The Parmalat Learn to Play program is designed to be a young person's introduction to the sport of softball. The emphasis is on FUN, ACTION, and a POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE, with a gradual introduction to competition in a game setting. Learn To Play provides children aged 5-10 with maximum opportunity to practice the skills necessary to successfully take part in the game of softball.

The Learn To Play program allows children of all skill levels to achieve the same number of skill repetitions. The drills offer a high success rate for every child, which improves every player's self confidence. The drills and games are designed to maximize the amount of time every child has to handle the softball and learn the skills of catching, throwing, batting, pitching and running.

Coaching has never been this easy!

The Learn to Play program is also designed to be easily administered. Traditionally, at the 5-10 year old level, coaches are moms and dads with little or no coaching experience. The Learn to Play program is designed to be easily implemented by a volunteer coach! The Learn To Play manuals contain:

• lesson plans,
• easy-to-follow instructions,
• a letter to parents about the program,
• progressions for teaching basic skills, and
• lead-up games.

In addition to a printed manual, there is a Learn To Play CD-ROM full of lesson plans for each session, explanations for every drill included in the lesson plans, and videos demonstrating the drills and games. This resource allows volunteer coaches to view the drills explained in the lesson plans through video demonstrations. Coaching a beginner level team has never been so easy!

Program Structure

Each team will receive a Learn To Play manual and set of CD-ROM's.

Teams will follow the Learn To Play lesson plans for 9 weeks. Once the lessons are completed, coaches are free to re-use lesson plans, build their own plans from their team's favourite drills and games, or create their own.

Blastball (LTP Level I)

9 weeks with 2 sessions per week
1 hour using the lesson plans per session
30 minutes of development games & activities
30 minutes of a modified game (variants of scrub within your own team)

Mini Mite (LTP Level II)

9 weeks with 2 sessions per week
1.5 hours using the lesson plans per session
45 minutes of development games & activities
45 minutes of a modified game (scrimmages with another team)

Coaches are encouraged to split and mix their teams during the development games and activities.

Learn More

You can also learn more about Learn To Play on the Softball Canada and Softball BC websites:

Learn To Play on Softball Canada

Learn To Play on Softball BC