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Things I’ve learned about coaching an 11U and 15U team at the same time.... THEYRE BOTH TEAMS OF KIDS, and should be treated as such. You CANNOT coach kids like little adults, simply because they’re not.
Also, same types of practice schematics/plans work for both teams. You just have to scale information differently. Ex: I threw live AB’s, near max effort against my 15U’s. Get them attuned to seeing higher velo to get them ready for games.
For my 11U’s... I throw BP but I try to get them out without telling them. I mix my spots, try to throw to the holes in their swings, while giving them a funky delivery so they have to pick up an arm slot.
What does all this do? It prepares the kids for games. For my 15U’s, they have enough experience to at least face live AB’s from someone above their skill level. For my 11U’s, they’re still learning to hit baseballs in different locations, picking up release point, etc...
What else does this stuff do for these KIDS? For my 15U’s, they got excited that their COACH got on a mound and wanted to compete. It put pressure and anxiety on them like it would in a game to compete. THEY HAD FUN AND GOT BETTER.
For my 11U’s, they learn how to pick up release points, get a timing down, and learn how to hit different locations (WITHOUT ME TELLING THEM HOW TO DO IT). What happens and how do I KNOW it worked? Results on the field. I’m not here to win, I’m here to #MakeBaseballFunAgain and..
Develop baseball players to help them become the best that they can/want to be. Ever since I shifted my focus as a coach (caring about the kids instead of the W’s and what the parents thought), I have had much more fun myself.
The end.
The end.
