More to Choosing an Instructor Than Mechanics

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

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

Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL


Back when I was a lad of about 7 or 8, my parents acquired a piano from a friend and decided I learn to play. That was fine – I have always loved music, and continue to until this day. Then I got to meet my teacher.

Her name was Sister Cecilia, and she was a nun at the Catholic church who looked to be about 150 years old. That wasn’t a problem in and of itself. The problem was with her approach.

Looking back on it I believe she was teaching me the correct techniques, and having an innate musical ability (I have played a dozen or so instruments through my life) I got to be pretty good at it. But it was a horrible drudge.

Being 150 year old, Sister Cecelia was very focused on scales and exercises – the musical equivalent of drills. It was pretty much all we did.

The few songs I got to play were nothing that interested me, just simplified classical pieces or maybe a Christmas standard around the holidays. Understand that this was during the 1960s, perhaps the greatest musical decade ever.

Yet instead of learning to play “Let It Be” or even “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” I was stuck inside on a nice day plugging away at songs I didn’t know and that were considered ancient even before I was born. Needless to say, I got out of it as soon as I could, which was still three years of misery.

I tell this story today because I know there are parents out there looking for softball instructors for their daughters. When they ask what to look for, the answers they frequently receive revolve around the mechanics of what they teach, or how many players they have placed in college, or what travel teams their students play for, etc.

All of those factors have a bearing on the decision. But one other element that should be observed and considered is whether that instructor will be able to light a spark in your daughter.

Will the instructor be able to relate to and engage your daughter? Will your daughter look forward to lessons and want to work at home, or will she sigh heavily when it’s time to head off to the lesson?

Because no matter what the instructor knows or how good his/her track record may be, if he/she doesn’t get your daughter excited to learn what he/she is teaching it’s unlikely much learning will take place. I can attest to that from first-hand experience.

So how do you know? One way to get a preview is to watch how the instructor teaches other players.

You know your daughter, how she relates to others and how she thinks. Does it seem like the way the instructor interacts with students will be helpful to your daughter?

Lessons don’t have to be a birthday party without the cake. But they shouldn’t feel like sitting for the Bar exam either.

There are all kinds of styles of learning and teaching, and not every one matches with everybody. If your daughter is meek and easily intimidated, a gruff instructor who is all business is probably not going to bring out the best in her. On the other hand, if your daughter is very serious and businesslike, a coach who likes to goof around and tell stories may not be a good fit either.

The ultimate test, of course, will be what happens when the two get together. You should always consider the first lesson or two as being on a trial basis. Take the instructor for a test drive and see how your daughter reacts.

If she enjoys it, great! You could be on your way to a lasting relationship. But if she clearly isn’t enjoying it or relating to the instructor (outside of perhaps being uncomfortable working with someone new) you should probably keep looking -even if your daughter doesn’t say anything about it. Kids are often afraid to speak up.

Ideally, what you want is an instructor who is A) knowledgeable B) keeps up with the game C) teaches skills that will maximize performance while protecting your daughter from in jury D) has a good track record and E) ultimately will inspire your daughter to fulfill her potential.

Most people tend to focus on A-D. But having E is just as important.

Take that little bit of extra effort to ensure the “soft stuff” is there, and that the instructor knows how to bring out the best in each student. You’ll be glad you did in the long run.

Old person photo by Luizmedeirosph on Pexels.com

More...
 
Oct 1, 2014
2,220
113
USA
Ken, I think you nailed it with this one. The music instruction analogy struck a chord with me for sure as I went through the same scenario in the '60s and could not for the life of me ever get excited about what "they" wanted me to work on. Friggin' dinosaurs boring the crap out of me when the stuff on the radio was rocking! Because that's the way it had always been done these teachers (coaches) had little experience about how to be creative and engaging or use various ways to reach into the unique pysche of a kid at that point in time. In Junior High we finally did have a chorus teacher who let us sing some Beatles (Let It Be), Simon & Garfunkel (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme), etc...crazy stuff, right? But, as a class we enjoyed it. The enthusiasm was obvious and contagious.

Along the path on my twins journey in sports we've experienced a variety of coaches using a variety of approaches to instruction. We've interacted with the dinosaur "drill sargeant", the "touchy feely/happy happy" and seemingly, every style in between. The coach (gender neutral) who is more interested in the number of reps vs quality and doesn't feel the need to explain to the kids why they are doing something or it's impact on the overall result. The coach who wants to talk more about how the kids are feeling and what drama have they experienced lately on the team (?) versus doing any actual work. The coach who obviously had just watched a YouTube video of a drill but had never even tried it themselves. The boring vs the stimulating and engaging. Sorry, but the moronic vs the informed and experienced. What a difference!

Your points, A - E are definitely all important and certainly relevant. As an old guy who still wishes he could played guitar rather than the baritone I can say that spending the time as a parent to seek out and find the right coach(s) for your kid is an investment in time, energy and money you won't regret. It may not be easy but it will be worth it.
 

Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
Glad to hear I wasn't the only one suffering through that scenario! If you want to turn a kid off from something they like, make it boring. There's still time to learn to play the guitar. It's never too late!

Agree on the coaches and the different styles. Some work better more broadly than others but one doesn't work for everyone. Great coaches will adjust how they coach to what the kids need to excel.
 
Nov 13, 2020
92
18
Thanks much for this post! I posted about what to look for in a pitching instructor as we were looking to see if we needed to find a new instructor. My 11 yo DD was in tears when we went to a different instructor. She just shut down during the lesson when we tried a new coach. We decided to just stick with her current instructor and see him more consistently until she was a little more mature to be open to another instructor. It’s a fine balance- we want her to enjoy going to practice but also make sure she’s progressing.
 
