Starting off the 2025 Season, we have setup 4 classroom sessions to focus on position specific coaching sessions:

January 8/25 - Pitching/ Instructor - Dean Holoien

* Discuss pitcher setup/ pre pitch, delivery, spin on ball, pitch selection, pitch location, etc 

January 15/25 - Offence/ Instructor - Keith MacIntosh - ***NEW TIME 5:30-7:00OM

* Discuss hitting, bunting, slapping, baserunning and strategies (stealing vs hit and run) etc.

January 22/25 - Catching/ Instructor - Jaden Gaja

* Discuss catcher stance, receiving, framing, ball transfer, throws to second, pick offs, etc

February 5/25 - Defense/ Instructor- Keith MacIntosh

* Discuss bunt coverages, cuts, tandems, pre pitch math (what to do with the ball when we get it) the 3 C's of defence, etc. 

Date TBD - Practice Planning - Instructor - Keith MacIntosh

*Discuss drills for fundamentals, drills for softball IQ, order of occurrence of drills to build an efficient practice plan. 

Location:      Gordie Howe Sports Complex - Small Classroom (Booking Name - Gary Banerd)

Times:      All Sessions are from 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Exciting News – Raiders Membership

The Raiders Executive would like to share some exciting news for the upcoming 2024/2025 Season.  As the executive, our focus is to continue to grow and develop each and every year and to work with our athletes and coaches to enjoy and love the game of softball. 

We are excited to share with our Membership our Player/ Coach Development Program – “Coaches Corner”

To get our 2024/2025 season rolling, we want to kick start our development program with the focus being on the Coaches.  As Coaches, we know that we can’t be out on the diamond for every pitch, every inning, throw players out at first, catch every fly ball or hit a home run, but we can be there to pat our athletes on the back when they make a good play or be there when they need those coachable moments.

As the Executive, we want to see our athletes sign up and come back to play the following year to play this amazing sport, however we believe it is also very important to have our coaches come back and for the upcoming season as well.  If we don’t have coaches, we don’t have athletes and teams to play the game.

Moving forward, our goal is to hear your voice and to collaborate with our coaches on all levels of the game from; Fundamentals, Athlete Development, Mentoring, Winter Training, Gym Times, Training at Gordie Howe Complex, Dryland Training, Mental Training, Practice Plans & Times, Lineup Cards, Game Strategies, Bench Staff, Game Schedules, Coaching Certifications, Tournaments, Westerns, Provincials, Nationals , and the list goes on. 

For our player and coaching development to be successful, “Coaches Corner” is inviting our past and future Head Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Managers, Assistant Managers and parent volunteers who are interested, to join us and collaborate about Raiders Softball. To get things started, we are hosting a “Coaches Corner” Dec. 3/2024, 7:00pm – 9:00pm at Gordie Howe Sports Complex (Small Classroom) to meet each and everyone of you and start our season development off!!

Our Coaches Corners will consist of the following concepts that will take course over the next 3-4 months:

1.    3 – Classroom Sessions: (4-6 Hours in total)

• Discuss Raiders Development Philosophy
• Discuss Goals and Objectives for the Coaching Development Season
• Discuss Goals and Objectives for the Players Development Season
• Player/ Coach Development in each Division:  U9, U11, U13 and U15
• Coaches Open Mic:   
  • What was successful for you over the past year?
  • What was not successful for you over the past year?
  • What areas of development would you like to see as a Coach/ Assistant Coach/ Manager/ Assistant Manager/ Parent?
  • What areas of growth would you like to see from the Raiders Executive pertaining to Player and Coach development?

2.    3rd Party Athletic Mental Performance Training: (2-4 Hours in total)

• Introduction to Mental Training for Coaches & Athletes
• Pre & Post Game Strategies
• Player/ Coach Routines
• Life Skills

3. 3^rd Party Coaching Instruction: (5 Hours Classroom, 5 Hours on the Turf or gymnasium)

• Taking the information from what was discussed from the 3 Initial Classroom Sessions and build a platform for the upcoming season.

4. Position Specific Player/ Coach Instruction:

Pitching:  1 Hour Classroom,  2 Hours Turf or Gymnasium

Catching:  1 Hour Classroom, 2 Hours Turf or Gymnasium

Batting:  1 Hour Classroom, 2 Hours Turf or Gymnasium

Infield/ Outfield: 1 Hour Classroom, 2 Hours Turf or Gymnasium

The Raiders Executive are providing this opportunity at No Cost as we feel our Coaches, Managers and Parent Volunteers are a huge Value to our Executive, Athletes and Membership.   Please RSVP to our 1^st Raiders Coaches Corner as we look forward to seeing you there!!!

If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to our Raiders Executive at raidersdevelopment2024@gmail.com