COACHES MANUAL YEAR OLDS

Transcription

1 COACHES MANUAL YEAR OLDS 1

2 Welcome 3 Youth Sport Philosophy 4-6 Coaches Job Description 7-9 League Rules Working with Year Olds Practice Overview Fitness Component/Team Circles/Practice Plans Family Huddles Safety & Risk Management Additional Resources Rotation charts/score sheet 2

3 BASEBALL COACHES 3

4 WELCOME TO YMCA YOUTH SPORTS Thank you for agreeing to be a coach in the YMCA Youth Sports program. As a YMCA coach, you will introduce a group of young people to the game of baseball. We ask you to not only teach your players the basic skills and rules of the game, but also to make learning the game a joyful experience for them. You see, we want them to play baseball not only for this season, but also for many years to come, and we want you to have fun teaching baseball because we'd like you to help us again next season. Okay, let s get started. In this guide, you will find essential information about teaching baseball the YMCA way. In the first section, we will explain the philosophy of YMCA Youth Sports. Next is your job description for being a YMCA baseball coach, with reminders about how to work with this age group. Then we will show you how to teach baseball and provide you with a season plan and a complete set of practice plans for this age group. In the next part we will explain how to teach the YMCA Youth Sports Values. In the last section we will discuss risk management procedures. Please read the entire guide carefully and consult it regularly during the season. Your YMCA offers you the opportunity to participate in a YMCA Baseball Coaches Course. The three and one-half hour course will help you use this approach to teaching baseball and values. 4

5 PHILOSOPHY OF YOUTH SPORTS 5

6 YMCA OF GREATER HOUSTON PHILOSOPHY OF YOUTH SPORTS What we want youth sports to be at the YMCA is stated in our Seven Pillars of YMCA Youth Sports: Everyone Plays. We do not use tryouts to select the best players, nor do we cut kids from YMCA Youth Sports. Everyone who registers is assigned to a team. During the season everyone receives equal practice time and plays at least half of every game. Safety First. Although children may get hurt playing sports, we do all we can to prevent injuries. We've modified each sport to make it safer and more enjoyable to play. We ask you to make sure the equipment and facilities are safe and to teach the sport as we've prescribed so the skills you teach are appropriate for children's developmental level. We ask you to gradually develop your players' fitness levels so they are conditioned for the sport. We also ask you to constantly supervise your young players so you can stop any unsafe activities. Character Development. Honesty, Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Faith are about playing by the rules and more. It's about you and your players showing respect for all that are involved in YMCA Youth Sports. It's about you being a role model of sporting behavior and guiding your players to do the same. Remember, we're more interested in developing children's character through sports than in developing a few highly skilled players. Positive Competition. We believe competition is a positive process when the pursuit of victory remains in the right perspective. The right perspective is when adults make decisions that put the best interests of the children before winning the contest. Learning to compete is important for children, and learning to cooperate in a competitive world is an essential lesson of life. Through YMCA Youth Sports, we want to help children learn these values, and parents to do the same. 6

7 Family Involvement. YMCA Youth Sports encourages parents to be involved appropriately in their child's participation in our sports programs. In addition to parents helping as volunteer coaches, officials, and timekeepers, we encourage them to be at practices and games to support their child's participation. To help parents get involved appropriately, YMCA Youth Sports offers parent orientation programs. Sport for All. YMCA Youth Sports is an inclusive sport program. That means that children who differ in various characteristics are included in rather than excluded from participation. We offer sports programs for children who differ in physical abilities by matching them with children of similar abilities and modifying the sport. We offer programs to all children regardless of their race, gender, religious creed, or ability. We ask our adult leaders to encourage and appreciate the diversity of children in our society and to encourage the children and their parents to do the same. Sport for Fun. Sports are naturally fun for most children. They love the challenge of mastering the skills of the game, playing with their friends, and competing with their peers. Sometimes when adults become involved in children's sports they over organize and dominate the activity to the point that it destroys children's enjoyment of the sport. If we take the fun out of sports for our children, we are in danger of the kids taking themselves out of sports. Remember the sports are for the kids; let them have fun. 7

8 JOB DESCRIPTION 8

9 YOUR DUTIES AS A COACH Here are your seven duties as a YMCA baseball coach: Teach the skills and tactics of baseball to the best of your ability. We want you to teach children the physical skills and tactics to play the sport to the best of their ability. Kids value learning these skills and tactics, and they respect those who can help them master them. Be a good teacher, but remember that not all children have the same ability to learn. A few have the ability to be outstanding, many to be competent, and a few to barely play the sport. We ask that you help them all be the best they can be. Help your players learn the rules and traditions of baseball. We will ask you to teach your players the rules of baseball as they learn the basic skills through the modified games of the sport. Beyond the rules, we ll also ask you to teach the basic traditions of the sport. By traditions, we mean the proper actions to show courtesy and avoid injury in short, to be a good sport. Help your players become fit and value fitness for a lifetime. We want you to help your players be fit so they can play baseball safely and successfully. However, we also want more. We want you to do so in a way that your players learn to become fit on their own, understand the value of fitness, and enjoy training. Thus, we ask you not to make them do push-ups or run laps for punishment. Make it fun to get fit for baseball and make it fun to play baseball so they will stay fit for a lifetime. Help young people develop character. Character development is teaching children the core values caring, honesty, faith, respect, and responsibility. These intangible qualities are no less important to teach than catching or throwing skills. We ask you to teach these values to children by conducting team circles, which are built into every practice plan, and demonstrating and encouraging behaviors that express these values at all times. Ensure the safety of your players. You are responsible for supervising every aspect of your players participation in baseball. Make sure the field is clear of hazardous objects and that the kids do not engage in activities that might injure themselves or others. You have not only a legal but also a moral responsibility to supervise them closely. 9

10 Help each child develop a sense of self-worth. An essential goal in conducting YMCA Youth Sports programs is to help children gain a strong, positive sense of their worth as human beings. For each of us, our most important possession is self-worth. Please teach our children baseball in a way that helps them grow to respect themselves and others. Make it fun. Make learning the game a fantastic positive experience so your players will want to continue playing for many years to come. BEING A GOOD COACH Just what makes a good baseball coach? A person who knows the sport of baseball well. If you re not familiar with the sport, be sure to attend the YMCA Baseball Coaches Course and study more about the sport. A person who wants to teach baseball to young people, who cares. Excellent teachers are motivated, have a positive attitude, and give the time to do the job well. A person who understands young people, who possesses empathy. Empathy is caring about the young people you teach by showing you understand them. We hope you will do your best to be a good baseball coach for the children on your team. By doing so, you can help them develop their spirits, minds, and bodies the goal for all YMCA programs. YOUTH SPORTS PLEDGE Win or lose, I pledge to play the game to the best of my ability; to be a team player and to respect my teammates, opponents, and officials; and to improve myself in spirit, mind, and body. 10

