Baseball is different.
This isn't a bad thing, but it's important to remember as you begin your career as the manager of a tee-ball, coach-pitched, or even Little League team. Unlike some of the other sports, there aren't that many "individual" drills you can do at practice. Of course, you can run through fielding drills, throwing drills, and batting practice - but all involve at least 2, if not more players. If you do set up "individual" drills - it's likely that a coach needs to be involved, so plan to have something for the other kids to do as they rotate in and out of the individual drill.
Luckily, at the younger ages, you'll be consumed with the very basic skills... soft toss is a staple at these practices. You'll be surprised at how just throwing the ball back and forth between kids can be quite interesting... Getting in front of a ground ball - and knocking it down - might be considered an achievement. But all of this stuff is pretty boring compared to hitting - that's where the action is at!! Don't get caught up with hitting mechanics just yet - it's really just about watching the ball and timing the bat to hit the ball...
At this age, the first thing I do in the first practice is talk about safety. Bats are in the fence all the time, unless someone takes one and is heading to the plate to hit. No practice swings, no warming up with the bat - unless you're at home plate. No throwing a ball, unless in a drill, playing a position, or otherwise told. Helmets should be worn when batting and running the bases, and everyone in the field - baserunners, fielders, and coaches - needs to watch the ball at all times.
Repetition is the key for baseball. You do the same stuff, and then you do more. Over time, your body will be trained how far the throw is from the hole at short to first base, and how quickly you need to swing to hit a high fastball. Practices in the later ages revolve more around strategy and refining technique (turning double plays, sliding, bunting - that kind of stuff).
Work in some of the rules when you can - this might be easier if you keep the same team together for a few seasons. Don't try to explain the infield fly rule to a first-grader - and if you do, don't get frustrated when they take off running on-contact...
Kids love baseball. Give it a try.
Showing posts with label kindergarten. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kindergarten. Show all posts
Monday, May 11, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Anatomy of a Practice - 4/5 Soccer
I've gotten a bunch of questions about practice over the years. Practice. Practice?! For those of you who follow the NBA, it's inevitable that Iverson's "Practice" rant just entered your skull. For those who'd like a recap -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUYjD7A75HQ Sorry. Several of the questions involved what is done during a practice, and why. I figured I'd take a few paragraphs to explain my philosophy on preschool and kindergarten soccer practices, which are never dull.
These kids can handle about 20-30 minutes, and that's it. Occasionally you'll get a kid who is really (really) into soccer, and he or she can keep going, but everyone else is pretty much spent - maybe even way sooner than 20 minutes. At this age, they can also handle about 2 or 3 instructions - so your drills must be simple, and direct.
Before practice, be sure to inform your parents to bring their kid AND a properly-sized ball. For this age, it's usually size 3 (this will not be confusing to someone who works at a sporting goods store). My practices for this age change very little week to week. The kids fall into the routine, and the session is much more productive, and less time is wasted.
I like to start with some basic speed dribbling after warmups (which are brief, if at all - more on that some other time). This will involve lining the team up along one line (or between cones, etc), and having them dribble the ball to another landmark and back. Doing this a couple times will take about 5 minutes. An interesting twist on this drill is to have a whistle and get the kids to stop and start on the whistle. This allows them to get practice controlling the ball and stopping the ball at different speeds.
Next is usually dribbling around cones. A series of 4 cones is set up in a line - each about 5 yards apart. One group of kids starts on one side, and one on the other. Having kids going each way makes them look up, and not at the ball all the time. Sometimes I'll "race them" around the cones if things seem to be slow. This also takes about 5 minutes, and then it's time for a water break. When it's hot, I may decide to take water breaks more often - both for health, and so it's not an issue during the next drill.
In the middle of practice, it's time for a partner-passing drill. Here, two kids pair up using one ball, and pass to each other about 10 feet apart. I let them sort of wander around the field here, because it's inevitable a few passes will not be that accurate. The focus, though, it on good passes right to the partner (which the partner can stop and send back).
