- Jan 20, 2010
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I am going to try this at our next practice.
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I am going to try this at our next practice.
Condition them to hit the first pitch, and they wont have to worry about it. Plan to hit it, not to use it to gauge the pitcher. Only pull off if its clearly a ball. Teach them to observe the pitchers delivery and timing while on deck, and note if she does it the same way every time.
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So, thanks again for all the tips. I will definitely use them in our next practice.
Just to give you an update, we had a game this evening and our pitcher just did a spectacular job and held the other team to one run. Unfortunately, we lost. Yes, we lost 1-0. So painful. I had the statues that just stood there. Swinging after the ball hits the catcher's mitt. Tonight I made them all step out of the box after every pitch and make them take a practice swing. That seemed to help a little bit. It didn't seem like their feet were set in stone as before.
After the game I had a couple coaches from the other team come over to me and told me, "Listen, if you want to win games at this level, you need to just tell your kids not to swing at all. They will walk and you will get runs." This is very painful to hear because I know I have teams playing against me telling their kids this exact same thing. Fortunately my daughter's pitching is ringing them up most of the time.
I just refuse to tell my batters not to swing. Are there really a lot of coaches that tell their kids not to swing just so they can win games? Am I cheating my players out of wins by actually having them try and get hits? I am very frustrated right now and doing the best I can to keep the kids happy and wanting to come back. It's funny, it seems like 5 minutes after the game the girls have no idea they lost anyway and they are playing with their friends. I am the only one that seems to be upset. Also, my parents are great, they are really supportive and I can see the frustration in their faces.
Anyway, thanks again everyone for the tips. I am going to apply some of them this Wednesday at our next practice.
Just to give you an update, we had a game this evening and our pitcher just did a spectacular job and held the other team to one run. Unfortunately, we lost. Yes, we lost 1-0. So painful. I had the statues that just stood there. Swinging after the ball hits the catcher's mitt. Tonight I made them all step out of the box after every pitch and make them take a practice swing. That seemed to help a little bit. It didn't seem like their feet were set in stone as before.
After the game I had a couple coaches from the other team come over to me and told me, "Listen, if you want to win games at this level, you need to just tell your kids not to swing at all. They will walk and you will get runs." This is very painful to hear because I know I have teams playing against me telling their kids this exact same thing. Fortunately my daughter's pitching is ringing them up most of the time.
I just refuse to tell my batters not to swing. Are there really a lot of coaches that tell their kids not to swing just so they can win games? Am I cheating my players out of wins by actually having them try and get hits? I am very frustrated right now and doing the best I can to keep the kids happy and wanting to come back. It's funny, it seems like 5 minutes after the game the girls have no idea they lost anyway and they are playing with their friends. I am the only one that seems to be upset. Also, my parents are great, they are really supportive and I can see the frustration in their faces.
Anyway, thanks again everyone for the tips. I am going to apply some of them this Wednesday at our next practice.
Exactly, you see this in 10u and 12u travel ball too. It's the difference between a marathon and a sprint. Those coaches are training for a sprint. Train for the marathon. Those coaches may have a winning season at the currently level but the kids are going to lose in the long run. It's the coaches responsibility to make the game fun and TEACH the kids the skills they need to be successful at the next level.
Using that philosophy we went from a record of 7 wins and 35 losses first round elimination at state the first year 10u to 53 wins 7 losses 2 tournaments won, 3rd in ASA state and 13th at ASA Northern Nats our second year at 10u.
Don't swing, take the walk.
Speed first control later.
2 coaching mantra I heard a lot the last couple years that I think are commiting thier teams and kids to future failure. If nothing else they are going to make thier next coaches jobs a lot harder breaking the bad habits.
I'm a big fan of:
Get in there and take your cuts. No one is going to get mad if you strike out swinging. Girls who struck out with at least 2 swinging strikes got high 5's from the whole dugout for being aggressive at the plate.
Teach your pitchers to crush the corners and even at 40mph (at 10u) you pitcher is going to rack up K's. Speed will come as thier confidence and bodies grow. Nothing builds confidence in a pitcher faster than K's and W's.
I'm going to say this and I don't care WHOSE toes I step on...HECK, I'll stomp em if you put em out a little further!
Coaches who teach their players to "just stand there" and take a walk and coaches who teach their players to "just stand there and let a pitch hit you" need to be hung up and publicly flogged. That is the poorest excuse for a coach I can think of...
How's that for "taking one for the team?"
Coaches who teach their players to "just stand there" and take a walk and coaches who teach their players to "just stand there and let a pitch hit you" need to be hung up and publicly flogged. That is the poorest excuse for a coach I can think of...
How's that for "taking one for the team?"
Stephanie hit the nail on the head with standing and calling pitches. We did this early on with our 8u girls, (8 of 12 had never played the game before). They start out calling them too late, but push them to call before they reach the plate. Another big one for us was teaching them to not focus on the pitchers wind up as much, and be focused on the hip, since that's where the ball is always coming from.
We also pulled the parents aside a few games into the season and told them we wanted them to cheer as loudly as possible for a girl that went down swinging, and I told the girls that nothing made me prouder then to see them stand in there and swing the bat with their "softball attitude". Strike, hit, foul, didn't matter, just swing that thing. Once they saw it was ok, and heard the cheering, every one of our girls swings now.
As for coaches that tell their girls to take the walk: Younger leagues are there to help girls learn the skills they need for when they get older. There is a special place in hell for coaches who sacrafice a girls development, or bank on another young girl failing, for the sake of winning a game. Poor coaching and poor sportsmanship all rolled into one.
We also pulled the parents aside a few games into the season and told them we wanted them to cheer as loudly as possible for a girl that went down swinging, and I told the girls that nothing made me prouder then to see them stand in there and swing the bat with their "softball attitude". Strike, hit, foul, didn't matter, just swing that thing. Once they saw it was ok, and heard the cheering, every one of our girls swings now.
As for coaches that tell their girls to take the walk: Younger leagues are there to help girls learn the skills they need for when they get older. There is a special place in hell for coaches who sacrafice a girls development, or bank on another young girl failing, for the sake of winning a game. Poor coaching and poor sportsmanship all rolled into one.
