Getting the Most out of Your Practice

By Rebecca Kuczykowski, Waterford Softball

The first step in having an orderly practice is to always have a game plan. Writing out your practice goals is always helpful. The first thing on your list should be the warm-up. The warm-up should consist of a 30-minute time span. Cardio is the most critical aspect of your warm-up. Cardio should consist of running or jogging for a short period of time. Next step in the warm-up is to stretch. It is important to stretch every muscle in your body. The arms are extremely imperative. This is because your arms are used in all aspects of the game, e.g. hitting, throwing, and even base running. Once you have completed the 30 minutes of conditioning you are one step closer to a successful and organized practice.

            The next step in this process is to do various infield and outfield drills. Personally I believe that splitting the infield and outfield apart from each other seems to be the most efficacious. In order to do this you need two catchers and two coaches. One coach should work exuberantly with the infield. The coach should be drilling balls and calling out various game situations to see the cause and effect of their decisions. The other coach should hit high pops to make the outfielders think then react. Do they need to run up right away on a pop-up? Or does the player simply need to judge where the ball is dropping and then assume the correct field position to make a victorious catch? Then the team needs to assume their field positions and play as one. They need to be given game situations as a team. Cut off players need to be aware of where they need to be, and each player must know who is backing up every throw. All situations need to be clearly addressed so that each player is prepared for every predicament.

            The final step is to work on each individual player’s hitting skills. First you go over the basics of a nice, even swing and the continuous roll of the wrists. This step will structure the player’s fundamentals of becoming a power hitter. Next step is to move the ball around the strike zone when pitching to the batter in the cage. Throwing various speeds and motions of pitches will adequately prepare them for game day. Another beneficial rule to discuss with the batter is the infamous drop third strike rule. This rule reads that if first base is unoccupied and there is zero or one out that the batter may advance to first base on a dropped third strike. It also states that if there are two outs that the batter may advance at their own risk even if the base is occupied. Most fast pitch players tend to forget about this rule, which should not be forgotten. It is a gift from the catcher to get on base. Working individually with the batter seems to be more effective in creating a solid batting order.

            If all of these steps are followed precisely you are sure to have an organized practice. Organized practices create the structure of a team that will prevail above all others. The simple three key elements and an agenda with a goal will put the players and coaches at ease. If the team sees structure in practice they are bound to maintain their calm and cool at game time. This prevents them from making mistakes. Even if they do make errors they are prepared to recover from them. That is exactly why being organized during a practice creates a successful team.