Next is usually a "fun" activity. One thing we do is a "race the coach" dribbling drill to a landmark that's 50 or more yards away. This gives the kids a chance to continuously dribble for a longer distance (and they love it). They always win. Another idea is to set up a 10 foot - by - 10 foot box with cones and play "Takeaway". This is a drill where you try to kick away your teammate's ball while keeping control of your own. Chaotic, but also a favorite.
After a quick drink, the final 5-10 minutes are spent on either offense or defense. If we're focusing on offense, I'll do anything from just plain kicking at the net to dribbling and kicking, or passing, dribbling, then kicking. Adjust to your kids. If it 's defense, we usually focus on guarding the goal, turning the ball around (to go our way) or goalie work. Some leagues in this age group don't have goalies, so read your rulebook! As a note, I do always work on defense at practices during the year before offense. Most kids are already wired to score goals... but read your team.
In summary (about 5 minutes each)...
- Speed or straight-line Dribbling
- Dribbling Agility
- Passing
- Something Fun
- Offense or Defense
A few parting notes. Remember, you're the coach - set whatever rules you want. For me, everyone wears shin guards, no one talks or fiddles while I am talking, and everyone is expected to do their best.
These kids can handle about 20-30 minutes, and that's it. Occasionally you'll get a kid who is really (really) into soccer, and he or she can keep going, but everyone else is pretty much spent - maybe even way sooner than 20 minutes. At this age, they can also handle about 2 or 3 instructions - so your drills must be simple, and direct.
Before practice, be sure to inform your parents to bring their kid AND a properly-sized ball. For this age, it's usually size 3 (this will not be confusing to someone who works at a sporting goods store). My practices for this age change very little week to week. The kids fall into the routine, and the session is much more productive, and less time is wasted.
I like to start with some basic speed dribbling after warmups (which are brief, if at all - more on that some other time). This will involve lining the team up along one line (or between cones, etc), and having them dribble the ball to another landmark and back. Doing this a couple times will take about 5 minutes. An interesting twist on this drill is to have a whistle and get the kids to stop and start on the whistle. This allows them to get practice controlling the ball and stopping the ball at different speeds.
Next is usually dribbling around cones. A series of 4 cones is set up in a line - each about 5 yards apart. One group of kids starts on one side, and one on the other. Having kids going each way makes them look up, and not at the ball all the time. Sometimes I'll "race them" around the cones if things seem to be slow. This also takes about 5 minutes, and then it's time for a water break. When it's hot, I may decide to take water breaks more often - both for health, and so it's not an issue during the next drill.
In the middle of practice, it's time for a partner-passing drill. Here, two kids pair up using one ball, and pass to each other about 10 feet apart. I let them sort of wander around the field here, because it's inevitable a few passes will not be that accurate. The focus, though, it on good passes right to the partner (which the partner can stop and send back).
Next is usually a "fun" activity. One thing we do is a "race the coach" dribbling drill to a landmark that's 50 or more yards away. This gives the kids a chance to continuously dribble for a longer distance (and they love it). They always win. Another idea is to set up a 10 foot - by - 10 foot box with cones and play "Takeaway". This is a drill where you try to kick away your teammate's ball while keeping control of your own. Chaotic, but also a favorite.
After a quick drink, the final 5-10 minutes are spent on either offense or defense. If we're focusing on offense, I'll do anything from just plain kicking at the net to dribbling and kicking, or passing, dribbling, then kicking. Adjust to your kids. If it 's defense, we usually focus on guarding the goal, turning the ball around (to go our way) or goalie work. Some leagues in this age group don't have goalies, so read your rulebook! As a note, I do always work on defense at practices during the year before offense. Most kids are already wired to score goals... but read your team.
In summary (about 5 minutes each)...
- Speed or straight-line Dribbling
- Dribbling Agility
- Passing
- Something Fun
- Offense or Defense
A few parting notes. Remember, you're the coach - set whatever rules you want. For me, everyone wears shin guards, no one talks or fiddles while I am talking, and everyone is expected to do their best.
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