Don’t Pay a Coach to Watch Your Daughter Practice

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

LEsoftballdad

DFP Vendor
Jun 29, 2021
2,838
113
NY
The next private hitting/pitching/fielding coach that refuses my money for a lesson will be the first. The next paid lesson isn't conditional that the player did or didn't do their homework. The instructor always takes the money regardless so I don't want to hear about it as a parent.
I took drum lessons 30+ years ago with the drummer from Meatloaf, John Miceli. He always knew when I didn't practice between lessons. After a few weeks of me just showing up without practicing, he told me he was talking me off the schedule until I proved I was doing the work. Amazingly enough, he did exactly what he promised. He let me back in three weeks later to test if I had practiced, which I did, so he let me back on the schedule until I did it again a few months later.

He was so in demand that he could afford to replace you if you weren't practicing.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
While I do have good communication conversations with families and players if they are wanting to do lessons on my private schedule. We talk about the plan and the purpose and the expectation of players needing to train on their own. Quality time developing themselves with the skills we are learning.

At times comes the moment
I have been known to excuse people from my private schedule for not training on their own.
The plan and the purpose has to be in alignment. Sometimes parents will throw money at things thinking that will fix it. Money does not force a player to train. It pays for the opportunity to learn what they need to do to train.

Explained it simply the same as going to school you have to do your homework and study to pass the tests. We have to do our softball homework and apply ourself to play better.

What's really nice about holding the standard is that the families that are on the schedule and stay consistently know and have complimented that they recognize I am not teaching softball just for money I have a sincere interest in growing softball!

* and I'm going to add that I have volunteered coaching and teaching to an equal proportion as I have a private schedule
 
Last edited:

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Add this to the Dynamic of money and paying for sports ~
Sometimes parents are paying for somebody else to be the disciplinarian.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
Sometimes it is as simple as people don't realize what it takes to be good at something. Just because you make enough money to afford lessons doesn't mean you ever excelled at anything.. 🤷‍♂️

Nothing wrong with somebody else telling the kid (and the parents) what it takes..
 
Apr 20, 2018
4,581
113
SoCal
Talent Code. Great book. World class musician says," If I don't practice one day, I can tell. If I don't practice for two days, my wife can tell. If I don't practice for three days, everyone can tell."
I think Sam Snead said hit balls everyday because he feared he might regress.
A good habit/routine:
Hit a bucket of tee work everyday before school. (10 minutes a day, tops).
 

LEsoftballdad

DFP Vendor
Jun 29, 2021
2,838
113
NY
Talent Code. Great book. World class musician says," If I don't practice one day, I can tell. If I don't practice for two days, my wife can tell. If I don't practice for three days, everyone can tell."
I think Sam Snead said hit balls everyday because he feared he might regress.
A good habit/routine:
Hit a bucket of tee work everyday before school. (10 minutes a day, tops).
I can agree with that musician 100%. As I've gotten older and more involved with softball, I play my drums less than I'd like. If I go a few weeks without picking up the sticks, I feel like a pig on roller skates.
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,481
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top