Question
Do you practice longer one or two days a week? or do you practice shorter times for more days a week? Do you just do drills? Do you combine both indoor and outdoor? Our parents seem to have mixed feelings. We have a select player who went from 4-5 days a week of baseball (games and practice included) to a one game a week and no practice team? The kids have different levels of talent, but just can't seem to pull it all together for about 2 innings. When they play double headers or tournaments, by the second game they are dead on and hard to beat! But the first few games are heart breaking and hard for them to get through. I also see that they do not really warm up? My son, is an exception. He has some routine that his College Playing Uncle taught him and he sticks to it like glue. Stretching, light motion weights and running; all with soft toss and long soft toss before any warming up on the field.
Answers (1)
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Baseball is an art not an exact science. You should try different things and stick with what your 10 year olds think are fun, so that they keep coming back for more. What has worked for me is a scrimmage. To motivate a good scrimmage, I would pick to "Two Players of the game" and they would be awarded Co-captains of the next league game, as such they picked their place in the batting order and fielding position for the first two innings, because we rotate the fielders though out the game. No one could be Co-captain another a second time until everyone had a chance. The Co-captains' families provided the after game snack.
As far as endurance at games, at the age of 10 it is not an issue of conditioning like it would be for Cal Ripkin Jr., but rather nutrition, hydration, attention span, and proper rest. I don't think having 10 year olds run laps at practice has any benefits, but having them get a good nights rest and having a full meal before the game is very important.
As far a practice, I think you should have at least one regularly scheduled practice so the team is gathering at least once outside of a game situation. This is really important for team building and so the kids can be kids. After all, 10 year old youth baseball is more about being 10 years old, than it is about baseball. If you have the time, I would schedule a second optional practice, that way if some kids wanted or need extra practice it is available to them.
I like practicing out side, I don't like indoor baseball (or artificial turf, the DH, or metal bats for that matter). I find that with the pitching machines, the kids don't learn the timing skills that they learn from hitting against a live pitcher. In door training is ok in the winter if you live in a cold weather state. I also find the pitching machines to have more of a softball type motion that a baseball motion, not to mention some pitching machines don't use real baseballs and at the age of 10 most of these kids are in their first year of playing "hardball" as opposed to soft "t-ball" or level 1 or 5 safety balls.
Enjoy the season!
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