Just when I thought it couldn't get stupider...

[jdint]

Are boys youth programs for other sports have just as crazy?

Boys indoor soccer can get crazy because the game is so rough, but the craziest thing I've seen was a 9u girls indoor soccer friendly. It started at about 9:00 p.m. on a Saturday and the place was packed with people who looked like they had having a good time for most of the night (myself included since the venue had a bar). It felt like a minor league hockey game from 1976 and the game was just about as rough. Nothing bad happened, but the crowd was going nuts over every little thing.

DD plays club volleyball and it doesn't seem to bad (boys or girls), but it can get extremely loud and crowded when you pack 10 volleyball courts in a space the would comfortably hold 7 or 8. It's an assault on the senses the first couple of times.

 

[uncdrew]

I too love live pitching in practice but my pitcher DD is on a fairly regimented practice schedule and if she goes to practice not expecting to pitch and then is asked to throw 200 pitches in an hour or two it might mess up things. And the risk of getting hurt goes up because we all know everyone's a bit looser (aka silly) at a team practice than at a game.

I suppose with proper planning, communication and care it can be incorporated. But to warm up properly, then give each of the other 10-12 girls on the team 3 full at bats... 50 + 12(3)(5) = 230 pitches. Yes you can divide it over two (or three) pitchers. So it's doable.

 

[Beeg]

When DD was 7, I was the coach for her 8U rec team. The league wanted me to teach them to pitch since a few of my 8yo's will be moving up to girl pitch next season. I was like, really? Some of my younger girls just moved up from t-ball (including DD), and there were a few girls who couldn't even catch even if you throw the ball right to their glove, let alone pitch.

Yet, toward the end of the season, DD showed that she really loved softball and wanted to do more. So we contacted a local TB team that had an 8U team. Thankfully, they needed a guest player since some kids were on vacation, so DD got to play her first tournament! Boy, it was an eye-opener for us. I couldn't believe the talents on the these TB teams. It's crazy as these kids were just 7 and 8 yo! In these tournaments, the ball must go back to the "pitcher" (the girl in the circle) before the play was dead. Even though it was coach-pitched, the coach must stay out of the way once s/he pitched the ball. Some of the opponents were hitting the ball outfield, and the outfielders could actually throw the ball back to the circle. If it were my 8U team, the ball would never make it back infield. The next year DD joined a 8U TB team. The team did several tournaments in the season, and there were definitely tons of softball talents out there even at this young age. I was always amazed how kids this age could comprehend so much.

 

[radness]

With a lung dart hanging out of one corner of their mouth.

Literally coaches were smoking in The Dugout & edge of field/coaching boxes while playing travel ball games!

The first coach for the BatBuster's named
Joe Grubbs smoked Winston non filters...
And true story actually have a cigarette burn in the sleeve of my batbuster jacket from that.

 

[jdint]

I too love live pitching in practice but my pitcher DD is on a fairly regimented practice schedule and if she goes to practice not expecting to pitch and then is asked to throw 200 pitches in an hour or two it might mess up things. And the risk of getting hurt goes up because we all know everyone's a bit looser (aka silly) at a team practice than at a game.

I suppose with proper planning, communication and care it can be incorporated. But to warm up properly, then give each of the other 10-12 girls on the team 3 full at bats... 50 + 12(3)(5) = 230 pitches. Yes you can divide it over two (or three) pitchers. So it's doable.

DD's team does this, but I don't think they give the girls enough warm up time. I think it's a good idea to let the hitters see live pitching, but generally our top 2 pitchers just mow everybody down.

 

[_MIA_]

DD's team does this, but I don't think they give the girls enough warm up time. I think it's a good idea to let the hitters see live pitching, but generally our top 2 pitchers just mow everybody down.

On DD's team, the day they hit live (they hit inside) the pitchers/catchers get there 30 minutes early to warm-up first.

 

[Eric F]

When DD was 7, I was the coach for her 8U rec team. The league wanted me to teach them to pitch since a few of my 8yo's will be moving up to girl pitch next season. I was like, really? Some of my younger girls just moved up from t-ball (including DD), and there were a few girls who couldn't even catch even if you throw the ball right to their glove, let alone pitch.

Yet, toward the end of the season, DD showed that she really loved softball and wanted to do more. So we contacted a local TB team that had an 8U team. Thankfully, they needed a guest player since some kids were on vacation, so DD got to play her first tournament! Boy, it was an eye-opener for us. I couldn't believe the talents on the these TB teams. It's crazy as these kids were just 7 and 8 yo! In these tournaments, the ball must go back to the "pitcher" (the girl in the circle) before the play was dead. Even though it was coach-pitched, the coach must stay out of the way once s/he pitched the ball. Some of the opponents were hitting the ball outfield, and the outfielders could actually throw the ball back to the circle. If it were my 8U team, the ball would never make it back infield. The next year DD joined a 8U TB team. The team did several tournaments in the season, and there were definitely tons of softball talents out there even at this young age. I was always amazed how kids this age could comprehend so much.

Yep. I've seen some really impressive 8yos. My DD's 8U rec All-Star team had some pretty amazing little athletes, and they played against lots of others. Our 2 pitchers could throw almost 40mph (from 30', that ball gets to you in a hurry), some double-plays were turned, and some fly balls to the OF got caught. Every girl had the power to hit the ball to the grass. Of those 12 8yos, half of them are still playing softball in 18U, and 3 are committed to play D1. A few others played some TB in 10U and 12U, but moved on to other sports.

 

[jsoftballcoach]

Live hitting is how practice ends on DDs team, they have 4 pitchers so it’s not too much. There’s a handful of P5 commits on the team so it’s good for both sides.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Northball]

A 4u team from the 80s would dominate 6u today.

Of course they would! That team from the 80s would be in their 40's by now.

 

[PapaBear]

the younger the age the crazier the parents. our town rec league had so many rotten parents who controlled everything that gave their kids an advantage over others. it was some of the most stressful softball situations i ever came across. good luck

Parents ruin everything all in the name of being able to pose happy smiles of winning and post about loving our baseball/softball on Facebook each week. The end result, those fakes smiles by the kid and parents only last a short period.