11 BASEBALL RULES 11

12 I. General Guidelines A. Age Divisions 1. 5 year olds - T-Ball 2. 6 & 7 year olds - Coach Pitch (Five Pitches) 3. 8 & 9 year old boys - Pitching Machine (Strike Count) & 12 year olds - Kids Pitch (Regulation Ball/Strike Count) B. Substitutions 1. To insure that all players participate in at least half of every game, no player may sit out two innings in a row, and no player may sit out a second inning until all players have sat out at least one. 2. The batting order will be continuous and will consist of every player s name. Players continue batting in the proper order regardless if they are in the field that inning. C. Duration of Game 1. After the appropriate time limit has expired a new inning of play may not begin. 2. If an inning is in progress when the appropriate time has been reached, it will be completed 3. The umpires or supervisors watch will be the official time clock. 4. If a game is in progress and is called on account of rain or other bad weather, it will be the decision of the YMCA Sports Dept to make up or reschedule the games. D. Five runs or 3 outs per inning is in effect for all divisions. F. Coaches' Duties 1. Coaches must be off the field and not in front of the backstop during play, except in T-ball league. 2. Defensive line-ups will be made available upon request. 3. For Kid s Pitch baseball, neither team is allowed to have any coaches on the field during play. G. Equipment 1. Rubber cleats or tennis shoes only; no metal cleats. 2. Players may use their own personal bats in an official game if that bat is made available for use by the opposing team. H. Follow the spirit of the rules, not the letter of the rules. Allow everyone to have fun playing. 12

13 Year Old Baseball Rules A. Duration of Game 1. 6 innings or 75 minutes. B. Number of Players 1. No team will carry more than 15 players on their roster. 2. No team should play with less than eight (8) players. Should this occur, the official or field supervisor on duty should be requested for assistance. C. Field of Play a. 60 ft baselines b. 45 ft pitchers mark. D. Overthrows 1. Definition - out-of-bounds (approx. 10 ft. past baseline) Players may automatically advance to the base that the player was going to plus one base on an overthrow that goes out-of-bounds. 2. Runners may advance to home plate on an over throw. E. Errant Throws 1. Definition - overthrow that stays in playing area. 2. Players may advance at their own risk until stoppage of play. 3. Players may advance to home plate on an errant throw. F. Wild Pitch 1. Definition - pitch that has gotten past the catcher. 2. Players may advance one base on a wild pitch. 3. Players may advance to home plate on a wild pitch, but cannot slide. G. Players Positions 1. Infielders a. 1st baseman d. 3rd baseman b. 2nd baseman e. pitcher c. short stop f. catcher 2. Outfielders a. left b. center c. right 3. No one player may play the same position more than 2 innings in a game (excluding pitcher and catcher). 4. Pitchers a. Pitching limit is 3 innings per game b. Any partial inning pitched will count as one complete inning pitched. H. Third Strikes 1. Third strike foul tip that is caught is an out. 2. Third strike dropped by catcher is out in 10 & 11 year olds only. I. Bunting is allowed. J. Stealing 1. allowed 2. no lead offs 3. can't leave base before ball crosses home plate 4. can't steal home plate All other rules not specified in these modifications will be enforced according to the UIL High School Rules. 13

14 WORKING WITH YEAR OLDS 14

15 working with year olds COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT Behaviors Shows an understanding of reason/consequence. Makes and carries out plans. Activity Debriefing negative group experiences through examination of cause and effect rather than focusing on the people involved. Give group challenges, initiatives, or projects. MOTOR/PHYSICAL ACTIVITY Behaviors Tremendous energy consumed (often hungry). May give little thought to other body needs. Body growth slows down until just before puberty when it accelerates (ages 10-11). Girls are months ahead in development. Generally very healthy. R/L dominance established and manipulative skills increase. Hand/eye coordination well developed now children are ready for skill building. Late in phase boys and girls may be very fidgety and/or squirmy. Activity Be very careful to ensure that proactive health measures are taken (eating, liquids, sunscreen). Ask for feedback often. Be aware that children may be unsure of what is happening to them. Offer support and explanation that different and changing rates of growth are natural. Be sensitive to changing peer relations as physical changes create differences. Talk about natural differentiation in development. Introduce games and activities which give practice in fine motor skills. Begin introducing activities and skills requiring more complex movements and thought pattern. Be sensitive to activity lengths and amount of variety in format. 15

16 SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT Behaviors Is eager, enthusiastic and anxious to win. Is developing perseverance but interests may be short lived. Begins to doubt and become sensitive about self. Is learning about individuality through peers. By end of this phase physical changes may cause outbursts, fighting, and tears. Gang spirit and influence strongwants to be like others. Looked up to by younger children. Activities organized and own rules developed-realizes need for cooperation and mutual understanding. Activity Channel competitive energy into activities which require the group to win without an individual or another group losing. Praise small victories and slowly build up to larger (or more complex) goals. Provide activities which illustrate the benefits of people with different skills. Ensure activities provide for success regardless of physical stage. Games emphasizing precise coordination can hurt self esteem. Emphasize the responsibility that comes with the freedom to make choices. Provide opportunities for leadership. Facilitate groups through processes which encourage positive group decision and norm making. LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Behaviors Can listen critically (detects flaws in reasoning of others). Questions validity of conclusions, evaluates. Activity Provide for discussion and debriefing experiences. 16

17 FACTS ABOUT YEAR OLDS years olds are experiencing dramatic physical, cognitive, social, and emotional changes that pervade their lives and often perplex them and the youth workers who work with them. 2. Three kinds of physical changes occur during early adolescence: The adolescent growth spurt The development of primary sex characteristics The appearance of secondary sex characteristics 3. Adolescence is a period in life when people grow more rapidly than at any other time their lives except infancy. For girls, this rapid growth spurt usually begins at about age 10 ½, with the peak occurring at about age 12. The growth spurt for boys begins about a year later, at around age 11 ½ and peaks at around age The normal variation in early adolescent physical development means that there may be a 6-8 year span in physical development between a slowly developing boy and a rapidly developing girl of the same chronological age. 5. Most young adolescents are excited by the body changes (or the expected body changes) that make them look more adult. At the same time, they are concerned about whether their bodies are normal and about how they will look when their bodies mature. It is easy to talk about the events of puberty in an academic fashion until we think back to our own adolescence and remember how a nose that was too big, breasts that would not grow, pimples, or lack of athletic prowess seemed to turn all of life sour. 6. As they pass through puberty, young people see themselves differently when they experience adults altered expectations, look in the morrow, and feel their body changes. This alteration in self-image and their increased self-consciousness mean that adolescents view themselves and their relationships to others in a new way. 7. Adjusting to dramatic body changes and altered (and sometimes conflicting) expectations from others makes young adolescents especially vulnerable to bouts of low self-esteem, moodiness, and intense emotionalism. 8. About one-quarter experience serene development; they grow and change gradually and with remarkable ease. About one-third develop in a manner characterized by surging stops and starts; they are impressively adult one day and childish the next. About one-fifth experience turbulent development; their behavior is stormy, but is is not abnormal or pathological. About one-fifth do not fit into any subgroup, but their tendency is toward continuous growth. 17

18 PRACTICE OVERVIEW 18

19 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS Practice 1 Warm Up (10minutes) Begin each practice with five to ten minutes of warm-up activities to get players loosened up and ready to go. Players play catch with you or an assistant coach. Fitness Component (5 minutes) Key Idea: General Fitness Gather team into a group between 2 cones about 20 feet apart. Do you think that there is a difference between physical activity and physical fitness? Listen to their responses. Physical activity is any body movement you use while performing a skill or task. Physical fitness is a condition of the body. The more fit your body is, the better you can perform some skills and tasks. I will give you some activities. Run to this cone if you think it is an activity done for fitness. Examples of physical activity are walking to school and walking up stairs to get to bed. Examples of activities done for fitness are waling to school for exercise, jogging to improve sport performance or walking stairs to strengthen leg muscles. All season we will talk and learn about the different areas of fitness during our Fitness Circles. We will also work on improving you body s fitness for playing ball. 19

