Softball Coaching Report

The coaching session that I have selected will be based around softball. In particular, the skill of batting. This will be aimed at a total of sixteen year seven and eight children. This session would be most beneficial for children who have little experience, or are not very strong at batting. The main focus of the session is to have children understand and perform the correct sequence of events that contribute to a successful swing in softball. The goals of this session include improving hand-eye coordination and making consistent contact with a ball that is pitched to them. To achieve this I will have to use a range of different coaching techniques. I will also use drills to build up to the skill of hitting a pitched ball and have the children …show more content…
I tried to provide each child with positive and meaningful feedback, while also having their peers commend and recommend their swing, which can help to build relationships and confidence in each individual. I also wanted the children to develop positive relationships with each other so that the coaching session would have a much more positive vibe and would help children to work in a team environment. The coaching session began with a command style of coaching, which is beneficial in the initial stages of learning a skill, especially when safety may be an issue (Mohnsen, 1997). I also provided the children with a game sense approach to learning the skill. One of the goals of the session was for children to develop their own strategies for hitting a ball in terms of hand-eye coordination. Another aspect that I used in the session was the co-operative learning model, where children are working together to achieve a common goal (Ministry of Education, 2004). This was evident in the session when the children were working in pairs. Participation was another important aspect of my session, so that everyone had plenty of opportunities to practice the skills. This is why the children were in pairs and not in larger groups. Also, the modified game meant that all children had plenty of chances to practice batting in a game-like situation and the children who didn’t get a hit get more chances to practice their skills, while the children who did hit the ball are running the bases. The reason that I would have the children figure out how they best hit the ball with the technique (e.g. timing) is because it will help to empower the children, which is important because it helps the children to have a sense of control over their learning (Ministry of Education, 1996). This session also has potential to have a negative impact on the children as well. There is a chance that the children