Long Island Thunderbolts Carmine Mazzaro - Peter Janowsky

   ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Make it fun. Major job in the instructional league is getting the girls to want to come back each game and sign up again next year.

Cupcakes, cheers and hair clips! At this age there are many facets to what the girls think are important.

the snacks cheers before and after each game making friends and the occasional hair clip that matches the uniform.

Get the parents involved as much as possible from helping with the drills to rotating snacks.

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Start with a warm-up

Simple jog (together as a team it’s not a race) around the field Stretching. I like dynamic stretching but anything to loosen up arms, legs and back will work.

Keep the girls busy, having 9 girls in the field while you pitch to one is not productive and the girls will get board Again get parents involved KISS - Keep is soooo simple

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Drills for practice

 Ground balls- Click icon for video  Pop up (fly balls) progressions    No glove with tennis ball Glove with tennis ball Glove with softball

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Hitting Drills

 Walk Thru  Hitting Basics

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Idea 1

Get girls on a circle.

Tell them how good practice was (NO negative words) All put hands in middle and all give cheer like syac on 3, 1-2-3, SYAC!!

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Idea 2

Get girls in a circle with arms locked together Each girls say something positive about practice (i.e. we hit well, it was sunny, anything positive) After everyone talks, all put hands in middle and all give cheer like syac on 3 1-2-3 SYAC!!

     This should be an introduction to the game. Both weeks may contain all or some of the same drills. Walk through the field and recognize each base and position. Same for outfield.

Run the bases! ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Run through 1 st Round 1 st base base to 2nd Go through basic catching and throwing. Ready Position Ground balls. Roll balls to player, then to right, then to left, then short hop Throwing the ball ◦ ◦ ◦  Finger tips - Wave bye-bye - Follow Through Basic batting. (get extra tees if possible) The grip on the handle. (Knock Knuckles) The stance. The swing – Beginner level should be only a few steps  Load – trigger - knob to ball - contact.

Fly balls two hands. Coaches should toss gentle flies progressing to further distances. Take gloves off and use tennis balls to get used to catching with two hands. Girls will adapt to catching a softer ball first with no glove.

 ◦ ◦ Combine the basic skills drills (catching, throwing and batting) with a more of a practice.

◦ Ground balls to infielders and make the throw to first. (This can be done by rolling it to them at first. Review how to step to the ball and stay down for grounders. ◦ Outfielders catch the fly and throw to the infield. Stress a lot of talking to each other. Practice hitting off the tee into “live fielders”. Run to first on last swing. NOTE: If there are enough coaches and parents it would be great to separate the batting and outfield drills. Rotate the girls as much as possible and keep everything moving.

   Recommend training and game combined. Rotation of drills for the first half of the “game” and then maybe go through the line up once – each girl gets to first even if there is an out. Girls should get used to running the bases (1 base at a time). Last batter in the inning should run all the bases (grand slam) Hitters: Make these two weeks focused on just have them make contact and get used to running to and through the bases.

Fielders: Rotate positions every inning unless it’s a safety issue and parents are aware. No player should play every inning in the outfield. Let the fielder make the plays. If the need occurs, stop the game and explain “in a positive voice” what the players should be doing.

 Games, hitting off Tee ◦ Go thru the line up so all players bat each inning, change lineup around so last batter is different each inning (for the grand slam)

    Stress the 3 “B’s” of softball (Everyone should be doing something) ◦ ◦ ◦ Ball Base Backup Make it Fun Post game snacks If SOFTBALL was easy they’d call it BASEBALL !!!

 ◦ ◦ Questions Carmine Mazzaro Peter Janowsky [email protected]

[email protected]

516-808-5624 516-445-0138

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