20 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 1 Coaches Cue: Explain the purpose of backing up teammates on all plays and how it prevents teams scoring unearned runs. This is also a good opportunity to find out what positions each player feels most comfortable at. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Teach and demonstrate all of the back up duties for each position on the field. Description Take the whole team on a tour of the field and instruct and demonstrate the back up responsibilities of each position. They are as follows: > Pitcher: Backs up 3rd base and home plate. > Catcher: Backs up first base on all infield ground balls. > Shortstop: Backs up second base on throws from the outfield and on throws from the catcher on attempted steals when the second base player is covering second. > Left fielder: Backs up 3rd base. > Center fielder: Backs up second base. > Right fielder: Backs up first base. > All outfielders: Back each other up on balls hit to the outfield. Place a player at each of the positions. A coach will hit balls around the field making sure each play is backed up properly. Rotate players to each of the positions. Game / Play (15 minutes) Description Set up the field with each position covered and have any extra players come up to bat. Each batter gets 3 pitches to get the ball in play. If the batter gets a hit, have them advance to as many bases as possible. Set up a rotation so that everyone plays several defensive positions and gets to bat. 20

21 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 1 Coaches Cue: Explain the purpose of backing up teammates on all plays and how it prevents teams scoring unearned runs. This is also a good opportunity to find out what positions each player feels most comfortable at. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Ball #1 or #2 Description: Have players line up at 3rd base facing a thrower at home. Have a fielder at 2nd and at 1st. The thrower should have several balls in front of him, each marked with a #1 or #2 on them. The thrower will then toss a grounder to the fielder. The fielder must field the ball cleanly and determine which number is written on the ball. If it is #1, then he throws the ball to 1st base. If it is #2, then the fielder throws it to 2nd. The key for the fielder is to try and focus on the ball and see how quickly he can identify the number on the ball. By doing this, the player is keeping his eyes on the ball during the whole fielding process. This is a good way of developing proper fielding techniques. Game / Play (15 minutes) Description Set up the field with each position covered and have any extra players come up to bat. Each batter gets 3 pitches to get the ball in play. If the batter gets a hit, have them advance to as many bases as possible. Set up a rotation so that everyone plays several defensive positions and gets to bat. 21

22 Practice 1 INTRO TO VALUES (10 Minutes) TEAM CIRCLE Key Idea : YMCA Five Core Values Gather team into a circle. Everyone stand on the first base line and link arms. Now try to move quickly toward second base, starting off on your left foot. The players move toward second. If you were just walking by yourself it would have been much easier. But when we think of working together as a team, it takes more effort. We need to put just a much effort into being good teammates, with everyone doing their part. We ll talk about five qualities or values that help us become better players caring, honesty, respect, faith, and responsibility. These qualities are just as important as catching, throwing, or hitting. Give me an example of each of the five values. Listen to their responses and discuss. 22

23 Practice 1 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS Year Olds Warm-up (5 minutes) Fitness component (5 Minutes) Skills Drills (15 minutes) Game / Play (15 minutes) Team Circle (10 minutes) 23

24 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS Practice 2 Warm Up (10minutes) 1. Players play catch with a partner. 2. Players jog around the bases once. Fitness Component (5 minutes) Key Idea: Cardio respiratory fitness Gather team into a circle. What fitness area improves when we run more and strengthen our heart and lungs? Cardio respiratory fitness. When we run more during practice to improve our cardio respiratory fitness, what will start to happen? Listen to their responses. Discuss getting fatigued if they run too fast early in the practice. If you do not want to tire early in practice, we can use a special test to help you judge how fast to run. It s called a talk test. A talk test can tell you if you are running too fast for your body and need to slow down. Everyone jog around the bases, and while you are running say, single-double-triple-homer. You should not be out of breath while you are talking; if you are, slow down. 24

25 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 2 Coaches Cue: Get in the ready position. Watch the ball all the way into your glove. Cover the ball with your free hand once you field the ball. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Introduce, demonstrate, and explain how to properly field a ground ball and throw it accurately to the correct base. Description: Have a player at each of the infield positions. Have additional players serve as base runners. A coach should hit balls to each of the players and have them make an accurate throw to an assigned base. Set up several scenarios that encourage the players to think and react. For instance, have a player at first and hit a grounder to second and explain the force out. Rotate players to several positions. To encourage players to keep their eye on the ball, have them count the number of times the balls bounces out loud before they field it. Game / Play (15 minutes) Goal: Players will learn the basic positions of infielders: first, second, third, shortstop, pitcher, and catcher. Players will hit and run to first before the throw gets to the first-base player. Description: 6v6 (may vary due to number of players) players hit from a toss from the coach and run to first base. A point is scored if they are safe at first. They can continue running bases, but the play will only be at first base. The side is retired after three points or three outs, whichever comes first. 25

26 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 2 Coaches Cue: Get in the ready position. Watch the ball all the way into your glove. Cover the ball with your free hand once you field the ball. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Throwing Drill Description: Step 1: Player stands shoulder width apart, puts throwing arm up at a 90 degree angle, holds elbow with glove, and throws ball to partner using just his wrist action. Step 2: Player sits with legs spread and has his arm in same position, only this time he can use from his elbow up to throw to his partner. Step 3: Player remains sitting, only now he can rotate his hips and turn his upper torso to throw the ball. Follow through is not necessary yet. There is an emphasis on using the glove arm to direct the throw. Step 4: Player now goes to one knee. He rotates his hips and upper torso and throws the ball, only now he puts an emphasis on following through across his knee, which is raised. Step 5: Player now stands with glove arm closest to partner and feet shoulder width apart. Using all of the above steps, he throws the ball concentrating on follow through without moving his feet. Step 6: Player now repeats all of the above steps except for this time he can move his feet. The emphasis this step is to step straight to the target and maintain balance. Game / Play (15 minutes) Goal: Goal: Players will learn the basic positions of infielders: first, second, third, shortstop, pitcher, and catcher. Players will hit and run to first before the throw gets to the first-base player. Description: 6v6 (may vary due to number of players) players hit from a toss from the coach and run to first base. A point is scored if they are safe at first. They can continue running bases, but the play will only be at first base. The side is retired after three points or three outs, whichever comes first. 26

27 Practice 2 INTRO TO VALUES (10 Minutes) TEAM CIRCLE Key Idea : Responsibility Gather team into groups of two partners. Everyone stand and balance on one foot. Wait while everyone gets his or her balance. Now one of you offer your shoulder for your teammate to lean on. If you re leaning on your partner s shoulder, now try to balance on one foot again.change places. If you were leaning before, let your partner lean on your shoulder and stand on one foot. Wait until everyone has balanced with the help of a partner. Now come back here. Wasn t it easier to balance when you were leaning on your partner? It works that way in sports, too. When you help each other in practices and games, we work better as a team. Each of you can contribute. Your teammates count on you to contribute to the team. That is being responsible to your team. 27

28 Practice 2 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS Year Olds Warm-up (5 minutes) Fitness component (5 Minutes) Skills Drills (15 minutes) Game / Play (15 minutes) Team Circle (10 minutes) 28

29 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS Practice 3 Warm Up (10minutes) 1. Players play catch with a partner. 2. Players jog around the bases once. Fitness Component (5 minutes) Key Idea: General Fitness Gather team into a group. If you participate in practice every week, do you think that is enough to keep you body s fitness to play? Do you think you ll improve you body s fitness in the different areas? Listen to their responses. You need to be active outside practice to keep your overall fitness at a level that helps you play ball. What are some activities you could do outside of practice? Listen to their responses. Discuss activities such as jogging, bicycling and playing catch. 29

