Coaches understand that a new
season offers a new beginning, a time to reflect on past
victories, decipher losses, and set goals for the up-coming
season. Common coaching goals evolve around ways to instill
confidence, loyalty and dedication in a new team. Team goals,
although numerous and varied, usually centers on a well
rounded hitting team, New ideas, techniques, and hitting
styles are always a main focal point with any coach. They help
keep a team fresh and your competition guessing. Teaching new
hitting styles can be a very challenging job, especially if a
coach tries to do too much in a very short period of time.
Developing a better hitting team requires time and
opportunity. Time, never enough, can be severely compresses
from lack of favorable weather, personal conflicts, and school
requirements. Opportunity is frequently squeezed between team
meetings, base running and defensive drills. No matter how
enthusiastic a coach is about teaching hitting, both time and
opportunity are required.
Lack of equipment can also restrict coaches from teaching
hitting. Schools, because of budget constraints, seldom have
funds to purchase much needed equipment. Coaches, along with a
sea bag of bats, a bucket of balls, and maybe a lone pitching
machine, go out and conquer hitting.
Developing a better hitting team is centered on improving the
players individual mechanical needs. Instructing everyone on
the same mechanic simultaneously can hinder improvement. Some
players may need more time on hand placement, while others
need pivot foot work. Teaching one mechanic at a time can
force some athletes to wait to improve a much needed hitting
mechanic.
Giving everyone a traditional twenty swings at the machine may
seem like the fair thing to do, but some players require more
swings to enhance a mechanic. This "fair share" hitting
practice is popular with the parents, especially if their
daughter is trying to make first team. Mixing in too many
hitting techniques (i.e. bunt, slash, hit) with just twenty
swings can prolong the development of a good hitting player.
Weather, lack of equipment, and "fair share" programs can
place burdens on time and opportunity needs. Coaches can tame
time and opportunity through a circuit training program.
Circuit training is a series of hitting stations designed to
improve individual mechanics. Start by constructing three to
five hitting stations. One station can be for foot mechanics,
while others may be for eye-to-ball coordination, bunting
drills, and soft-toss.
Rotate the players through at their own pace and incorporate
defensive drills to maximize the circuit training program.
Change the drills accordingly to meet players requirements by
identifying individual hitting mechanic needs. Coaches will
find that players will improve their individual skills faster
through circuit training. Although there are always
requirements for a group training session, eventually you have
to break it down to individual needs. The sooner you activate
a circuit training program in your practice, the sooner your
players will respond with better hitting.
Advantages of circuit training are many for a coach. More
players can hit and work on their individual needs, and it
keeps more players active in a practice. Defensive drills can
easily be incorporated in with the offensive stations. The
overall flexibility that circuit training brings, allows for a
player to improve her skill level at a much faster pace. A
coach on the mound with bucket of balls, and everyone
scattered around the field isn't a match for the benefits
circuit training provides.
Being exited about a new season is all part of coaching.
Wanting a better hitting team will always be everyone's
desire. Sometimes Mother nature and other uncontrollable
factors impede valuable opportunities to train a new bating
style. Maximizing your practices by circuit training is a step
in the right direction. So, when she is up to bat, and you
signal the quick slash hit to second, will she remember what
you taught her? Only if she had time and opportunity.
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