college choice-softball coaching beliefs

[iMlearning]

I'd really like people to think about this. We are really passionate about our hitting/catching/pitching etc... techniques on this board. In fact I'm sure we know more than many college coaches
Anyway, if you are looking at colleges and your daughter loves everything about that school, would you stop her because they teach differently? We've been to top notch D1/D2 schools that teach knob to ball, teach terrible throwing mechanics, etc... DD's first choice teaches a 3/4 swing that annoys me (thanks FFS for explaining it to me). One teaches at contact, no follow through- just run, another elbow down when batting...I could go on. We all should think education first, but we are also very passionate about what we know, or think we know. DD has been offered spots on teams that teach very close to what I believe, but she has no interest in those schools. So, right now her first choices are:

The University of 3/4 Swing (D1)
The University of Knob to ball (D1-almost always wins their Conference)
The University of Elbow Down (D2- preseason ranked in top 5)

 

[ScottyDont]

Once they get to college, does it really matter? I mean, honestly...it's not like they're going to go pro. We teach them what works for 10-12 years in the hope that someday they'll earn a college scholarship with that knowledge. After that, it's all gravy, isn't it?

 

[JAD]

During our college visits we were surprised to find several large D1 schools still teaching "hello elbow"....for hitting I think a player needs to find what works for her and stick with it, so you may want to ask the coaching staff if they are open to the idea of your DD keeping her hitting style if she plays for their team.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

DD is in her acedemic-dream-house now - they can tell her she's now a lefty pitcher and I would say "honey, go with it".....

Not too many careers in playing SB.....

 

[CoogansBluff]

..., so you may want to ask the coaching staff if they are open to the idea of your DD keeping her hitting style if she plays for their team.

It would be hard to ask that question and trust that it would be well-received. Would this raise a red flag? And what coach would agree not to coach a hitter under any circumstances? Maybe these conversations would go better than I would imagine, but seems like it would take some guts to ask that unless you were a player with a lot of leverage, that is, you're so good that they'll be willing to make some concessions.

 

[riseball]

It would be hard to ask that question and trust that it would be well-received. Would this raise a red flag? And what coach would agree not to coach a hitter under any circumstances? Maybe these conversations would go better than I would imagine, but seems like it would take some guts to ask that unless you were a player with a lot of leverage, that is, you're so good that they'll be willing to make some concessions.

It all depends on how the question is phrased. We asked my DD's college coaches about mechanics and philosophy and asked how they planned to make her better. The response was along the lines of tweaks to what she already had, not a makeover. Had the response been that they have a specific style that she would need to learn. blah, blah, blah she would may not have signed. It is a question that definitely needs to be asked as you do not want surprises down the road. However, the question needs to be asked in the right way at the right time. This is yet another great reason to attend a camp at your school of choice and get an upfront assessment of mechanics and coaching philosophy.

 

[JAD]

It would be hard to ask that question and trust that it would be well-received. Would this raise a red flag? And what coach would agree not to coach a hitter under any circumstances? Maybe these conversations would go better than I would imagine, but seems like it would take some guts to ask that unless you were a player with a lot of leverage, that is, you're so good that they'll be willing to make some concessions.

I agree and would only use this question if you are trying to decide between two schools that you consider equals. I would also be leery of any coaching staff that thinks they know everything and has a "my way or the highway" mentality.

 

[AndyS]

It would be hard to ask that question and trust that it would be well-received. Would this raise a red flag? And what coach would agree not to coach a hitter under any circumstances? Maybe these conversations would go better than I would imagine, but seems like it would take some guts to ask that unless you were a player with a lot of leverage, that is, you're so good that they'll be willing to make some concessions.

It all depends on how you ask your questions. My DD asks hitting and pitching philosophy questions especially when she tours the facilities and campus with the coaching staff. So for example you are by the batting cages etc as part of the tour and you just start a conversation. "Do you have a coach solely focused on hitting?" "How does that coach work with incoming hitters?" "Do they have absolute Dos or Don'ts when it comes to hitting?" "What do you look for in a swing?" Just by asking these broad questions you generally get a sense of how the coaching staff approaches hitting and pitching for that matter.

Having said that I love RubberBiscuit's response. If you connect with your academic dream school, then things like where you hold your shoulder starts to look like a much more minor issue. Now it would have been interesting for my DD if the school she committed to insisted on HE or hated the riseball. But again she discovered that not by asking the questions directly but a more philosophical discussion. Hope this helps.

 

[riseball]

You have to avoid the coaches that have all the answers. Had a college coach ask me if my DD threw a drop ball. I explained that her FB was basically a peel drop but her primary pitches were her rise and cutter. Coach said that if she played for her she would need to learn a rollover drop and forget the rise because that is what their pitchers do. I explained that is not a problem...there is no chance she will be playing for you. A year later as a College Freshman she put on a clinic when she faced them.

 

[JAD]

It all depends on how you ask your questions.

I think Winston Churchill said it best....