestion along CGS's comments. My daughters seemed to "get it" once they saw other girls doing it. We would take them to the high school games and explain what was happening, why what the players did was good/bad. Basically try to relate it to their play on the field.

My girls now also love watching any type of softball/baseball on TV. Again, especially with fielding, we explain what is happening and try to get them to learn from it.

Finally, we have been on a few teams that were just, well, terrible. The best thing one of the coaches did was emphasize that this year was about learning. Each inning, explaining what they did well and what they need to improve on. He made it happy and fun and I think the girls really did leave that season excited to learn more. These are little kids, and if the coach can't make it fun for them, either win or lose, they won't have the enthusiasm to continue with the sport.

Good luck and HAVE FUN!

 

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Karen,

First and foremost it says a lot that you came looking for help, you obviously care for the kids a great deal. My suggestion is baby steps, many times I have seen coaches/parents trying to teach the whole process at one time. This will totally overwhelm most younger players that haven't had an older sibling to emulate.

Break every task down to simpler pieces with stations (e.g. fielding a ground ball can be broken down by very basic footwork, glove position, body position, second hand use (gator)). Throwing can be broken down into multiple steps as well, from gripping the ball to footwork to finish. Heck, very often just a fun game of knocking over bottle can teach a younger child to throw more accurately. The key with stations is putting it all together for a few reps at the end of practice and praising the improvement.

There are plenty of drills you can use here on OFC and many other sites. Good luck to you, coaching little ones is the best experience in my opinion.

 

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As 3DM stated, it's important that you recognize that you need some "Coaching for your coaching". Far too many of us think that we know it all, and block out any advice from people who can help.

I also agree with others that sometimes the best teachers are older girls. 9 - 10 year olds will listen to high schoolers or college players. As "role models" their words carry a lot of weight. Parents or new coaches often get ignored when they try to fix mechanics.

 

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Re: Need coaching advice badly!

Thanks for all of the advice so far (sorry about the typo in my title!).

The idea about the girls HS was great but I tried that before the season started and because we are a private (religious) school the private schools in the area can't come help due to the league's "recruiting" rules and the public school is having the older girls help their team- they don't have time for us and we are not permitted to come practice with them.

We went to one HS game together a few weeks ago, but I think going to another now that the season has started is a good idea, so I will get on that!

I have incorporated the throwing drill with the stuffed animal already - we actually hit Tickle Me Elmo perched on an orange construction cone (I sawed off the top of the cone to give him a good place to sit) and if they hit him hard enough he laughs and says "that tickles" so the girls think that is fun. We also have an inflatable punching bag with Sponge Bob on it and they try to hit him down. I got the animal idea from another coaching site and those types of things are exactly what I am looking for to keep things light and fun!

I also like the idea of the individual lesson time, we do need that and I struggle with practices because I don't want to waste practice time on intense instruction with a few girls while everyone else waits and twiddles their thumbs. I only have one other coach and due to his work he is not very consistent at the time when he shows up at practice and he does not believe we need drills but that we need to use our time scrimmaging each other (which is hard because we only have 10 girls). I also don't see the point in letting them scrimmage all practice with bad fundamentals- why not use more of the time on the fundamentals instead and leave the scrimmaging for the end of practice. I also want to make sure that *I* am teaching good fundamentals. I am a good player but I am in my 40's and never had any special coaching other than the normal coaching girls received in the 70's/80s when I was growing up.


The good thing is the girls are happy- after the games we go around and everyone says one positive thing about the team or someone on the team and they all had something good to say yesterday so I guess that's a good sign.

Thank you for the willingness to help and for the great forum! I am also going over to the drills section of the site now to look for some more ideas. I love finding new sites and reference tools every day- it is like a little gift!
Karen

 

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cgs says a mouthful in the post above---all good points and a few I'd like to address in my own way.

