Day 8 - Practice Plan
Building off Relay and Rundown work in practice #8. Follow up work on skills introduced in the previous practice goes a long way towards solidifying skills.
Base Running: Touches and Turns; working on taking two bases on balls hit to the outfield.
Mass Ground Balls & Fly Balls - Mass Repetitions is the bedrock of skill development.
0:00-0:15
Skill Building Warm-up
Cut-Relay to Home, mini diamond (mix in ‘Eat It, Run it In’)
Rundowns - Ambush
Base Running: Though First Base
0:15-0:30
Playing Catch Practice
Instruction
Batting - Elbow to Belt
Pitching & Throwing - Elbow to Belt
No Bat Drills / No Ball Drills
PCP Routine
Pitching Practice
Position Player Throwing
Skills: Replaying the Ball
Team Drills
0:30-0:40
(Base Running Instruction)
Drill: Turns & Touches
0:40-1:00
Mass Gb/Fb
5-3 (to actual first base…important to get actual perspective )
6-3 (to throw down base up right field line)
Toss Drills (fly balls Angling Back - 50/50 mindset)
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
Defensive Responsibility & Movement (BBB):
Teach a bit each day.
Reinforce/Acknowledge during Scrimmage. Good Coaching goes beyond teaching and correcting. Good coaching includes acknowledgement of when players do things correctly
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BATTING
Instruction
Elbow to Belt ...allow TILT
In the swing action, the top-hand Elbow drives to the Hip (Belt). The result is a slight TILT in the shoulders. Moving ahead, anytime the drill/swing focus is Sideways Karate Chop or Skip-a-Rock*, the batter drives their Elbow to Belt ...and allow shoulders to TILT.
* Set-up for Skip-a-Rock
1. Switch Heels position (Feet wider than the hips)
2. Elbow (bent) at the side of the torso
3. Top hand near their armpit
No Bat Drills
Switch Heels x5 (Heel-Knee)
Sideways Karate x5 (Elbow to Belt ...allow TILT)
Skip-a-Rock (Point Knuckle focus) x5
…Top-Hand Wrist-Snap moves bottom hand forward
Tee Work
Sideways Karate x5 (Elbow to Belt focus ...allow TILT)
Skip-a-Rock (Point Knuckle) ...until time to rotate
PITCHING & THROWING
Pitching Instruction
Elbow to Belt ...allow TILT
In the pitching delivery, the glove Elbow pulls to the Belt (Hip). The result is a slight TILT in the shoulders, raising the height of the throwing arm (eliminates ‘side arm’ pitching). We want the pitcher to focus on driving the Elbow to the Belt; while doing so ...allow the shoulders to TILT.
No Ball Drills
Throwing
Wrist Action Drill: 6-7 seconds (emphasis on fingers driving straight down through the ball)
Pitching
Turn & Pull (Elbow to Belt) x5
Drive & Pull (Elbow to Belt) x5
Snap Down x5 (start with Elbow at Hip - Anchor)
Stride x5
Playing Catch Practice
Stride & Fast-Faster (Elbow to Belt); executed consecutively
Skills Station
Stride & Fast-Faster (Elbow to Belt); executed consecutively