Youth Softball Season Curriculum: 10-Week Plan

First Catch: Grip, Ready Position, and Baselines

Every player completes 10 consecutive partner catches at 20 feet without a dropped ball, and coaches record three baseline numbers per player: throw accuracy (chest-high hits out of 10 at 30 feet), tee contact (fair balls out of 15), and home-to-first sprint time on the 60-foot basepaths.

• First Practice: Rules, Grips, and Partner Catch · 90 min

  Run this published 75-minute first-practice plan and stretch it to 90 by adding a 15-minute baseline block at the end: each player throws 10 balls at a chest-high target from 30 feet while a coach tallies hits. It's written for elementary players, so let your 11-12s roll a 12-inch ball and start partner catch at 25 feet instead of 20.

• Station Systems Day: Rotate, Catch, Sprint · 90 min

  Second session of this first-practice plan family — same skills, different drills, so nothing repeats verbatim. Extend the 75 minutes to 90 with two timed home-to-first sprints per player (record the better time) and 15 tee swings per player for the contact baseline. Keep the 11-inch ball for ages 8-10 throughout.

Overhand Throwing Mechanics and Arm Care

Every player hits a chest-high partner target on 7 of 10 throws from 30 feet using the four-seam grip and power-T checkpoint taught this week, and can demonstrate the 5-throw warm-up ladder (10, 20, 30, 40, 45 feet) that opens every remaining practice this season.

• Throwing Mechanics Stations: Wrist Snaps to Power-T · 90 min

  Use this published 90-minute throwing plan as written. It's labeled middle school, so for your 8-10s shorten every listed throwing distance by about 10 feet and keep them on the 11-inch ball; the cues and station order don't change. The wrist-snap and power-position stations are the foundation the Week 5 windmill intro builds on.

• Arm Care Circuit and Accuracy Ladder · 90 min

  Three 15-minute stations: (1) band or towel arm-care circuit — 2 sets of 10 external rotations and scap squeezes; (2) knee-drill wrist snaps into a fence from 10 feet, 15 reps; (3) accuracy ladder — players move back a rung (10/20/30/40 feet) after 3 straight chest-high throws. Finish with the 7-of-10 test from 30 feet and log results next to Week 1 baselines.

Tee Hitting: Stance, Load, and Level Contact

Every player hits 12 of 15 tee balls into fair territory with a checked stance (feet shoulder-width, knuckles lined up, tee set at the front hip), and coaches sort the roster into two hitting groups — 'contact-ready' and 'stance work' — for the front-toss progression in Week 6.

• Hitting Fundamentals: Grip, Stance, Tee Contact · 90 min

  Run this published 60-minute hitting plan, then add 30 minutes: a fourth station of soft-toss into a fence (8 swings per turn) and a closing 15-tee-ball fair-territory test per player. It's written for elementary players, so it fits your 8-10s as-is; have 11-12s hit off a tee set at the top of the strike zone for 5 of their reps to groove a level path on high strikes.

• Tee Ladder Day: Inside, Outside, and Opposite Field · 90 min

  Four tee stations, 12 minutes each: tee on the inside corner (pull side), tee on the outside corner (opposite field), low tee for ground-ball swings to be avoided (teach why the ball pops up or rolls over), and a coach-checked stance station with a mirror or phone video. Close with the Week 2 throwing warm-up ladder plus 10 grounders per player so fielding doesn't go cold.

Ground Balls: Triangle, Funnel, and First-Base Throws

Every player cleanly fields 8 of 10 rolled grounders from 40 feet using the triangle-and-funnel technique and finishes each with an accurate 45-foot throw to a first-base target, pairing Week 2 throwing mechanics with new glove work.

• Fielding Fundamentals: Ready Position to Team Defense · 90 min

  Run this published 90-minute fielding plan as written — it already opens with the ready-position work you installed in Week 1, so treat that block as a fast review. It's labeled middle school; for 8-10s use the tennis-ball entry rounds it describes and shorten station throws from 45 to 30 feet. The final situational block previews what Week 7 covers in depth.

