PraCTice Structure
I. Wiffle Ball Batting (pre-practice)
V. Batting Practice: A 12-Player Drill
Descriptions of Practice Segments
The practice templates in the Coaching Guide are based on the standard structure of a college baseball practice template; modified for the 12U environment.
At the college level teams have limits to how much time they can spend on the field each week. Their practices are designed to maximize each minute the players are ‘on the clock’.
The primary concern in the 12U environment is keeping the kids active and engaged throughout each practice. If we leave them standing and lose their attention and it is a challenge to re-engage them.
We always hear of making practices ‘Fun’ for the kids. My belief is the best definition of fun is ‘keeping active’.
I. Wiffle Ball Batting (Pre-Practice)
It is strongly recommended that kids who are early arrivals not play catch on their own. Don’t put balls out prior to the start of practice.
The skills of throwing and receiving throw are the foundation of the game. The kids should always be supervised when executing these critical skills. Instead of allowing our kids to play catch when they arrive, set up a whiffle ball batting practice (the best type of ball to use is a ‘pickle ball’)
One coach can throw to two kids at once; two coaches can throw to four kids, and so on. A coach who has gained proficiency at pitching in this environment can pitch to three kids at once. (additional info, and a diagram, for Wiffle Ball Batting can be found on the COACHING GUIDE page under ‘Teaching Points’)
Have half the kids batting and half chasing balls (they love this!). Give each player 8 swings then switch. Note: No ‘“one mores”. This can turn into 4 or 5 more, and eat up a lot of valuable time. If a player swings and misses on their eighth swing we tell them, “Good Swing!! …now switch to chasing balls”. Suggestion: tell the batter when they have two or three swings left, so they understand they soon will be done batting.
Safety:
Make it crystal clear to the kids that running through the space between the pitchers (coaches) and batters. I call this space ‘Interstate/Hwy (fill in the blank). There is no way they would run across a major highway filled with cars and trucks. …and there is no way we will allow them to run through this space; it is absolutely prohibited. They have to go around the outside. When a player runs through this space, they potentially will run next to another player in the middle of swinging a bat; we do not want this to happen
Making this rule stick is not as simple as telling them one time; even though we point out the safety hazzard. It will take some time, and discipline (on our part as coaches), to train them that there are no exceptions to this rule.
Make it a rule that there is to be no swinging of a bat except when at the ‘plate’ and when a coach is pitching. Kids will want to pick up balls and try to hit them back to the coaches when picking up balls during or at the end of the drill. Be ready to squash this activity the moment it starts. Make it clear this will not be tolerated under any circumstance.
The origination of Whiffle Ball Batting was to give the players something to do between their arrival at the ballpark and the official start of practice, so to not play catch unsupervised. However, since this is such a fun activity and is only available prior to the start of practice, it becomes an incentive for kids to arrive early. Ultimately this leads to practices starting on time with all or most kids ready to go.
II. Skill Building Warm-up
‘Warm-up’ is different concept with pre-pubesent bodies than it is with teens and adults. The muscles in the kids, the age we are working with, are not powerfull or developed to the extent they are on older people. The liklihood of them suffering a severe muscle injury is extremely low. Therefore stretching and other activities we see teen and pro players doing before a workout are not really necessary. These activities do, however, eat up valuable practice time.
Instead of stretching, calisthenics, or running the kids across the park and back at the start of practice, we warm our kids up by doing simple activities that build Baseball/Softball Skills. Each day at the start of practice we runn our kids through a three station ‘Skill Building Warm-up’.
If a coach chooses to make stretching and calisthenics, that is perfectly fine; the kids are moving and doing; that is good! My philosophy, however, is to get them right into doing Skill Building drills.
Many of the suggested activities for this part of practice don’t make it into a practice routine for many teams. Many of the more common skill building activities that make the core of many practices, once learned by the players (and coaches), can be inserted into the Skill Building Warm-up portion of practice. This frees up more time to work on Team Play activities in the core part of a practice.
III. Playing Catch Practice
The most important part of a practice is the Playing Catch Practice segment, traditionally referred to as ’Warming Up’. Unfortunately this has evolved into a lazy and sloppy activity. The ten minutes our kids spend playing catch should be the most focused, most intense and most disciplined part of the practice.
This is the time when we as coaches have to be at our best, making sure each player is using proper catching and throwing technique. When the team is playing catch there needs to be an adult or two (coaches and/or parent helpers) standing behind each group of kids with extra balls in hand ready to resupply kids when balls get past them.
One of the biggest time wasters in baseball practices is kids chasing after balls. We want every possible moment of practice to involve skill building activities. When thrown balls are missed by the receiving player an adult standing behind the row of players flips a new ball to the player that missed, so that player gets right back in to working on their skills
Playing Catch Practice has three parts:
The first few minutes of this routine the kids throw from approximately 35’ and work on pitching mechanics.
The next few minutes throw from approximately 60’ emphasizing the proper stance prior to receiving a throw, footwork in preparation to receive a throw and proper receiving position.
Skill activity
IV. Team Skills & Drills
Examples of activities include, Skill Station Rotation (which could include a group getting swings off a Tee), Cuts-Relays, Fly Ball Communication, Rundowns, Positional Responsibility Drills, Base Running, Mass Ground Balls and Fly Balls, etc.
V. Batting Practice - 'A 12 Player Drill'
This activity is often characterized by one kid batting and eleven kids standing out in the field shagging. Those eleven other kids are often board and losing interest in the sport minute by minute. Batting Practice is a ‘12 Player Drill’ that is structured so that the entire team is engaged, active and developing skills throughout the activity. An entire section of the Coaching Guide is dedicated to describing how to set up and run an efficient and dynamic Batting Practice.
VI. Scrimmage
‘Kids sign up to PLAY baseball, not to practice baseball’. Kids do understand that they need to practice to develop their skills, but they also have a strong desire to PLAY.
Our goal as coaches is to create a practice environment that is FUN as well as active, efficient and effective. It is strongly recommended that most every practice conclude with a scrimmage. A scrimmage is not a willy-nilly activity, however. This is a controlled activity where teaching takes place throughout.
While the kids are having FUN PLAYING, the scrimmage serves as a great teaching and learning tool. Following each play, the coaches acknowledge things kids did correctly and instruct as needed. These teaching periods should be brief, 10-20 seconds; keep the game moving!