Day 9 - Practice Plan

Base Running - two bases, review and repetition.

Continue daily, step-by-step, development of the batting swing and pitching delivery continues.

Ground ball fielding repetitions emphasized.

0:00-0:15       

Skill Building Warm-up

  1. Turns & Touches - 3B (Accelerate off the bag: we are scoring!!)

  2. 4-6

  3. 4-1 (RF: Go Get the Ball !)

 

 

0:15-0:30

Playing Catch Practice

Instruction

  • Batting - Rhythm

  • Pitching & Throwing - Rhythm, 4-8-10

 

No Bat Drills / No Ball Drills

 

PCP Routine

  •   Pitching

  •   Position Player Throwing

  •   Catch, Tag, Power Position

 

 

Team Drills

0:30-0:40

Drill: Base Running Turns & Touches

0:40-1:00

3 Groups

  1.   5-4

  2.   4-3 (to their right)

  3.   3-6 (‘Step Across’; Feet & Wrist)

 

 

1:00-1:05 <Break>

1:05-1:40

Batting Practice - 12-Player Drill                                

  I. Live Batting (Full Field) 

     Tee Work

 

 II. Defense

     Play balls off the bat at a position

III. Skills Station

  • Pitching

  • Batting: Live Wiffle

1:40-2:00

Scrimmage

BATTING

Instruction

Hands Inside the Ball (Bottom Hand)

  • When the ball is approaching the batter, or when swinging off a Tee, the batter wants to focus on the inside edge of the ball (not the entire ball).

  • When initiating the ‘swing’ the batter points the Bottom Hand along the line to the inside edge of the ball.

  • The Bottom Hand is the HINGE in the swing.  It also provides Direction for the swing.

 

 

Rhythm (Swing Set)

  • The ‘Turn Back, Turn Fast’ action is one continuous movement (some young players turn back, stop, then start again).  The change of direction in the ‘Turn Back, Turn Fast’ action works like a swing at the park. 

  • A swing goes back (against gravity), slowly, then changes directions and accelerates forward, fast (with gravity). 

  • A swing doesn’t levitate for a few seconds before starting forward.  The Rhythm of the Turn Back, Turn Fast action is similar to that of a swing.

 

 

No Bat Drills

  1. Switch Heels                    x7  (Rhythm)

  2. Sideways Karate              x5  (Elbow to Belt ...allow TILT)

  3. Skip-a-Rock                      x5  (Point Knuckle)

Tee Work

  1.  Sideways Karate*   (Elbow to Belt)   x5

  2.  Skip-a-Rock*           (Point Knuckle)   ...until time to rotate

      *both using Rhythm

 

PITCHING & THROWING

Pitching Instruction

Rhythm, 4-8-10

  • There are three phases of the Delivery:  (1) Stride  (2) Pull  (3) Snap

  • Each Phase has its own speed. On a scale of 1-10, the Stride is a ‘4’, Pull is an ‘8’, Snap (down) is ‘10’.

  • Adjectives for each phase (what we want to see from a coaching perspective) are:   (1) Control    (2) Power   (3) Acceleration.

 

No Ball Drills

Throwing

  • Wrist Action    6-7 seconds

 

Pitching

  1. Turn & Pull (Elbow to Belt)    x5

  2. Drive & Pull (Elbow to Belt)   x5

  3. Seasaw                                       x5

  4. Snap Down                                x5

Playing Catch Practice  

  1. Stride: Elbow to Belt (allow TILT)

  2. Stride: Rhythm, 4-8-10 (Reminder: Straight Lines)

 

Skills Station

  • Rhythm, 4-8-10 (Acceleration)  

Skill building Warm-up

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