As a new coach working with such a young group, the most important factor will be how much time can you spend with them? They need a LOT of time working on the simplest mechanics. The point about individual time with your players is so true. You need to spend a LOT of time per player working on technique. Involving a parent per child is crucial to their development in hopes they will go home and practice fielding and throwing. The kids NEED help and plenty of it to get started in the right direction and begin honing their skills. Try to enlist as many quality parents as you can to help with practices and keep things simple. Games as mentioned are a great way to keep their attention while working on them to field balls and throw to a target. If the players are at a level as I understand it, they might be behind some kids but they are not out of the picture----no hope. They will catch up but it really depends on how much time you have to work with them. Practices for kids that last more than 2 hours are very difficult to keep their attention. Perhaps if multiple 2-hour practices are not an option, you can organize your own skills clinics with parents help and run all day sessions with breaks and a picnic along with some fun games to play. At least you'll have a day that way. Do this every week all summer and you'll be surprised how fast they can catch up. It's not easy but it can be done.

As far as tapes are concerned, go to the ASA website and check out their tape library or Google fastpitch softball instruction and go blind looking at all the information available for any price you are willing to pay. Sort out the advanced material and look for basic instruction sources. Our library has some basic books that include lesson plans and practice suggestions that might help give you some ideas.

Lastly; send me a private message and I will share my information with you and if you are interested, I will come conduct a clinic with you to help you get started. I do this kind of stuff all the time. There will be no charge. I do it to help promote our sport.

 

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I went to watch one of our players in a HS game yesterday and there was a group of REALLY young players having a practice on the pretty much abandoned freshman field. When the coach had them do the individual steps for throwing, the girls started off with the right pull back mechanic but in the course of the throw most of them collapsed that back elbow and did the "throw like a girl" shotput.

This is one example of where the small session would work better. If the coach can use his or her arm to simulate a "hurdle" that the throwing elbow must clear, the thrower begins to get the "feel" of not collapsing that back elbow. That's not possible when practicing with the full team, unless you want to get all the parents out there to simulate the hurdles, which now that I think about it might not be a bad idea.

Karen: sounds like you are a really committed coach. Wishing you all the best with these girls.

 

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Karen,

First of all, I just want to say that not only does youth sports need more people like you, but the world does as well. I think it's AWESOME that you care enough for the kids to not be afraid to ask questions. You are here to help the kids and it shows. That's GREAT! :yahoo:

There are so many things to teach and in such a short amount of time and I am sure you are feeling extremely overwhelmed right now, don't be. Just relax remember to breath deep and stay calm.

Before all other things remember these kids want to have fun and learn at the same time. Always be positive but not false positive, meaning don't tell them they are doing a good job if they are not, but rather tell them what they are doing well and work on the other things until they begin to do them well.

Teach them how to simply throw, catch and the very basics of fielding a ball. You have to start at the foundation and build up. There are tons of places you can go for information on how to break the mechanics down and the drills that you can do to be able to teach throwing, catching, fielding properly and and the basics of hitting. Don't worry too much about trying to teach everything at one time. Take baby steps with your team, this game takes a long time to learn. Stay patient.

OFC has an area with a lot of tips and drills in it so take advantage of that section.

Trick is when you are planning your practice out ahead of time to be sure you mix lots of fun things in with your drills at practice. Kids this age have a very short attention span so keep the drills short and precise and move on to something else, you will be coming back to the drills that work for you and your team other times during other practices. Remind your kids at the end of every practice they need to work on things at home and then at the beginning of every practice ask them what they worked on at home. Make sure the kids and the parents know you can show them in practice how to work on things, but ultimately it's up to them to get good at it.

You need to surround yourself with coaches you can work with and share in the responsibility of teaching your kids how to play the game. Once you have done so, start planning out how to achieve your goals, together. Plan out your short term goals and your long term goals.

Based on the goals you set, you then need to seek the types of drills and clinics and instructors that will help you fulfill your goals. Remember to keep in mind the types of girls you have and how much of a commitment your parents are willing to make.

