Back to baseball this week! Note earlier start time...NOON. (This gets you off to the carnival a little early.)

This week's stations...hitting, T-ball, throwing. As always...parents please jump in and help.


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Week 5 - Drills and Skills
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Welcome & Warm-up (12:00PM)
* Location: Open area behind Field D backstop
* Equipment: None
* Drills: Arm circles, jumping jacks, pogo jumps, neck rolls, torso twists, etc.

Station 1 - Hitting (12 minutes)
* Location: Open area behind Field D backstop
* Equipment: 5 tees, 3 soft baseballs per tee, 5 bats, 10 helmets (all kids wear helmets)
* Drills: Hit balls off batting tee. Tees in a row…"firing squad" style
* Coaching Tips for Parents helpers: 1) Safety...only kids at tees can swing bats, all hitters wear helmets 2) Watch the ball, athletic position/knees slightly bent, bat off shoulder, swing hard (swinging hard encourages correct balance) 3) Don't have batters chase balls (safety)...older siblings or parents should retrieve balls.

Station 2 - T-ball game (12 minutes)
* Location: Field D infield
* Equipment: 1 bat, 1 ball, 1 batting tee, 4 helmets
* Drills: Play T-ball
* Coaching Tips: 3 to 4 batters, 3 to 4 fielders, hit and run to first, have fielders get ball and attempt throw to coach/parent at first. Some kids will
get it (the throw to 1st base thing) and others not so much...try not to slow game down too much with
explanations...keep it moving and fun."

Station 3 - Throwing (12 minutes)
* Location = Right Field Line
* Equipment: Bucket of tennis balls, 2 blue barrels
* Drills: 1) Throw-get-throw (one ball per player, throw ball, chase it, pick it up, throw it again, to the fence and back) 2) Throw into barrel (pile of balls, barrels on side, 15 feet away, players throw simultaneously, no lines, tons of balls, make a mess) 3) Throw at coach holding barrel above head and also moving around.
* Coaching Tips for Parent Helpers: 1) Explain mechanics (reach back, step toward target with opposite foot, throw hard) 2) We want players to throw hard (i.e. don't aim it...throw it)...distance better than accuracy at this age

Close (12:45PM)
* Location: Field D backstop
* Equipment: Snack


See you Saturday!

-Justin
justinnaa@gmail.com

 

Drills and Skills Players and Parents,

Week 3 of Drills and Skills Saturday...same time...same location...slightly different stations...hitting, catching, and kickball.

As always, parent help is encouraged...just jump in and help. See below for details on the drills and key coaching points. Catching station this week...a good opportunity to play catch with your player 1-on-1.

Also...we have been short bats the last couple of weeks. I have ordered (and received) more so we should be fine. However, if your kiddo has a favorite bat he/she is welcome to bring it and use it for the hitting station.

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Week 3 - Drills and Skills
==========================

Welcome & Warm-up (12:30PM)
* Location: Open area behind Field D backstop
* Equipment: None
* Drills: Arm circles, jumping jacks, pogo jumps, neck rolls, torso twists, etc.

Station 1 - Hitting (12 minutes)
* Location: Open area behind Field D backstop
* Equipment: 5 tees, 3 soft baseballs per tee, 5 bats, 10 helmets (all kids wear helmets)
* Drills: Hit balls off batting tee. Tees in a row…"firing squad" style
* Coaching Tips: 1) Safety...only kids at tees can swing bats, all hitters wear helmets 2) Watch the ball, athletic position/knees slightly bent, bat off shoulder, swing hard (swinging hard encourages correct balance) 3) Don't have batters chase balls (safety)...older siblings or parents should retrieve balls.

Station 2 - Kickball (12 minutes)
* Location: Field D infield
* Equipment: Kickball
* Drills: Play kickball
* Coaching Tips: Emphasize baserunning and how to get outs on defense. Some kids will get it and others not so much...try not to slow game down too much with explanations...keep it moving and fun.

Station 3 - Ball Handling & Catching (12 minutes)
* Location: Field D Right Field Line
* Equipment: Bag of mushballs (one ball per player)
* Drills: 1) Ball handling drills (no glove...like basketball)...toss to self...two hands, one hand, alternate hand, catch after one bounce on ground, catch after bounce off knee, etc. Kids copy coach...make stuff up...ask kids for ideas...keep it fun. 2) Small group catch with parent helpers. Players wear baseball gloves. Parents toss to kids, kids toss back.
* Coaching Tips: Catch with two hands, fingers out, soft hands, watch ball all the way into hands. Start with at the waist "basket catch" (thumbs up).

Close (1:15PM)
* Location: Field D backstop
* Equipment: Snack

See you Saturday!

-Justin
justinnaa@gmail.com