30 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 3 Coaches Cue: For Fielding: Get in ready position. Locate the ball as soon as possible Run on your tip toes to prevent losing sight of the ball. Catch the ball at the highest point possible and cover it with the opposite hand. For Throwing: Bring the ball WAY back. Step with the opposite foot. Follow through to the target. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Introduce, demonstrate and explain the process of locating, breaking on and catching a fly ball. Description: Have your fielders line up about 40 or so feet out in front of you and about 40 or so feet to the left. You will have three balls in your hands, and at your go, the first athlete in line will spring in a line that is parallel to you. You as the coach then get to play QB. You try to lead the athlete by throwing balls so they can catch them on the run. Tell your fielder that as they catch the ball, to just drop it immediately and locate the next ball that you will throw as they drop the previous ball. After the third ball, have the athlete sprint back and pick up the balls that they dropped and return them to you. Do this a couple of times and then rotate so that the athletes are running the opposite direction to field the balls. Game / Play (15 minutes) Goal: Goal: The offense tries to advance the runner to 3rd base. The defense tries to keep the runner from advancing to 3rd. Description: Set up an outfield, a 3rd basemen, a shortstop and Description: a 2nd basemen. The batting team always begins with a runner on 1st. Play 5 v 5 or 6 v 6, depending on the number of outfielders used. Batters hit a soft toss from a coach to the outfield. Infielders should let balls go through to the outfield. If the runner gets to 2nd base safely, the offensive team scores a point and does not continue running. The defense also scores a point if the runner advances only to 2nd base (for holding the runner to one base on a single). If the runner makes it to 3rd, the offense gets 2 points. If the runner is thrown out at 3rd base, the defense scores 2 points. The side is retired after 6 points for either side. 30

31 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 3 Coaches Cue: For Fielding: Get in ready position. Locate the ball as soon as possible Run on your tip toes to prevent losing sight of the ball. Catch the ball at the highest point possible and cover it with the opposite hand. For Throwing: Bring the ball WAY back. Step with the opposite foot. Follow through to the target. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Introduce, demonstrate and explain the process of locating, breaking on and catching a fly ball. Description: Have your fielders line up about 40 or so feet out in front of you and about 40 or so feet to the left. You will have three balls in your hands, and at your go, the first athlete in line will spring in a line that is parallel to you. You as the coach then get to play QB. You try to lead the athlete by throwing balls so they can catch them on the run. Tell your fielder that as they catch the ball, to just drop it immediately and locate the next ball that you will throw as they drop the previous ball. After the third ball, have the athlete sprint back and pick up the balls that they dropped and return them to you. Do this a couple of times and then rotate so that the athletes are running the opposite direction to field the balls. Game / Play (15 minutes) Goal: Goal: The offense tries to advance the runner to 3rd base. The defense tries to keep the runner from advancing to 3rd. Description: Set up an outfield, a 3rd basemen, a shortstop Description: and a 2nd basemen. The batting team always begins with a runner on 1st. Play 5 v 5 or 6 v 6, depending on the number of outfielders used. Batters hit a soft toss from a coach to the outfield. Infielders should let balls go through to the outfield. If the runner gets to 2nd base safely, the offensive team scores a point and does not continue running. The defense also scores a point if the runner advances only to 2nd base (for holding the runner to one base on a single). If the runner makes it to 3rd, the offense gets 2 points. If the runner is thrown out at 3rd base, the defense scores 2 points. The side is retired after 6 points for either side. 31

32 Practice 3 INTRO TO VALUES (10 Minutes) TEAM CIRCLE Key Idea : Responsibility Gather team into two groups; one will spread out to pitch and bat. The other group will be to one side, as if on the bench during a game; they should be silent for the first 30 seconds of the activity. Then have them cheer and encourage on-field players; continue this activity for 30 more seconds. When players are on the bench during the game, they should be encouraging their teammates, no matter what s happening in the game. This is being responsible to your team. It helps players keep trying hard even if they are losing or have made some mistakes. How did it feel when you were playing and the bench players didn t encourage you? How did it feel when they did encourage you? Listen to both responses and have players compare feelings. 32

33 Practice 3 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS Year Olds Warm-up (5 minutes) Fitness component (5 Minutes) Skills Drills (15 minutes) Game / Play (15 minutes) Team Circle (10 minutes) 33

34 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS Practice 4 Warm Up (10minutes) 1. Players play catch with a partner. 2. Players jog around the bases once. Fitness Component (5 minutes) Key Idea: Muscular Strength and Endurance Gather players into a group in a small area. I want everyone to find a partner and balance back to back while sitting like a chair. I ll time you for 1 minute. Model the action for the group. What muscles did you use to hold yourself up? Touch the different areas with your hand to show players the muscle groups of their legs, front and back. You use several different muscles to perform different activities. Practicing using specific muscles improves your muscular strength and endurance that is, how hard you throw and how long you can run the bases before your muscles get tired. 34

35 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 4 Coaches Cue: For fielding fly balls: Running through 1st and home. Look for the signal from the 3rd base coach when approaching 2nd base. Break down after running through 1st base by landing on your left then your right foot (or vice versa) while placing them more than shoulder length apart and parallel. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Introduce, demonstrate, and explain how to correctly run the bases. Description: Put several players at each base, including home. The player at the plate swings an imaginary bat and run to 1st as if they had hit an infield grounder. The player that started at first makes a direct steal of 2nd when the batter starts running. The runner at 2nd runs to third as if advancing on a passed ball. The runner a 3rd takes 4-5 hard steps towards home then returns to 3rd as if tagging up on a pop fly then advance home. Continue doing this until all players have run from each base. Divide the players into 2 teams. Place team 1 at home plate and team 2 at second base. At your command the first players at each base take off running to the next base. Players continue running until they get back to the base that they started. Once the runner crosses the base that they started running from, they next runner on their team takes off. The object is for one team to eventually pass the other team while running the bases correctly. Game / Play (15 minutes) Goals: The offense tries to advance the runner to 2nd base. The defense tries to turn a double play. Description: Set up an infield. Play a 6 v 6 game. The batting team starts with a runner at 1st base. Batters hit a soft toss from a coach and run to 1st base. If the runner from 1st gets to 2nd base safely, the offense gets a point. The runner does not advance past 2nd base. The fielding team attempts to turn a double play. If they do, they score 3 points. The side is retired after 3 points or 3 double plays, whichever comes first. 35

36 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 4 Coaches Cue: For fielding fly balls: Running through 1st and home. Look for the signal from the 3rd base coach when approaching 2nd base. Break down after running through 1st base by landing on your left then your right foot (or vice versa) while placing them more than shoulder length apart and parallel. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Introduce, demonstrate, and explain how to correctly run the bases. Description: Put several players at each base, including home. The player at the plate swings an imaginary bat and run to 1st as if they had hit an infield grounder. The player that started at first makes a direct steal of 2nd when the batter starts running. The runner at 2nd runs to third as if advancing on a passed ball. The runner a 3rd takes 4-5 hard steps towards home then returns to 3rd as if tagging up on a pop fly then advance home. Continue doing this until all players have run from each base. Divide the players into 2 teams. Place team 1 at home plate and team 2 at second base. At your command the first players at each base take off running to the next base. Players continue running until they get back to the base that they started. Once the runner crosses the base that they started running from, they next runner on their team takes off. The object is for one team to eventually pass the other team while running the bases correctly. Game / Play (15 minutes) Goals: The offense tries to advance the runner to 2nd base. The defense tries to turn a double play. Description: Set up an infield. Play a 6 v 6 game. The batting team starts with a runner at 1st base. Batters hit a soft toss from a coach and run to 1st base. If the runner from 1st gets to 2nd base safely, the offense gets a point. The runner does not advance past 2nd base. The fielding team attempts to turn a double play. If they do, they score 3 points. The side is retired after 3 points or 3 double plays, whichever comes first. 36