• Grounder Volume Day: 60 Reps Per Player · 90 min

  Three stations, 20 minutes each, built for rep count: (1) partner short-hops from 15 feet, 20 reps; (2) coach-rolled forehand/backhand alternating from 30 feet, 20 reps; (3) field-and-throw to a first-base target at 45 feet, 20 reps with a coach tallying accurate throws. Close with the 8-of-10 fielding test and a 10-minute tee round so Week 3 swings stay warm.

Windmill Introduction and Catcher Basics

Every player attempts the windmill progression (wrist snap, K-position, half circle, full circle) from 20 feet, pitcher candidates land 5 of 10 full-circle pitches into a strike-zone net from 25 feet, and at least 4 players complete 10 catcher receiving reps in full gear without turning their head.

• Pitcher-Catcher Skills: Windmill Progression and Receiving · 90 min

  Run this published 75-minute pitcher-catcher plan and extend to 90 with a whole-team station block: while candidate pitchers and catchers work the plan's progression, remaining players rotate through Week 4 grounder stations and a tee station in 12-minute turns. It's written for middle school beginners, so keep 8-10s at 20-25 feet and on the 11-inch ball for every pitching rep.

• Whole-Team Windmill Day and Circle Rules · 90 min

  Four stations, 15 minutes each: (1) wrist-snap and half-circle reps into a fence from 15 feet; (2) full-circle pitches to a strike-zone net from 20-25 feet, coach tallying strikes; (3) catcher station — stance, framing a target, and blocking-position dry reps, 10 each; (4) live diamond walk-through of the pitching-circle look-back rule with runners at first. Close with the 5-of-10 pitcher test for shortlisted candidates.

Front Toss: The Second Rung of the Hitting Ladder

Every player in the contact-ready group hits 8 of 12 front-toss pitches from a coach behind an L-screen at 15 feet into fair territory, and every stance-work player earns promotion by passing the Week 3 tee test (12 of 15 fair) before taking front toss.

• Front-Toss Stations and Fundamentals Review · 90 min

  Use this published 60-minute fundamentals plan as the skeleton and add 30 minutes of front-toss rounds: two hitting groups of 4-6 rotate through 12-swing turns against coach front toss at 15 feet while the plan's fielding stations run on the other half of the field. It's labeled middle school — for 8-10s, toss flat and firm from 12 feet rather than lobbing, so timing transfers to coach pitch.

• Hitting Ladder Gate Day: Tee Test and Live Rounds · 90 min

  Run the promotion gate: stance-work players take the 15-ball tee test with a coach scoring fair contact; passers move straight into front toss. Contact-ready players cycle 3 rounds of 12 front-toss swings, with the last round scored for the 8-of-12 goal. Off-turn players field live off the bat at game positions — their first taste of reading contact, which Week 7 formalizes.

Defensive Positioning: Force Plays and Covering Bases

A full infield converts the force at second on 6 of 8 scripted grounders with a runner on first, every infielder calls the play out loud ('force at two!') before the pitch on all 8 reps, and outfielders hit the correct cutoff on 4 of 6 scripted singles.

• Force Plays Walk-Through: Who Covers, Who Calls · 90 min

  Half-diamond stations, 20 minutes each: (1) middle-infield feeds and footwork at second base — catch, touch, clear, 12 reps per player; (2) corner-infield reads — grounder to third or first with the runner-on-first call, 10 reps; (3) walk-then-run rehearsal of 4 scripted situations with cone runners. Finish with 8 live scripted grounders against a real runner from first and tally the 6-of-8 goal.

• Cutoffs, Backups, and the Look-Back Rule · 90 min

  Stations: (1) outfield-to-cutoff relays — single to right, shortstop or second base lines up the relay, 10 reps per group; (2) backup assignments walk-through — every ball gets a fielder, a cover, and a backup, rehearsed on 6 scripted plays; (3) pitcher-circle look-back scenarios with a runner dancing off third, using Week 5's circle rule. Close with 6 live singles and score the 4-of-6 cutoff goal.