Most of all HAVE FUN and make it FUN for the kids you are doing a great thing.

 

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First of all Welcome Irish196 anyone who is a fan of the girls is a friend of the OFC.

I agree with cgs and all these post. You will need to find some help and then reptition and more repitition, and then some more. Its very important to make sure you correct them on every throw and praise them as well. Its tuff playin up an age group and tryin to keep their interest in the game I don't envy you at all there. If you r close to Akron PM me.

 

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irish,
Where are you located. I am sure that there would be a bunch of coaches that would be more than willing to sit down with you or have you come to their practices to see how they run things. I would recommend trying to partner with a 10u team as they have your age girls. Good luck.

 

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Re: Need coaching advice badly!

daboss made a lot of good points, especially about getting parents involved. Older siblings are another possible resource. They don't even have to know that much because most stations can be handled with very little training.

My DD played 10u rec for a coach that was very successful because he was very adept at developing players with little or no prior experience. He got a lot of parents involved in practices so he could set up stations and he wandered between the stations to make sure they were going okay. He also asked players and parents to do a daily routine on their own of at least 10 throws/catches, 10 ground balls, 10 fly balls and 10 swings of a bat. It only takes 10-15 minutes a day and makes a big difference in just a few weeks.

You have to start off teaching basic skills, but then you have to progress to drills that prepare them to make plays in games. Any girls that are struggling with basic skills will still get the reps they need in the drills.

BCG123 also made a lot of good points and I particularly liked the ones about giving positive feedback. It's a very difficult game to master, so most of your efforts should be to instruct and encourage. I tend to say "better" a lot as encouragement if the player is showing some progress, but isn't quite doing it right.

Coaches in your situation shouldn't be measured by wins/losses, rather by how much the team improved over the season and how many girls want to continue playing softball afterwards. Hopefully you will build a foundation for next year's team with a lot of girls returning to play for you again.

 

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SoCal Dad pretty much summed up my 3 years at 8u rec softball. Parents didn't bring chairs to sit and watch and older siblings were "deputized". I often times had nearly as many helpers as players and set up a lot of stations. We did practice 2 hours but rotated the stations every 10 minutes so they didn't get bored and start messing around.

I also took every thing to the smallest part of the skill. For example charging a slow grounder, we would start with the ball sitting still 8 feet in front of the player, have them run up, break down in solid position, scoop the ball into the glove then get in the throwing position and freeze. The next rotation we rolled it to them from a few feet, next we backed up further, then finally hit it to them. Next practice we started over and worked to actually fielding and making the throw.

In the beginning we took many 18-24 run loses, slowly we closed the gap, and by the year end tournament finished in the top half. The 2nd year we were a top team in our league.

Be patient, positive, and teach, teach, teach. In the beginning measure success getting small improvement each time you are together for a practice or game. Trust me the losing is harder on the adults than the kids if they know you care and they can see you are committed to helping them get better.

 

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Seriously, Major kudos for baring your soul for the sake of these kids! I have seen it said before, but these girls (if they succeed, and with your attitude, it is likely they will!) will always remember you as their first coach!

The main thing that I think helps having learned through some of what you are experiencing is the comments about getting people to help. Make it a family affair and it will be more enjoyable for everyone.

This first year is all about you setting milestones, and visualizing through what ever method is available...keep the talking at length to an absolute minimum. These girls need to be working on the simplest of drills, every practice. I would try to get into a startup routine that is exactly the same before every practice based on fundamentals. By the end of the season, it would be great if the ladies would be starting these drills at the beginning of practice without even real specific instruction.

Where are you located at BTW, you would be surprised how many kids affiliated with a school would LOVE the chance to work with some younger kids and help.

 

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Talk to the girls and see if any of them have a sister, cousin, friend of the family that plays high level ball. See if that young lady could come to practices and help with the one on one work. Most girls who play at a high level have had years of private instruction and clinics. Young girls usually respond very well to peers. Make sure that you stress to the parents how important it is to play catch and pitch at home. The time they spend with their daughter will be priceless as she gets older and does her own thing.