37 Practice 4 INTRO TO VALUES (10 Minutes) TEAM CIRCLE Key Idea : Caring Gather team into groups of two and give each group a ball. Players should throw ground balls to each other. Each of you should say two good things about your partner s skills. Then come back to me in a group. Begin. Wait for them to regroup. What were some of the comments your teammates told you? Listen to their responses. What kind of value of quality is it when you go out of your way to say something good about a teammate s playing? Listen to responses and encourage discussion as needed. Caring is one of our core values. You show you care about your teammates when you encourage them. 37

38 Practice 4 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS Year Olds Warm-up (5 minutes) Fitness component (5 Minutes) Skills Drills (15 minutes) Game / Play (15 minutes) Team Circle (10 minutes) 38

39 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS Practice 5 Warm Up (10minutes) 1. Players play catch with a partner. 2. Players jog around the bases once. Fitness Component (5 minutes) Key Idea: Flexibility. Gather team into a circle. Is there such a thing as stretching your muscles too far, or should stretch as far as you can to improve your flexibility? Listen to their responses. Muscles should stretch only until you feel a slight pulling. You should never feel pain stretching. If you do, you are stretching too far. Choose a stretch for the team to try. I want you to stretch until you feel the slight pulling. Everyone will have different levels of flexibility, but all of you need to stretch properly to stay flexible and prevent injuries. 39

40 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 5 Coaches Cue: For covering a base on a force play: Get yourself between the ball and the base. Put your foot opposite your glove hand on the outside edge of the base. Make a good target (keep glove at shoulder level facing player throwing the ball). Watch it come into the glove. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Batting Practice: Each player attempts to hit 10 balls as far as possible into the outfield. Coach gives feedback and instruction. Have 3-4 outfielders to retrieve and return balls. Players not batting should be taking 10 to 20 practice swings, working on bat speed. Fielding Practice: Outfielders practice getting the ball in quickly to 3rs base. Place a player in left, a player in center and a player at 3rd base. Extra players serve as base runners, taking off from 2nd on your signal. Throw or hit balls between the outfielders, alternating between fly balls, line drives and grounders. One player calls and catches the ball and the other player moves into position for the back up and tells the fielder where to throw the ball. Rotate fielders after 3-5 throws. Game / Play (15 minutes) Goal: The offense tries to advance the runner to 3rd base. The defense tries to hold the runner at 2nd base and get the runner out at 1st base. Description: 5v5 (no more than 6v6)- the batting team starts with a runner on 2nd base. If the runner gets to 3rd base safely, the offensive team scores 3 points, and that runner does not continue running. Batters must hit ground balls. The side is retired after 9 points or 3 outs, whichever comes first. 40

41 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 5 Coaches Cue: For covering a base on a force play: Get yourself between the ball and the base. Put your foot opposite your glove hand on the outside edge of the base. Make a good target (keep glove at shoulder level facing player throwing the ball). Watch it come into the glove. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Batting Practice: Each player attempts to hit 10 balls as far as possible into the outfield. Coach gives feedback and instruction. Have 3-4 outfielders to retrieve and return balls. Players not batting should be taking 10 to 20 practice swings, working on bat speed. Fielding Practice: Outfielders practice getting the ball in quickly to 3rs base. Place a player in left, a player in center and a player at 3rd base. Extra players serve as base runners, taking off from 2nd on your signal. Throw or hit balls between the outfielders, alternating between fly balls, line drives and grounders. One player calls and catches the ball and the other player moves into position for the back up and tells the fielder where to throw the ball. Rotate fielders after 3-5 throws. Pitching Practice: Pitchers and catchers stand at regulation distance from each other. The catcher stands behind home plate and a batter stands in the batter s box. The batter should alternate between a left and a right handed stance after every 5 pitches, but does not take any swings. The batter follows the ball into the catcher s mitt and calls out loud whether or not he thinks it was a strike or ball. The coach or catcher states what the call really was. This drill helps develop a good sense of the strike zone. Game / Play (15 minutes) Goal: Goal: The offense tries to advance the runner to 3rd base. The defense tries to hold the runner at 2nd base and get the runner out at 1st base. Description: 5v5 (no more than 6v6)- the batting team starts Description: with a runner on 2nd base. If the runner gets to 3rd base safely, the offensive team scores 3 points, and that runner does not continue running. Batters must hit ground balls. The side is retired after 9 points or 3 outs, whichever comes first. 41

42 Practice 5 INTRO TO VALUES (10 Minutes) TEAM CIRCLE Key Idea : Caring Gather team into a group and choose two to demonstrate with you. You will throw the ball to one of them three times in a row and not throw to the other one. Why didn t Jerald catch any of the balls I threw? I didn t throw to him, did I? Sharing so that all the players get a chance shows you care about your teammates. Have players get into groups of three and play catch the caring way. Bring players back together. Raise your hand if you think that caring is an important quality or value on this team. It is important! 42

43 Practice 5 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS Year Olds Warm-up (5 minutes) Fitness component (5 Minutes) Skills Drills (15 minutes) Game / Play (15 minutes) Team Circle (10 minutes) 43

44 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS Practice 6 Warm Up (10minutes) 1. Players throw grounders, line drives, and fly balls back and forth with a partner. 2. Players run once around the bases. Fitness Component (5 minutes) Key Idea: Safety Gather team into a group. Gently tap your head with your fist. Is my head hard or soft? Right-it is hard because my skull is hard. It is made out of bone. Raise your hand if you think bones can break. Right we all know that bones can break. If you tap your helmets, they are hard, just like bones. They give extra protection and keep you safe playing ball. 44

45 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 6 Coaches Cue: Remind players to watch the ball all of the way into their gloves and to cover the ball with their off hand. Skills Drills (15 minutes) The Bounce: This is used to develop the outfielders ability to throw low and put the correct backspin on the ball and to throw overhand. Have all players pair off and face each other about 100 feet apart. Each pair has a ball to bounce back and forth to each other to see who can get the longest bounce. Remember to have them check their throws, if the ball goes left or right after the bounce, they are not throwing overhand or keeping their fingers on top of the ball. They want to achieve backspin on the ball. As they develop, move the groups back further to increase arm strength. Game / Play (15 minutes) Point: Split your team up into an A and B team. Have the A team spread out between 2nd and 3rd and the B team spread out between 2nd and 1st base. Have a coach stand at home plate and hit ground balls to each side. If a ball gets through on either side of the infield and makes it to the outfield grass, then that team receives a point. Challenge the kids get as few points as possible. Encourage the players to back up the person fielding the ball. Play a game to 10 and have the teams switch sides. 45