Baserunning the 60-Foot Diamond and Live Fly Balls

Every player beats their Week 1 home-to-first time by at least 0.3 seconds using a proper run-through, executes the leave-on-release rule correctly on 5 straight pitches at first base, and outfield pairs make a loud 'Mine!' call on 5 of 6 tossed fly balls.

• Baserunning Circuits: Run-Throughs and Release Reads · 90 min

  Four stations, 15 minutes each: (1) timed home-to-first run-throughs — sprint through the bag, break down after, 4 timed reps; (2) leave-on-release reps at first — fastpitch allows no leadoffs, so runners break exactly when the ball leaves the pitcher's hand, 10 reps against a real windmill pitcher from Week 5's shortlist; (3) rounding first on a base hit, hitting the inside corner of the bag, 6 reps; (4) reading the circle — runners return when the pitcher holds the ball in the circle. Log new sprint times next to Week 1.

• Fly-Ball Communication and First-and-Third Runners · 90 min

  Half the roster runs bases while half plays defense, flipping at 40 minutes. Defense: drop-step and 'Mine!' call reps from Week 4's fielding plan, now with two fielders converging on 6 scored tosses per pair. Offense: first-and-third reads — when does the runner at third go on a grounder, when does she hold. Coaches script 8 situations and every runner sees at least 4.

Situational Scrimmage: Putting the System Together

In a controlled coach-pitch scrimmage, the defense makes the correct decision (right base, called out loud before the pitch) on 7 of 10 scripted situations, and every shortlisted pitcher throws one live inning-equivalent of 12-15 windmill pitches from 30 feet with at least 5 strikes.

• Controlled Scrimmage One: Scripted Situations · 90 min

  Warm-up ladder (10 minutes), then a 65-minute controlled scrimmage: coach pitches or front-tosses, but before each pitch the coach announces the situation — runner on first, one out — and the defense calls the play. Rotate the full roster through infield, outfield, and baserunning every 3 outs. Track team decisions on the 10-situation script card; 15-minute closing stations fix the two most-missed plays.

• Controlled Scrimmage Two: Live Windmill Innings · 90 min

  Same scrimmage structure, but shortlisted pitchers throw real windmill pitches from 30 feet (35 for confident 11-12s) with a coach ready to finish any at-bat that reaches 4 balls, keeping pace fast. Catchers rotate every 12-15 pitches. Baserunners apply leave-on-release from Week 8 against a live pitcher for the first time. Score the 7-of-10 defensive-decision goal on a fresh script card.

Skills Retest and Stations Championship

At least 80 percent of the roster beats their Week 1 baseline in two of three retested numbers (30-foot throw accuracy, tee contact out of 15 fair balls using the same tee test as Week 1, home-to-first time), and every player leaves with a one-line written next-step from a coach. A front-toss fair-contact round runs alongside the retest as a separate progression showcase, not as part of the baseline comparison.

• Retest Day: Same Stations, New Numbers · 90 min

  Run this published 90-minute tryout-evaluation plan as your retest engine — drop the tryout scoring pressure and use its evaluation stations to re-measure the exact Week 1 baselines: 10 throws at 30 feet, 15 tee balls scored for fair contact (the same tee test as Week 1, so the beats-their-baseline comparison is tee-vs-tee), and 2 timed home-to-first sprints. Add a front-toss fair-contact round after the tee retest as a separate progression showcase — it shows how far hitters have climbed the ladder but does not count toward the baseline comparison. It's written for high school tryouts, so cut its listed distances by a third for 8-10s and have coaches record numbers on the same sheet as Week 1 so families can see the season's delta.

• Stations Championship and Season Close · 90 min

  Five competitive stations, 14 minutes each, teams of 3-4 mixing ages: grounder gauntlet (most clean triangle fields in 90 seconds), target throwing (points for chest-high hits at 20/30/40 feet), front-toss home-run derby over a cone line, windmill strike contest into the net, and a relay-race baserunning loop. Finish with a 10-minute huddle where each coach hands every player their next-step card — one specific skill and one number to chase next season.