Why scrimmage this early?

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Why are teams looking for scrimmages this early in the season? Shouldn't coaches be working with skill development, creating muscle memory, and strengthening fundamentals? A scrimmage is lost practice time now that your team may need when spring and summer roll around.

 

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I don't think there's ever a bad time to scrimmage. ?What better way to practice than in a live-game situation. ?Scrimmages are bonified practices, giving the coaches and the players the opportunity to identify strengths & weaknesses. ?Plus, its a way to keep die-hard softball lovers on the field. ?Scrimmages also build good relationships among other teams, which I believe is very important. ?Those teams that are scrimmaging now will certainly be scrimmaging in the Spring also. ?There's no such thing as "lost practice time" when the girls are on the field playing softball! ?I love scrimmages and encourage them any time of year.

 

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If you have a lot of new players, it's a good way to evaluate them as a group and try and discover things the tryout didn't expose (communication skills, game knowledge, etc.) Also gives them the opportunity to start identifying themselves as a team. It is, however, time that isn't spent on drilling fundamentals so you have to weigh the pluses and minuses.

 

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I can understand scrimmaging this early but I can also understand the need for skill building. If a scrimmage in taking place I think it needs to be a controlled scrimmage. One where there is coaching going on during this time not just a full fledge scrimmage. If no coaching is going on girls can develop bad habits and carry them into the spring. Even your pro players in all sports have a couple of weeks of just skill work before they scrimmage. Most of what I have seen are players go out and go through the motions of playing, plenty of laughter going on and not much teaching. With new players being add to teams this fall, doing small drills will allow them the comfort of learning each other without the stress of having to be perfect.

 

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If you have a team with new(as in haven't played together before) girls , I think a scrimmage or two is a great idea. Gives coaches a chance to see WHAT skills are lacking so that they can be worked on over the winter/practice season.

 

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We have to remember to not take the fun out of softball. We can drill them all winter but they play for the game. Sometimes just building team chemistry is as important as hours in the cage. A team that doesn't like each other is going to fail no matter how good they are. The mental skills always trumps the physical skills.

 

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I never scrimage... a game played that the score doesn't matter - doesn't prove or build anything, in my opinion. Fundamentals, team building, drills can all be fun and rewarding if done the right way. Just last weekend at practice we had a skills competition and I stopped it with two winners... they jumped all over me. we had to play until there was one. - I love that

Pool play is for figuring things out. Without the pressure of winning or losing it just isn't the same. There are so many fall tourneys now you can just about play everyweekend.

 

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Lots of great points. Many high level coaches want no part of games of any type right now, as this is education and practice time. That's great if you know what you have with low turnover and a high caliber of talent.

Many other teams have new players who want to see what thay have, see how they blend, which will all set the tone for the winter programs. Let's face it we have 5-6 months of drill time ahead of us, which is built in for us automatically here in Ohio. I understand the counter rationale, but I like the scrimmage concept with out worrying about winning and losing (too much) - opportunity to try some things in game situations, stop & talk, low pressure but liove competitive action. Chart the winter course from there ....

 

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Pool play is for figuring things out. ? Without the pressure of winning or losing it just isn't the same. There are so many fall tourneys now you can just about play everyweekend. ?

The problem with doing a fall tournament every weekend is that it isn't in every teams budget or a possiblility for an entire team to be there every weekend all weekend because of other fall sports.

Our team is working on setting up some scrimmages to really see what we have got. We are a team of 9 new members and 1 returning (everyone else moved to 14U this year.) Our coach is using fall to see who all can play where and who needs work on what.....In a scrimmage it is a no pressure way to try girls at different positions in a competitive situation. I think they are a good thing. Pretty soon mother nature is going to put a stop to outdoor playing and then we have to move indoors with limited game/scrimmage opportunities. Plus like several have already said the girls like to play the game isn't that why they play travel in the first place. This way the coaches can learn, the girls can learn and have fun too.

 

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I guess my point was why scrimmage in Sept/Oct? I understand the concept of needing "game environment" to help your team, I just do not understand needing it this early when the opportunities are there all winter and spring. I think too many coaches think that scrimmaging is as good as instruction. It's not if the scrimmage is reinforcing bad habits. Coaches are uses scrimmages to teach the game instead of preparing for practice.

 

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I know we're talking summer travel ball here, but about every DI and DII college team has "scrimmages" (disguised as fall tournaments). The charity tournament at OSU next month is a very good example. Absolutely NOT wasted time in those coaches eyes! It's a great time to just throw your team on the field and see what you've got to work with. Some skills just can't be evaluated as well in an indoor setting in the winter. They get a chance to see their new freshmen in action also. Notice how they rotate their rosters - these "games" are not so much focused on winning as much as they are a preview.

There is a limited amount of time for a coach to get their team game-ready. Like anything, it's best to start with a plan, so you can prioritize and focus on the rough spots first. Fall scrimmages are an important part of that planning stage, at least for college teams. Then they take that knowledge and develop an intensive action plan for the winter workouts. Why not apply that to a summer team?

 

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I think you have to be doing both. You should not spend all your time scrimmaging. If you are a younger team able to practice regularly, then you should certainly add some scrimmages into the mix. If you are only getting together one day a week, you should be practicing. I always felt it was better to have a good, hard productive 2-3 hour practice than spend 5 hours total playing a fall ball double-header where nobody really cares if you win or lose. Of course, I believe the price of winning is paid in practice, individual and/or team. I don't think playing just for the sake of playing is always better.

 

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We are interested in scrimmaging now for a few reasons.

It is a good way for the girls to get comfortable with one another.

It is a good tool for us coaches to help design the drills and education to fit the team that we now have rather than rely on what we had and assume we have now from try-outs and the few practices we have had.

Nothing shows us where we need to focus better than a good scrimmage game.

It is a great event for our girls to meet other players and coaches.

With the school ball regulations (and we actually bother to follow them), we only have at most a couple weeks to scrimmage before tournaments.

Finally, with weather like this, how can anyone NOT want to get out on the field and play some ball!!!!

 

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For me it helps to take a look at how the players react to eachother on this years team. We work pretty hard two days a week over the fall, winter, and spring on fundamentals anyway. Its kind of nice to see what we have to work on as we head towards cooler weather.

Never a bad time to scrimmage. IMHO

 

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A scrimage gives a coach a chance to see things in a player that do not come out in a tryout. Things like getting a bunt down in a pressure situation, turning a single into a double, stealing a base when its needed, hititng behind a runner, knowing when to go home on a ball that gets away from a catcher.

 

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to me the best part of a scrimmage is you get game situations but a chance to stop and discuss what just happened on the spot. in a game you dont always have that opportunity. just the chance to say "do you understand what just happened"? i would love to see plenty of practice time w/ a couple scrimmages and maybe a fall tourn or two. then you know exactly what drills need to be addressed first and where the girls are mentally and you have the winter to address those issues. jmho

 

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i like scrimmages this early because it helps all the players get to know each other better specially as being a new player on the team. its a good way to bond on the field and still learn bout each other off the field.

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