46 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 6 Coaches Cue: Remind players to watch the ball all of the way into their gloves and to cover the ball with their off hand. Skills Drills (15 minutes) The Bounce: This is used to develop the outfielders ability to throw low and put the correct backspin on the ball and to throw overhand. Have all players pair off and face each other about 100 feet apart. Each pair has a ball to bounce back and forth to each other to see who can get the longest bounce. Remember to have them check their throws, if the ball goes left or right after the bounce, they are not throwing overhand or keeping their fingers on top of the ball. They want to achieve backspin on the ball. As they develop, move the groups back further to increase arm strength. Turn & Sprint Drill: Start with all outfielders near a foul line. First fielder jogs towards centerfield. Te coach tosses him an easy pop up that does not require much movement to the ball. The fielder throws the ball back to a parent or assistant coach at 2nd base. As soon as the fielder releases the ball, throw another pop up that forces the fielder to break to the right and catch the ball on the run. The player fields the ball and hits the cut off man again. Once again, as soon as the player releases the ball throw another pop up, but throw this one to his left. Game / Play (15 minutes) Point: Point: Split your team up into an A and B team. Have the A team spread out between 2nd and 3rd and the B team spread out between 2nd and 1st base. Have a coach stand at home plate and hit ground balls to each side. If a ball gets through on either side of the infield and makes it to the outfield grass, then that team receives a point. Challenge the kids get as few points as possible. Encourage the players to back up the person fielding the ball. Play a game to 10 and have the teams switch sides. 46

47 Practice 6 INTRO TO VALUES (10 Minutes) TEAM CIRCLE Key Idea : Respect Gather team into a group near two cones 10 feet apart. Act out two examples of celebrating for a good play or a win. One should be exaggerated and obviously inappropriate, the other modeling the kind of celebrating you d like to see from your team. If you think the first example I showed you is the way to celebrate a good play, stand by this cone. If you think the second one is the best way to celebrate a good play, stand by this one. After all the players have voted, ask why they voted and the way they did. The second example is the kind of celebrating that shows respect for your opponents. 47

48 Practice 6 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS Year Olds Warm-up (5 minutes) Fitness component (5 Minutes) Skills Drills (15 minutes) Game / Play (15 minutes) Team Circle (10 minutes) 48

49 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS Practice 7 Warm Up (10minutes) 1. Players throw grounders, line drives, and fly balls back and forth with a partner. 2. Players run around the bases once. Fitness Component (5 minutes) Key Idea: Training and Conditioning Gather team into a single-file line. Players will run two distances, one longer than the other. Have the team run the shorter distance first and come back to the starting point. Then have the team run the longer distance. Do your muscles feel tired? Running farther, especially if you are a little bit tired, is called overloading the muscles. Running a longer distance adds more for the muscles to do. It is training the muscles to make them stronger and able to move longer before getting tired the next time you play. You ll get stronger and have more endurance every time you over load the muscles. 49

50 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 7 Coaches Cue: Remind players that an accurate throw is just as or even more important than a fast hard throw. Make sure they take their time and follow through on their throws. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Combination Drill: This drill works on position for the fly ball, footwork, throwing, picking up the ball in flight, speed, hitting the cut off man and throwing accuracy Object: For the outfielder to actually place the ball in the catcher s glove without making a single error in throwing or catching. Description: Description: The coach will hit/ or throw the first ball in the air high as long. The player should not have to move much. The player uses proper technique in catching then throws the ball to a cut off man at shortstop. Before the ball has left the fielders hand, the coach will throw or hit another ball, but not as high and shorter in length. Now the player must be on the move to catch the ball. Again, after the player catches the ball, he must hit the cut off man and continue moving towards home plate. Once again, before the ball leaves the fielders hand, the coach throws or hits another ball, this time a line drive or a short hop. This time the player fields the ball and throws to the catcher. The player will continue moving towards home plate at a quick pace. The coach continues throwing or hitting grounders to the fielder until he is close enough to place the ball in the catcher s mitt. Game / Play (15 minutes) Goal: The offense tries to score. The defense tries to hold the runners on base and get the runner out at first base. Description: Set up an infield. Play a 6 v 6 game. The batting team begins with runners on 2nd and 3rd base. If the runner at 3rd scores, the offense scores 4 runs. The side is retired after 12 runs or 3 outs, whichever comes first. 50

51 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 7 Coaches Cue: Remind players that an accurate throw is just as or even more important than a fast hard throw. Make sure they take their time and follow through on their throws. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Combination Drill: This drill works on position for the fly ball, footwork, throwing, picking up the ball in flight, speed, hitting the cut off man and throwing accuracy. Object: For the outfielder to actually place the ball in the catcher s Object: glove without making a single error in throwing or catching. Description: The coach will hit/ or throw the first ball in the air Description: high as long. The player should not have to move much. The player uses proper technique in catching then throws the ball to a cut off man at shortstop. Before the ball has left the fielders hand, the coach will throw or hit another ball, but not as high and shorter in length. Now the player must be on the move to catch the ball. Again, after the player catches the ball, he must hit the cut off man and continue moving towards home plate. Once again, before the ball leaves the fielders hand, the coach throws or hits another ball, this time a line drive or a short hop. This time the player fields the ball and throws to the catcher. The player will continue moving towards home plate at a quick pace. The coach continues throwing or hitting grounders to the fielder until he is close enough to place the ball in the catcher s mitt. Game / Play (15 minutes) Goal: Goal: The offense tries to score. The defense tries to hold the runners on base and get the runner out at first base. Description: Set up an infield. Play a 6 v 6 game. The batting team Description: begins with runners on 2nd and 3rd base. If the runner at 3rd scores, the offense scores 4 runs. The side is retired after 12 runs or 3 outs, whichever comes first. 51

52 Practice 7 INTRO TO VALUES (10 Minutes) TEAM CIRCLE Key Idea: Respect Gather team into a group and choose one player to help demonstrate. He or she will pretend to be an umpire; you will be a player. Run the base paths and run wide, out of the path. Direct the player to stop play and call you out. What did I do when you called me out for being outside the base path? Listen to their responses. Discuss stopping when the umpire calls for time and not arguing about the call. You need to respect the umpires and their decisions at all times. It also shows respect to the umpire when you thank them at the end of the game. 52

53 Practice 7 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS Year Olds Warm-up (5 minutes) Fitness component (5 Minutes) Skills Drills (15 minutes) Game / Play (15 minutes) Team Circle (10 minutes) 53

54 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS Practice 8 Warm Up (10minutes) 1. Players throw grounders, line drives, and fly balls back and forth with a partner. 2. Players run around the bases once. Fitness Component (5 minutes) Key Idea: Flexibility Gather team into a circle and choose a stretch for them to try. When stretching, should we feel anything? Listen to their responses. When I feel the slight pulling, what should I do? Bounce or hold the stretch? Raise your hand if you think bounce. Now raise your hand if you think hold. To get a good stretch, you should hold the stretch for 10 counts, then relax. If you feel the slight pulling go away, you can stretch a bit further. That tells you your muscles are getting more flexible. Be sure to practice proper stretching to improve your flexibility. 54

55 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 8 Coaches Cue: Be sure all players get to play catcher and pitcher so they understand how to cover a base on a force play, as well as who should cover home plate in each situation. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Introduce, demonstrate, and explain how to cover home plate on a force play and how to start and stop properly when advancing from third base to home plate. Show how the pitcher should cover home when the catcher fields or chases and overthrown ball. Practice covering home plate on a force play and starting and stopping properly when advancing from third base to home plate. Description: 6v6 the batting team provides runners on the bases. The fielding team has players at first, second, third, shortstop, pitcher, and catcher. Roll or throw two balls to each of the fielders, signaling the runners to run each time. After you have thrown 12 balls, the teams should switch. Continue through three rotations so that all players get to play catcher or pitcher. Remind the runners that they can overrun home plate and they will score a point if the cross home. Game / Play (15 minutes) Goal: Goal: Players will run from third to home before the throw. Players will field and throw the ball to home before the runner gets there. Description: 6v6-the batting team starts with runners on the bases. The batter hits and runs to first base; if the third base runner is safe at home plate, the batting team scores a point. The fielders attempt to field and throw the ball to home plate before the runner gets there. The side is retired after three points or three outs whichever comes first. Review umpire signals for safe and out. 55