 

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Re: Need coaching advice badly!

Thanks for all of the advice so far (sorry about the typo in my title!).

The idea about the girls HS was great but I tried that before the season started and because we are a private (religious) school the private schools in the area can't come help due to the league's "recruiting" rules and the public school is having the older girls help their team- they don't have time for us and we are not permitted to come practice with them.

We went to one HS game together a few weeks ago, but I think going to another now that the season has started is a good idea, so I will get on that!


Karen

You will be a fine coach for the girls one day as you have it in the heart to be one.

I see where your team can't get the other HS girls to come because of that silly "recruiting rules" based in that league and really all of Ohio.

But, hopefully you will have time for proper instruction on hitting and the proper technique to save the girls knees/ACL down the road when they are 15 or 16 years of age. After sitting in on a couple meetings on this subject and the research study.. this is just as important as the other proper mechanics.

10u coaches sometime forget they are .. in my opinion ... the ONE person who Number 1 goal is to teach the proper way to throw and hit using proper mechanics for their muscles in this developing age... so NOT to be ailing later at 15 and 16.

I think you should take the girls on a good Saturday or Sunday and go to a local travel tournament somewhere near you. Hopefully see some 10u or 12u teams play and the girls can relate to someone playing the game at a different level of play than them and see what it takes at their age. My second reasoning is.. sometime a rec team ( should you decide) goes to their first tournament as players.. seem to get little girls nervous and usually sometimes breakfast comes up.. if you know what I mean...LOL

So maybe seeing an event before you participate in a tournament yourself ... they will get and have the knowledge of what is about to happen and not get nervous and there is 40 plus teams of girls there and ALL age groups !!!!! Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh when your girls go to their FIRST event.

Been there . done that and it wasn't pretty seeing breakfast on my shoes at the beginning of a weekend tournament .... LOL :lmao:

Keep us updated, Karen. Just don't fall off the face of the Earth on us :lmao: It's fun to watch the progress of "new" coaches and "new" teams... as everyone ( especially the coaches that are on here giving you GREAT advice ) would love to hear about your progress.

 

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I continue to be amazed at all of the good posts and messages I am getting with great advice! Thank you all so much for going out of your way to help. Today's game was rained out but we have one scheduled for tomorrow. We had a really great practice yesterday and we did tons of drills breaking down skills piece by piece. I finally found a video that I really liked that really stressed and showed (in slow motion) the techniques involved in batting, throwing and catching. It was Softball Skills & Drills with Judi Garman. We used several of the drills in practice and it really made a difference when the girls tried to apply what they learned at the end of the practice when we took the field and let them simulate a game. You could tell when the girls were really trying to remember what we went over and when they just reverted back to their old ways. They could also point out when one of their teammates did something the "new and improved" way versus the "old" way.

As an incentive, I bought a can of silly string for everyone and said they could have a silly string fight if we had a good practice and they all worked their hardest and paid attention the whole time. With 20 minutes to go they were getting ansy and started goofing off and I reminded them that we would save the silly string for another day if we didn't keep ourselves "in" the practice and that really brought them back around for a great end to the practice. My husband thought it was the most effective practice yet and they did get their silly string fight at the end (which was messy and sort of a pain for me to clean up-- but fun)!

I will continue to post some updates. Thank you all again for the warm welcome and super advice and offers of assistance! Hopefully in 5 years or so I will be able to help some other newbie out.

 

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Where are you located? We may be able to come help. Been at the "younger ages" for quite a few years and just may be able to lend a hand.

 

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You could tell when the girls were really trying to remember what we went over and when they just reverted back to their old ways. They could also point out when one of their teammates did something the "new and improved" way versus the "old" way.QUOTE]

Thats when you know you are breaking through, this is all great to read but I cant add anything more than the others have.