Machine pitch practice drills

[Backwoods101]

We start practice today. I have helped coach the last 2 years of T-ball but somehow I got talked into managing the team this year.
I was wondering if any of y'all have ran across any fun and constructive drills that I could work on. I'm defiantly going to start with the basic mechanics but I want the kids to have as much fun as possible. Any pointers on dealing with parents would be helpful also.

[Stephenrlandrum]

The name of the game in machine pitch is hitting....... hit, hit, hit ,hit, then hit some more.

As far as the parents go I always let them know my expectations up front. By that I mean I have a parents meeting before the first practice t. I discuss the expectations that I have f them, their kid, and the team. this is also where I ask for the necessary help to have a fun and successful season.


Hope that helps.

[DKirk]

^^^ this
Take all the help you can get, keep them in small groups to keep them busy and hit. Machine, soft toss, T work. Let parents know expectations. I actually put a letter together for my parents and then went over it at first team meeting. I've been pretty lucky so far to not have "that" parent.

[Backwoods101]

Thanks

[DaddyO]

You better put on a cup! And I ain't jokin. I coached my son's team for 6 years and now he is playing 14 majors and I don't coach but have to pay $$$$$

[yaqui]

^^^ this
Take all the help you can get, keep them in small groups to keep them busy and hit. Machine, soft toss, T work. Let parents know expectations. I actually put a letter together for my parents and then went over it at first team meeting. I've been pretty lucky so far to not have "that" parent.

Also, talk to the parents about your expectations of them. If they have an issue, tell them they can't talk to you to discuss it for 24 hours. Always bench your kid at some point. Have the roster set for when your rotations take place.

I enjoyed coaching baseball and basketball, treated the kids with respect and had them treat each other the same way. But man, there were some parents, who thought their kid was God's gift to sports.

That is what makes coaching tough.

I have a running joke with one of our high school coaches about playing time for my son, who is now a junior. At the beginning of every year, he lets the parents know that he will not discuss playing time. My son is lucky enough to be fast and very smart. He played on the varsity team as a freshman. He gets more playing time than he deserves.

I see the coach on evening, and tell him I want to talk about playing time for my son next year. He tells me not to worry, he will defiantly be a starter for the freshman team. Haha can you imagine a senior playing on the freshman team. Awesome coach!

[DeerMagnet]

Tell the parents they need to get involved with their kid. I've told many that the 1-2 hr team practices are not going to be enough. They need to youtube some videos and invest in some equipment and start spending some time with their kid. A lot of the complaints I had was that their kid was not playing enough or one of the "stars" of the team. Those parents were usually the ones who never did anything with their kids, or even tried to help them learn the game.

[gspbrad]

You better put on a cup! And I ain't jokin. I coached my son's team for 6 years and now he is playing 14 majors and I don't coach but have to pay $$$$$

Which team is he playing for? I have one the same age group and class.