56 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 8 Coaches Cue: Be sure all players get to play catcher and pitcher so they understand how to cover a base on a force play, as well as who should cover home plate in each situation. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Introduce, demonstrate, and explain how to cover home plate on a force play and how to start and stop properly when advancing from third base to home plate. Show how the pitcher should cover home when the catcher fields or chases and overthrown ball. Practice covering home plate on a force play and starting and stopping properly when advancing from third base to home plate. Description: 6v6 the batting team provides runners on the bases. The fielding team has players at first, second, third, shortstop, pitcher, and catcher. Roll or throw two balls to each of the fielders, signaling the runners to run each time. After you have thrown 12 balls, the teams should switch. Continue through three rotations so that all players get to play catcher or pitcher. Remind the runners that they can overrun home plate and they will score a point if the cross home. Game / Play (15 minutes) Goal: Goal: Players will run from third to home before the throw. Players will field and throw the ball to home before the runner gets there. Description: 6v6-the batting team starts with runners on Description: the bases. The batter hits and runs to first base; if the third base runner is safe at home plate, the batting team scores a point. The fielders attempt to field and throw the ball to home plate before the runner gets there. The side is retired after three points or three outs whichever comes first. Review umpire signals for safe and out. 56

57 Practice 8 INTRO TO VALUES (10 Minutes) TEAM CIRCLE Key Idea : Responsibility Gather team between two comes about 10 feet apart. What are some different ways you can get a base runner home to score? Listen to their responses. Provide the example of players working together to get the runner from first base to second (a sacrifice bunt). Give the example of one player trying to score an inside-the-park homerun when he or she should have obviously stayed on the base; the player is easily thrown out at home. Which of the two is the best example of teamwork? If you vote the first group, stand at this cone; if you vote for the second group, stand at this one. If everyone makes good teamwork their responsibility, we can all work together to be successful. When your responsible to you team, you become a better player. 57

58 Practice 8 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS Year Olds Warm-up (5 minutes) Fitness component (5 Minutes) Skills Drills (15 minutes) Game / Play (15 minutes) Team Circle (10 minutes) 58

59 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS Practice 9 Warm Up (10minutes) 1. Players throw grounders, line drives, and fly balls back and forth with a partner. 2. Players run around the bases once. Fitness Component (5 minutes) Key Idea: Training and Conditioning Gather team into a group. Do you think you should swim to get ready for our season? Raise you hand if you think jogging is a good way to prepare for baseball. Jogging is a good way to keep active in the off-season or other times when don t have practice. To improve you conditioning either before or during baseball season, it is best to participate in skills you use in baseball. That is called specificity training because it is specific to the sport. What are some of the training skills we should be using for baseball? Listen to their responses. Running, throwing and hitting are the best. 59

60 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 9 Coaches Cue: Review rules as they play. Ask children questions frequently to check for understanding. Praise and encourage players often. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Set up: Divide the players into 2 teams and line them up about 10 feet apart with a coach in between them. Also have an assistant coach or parent on the outside of each line to serve as cut off men. Description: Have each line alternate having the first player in the line back peddle about feet. As the player is backpedaling, throw a pop up to either side of them. If they catch the ball, they get 2 points. As soon as they catch the ball, they have to set themselves up and make a perfect throw to the coach on their side. If the throw is good, they get an additional point. Run them through this about three times. Next, instead of backpedaling, have the players run out an angle and catch the ball and make a good throw the cut off man. Game / Play (15 minutes) Goal: To get 21 outs in a row without making an error (You can pick a lower number of outs to reach to start with. Description: Set up a full defensive team. Use any additional players as base runners. The coach stands at home plate and hits a mixture of grounders, pop flies and line drives. Once the ball is hit, the runner advances to 1st base. The defense must get the player out. After each out is recorded, the ball is returned to the catcher and the whole team yells the number of outs that they have. After 3 outs, rotate the defense and base runners to give everyone a chance in the field. 60

61 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 9 Coaches Cue: Review rules as they play. Ask children questions frequently to check for understanding. Praise and encourage Skills Drills (15 minutes) Set up: Divide the players into 2 teams and line them up about 10 feet apart with a coach in between them. Also have an assistant coach or parent on the outside of each line to serve as cut off men. Description: Have each line alternate having the first player in Description: the line back peddle about feet. As the player is backpedaling, throw a pop up to either side of them. If they catch the ball, they get 2 points. As soon as they catch the ball, they have to set themselves up and make a perfect throw to the coach on their side. If the throw is good, they get an additional point. Run them through this about three times. Next, instead of backpedaling, have the players run out an angle and catch the ball and make a good throw the cut off man. Game / Play (15 minutes) Goal: Goal: To get 21 outs in a row without making an error (You can pick a lower number of outs to reach to start with.) Description: Set up a full defensive team. Use any additional Description: players as base runners. The coach stands at home plate and hits a mixture of grounders, pop flies and line drives. Once the ball is hit, the runner advances to 1st base. The defense must get the player out. After each out is recorded, the ball is returned to the catcher and the whole team yells the number of outs that they have. After 3 outs, rotate the defense and base runners to give everyone a chance in the field. 61

62 Practice 9 INTRO TO VALUES (10 Minutes) TEAM CIRCLE Key Idea: Caring Gather team into a group and choose three players to help demonstrate. These three will play catch, taking turns at catching. Set up another group to do the same activity. Rotate players into the two groups until they all get a turn. Bring team back together to discuss. What was happening every time a new person came into the throwing group? Listen to their responses. Discuss many players getting playing time. When we share playing time, it shows that you care about your teammates. Players that care about each other want the whole team to get a chance to play. That way everyone can contribute to the team. 62

63 Practice 9 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS Year Olds Warm-up (5 minutes) Fitness component (5 Minutes) Skills Drills (15 minutes) Game / Play (15 minutes) Team Circle (10 minutes) 63

64 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS Practice 10 Warm Up (10minutes) 1. Players throw grounders, line drives, and fly balls back and forth with a partner. 2. Players run around the bases twice. Fitness Component (5 minutes) Key Idea: Healthy Habits Gather team into a group near 2 cones about 10 feet apart. Show a pyramid shape with your hands and fingers put together. This is a pyramid. Does anyone know what the food pyramid is? We use the food pyramid to remind us how to eat well. The bottom of the pyramid has foods like carbohydrates (breads, cereals and rice) and fruits and vegetables; these should be eaten in greater amounts. The top of the pyramid has high-fat and sweeter foods such as fried foods, cake and chips; these we should eat in smaller amounts. Tell me a snack and run to this cone if it is a top of the pyramid snack. It is important to eat foods that give you energy for playing. Bottom of the pyramid foods give you more energy to play and are much healthier. 64

