How to Help!
Avoid Pitching Injuries - http://www.pitchsoftball.com/AvoidPitchingInjuries-WhatNOTToDo.html
How to Correct the "Leaning Forward" Problem- http://www.pitchsoftball.com/HowtoStoptheLeaningForwardProblem.html
5 Tips for Coaching 8U Softball - http://www.allaboutfastpitch.com/8U-coaching-tips.html
Good Hitting Drills for your Players-
BASKETBALL DRILL
This is a great drill for teaching follow-through. Get a couple of old basketballs and take most of the air out of them. Place them on one of those orange cones you see at construction sites. Have the batter take her normal swing and follow-through right through the basketball. HAVE THEM WEAR HELMETS!!! Use regular sized bats for this drill.
CONE DRILL
The drill involves a cone, a ball,a 36 inch piece of thick rope (taped at both ends to stop fraying) and a lot of concentration. Place a ball on top of the cone and attempt to take a proper swing with the rope and hit the ball solidly. You will want to tell the girls to release their top hand to prevent hitting themselves in the back with the rope. If this is the perfect drill to practice as it will aid in concentration, stride and hand positioning.
DROP DRILL
Use some type of back-stop and a bucket or old milk crate. Have one player hold the ball at shoulder height and drop it straight down into the strike-zone. The batter must see the ball and react fast enough to hit it. This drill teaches the batter to take their hands straight to the ball. Have the player dropping the balls, drop them at different times so the batter does not "cheat". The batter can watch the release of the ball, but cannot move prior to the ball being dropped.
KNEE HITTING DRILL DRILL
Set up a net with a mat in front of it. Place a medium size orange cone on the mat. Have the hitter kneel on their back knee. The front leg should be straight out in front towards the net. Place a ball on the cone and have them hit. This allows them to concentrate on the proper hand and arm movement without worrying about the legs.
BATTING GAME
The players arrange on the field (just anywhere) and 1 player bats. If the batter hits a fly ball and if someone catches it then that person who caught it gets to bat, BUT if the batter hits a grounder and a player fields it then the batter lays the bat on the ground, the fielder has to stay in the same spot where they fielded the ball and rolls the ball on the ground and trys to hit the bat. If she hits the bat then she gets to bat.
BUNTING GAME
Bunting - Draw sections in the dirt in front of home plate. In each section, write a number representing a point value based on what the coach considers the perfect bunt. For example, a two-foot diameter circle in that no-man's area between the pitcher, catcher and either 1st or 3rd base. Divide the girls up into teams. Each girl takes her turn bunting. She is awarded the point value of the section that the ball stops in (not lands in).
After every player has taken her turn, total up the points and reward the winners. Once or twice in a season we'll hand out a small piece of candy (Tootsie Roll or Starburst) for each point. After the girls have played this game, let them take turns drawing sections in the dirt and assigning point values. Even if they give high point values to what would be considered a bad bunt, they are still learning how to control the bunt and put it where they want it. If you use your own pitchers, they get practice. Caution: the pitching machine balls tend to be more bouncy than real softballs and are more difficult to control. Make the sections larger and explain why to the players.
DIZZY LIZZY GAME
If your players have been working really hard for a while, you may want to do this one just for fun.
Have one team at bat, and one team in the field with a fielder on third base and one at first base. The batter must take a bat and place the knob to her forehead and the other end on the ground. She now spins around 5-7 times, then hits (or tries to hit) a ball off a tee and runs the bases until both the fielders have touched the ball in the outfield (or where ever it has gone). If you have some uptight players, this will loosen them up in a big hurry.
How to be a Softball Parent
1. Softball is a SPORT - Kids are supposed to have FUN playing softball.
2. Your daughter might not be as good of an athlete as you were when you were in school. Don't force her to be something she isn't.
3. If you weren't a good athlete in school, it is not your daughter's job to make up for what you didn't do.
4. She knows when she makes mistakes. Catch her doing something right.
5. Teach, but only teach when you know the right things.
6. BE PATIENT! If you are the parent of a pitcher there are many body "mechanics" she needs to master before she can start throwing hard. THEN, she has to master both mechanics AND speed before she should start working on accuracy. Be patient!
7. Umpires do their best and ARE trying to be fair. If you disagree with an umpire's call, try to keep it to yourself. Your daughter doesn't need to think that the problems she might be experiencing can be blamed on the umpire.
8. Not all good parents make good softball coaches.
9. Not all good coaches make good softball parents.
10. Again, softball is a SPORT. Let your daughter have the privilege of: (1) doing it on her own, (2) doing her best, and (3) having FUN doing it. Win or lose, your objective is to make her feel good about herself and make sure she is smiling at the end of the game.
