Softball, from 5th grade to senior year. Each step says what it rests on. ProvenPlayer's recommended practice is our own advice, labeled as such. Nothing here promises a roster spot or a scholarship.
Early years
5th gradeAbout age 10
More than one sport
Let your child play several sports and find the ones they love.
ProvenPlayer's recommended practice
Keep it fun, and rest
Plan 1 to 2 rest days a week and 2 to 3 months off a year, and keep weekly training hours below your child's age in years. Burnout shows when the sport stops being fun.
Fuel, sleep, train guideFuel, sleep, train
Sleep 9 to 12 hours
Ages 6 to 12 need 9 to 12 hours in every 24. Keep screens out of the bedroom and off an hour before bed.
Fuel, sleep, train guideFuel, sleep, train
Fundamentals over results
Spend practice on the basic skills of softball, taught well, more than on game results.
ProvenPlayer's recommended practice
A measured baseline
Have your program measure your child on a showcase day with real devices. That first day is the baseline every later number is compared with, and every number keeps its device and date. Below 6th grade your child sees only their own progress and milestones, never a rank.
ProvenPlayer's recommended practiceBaseline day
Retest and see their own progress
Programs retest every 60, 90 or 120 days. The then and now report shows each number then and now, for your child alone.
ProvenPlayer's recommended practiceThen and now
Feed the growth spurt
Appetite jumps around age 10 in girls and 12 in boys, just before the growth spurt. A hungry athlete in a growth spurt needs more food, not less.
Fuel, sleep, train guideFuel, sleep, train
Middle school
6th gradeAbout age 11
Measured progress, every retest
From 6th grade the then and now report adds your program's target for the class. It still never shows another child.
ProvenPlayer's recommended practiceThen and now
The right level of play
Pick the level (rec, travel, school or club) where your child plays real minutes against good competition.
ProvenPlayer's recommended practice
Start filming
Upload or link clips by skill. Then and now plays the oldest and newest clip of a skill side by side, and a coach can add pointers in a Coach Plan.
ProvenPlayer's recommended practiceVideoCoach Plan
7th gradeAbout age 12
The high school profile
From 7th grade you can turn on a private page for high school coaches with your child's numbers over the years, their milestones and the clips you pick. It never compares your child with other kids.
ProvenPlayer's recommended practiceHigh school profile
8th gradeAbout age 13
Plan high school courses with college in mind
Division I counts 16 core courses: 4 English, 3 math at Algebra I or higher, 2 natural or physical science, 1 more English, math or science, 2 social science and 4 more academic.
NCAA and college rulesCollege path
Sleep 8 to 10 hours
Ages 13 to 18 need 8 to 10 hours, and 8 to 10 the night before a game. Avoid caffeine for at least six hours before bed.
Fuel, sleep, train guideFuel, sleep, train
High school
9th grade (freshman)About age 14
Core courses and GPA count now
Division I needs a 2.3 core GPA, Division II 2.2. 10 of the 16 core courses, 7 of them English, math or science, must be done before senior year, and those grades lock when senior year starts.
NCAA and college rulesCollege path
See where you stand
From 9th grade the athlete page sets your child's program verified bests beside each college level's typical range for softball and their position. Ranges are guidance, mostly recruiting services' rules of thumb. No governing body sets a number that qualifies a player.
College path figuresWhere you stand
What college coaches look at in softball
Measured numbers matter a lot, pitch speed most of all.
College path figuresCollege path
Food first, not supplements
Supplements are not approved before they are sold, and a contaminated one can hold a banned substance that costs a college athlete a season of eligibility.
Fuel, sleep, train guideFuel, sleep, train
10th grade (sophomore)About age 15
Be seen where coaches look
A high level travel team that plays the showcase events college coaches attend.
College path figuresCollege path
When college coaches may reach out
In Division I softball, coaches may call, text and email from September 1 of junior year, 1 p.m. Central, and contact off campus from September 1 of junior year, 1 p.m. Central. Division II coaches may write at any time.
NCAA and college rulesCollege path
When athletes commit
In a 2017 NCAA survey, Division I softball athletes who committed early did so in grade 10.7 on average, where 11.0 is the start of junior year. Those who committed before 11th grade were less likely to enroll where they committed.
NCAA and college rulesCollege path
11th grade (junior)About age 16
The college profile
From September 1 of junior year, turn on a private page for college coaches with your child's softball numbers, each with its device and date, and the clips you pick. ProvenPlayer waits for the rule's date, and a compliance check of these dates is pending.
NCAA and college rulesCollege profile
Open to teams
Coming soon: let the college programs you choose know your child is open to their team.
ProvenPlayer's recommended practiceOpen to teams
12th grade (senior)About age 17
Finish the courses and sign
Finish all 16 core courses and graduate. The NAIA asks for a 2.3 GPA, or two of three: an 18 ACT or 970 SAT, a 2.0 GPA, the top half of the class. Junior college signing opens November 1 (February 3 in football).
NCAA and college rulesCollege path