Advice on Coaching Middle School Team

[johnlanza]

I've coached 5/6 and 7/8 year-old teams over the past few seasons. I will continue to coach my son who is still in the 7/8 division. I am also going to help coach a middle school team. In general, the fifth & sixth graders will field a team, and we'll be playing in a 11/12 league. The seventh & eighth graders will play in the local school league.

I'll be working with the fifth and sixth graders. For those who have made that transition, what were the things you worked on the most, and what advice would you give to someone working with this age group for the first time? I'm really looking forward to this experience. I just want to be as prepared as I can be.
Two things come to mind: Specific work with the catchers and leadoffs/stealing which I haven't had to worry about in the 7/8 division.

Thanks for any input and suggestions.

[Standballdad]

I've coached 5/6 and 7/8 year-old teams over the past few seasons. I will continue to coach my son who is still in the 7/8 division. I am also going to help coach a middle school team. In general, the fifth & sixth graders will field a team, and we'll be playing in a 11/12 league. The seventh & eighth graders will play in the local school league.

I'll be working with the fifth and sixth graders. For those who have made that transition, what were the things you worked on the most, and what advice would you give to someone working with this age group for the first time? I'm really looking forward to this experience. I just want to be as prepared as I can be.
Two things come to mind: Specific work with the catchers and leadoffs/stealing which I haven't had to worry about in the 7/8 division.

Thanks for any input and suggestions.

Pitchers holding runners on
Middle Inf holding runners on
Outfield cutoffs, (double cuts if on a big field)

[jbolt_2000]

When I transition new players from no lead offs to leading off, I usually do it in a phased approach:
Phase 1A) Learning what a lead off is at first base.
- Why do we lead off?
- How do we lead off? (small side steps, do not cross feet, keep eyes on pitcher, etc...)
- How far do we lead off? (distance should be a step and a dive. Explain how this is different for everyone).
- When do we get back to the bag? (identifying pitcher moves, coach walks through moves)
- How do we dive back? Where do we place our hands and which way do we face?
- Walk through taking lead and getting back to the bag (usually done at half speed with no diving unless they know how).

Phase 1B) Learning Lead offs at Second and Third base.
- Same as above but working the other bags.

Phase 2) Practicing live with coach pitching/picking off.
- I'll be pitcher and have kids lead off. If I pick all kids must yell "Back!" while the runner dives back (learn this in the grass and move to the dirt later on.
- I will include stealing second at this point. Teaching how to steal when to look for hit ball, sliding, etc...
- I'll start in the grass with 3-4 kids going at a time. When we move to dirt I have one kid at a time going.
- Do this 2-3 times before moving to player-pitchers.

Phase 3) Practice live with player pitching/picking off
- Same as above but with player pitchers.
- Usually done in small groups during station work so players get several reps.

Phase 4) Situation Drills with runners and batters
- Work in situation drills to simulate live game experience

[azmatsfan]

With my team in the fall we did stealing scrimmages. With two teams of six we had one full infield while the other team were base runners starting at first base. The runner is to steal on every pitch. This gives the pitcher a chance to practice his moves to first, gives the base runner a chance to see different pitchers' moves, and when there's a pitch it gives the catcher and middle infield a chance to work on covering the bag. Whether out or safe, the runner stays at 2B, so the M.I. can practice holding him on and the pitcher can work on his moves to second while the runner can learn to read pitchers. Once to third base the next runner at first steps in so we can work on first and third situations as both runners and defense. I found it to be a good way to get game-like experience in a short amount of time.