Phase 1: Practice Plan #1

Practice Plan #1		Date:
Location:	Number of Athletes:	Length of Practice:
Absent Athletes:
Support Staff:
Warm-Up
Drill: Dymanic Warm-Up
Time: 15 minutes Equipment: Cones Objective(s) of Drill: Warm-up the body Drill Description: See Appendix B for full descriptions of each movement Divide players up into 4 groups of 3 and line them up along one of the foul lines. Set a cone at 40’. Players will perform exercises from the foul line up to the cone and back. Players will complete 8-10 of the following exercises selected by the coach: Jumping Jacks Horizontal Arm Swing or “Self-Hug” Shoulder Rotation Horizontal Elbow Swing Bent Over Swing Iron Cross Scorpion Inchworm Cowboys Squats Backward Moving Toe Touch Side Lunge Lunge and Twist Deep Lunge and Reach High Knees Butt Kicks Key Teaching Points: 1 2 3
Drill: Team Tag
Time: 5 minutes Equipment: Base or cones, Helmets Objective(s) of Drill: To warm-up To learn teammates names Drill Description: Select 2 players as “it” who will wear helmets. Using the infield with the basepaths as the boundary, play a game of tag. Players who are “it”, must call the name of the player they are tagging before they tag them. Players who are tagged must perform an exercise outside the playing area before continuing (i.e. 5 jumping jacks, 5 sit-ups, etc.). Switch “it” players so all players have a chance to be “it”. Key Teaching Points: 1 2 3
Drill: CRASH – Last Round Up
Time: 5 minutes Equipment: n/a Objective(s) of Drill: Softball-specific warm-up and conditioning Review of fundamental softball skills Drill Description: Players lay on their stomach in a circle leaving 1-2 meters between each player Heads should be on the inside of the circle (facing in) On command, chosen player gets up quickly and runs left or right, jumping over each player in the circle. As the runner jumps over the player, that player jumps up and runs around the circle jumping over all the players. Continue until all players have run around the circle and everyone has returned to their starting position. Repeat in the opposite direction. Key Teaching Points: 1 2 3
Drill: CRASH - Quick Sprints
Time: 5 minutes Equipment: Bases, Bats Objective(s) of Drill: Softball-specific warm-up and conditioning Review of fundamental softball skills Drill Description: Set up 3-4 lines of 3-4 players. Players will simulate running from Home to 1^st Base Set up 1^st Base (double base) at U12 basepath distance (~ 55’) from batters. The Coach will review the rules regarding the use of the orange base. Player swings bat as if in batter’s box, drops bat, runs through 1^st base, gains control, turns right towards the foul line to return to the base. Use good form running Good body lean Pump arms Knees high Stretch stride after first 2-3 steps Run through base Key Teaching Points: 1 2 3

Main Part
Drill: Throwing/Receiving Everydays
Time: 10 minutes Equipment: Balls Objective(s) of Drill: To assess abilities of players To teach proper overhand throwing technique To teach proper use of glove and receiving technique Drill Description: Review receiving key teaching points Players will complete the following throwing progressions with a partner and a ball (see Appendix E for a full description): Wrist snaps 2 foot stationary throwing position or One Knee Drill K position K position with step or stride Pre-stride into K position Full motion Key Teaching Points: 1 2 3
Drill: Four Corner Drill (Throwing)
Time: 10 minutes Equipment: Bucket, Balls, Cones or bases Objective(s) of Drill: To introduce 4 corner throwing drill To assess and provide feedback on the overhand throwing technique and footwork to make a throw after receiving a throw. Drill Description: Set up a diamond with 4 bases about 30’ apart. Position an equal number of players at each base. The 1^st player will throw the ball to next base and then go to the back of their line at their base. The receiver will then throw to the next base and then go to the back of their line at their base. Continue until all players have received and thrown the ball 3 times. Variation #1: The player will throw to the next base, then follow their throw to next base (½ speed) and line up at the end of the line at that base. Variation #2: Introduce a competition. Count the number of throws that can be made until either a bad throw or a missed catch. Record this number for future reference Have extra balls ready in case of bad throws or missed catches so players aren’t chasing balls. Reverse the direction of the ball after doing the drill several times so players are using different footwork to make a throw. Key Teaching Points: 1 2 3
Drill: Fielding Everydays
Time: 10 minutes Equipment: Tennis or softie balls, Balls, Bases or cones Objective(s) of Drill: To teach the fielding technique for ground balls and fly balls To reinforce good throwing mechanics and pivot footwork Drill Description: Ground balls (with a partner) Without gloves, roll a ground ball directly to your partner who fields the ball and rolls a ground ball back. Field 10 ground balls each. With gloves, roll a ground ball directly to your partner who fields the ball and rolls a ground ball back. Field 10 ground balls each. Fly balls (with a partner) Without a glove and using a tennis or softie ball, throw a fly ball directly to your partner who fields the ball and throws a fly ball back. Field 10 fly balls each. With a glove and using a softball, throw a fly ball directly to your partner who fields the ball and throws a fly ball back. Field 10 fly balls each. Key Teaching Points: 1 2 3
Drill: Four Corner Drill (Fielding)
Time: 10 minutes Equipment: Bases or cones, Balls Objective(s) of Drill: To teach the fielding technique for ground balls To reinforce good throwing mechanics and pivot footwork Drill Description: Set up a diamond with 4 bases about 30’ apart. Position an equal number of players at each base. The 1st player will throw a ground ball to a player at the next base and then go to the back of their line at their base. The receiver will then throw a ground ball to the next base and then go to the back of their line at their base. Continue until all players have received and thrown a ground ball 3 times. Variation: Player throws a ground ball to the player at the next base. The receiver fields the ball and pivots and makes an overhand throw to the next base. The fielder follows their throw to the next base and goes to the end of the line at that base. Continue until all players have received and thrown a ground ball 3 times. Have extra balls ready in case of bad throws or missed catches so players aren’t chasing balls. Key Teaching Points: 1 2 3
Drill: Four Corner Game
Time: 20 minutes Equipment: Bases or cones, Bat, Balls, Batting helmets Objective(s) of Drill: Practice fielding technique and positioning To assess speed and baserunning technique Drill Description: Divide players into two teams. One team will be the fielding team with a player at 1B, 2B, SS, 3B and C. Place any extra defensive players behind SS and 1B. The other team will be the batting team. Set-up a diamond with bases 55’ apart for the defense to use. Set-up another four bases or cones inside the defensive team’s bases for the baserunners to use. Baserunner at their Home Plate swings at imaginary pitch and runs around cones while SS fields a thrown ground ball from the Coach. Player (SS) throws the ball to 1^st Base. 1B throws to 2B. 2B throws to 3B. 3B throws to C. After each “hit” rotate the defensive players (SS to 3B, 3B to C, C to 1B, 1B to 2B, and 2B to SS) and new baserunner steps in for next “hit”. Record the number of bases touched for the offensive team before the ball reaches home. Switch teams after all offensive players have batted. Key Teaching Points: 1 2 3

Cool Down and Conclusion
10 minutes	Static Stretching Routine (See Appendix C) Debrief:
Practice Evaluation
What worked well:		What to change for next time: