When I coached rec many years ago we went to similar rules because the games turned into walkfests. Kids get turned off when the game is dominated by walks. We would sometimes let the kids pitch the first two innings and then would have the coaches pitch after that. The funny thing about having the coaches pitch is that some of them weren't a whole lot better than the kids. I'm coaching a charter school varsity now and we had to use our second pitcher, it reminded me of my rec days. In 5 innings she had almost 20 walks. I ended up bringing in a lob baller for the last 2 outs. Two and half hours for 5 innings.
Batting Order for a weak hitting team with weird rules (10U
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- Apr 6, 2019
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Our rec league also has modified pitching rules at 10U: No walks. The pitchers get five pitches per batter. Strikes are called and batters can strike out. If the first five pitches do not result in a ball in play or a strikeout, the offensive team coach throws three pitches (presumably easy lobs right down the middle). If the batter doesn't hit any of them it's a strikeout.
As far as the lineup is concerned, most coaches shuffle the batting order every game.
As far as the lineup is concerned, most coaches shuffle the batting order every game.
Agree with others. You don't pitch for our travel team unless you take regular lessons with a pro. We encourage girls to take up pitching and refer them to several pros we like.
We like to do hitting on the "wheel" system. Set a line-up. Whoever ended up the previous game on-deck bats first in the next game. It helps ensure they get nearly equal at bats.
We like to do hitting on the "wheel" system. Set a line-up. Whoever ended up the previous game on-deck bats first in the next game. It helps ensure they get nearly equal at bats.
I don't care for the "You can't pitch for me unless you are taking lessons from a professional". At a point, I understand you have to reward the kids that are working hard with an instructor, but some work hard with mom and dad. Every kid that wants to try to pitch should get a chance to show what they can do at practice. Who's to say that you don't find a kid with a ton of potential that has a knack for it. Mom and dad may not be able to afford a professional right now. Your best pitcher may never step up and tell you they want to, or can, pitch if you tell them to start with that they are not "allowed".
There's a local coach with my program that is very inexpensive, and very available to teach the basics of pitching. That's enough by me. I just don't have enough practices or time in practices to teach pitching, too (nor do I really have the knowledge, all I know of pitching is what I've picked up here or learned from my daughters lessons.) I say lessons, but if you demonstrate that you're working even with Mom or Dad in your off time, you'll get a chance to pitch with us. But you have to put some time in outside of regular practices to show you really want it.
Had my game Saturday. Order didn't matter, we didn't get enough base runners or hits to do anything, anyway
But I'm going to wheel the lineup for the next two games at least and then adjust as necessary, so my #4 hitter was the last out, she'll be the last one up next game.
Had my game Saturday. Order didn't matter, we didn't get enough base runners or hits to do anything, anyway
But I'm going to wheel the lineup for the next two games at least and then adjust as necessary, so my #4 hitter was the last out, she'll be the last one up next game.If their mom or dad are a pitching instructor, we'd accept that.
I know it sounds snobby and elitist, but we're very satisfied with that rule. We can get them into group lessons for $10 a session, so it's not about money. We even have highschool girls who get some kind of school credits if they teach and they do so for free. The second they show interest (and we ask often) we talk to them with their parents about starting lessons. So we're not shutting down any opportunities.
It's about interest and dedication and yes, working hard for it. It keeps girls from being wishy-washy. We've all seen it in rec where girls are encouraged to pitch and try it out. Some love it for a few weeks and don't stick with it. At the travel level, we go with the ones who are dedicated and we help them find those lessons if they show any interest at all. It's been a great rule for us -- others are welcome to go a different route but there's a reason so many of us have this rule. It's good for the girls and good for the team.
I agree, been in the softball world a long time now...I am fully capable of working with my daughter through 10u before bringing in a pro...especially given the best numbers of really crappy hello elbow coaches out there. Especially for a low level travel or rec team....let the kids throw. Guarantee my kid will throw better than the kid being taught by a high school kid
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I'd take that challenge. Any day. Not sure what highschools around you are like, but ours win state championships and send their kids to D1 -- these girls are the perfect coach to teach young girls the basics of pitching, as they currently take lessons from the best coaches in the region. Much better than a dad barking orders in the driveway based on something he read online (and didn't really understand).
But I get it. Softball dads everywhere think they know everything. And a travel team with girls coached by pros will beat the teams with girls taught by YouTube. Pitching is amazingly complicated and thinking one can do it without professional help is laughable.
Rec or brand new travel team under 10U, of course you pitch the girls who are interested. That's obvious.
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- Aug 12, 2014
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There's a huge difference between rec and travel. Absolutely in travel pitchers need to be working with a pitching coach (or a parent who really knows what they are doing, in which case they are a pitching coach). I think it's unreasonable to have the same expectation for a rec team. They still need to work on it outside of practice, because there's no way to get enough work done in two practices a week.
I coached a 10U rec team last fall and I told them at the first practice that anyone who put the effort in would get to pitch in a game. Four girls actually had pitching coaches, two had dads who really worked with them, and I taught one girl the basics and she really worked at it. Two girls said they wanted to pitch and I worked with them a bit but I could tell they weren't practicing and they gave up on it. There were only two that were able to throw strikes with any consistency, but the others got in at least twice each.
I coached a 10U rec team last fall and I told them at the first practice that anyone who put the effort in would get to pitch in a game. Four girls actually had pitching coaches, two had dads who really worked with them, and I taught one girl the basics and she really worked at it. Two girls said they wanted to pitch and I worked with them a bit but I could tell they weren't practicing and they gave up on it. There were only two that were able to throw strikes with any consistency, but the others got in at least twice each.
Sorry, but just because someone knows how to pitch doesn't mean she knows how to teach it.
I would say with absolute certainty that Jenny Finch is a better pitcher then any of the HS age kids you have in your area, but she has proven to be incapable of describing how she pitches in a coaching/teaching situation. She is a IR pitcher who teaches HE.
You may have some excellent HS players and maybe some of them are good coaches, but one doesn't necessarily equal the other.
I am shocked to see the demands coaches are putting on young kids and parents these days, the amount of restrictions put on kids who are on 10U teams is simply amazing to me. My DD was the #1 pitcher on her HS team, there were days when the line up consisted of 7 other girls who at one time or another took pitching lessons, playing in all the positions other then catcher, and my dd pitching who never attended a single one on one lesson. A couple of camps but no lessons. Do I expect every other pitcher to follow my dds path, no. But I'm glad no coaches kept her from becoming the best pitcher in our area because we didn't do private lessons.
No ones path to success is the same as anyone else's, you have to be willing to use your eyes and your talent as a coach to find the talent in front of you. To use a cookie cutter approach where all my pitchers do this, and all my outfielders look like that... Its lazy managing.
