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I coach at a small school....

All of my pitchers play at another position and hit as well....

The way I work them out is:
1)Sacrifice a defensive or offensive drill for pen
2)Stay late and get bullpen in

Option 1 usually seems more productive. The kids are still focused. The only problem I run into there is early in the season, I may not have all the assistants out yet and I have to watch from afar.

Option 2 can be good. It's just tough on them after conditioning and usually they are ready to leave. They are the only ones left out on the field.

Was wondering if any of you deal with same problem and have found really good ways to deal with it?
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Let me give you a 3rd option which is what we do. Pitcher's know the day ahead, minimum, that they will be throwing a pen and who the catcher will be. Those two or four, we have double pen, know that they have no set up job that day and there job is to come out stretch warm up and throw their pen. Bullpens are coordinated so that they are done by the time the rest of the team is done stretching and throwing.
That sounds like a good idea.

I too have a double pen, so 2 guys at least could throw before we are done stretching and throwing.

The only problem I run into is we have no athletic p.e. The seniors have last period p.e. but noone else. Other guys don't get to field until 3:30 and we start practice when the last guy walks up.

I also like to have a 5 minute talk with entire team (go over schedule/announcements/etc.)

I could see this working with senior pitchers (we have 3)...especially on the 3 days they don't lift. I've pondered the idea before....

Now I'm thinking, rambling, and typing...Really appreciate the input.
Ok the days that you have a bullpen or have to catch a bullpen those players are mandated to come straight to the field and then you throw you have them stretch and throw their bullpens then. Your practice starts at 3:30 so that is about the time those bullpens will be starting you have the players stretch and play catch and move your 5 minute meeting to after that time or to the end of practice. May I also suggest you do not start practice when the "last kid walks up." You start practice whey YOU say practice starts and kids are held accountable for that.
Last edited by socalhscoach
I might give that a shot and see how it works. I like it.

Just for clarification. We start our meeting at approximately 3:35 everyday. Every now and then, we might have a kid running 1 minute or so late because a teacher or something had him help up. We have really good kids and tardiness has never been a problem. If/when it does, I will go to a "set time" and they will have consequences for being 1 minute late.

Thanks alot for the suggestion. I could see it working.
Got it, it is great to have good kids. The way we work it and it is great, is this. We start practice at 3pm and go to 5:30pm. We do have a 6th period and all my players are in it but I use it for early outs, individual work, and bullpens. All players that do not have an early out or bullpen have from 2pm to 3pm to set up there station, stretch, and do our throwing program. I was forced to go to a couple of years back because I had a couple of players in a 6th period class they could not get out of. I was so successful that I kept it. The thing that I hated about Bullpens after practice was players seemed to lose focus because "practice was over."
Great discussion topic... i like these ideas.

My pitchers are my best overall players/athletes. That is definitely not a bad thing, just makes planning practice a challenge. I like the get right out there and throw pen option. Quick warmup/no dilly dallyiang, start throwing. They would be done around the time every one else is done. If the miss anything it would most likely be a basic fundamentals drill.

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