65 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 10 Coaches Cue: Review rules as they play. Ask children questions frequently to check for understanding. Praise and encourage players often. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Set up: Countdown. Have players line up across from a partner about 20 feet apart. Each group should have a ball. Description: The players are to make good throws back and forth as many times as they can while the coach counts down from thirty to zero. The goal for the players is to make as many good throws as they can within the thirty seconds. Have the groups report back what their score was after each round. This drill will encourage players to make good strong throws and to hustle on past balls. You can vary the distance between the players based on their level of play. Game / Play (15 minutes) 6v6-play a game with regulation rules. If a ball rolls or is hit out to the outfield, have the closest infielder chase it down and throw it into the infield. Discuss any rules not previously covered that arise during the course of the game. 65

66 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS YEAR OLDS PRACTICE 10 Coaches Cue: Review rules as they play. Ask children questions frequently to check for understanding. Praise and encourage players often. Skills Drills (15 minutes) Set up: Countdown. Have players line up across from a partner about 20 feet apart. Each group should have a ball. Description: The players are to make good throws back and forth as many times as they can while the coach counts down from thirty to zero. The goal for the players is to make as many good throws as they can within the thirty seconds. Have the groups report back what their score was after each round. This drill will encourage players to make good strong throws and to hustle on past balls. You can vary the distance between the players based on their level of play. Game / Play (15 minutes) 6v6-play a game with regulation rules. If a ball rolls or is hit out to the outfield, have the closest infielder chase it down and throw it into the infield. Discuss any rules not previously covered that arise during the course of the game. 66

67 Practice 10 INTRO TO VALUES (10 Minutes) TEAM CIRCLE Key Idea: Caring Gather team into a group near two cones 10 feet apart. Let s imagine we re playing a game and one of your teammates throws you the ball. The throw is over your head. Pretend you say What a terrible throw! Get out of here until you learn how to throw! How would you change your comment to sound more positive and make the person feel better? Listen to their responses. It is important to make positive comments and not get upset when your teammates make mistakes. This shows you care about your teammates. 67

68 Practice 10 YMCA YOUTH SPORTS PRACTICE SESSION PLANS Year Olds Warm-up (5 minutes) Fitness component (5 Minutes) Skills Drills (15 minutes) Game / Play (15 minutes) Team Circle (10 minutes) 68

69 FAMILY HUDDLES / VALUES 69

70 Introduction to Family Huddles The Family Huddles have three goals. 1) To encourage practicing sports skills at home. 2) To encourage practicing values at home. 3) To strengthen the family through more communication and involvement. After each practice the coach will distribute the Family Huddles. Each week has assignments that relate to the weekly practice plan. The Family Huddles will have drills that can be used at home. Each week the skill used in those drills will be the same skill covered at the weekly team practice. Likewise, the Family Huddles have activities and assignments centered on the value that was discussed during the Team Circle at the weekly practice. Hopefully, players will complete the assignments and turn them in at the next practice. If they do, the coach will reward them with the Values Incentives. Each age group and sport has a different incentive. The YMCAs encourage the coaches to make this a fun and exciting process for the youth. This is an important component to the YMCA Youth Sports programs. 70

71 Family Huddles for Year olds FAMILY HUDDLE #1 5 CORE VALUES Take Home Drill Practice throwing and catching with a member of your family. Make sure you do grounders and fly balls. Are your feet planted correctly? Are you using only one hand to catch? The more you practice the better you will get. Activity Activity Below is the list of the YMCA s five core values. Beside each value write what it means to you, compare your answers with your family s. Are they similar? 71

72 Family Huddles for Year olds FAMILY HUDDLE #2 CARING Take Home Drill What position did you play in practice today? What are the responsibilities of this position. Write down where you play and how you would play that position, talk about it with your family. Did you leave anything out? Activity Activity When you notice someone showing they care, what traits do you think they exhibit? How do they act? What do they say? Write as many characteristics of a caring person you can think of in the lenses below. How many of those traits do you have? 72

73 Family Huddles for Year Olds FAMILY HUDDLE #3 RESPONSIBILITY Take Home Drill Knowing the rules of the game is an important aspect of playing a sport. What are the rules in baseball? Activity ctivity Responsibility is a part of everyday life. Fill in the list below to see ways you can take responsibility in different situations. School: Home: Softball Practice: 73

74 Family Huddles for Year olds FAMILY HUDDLE #4 CARING Take Home Drill Practice swinging the bat. Make sure you are in a clear area outside, remember safety first. Do you have a level swing? Now ask a family member to pitch the ball to you, keep your eye on the ball. Now see if you can hit in certain directions, left field, right field, etc. Activity Activity A lot of times what we say can show we care. In the bubbles below write some things that were said to you that shows these people care. Which statements really made you feel good? Simple statements can make us feel good about ourselves and shows someone cares. Now try and make someone else feel good by saying something caring to them. TEACHER PARENT COACH 74

75 Family Huddles for Year olds FAMILY HUDDLE #5 FAMILY TIME Take Home Drill Get everyone in your family to play a mini game of baseball. If there are only a few of you come up with your own version of baseball you can play. Activity Activity Family time is important. Do you have a family night or activity you do with each other at least once a week? Arrange a day and time where you and your family can have dinner and play a game how about making it a regular date so you can spend time with each other? 75

76 Family Huddles for Year olds FAMILY HUDDLE #6 HEALTHY HABITS Take Home Drill Pitching is an important part of baseball. Not everyone can pitch the ball across the plate. Practice pitching with someone in your family, aim for the glove and work on an arc of about 3-8 feet. If you practice enough you may get to try pitching in a game. Activity Activity Do you make a point to exercise at least 5 times a week? Keep a calendar for the next two weeks on write down each day you exercise and what you do. Exercise is an important part of our every day healthy life. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun

77 Family Huddles for Year olds FAMILY HUDDLE #7 FAITH Take Home Drill Grab a partner and practice fielding grounders and throwing to first base. Do this from several different positions, short stop, third base and outfield, make sure you are making good throws, do you think you beat the runner? Activity Activity Faith has many definitions. You have faith in yourself to accomplish tasks and reach goals. List 4 goals you have for yourself this season. How are you going to accomplish them? Make sure they are attainable and you check every week to see if you are coming closer to meeting those goals. This season I want to accomplish: I accomplished the following this season: 77

78 Family Huddles for Year olds FAMILY HUDDLE #8 SAFETY Take Home Drill Practice playing catcher. Run different scenarios a catcher goes through during a game (ex. Play coming to home plate, a bunt). Catcher is an important position in baseball. Activity Activity List the safety equipment used by the catcher. Why do they use the equipment? Why is it important to check equipment prior to use? 78

79 Family Huddles for Year olds FAMILY HUDDLE #9 HONESTY Take Home Drill No one to play catch with? Grab a tennis ball and get your parents permission to through it against an outside wall. Throw some hard and some soft so you have to run around to catch the ball. This will help with your ability to move as soon as a ball is hit. Activity Activity What does being honest mean to you? How do you feel when you find out someone has not been honest with you? Come up with a plan on how you are going to be honest with your family, friends and teammates. List how you are going to follow through with your plan. 79

80 Family Huddles for Year olds FAMILY HUDDLE #10 SELF-ESTEEM Take Home Drill Write down what you learned this season in baseball and how the coach helped you. Thank your coach for the time they put in, they will appreciate that you took the time to show how much fun you had this season. Activity Activity Think about what you like best about yourself, don t hold back, list everything. Self-esteem should be grown through school, home and even sports. Write them all over the ball. Show your list to a parent. Can they come up with any more? 80

81 SAFETY / RISK MANAGEMENT 81