Apr 2, 2015
1,198
113
Woodstock, man
The problem with hitting instruction isn't usually the 'Grumpy Old Man' instructor. The problem with 90% of them is that they are teaching backwards and/or destructive cues and drills. These bad ideas aren't limited to paid instructors. It starts in Tball with coaches and parents. It's a really sad situation.

Pitching instruction is probably a little different.
 
Last edited:

Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
Thanks much for this post! I posted about what to look for in a pitching instructor as we were looking to see if we needed to find a new instructor. My 11 yo DD was in tears when we went to a different instructor. She just shut down during the lesson when we tried a new coach. We decided to just stick with her current instructor and see him more consistently until she was a little more mature to be open to another instructor. It’s a fine balance- we want her to enjoy going to practice but also make sure she’s progressing.

I actually faced that situation from the other side recently. In the fall, a couple of sisters, one of whom was a teammate of one of my students, lost their hitting coach when he decided to stop doing it. (No big loss, really, because he was teaching them a lot of old garbage.) So on recommendation they came to me. The younger one (10U) was fine with it, but the older one (14U) was very unhappy with the idea of change, even if it meant doing better, and quite frankly shut down completely.

We did two lessons, and then I suggested to the parents that the older one didn't seem very open and maybe we should stop doing lessons together. I told them I would still work with their younger daughter, but they might want to find someone else for the older one. The mom asked me to give it one more try with the older one, and if she was still uncooperative they'd rethink it.

The girl came to the next lesson with a completely different attitude, and was quite talkative and invested. We have since developed a great relationship, and she's actually one of my favorite kids to work with now. So you never know.

She's also pretty fast and natural lefty, so early on I floated the idea of learning to slap as well as hit for power. No interest. But after a few lessons she said she wanted to try slapping and now loves it. Well, what I think she loves is it makes her more unique on the team (they have a few lefty hitters but no other slappers) and it gives her more tools in the toolbox to get on base. In addition to the mechanics we talk about how to read a defense and hit what they're not prepared to defend.

So you never know. In your case, right now it sounds like staying with the current coach is the right decision. Down the road your daughter may be ready for a change, especially if other girls are getting ahead of her.
 
Nov 13, 2020
92
18
..

So you never know. In your case, right now it sounds like staying with the current coach is the right decision. Down the road your daughter may be ready for a change, especially if other girls are getting ahead of her.

Appreciate your insight! We definitely plan to reevaluate after a few months.. her pitching performance will dictate to us all the direction we should take. We probably jumped the gun too soon with proposing making the switch too. Moving into a bigger ball and 5’ back is a big deal and maybe we should’ve waited before stirring the pot. But boy, we did not expect all these emotions from her over it.
 

Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
Appreciate your insight! We definitely plan to reevaluate after a few months.. her pitching performance will dictate to us all the direction we should take. We probably jumped the gun too soon with proposing making the switch too. Moving into a bigger ball and 5’ back is a big deal and maybe we should’ve waited before stirring the pot. But boy, we did not expect all these emotions from her over it.

If nothing else it tells me the current coach has done a great job of forging a trusted relationship with your daughter. That's pretty powerful in bringing the best out of a kid. Especially a young one. Don't underestimate that.

It's easy to chase after the bright shiny object, especially if you're being told to do it. Believe me, though, there are plenty of private instructors out there who are more hype than substance. In the end, the coach your daughter loves could be the best one for her. Or not. I don't know the specifics. :)
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Good points!
And yet
...there are people that will attend weekly workouts that are the same routine over and over. Not even elevating the pace. Routines that could be done at home, because by this time, should be memorized.

What i notice from this is
People initially beleive they are doing the right thing to attend lessons private and group.
Its a good thing, get educated and a workout!
However sometimes by paying for someone else to grow the child, people leave the respondsibility of the learning curve up to the instructor. It becomes the instructors pace of learning...
And depending the type of lessons or group workouts being attended, there IS a low limit of knowledge and training actually being provided.
But people cant/dont see it.
Because its either the only thing they know, and believe they are doing the right thing.
They haven't explored New knowledge, sitting content in the same place doing the same thing, saying look how good my daughter does this same workout routine.
Yet hasnt grown all year.

Rather than continue to evaluate the growth of their child in the situation.

To ask themselve at intervals months apart is my daughter still improving?
She may have grown initially, but is she still growing?

People will be people,
All of us on the learning curve of life.
At a different pace than eachother.
No one size fits all.
That said
Much prefer new knowledge to GROW stimulating challenge, and positive energy!

Look for success, Seek to GROW!
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
DD started hitting lessons for the 1st time (she is 11) a few months back, mainly because her and I were having a difficult time working together. Before her 1st lesson, I watched two lessons saw two hitters really spread out similar to how the instructor hit (she played for a powerhouse D1 program so there was ample video online..).....hmm. 1st lesson instructor tells DD to widen up some..ok her reasoning for doing that was solid and DD was comfortable with it. Watch second lesson..spread her out some more. Third lesson basically had her where the instructor was when she played..DD was not comfortable with this style and mentioned it. I gave her a 4th lesson and said thanks for your time...but we are done. DD was dreading going to a 5th lesson.

On a brighter note, DD and I can now work together again so perhaps the bad experience had some utility :LOL:
 

Forum statistics

Threads
42,831
Messages
679,492
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top