Age Appropriate Skills Progression Westborough Little League and

Age Appropriate Skills Progression Westborough Little League and Softball Written by Traci Thrush, Former Majors Commissioner Edited by Joe Levesque, Player Development

Goals for this Document Show Coaches specific fundamentals to teach their team Provide Coaches some tips for practices to help them be successful running a effective practice Provide you tools and the knowledge to help your daughter at home, whatever path they choose Teach and focus on the proper fundamentals to prepare young girls to be successful at the next/top level or our town (Gibbons and WHS) Make you aware of the similarities and differences between softball and baseball…. Yes, there are differences! Batter’s Stance Runner’s Stance Leadoffs Westborough Little League and Softball 2

Skill Development - Hitting 6 U & 8 U (ALL fundamentals start here!!) Stance & Swing “Knocking” knuckles align Lower hands (Don’t wrap bat!) Weight on back foot Stride (short and straight forward) Swing leading with elbow Always evolving Tee work is important at all levels 6 U & 8 U 10 U 12 U & 16 U Stance Knuckle alignment Lower hands(Power V) Swing (lead with elbow) Stride Continued development of previous Division fundamentals Introduction to Sacrifice Bunting Continued developent of previous Division fundamentals Intro to Drag, Push and Directional Bunting Westborough Little League and Softball 3

Skill Development – Hitting (cont’d) 10 U Introduction to Sacrifice Bunting Stance - Pivot from stance, remain balanced Hand Placement – Both hands shift upwards, bat cut in thirds Barrel of bat above hands, not horizontal Mechanics – Bat at the top of the strike zone Move your legs, not the bat, to bunt ball “Catch” ball to deaden the ball Timing – Show before pitch is pitched 12 U & 16 U Introduction to Drag, Push and Directional Bunting Some of these skills will only be taught to the top players Westborough Little League and Softball 4

Throwing/Catching 6 U & 8 U Throwing Proper Grip – Ball doesn’t rest in the palm of the hand Calling the name of the player before throwing a ball Throwing Form – Point glove at target (or elbow), arm back in 90° angle, back of hand facing back of head Greg Rota has a great progression drill for throwing that girls can do with any partner Catching the ball with the glove up- Tennis ball drill 10 U Focusing on Accuracy 12 U & 16 U Focusing on Power Westborough Little League and Softball 5

Fielding 6 U & 8 U Readiness Position Triangle Where to position yourself at each position (1 B and 3 B slightly before the bag) Throwing to nearest infielder or base when ball reaches the outfield Catching a pop up/fly ball with glove up and open 10 U Focus on watching the ball into the glove Free thinking Force outs vs. Tag outs Backing up ground balls if you’re close to the ball, get in the habit of moving on every play! Base coverage on ground balls Second or short covers 2 B depending on the side the ball is hit, 1 B, 3 B and Catcher cover their own bag Cutoffs from the outfield Shortstop and 2 B cover their side of the outfield Catching a fly ball using a drop step – Tennis balls are great for work at home! If kids find this challenging, then just focus on catching the ball with glove up. Westborough Little League and Softball 6

Fielding (cont’d) 12 U & 16 U Catching a fly ball on throwing shoulder using a drop step Focus on bringing the ball into the body on a ground ball (soft hands), preparing yourself to throw to 1 B Backing up bases Right Fielder backs up 1 B on throws from infield or catcher Left Fielder backs up 3 B on throws from Catcher or right side of infield Left Center backs up throws from Catcher Cutoffs and relays Applying a tag Glove in front of bag for a player to tag into, not a high tag Let the ball travel to you Intro to the fundamentals of a double play Position of SS waiting to receive ball from 2 B or 1 B 2 B flip to SS, or on knee SS shows the ball to 2 B on underhand toss EVERYBODY MOVES ON EVERY PLAY! No role is more important than another. NOTE: If you are a Coach considering coaching at this level, there is plenty of support which we’ll discuss. If you are a parent with a child just entering Majors, understand that there are different levels and we always have several girls that are new softball players. Some of these skills may seem overwhelming when you are a parent, but once the girls get to this age, they catch on rather quickly! Westborough Little League and Softball 7

Baserunning is quite possibly the most important part of the game, especially into High School. Baserunning in softball may win you more games then hitting. 6 U & 8 U Proper Stance on the bag Left foot on bag, right foot behind Run when the ball is hit Overrunning 1 B in foul territory – “Break the Tape” as in a race! Not overrunning 2 B and 3 B 10 U Introduce the mechanics of Leading off a base Three aggressive steps from proper stance, body turns to face Catcher Wait until the Catcher throws back to the bag before retreating! Introduce Stealing to 2 B and 3 B Runner can make the attempt only after the ball has left the pitcher’s hand Introduce Sliding Safely executing the figure 4 slide Importance of first 3 steps out of the batter’s box – Explode! Westborough Little League and Softball 8

Baserunning (cont’d) 12 U & 16 U Being very aggressive! Delayed steal Awareness Running through 1 B looking for overthrow Looking to run more than one base at a time Advanced batter’s box mechanics Explode with small steps, increasing length, don’t lunge for base Making good choices on base paths Westborough Little League and Softball 9

Pitcher and Catcher Positions These are unique positions which need more time in practice to develop then available during the team practice. Westborough Little League and Softball holds a weekly practice for any girl interested in learning these positions in detail. Pitcher Proper technique and form will be introduced during practices but to master the form requires work outside regular practice time and specialized coaching through clinics or lessons. Catcher A/AA Introduced in AA AAA Putting hand behind the back or in the show to prevent hand injuries Giving catcher a target Introduce the secondary and primary positions Introducing “CAT, ” Control, Awareness and Toughness Learning the “Pop Up” Blocking Majors Working around the batter Shuffling the ball to the Pitcher on a passed ball Power throws Westborough Little League and Softball 10