Pitchers and number of pitches

[uncdrew]

for travel ball, i see no problems with your position. BUT high school is an entirely different world.

It is, but if they're even more dependent on one pitcher than travel, they should be even more mindful of what the girl and parent want. At least at our school, travel ball is higher level and more important than school ball.

Now it's rare that the load is ever too bad, but there is an upper limit. I doubt I'll ever have to step in - just saying I will if need be. Better yet, my DD will.

 

[Tazman]

for travel ball, i see no problems with your position. BUT high school is an entirely different world.

I was sharing for the principles. The only time you really get into that situation in high school is a tournament (same rules apply), more than 3 games a week, or a coach who is crazy on live pitching. If your daughter is good enough that the coach is insisting on pitching her that much, by definition, she's much better than the next option. That provides a magical thing called leverage that, in most cases, allows you to keep your daughter pitching and keep her healthy. If the coach is really going to bench his best pitcher so he can ride his second best that hard even with all that allowance/pitching time then I think it's worth walking and considering reporting hin/her to the administration. There also will be a lot of parents wondering why they are losing games they should be winning.

 

[Cougars]

I will schedule 4-5 games in a week (not every week), but some of that is knowing at least 1/3 of our games will get canceled because of weather. I used to leave dates open for make-ups, but I found it's easier to just fill the schedule and not bother with making up games most of the time.

FWIW, we are allowed to play 35 games, not counting the state tournament. If I wanted to actually play that many, we would have to schedule 4-5 games every week not counting spring break. I usually try to schedule 30 and hope to play 20. Nineteen is the most we've played in a season.

I just looked up my daughters school schedule. They have 9 games scheduled in March, starting the 13th. Chicago burbs in March..... More likely the ground is still frozen/mud/snow.

 

[Lance Steckler]

I've seen so many shenanigans by HS coaches nothing surprises me anymore. From blatant rule selective enforcement, to punishment for attending school academic activities, to borderline abuse, to outright lying on reporting of stats, etc, etc. the list is long and stinky.

if any have a relationship with HS coaches that is open to communication and input, that would be a dramatic change and improvement over any i've witnessed in my area.

 

[jfitch12]

That provides a magical thing called leverage that, in most cases, allows you to keep your daughter pitching and keep her healthy.

Except that you are not paying the coach, have almost no control over his or her job, and they don’t care what you think and in many instances resent the travel “mommies and daddies” who are in there business, especially if they have been coaching for more than a decade. Not all HS coaches are the same, for sure, but most have a magical thing called not giving a hoot about what you or your daughter think—certainly more so than travel coaches. The notion that being a really good pitcher makes you “more valuable” or gives you “leverage” assumes a free market where the coaches’ job depends on wins and losses and the coach only cares about success on the field. Neither is true. Usually the players just doesn’t play HS no matter how good if they have some dispute with the coach. The coach doesn’t change his or her ways; the player just walks.

And all of this is just the structural problem created by most HS teams having only one pitcher at best (unlike club teams that have to have at least two and really need three given tournament schedules). I posted earlier a list of situational questions that come up all the time when a HS team is leaning on one pitcher. Even if you have great communication with the travel coach and you are able to hover and give input about DD’s workload, what do you do when a particular situation poses a tempting exception for her to “keep going”?

It’s just a much harder issue to manage in high school from my experience.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[lostcreek1]

This thread is a textbook example of why there needs to be pitch count rules in softball.

 

[Tazman]

Except that you are not paying the coach, have almost no control over his or her job, and they don’t care what you think and in many instances resent the travel “mommies and daddies” who are in there business, especially if they have been coaching for more than a decade. Not all HS coaches are the same, for sure, but most have a magical thing called not giving a hoot about what you or your daughter think—certainly more so than travel coaches. The notion that being a really good pitcher makes you “more valuable” or gives you “leverage” assumes a free market where the coaches’ job depends on wins and losses and the coach only cares about success on the field. Neither is true. Usually the players just doesn’t play HS no matter how good if they have some dispute with the coach. The coach doesn’t change his or her ways; the player just walks.

And all of this is just the structural problem created by most HS teams having only one pitcher at best (unlike club teams that have to have at least two and really need three given tournament schedules). I posted earlier a list of situational questions that come up all the time when a HS team is leaning on one pitcher. Even if you have great communication with the travel coach and you are able to hover and give input about DD’s workload, what do you do when a particular situation poses a tempting exception for her to “keep going”?

It’s just a much harder issue to manage in high school from my experience.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I can't argue with your experience but in this situation while you can't control their job, pay, or their "hoots" about what you think, you do control their win and loss record. That usually is worth quite a bit if the topic is broached in a collaborative, respectful and humble way that retains a spirit of respect for the coach. If the coach in that environment is that stubborn and insists on driving my DD into the ground despite a reasonable request and attempt to collaborate, he/she is treated as an abusive partner and I/we walk. Their tournaments won't be much fun with zero pitchers vs one willing to go at least 3 games a week.

In the situations you describe I try to have some flexibility based on the importance of the event and always offset by additional rest, but my experience says having alignment upfront is critical to avoiding disagreements. I've also had many coaches pull my daughter before I've had to ask either because she is communicating with the coach or because they know the boundary.

I'm very fortunate to have never been in situation to deal with these toxic personalities and that's because our school coaches are reasonable and we do very careful due diligence on travel ball teams before joining.

 

[FlSoftball]

This thread is a textbook example of why there needs to be pitch count rules in softball.

I agree there needs to be some type of tracking but to set a hard number on everyone is not the answer imho. I just feel that everyone does not fit in the same box which putting a limit would do. My DD is 15 and if her arm or back were hurting from pitching (never has except in the HE stage) she would tell us that she was going to tell her coach she needed a break. In HS the kids need to converse and negotiate with adults (coaches) as it is going to be part of the rest of their life! Mine knows if she needs help we will jump in but have not needed to in a long time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[FlSoftball]

This thread is a textbook example of why there needs to be pitch count rules in softball.

I agree there needs to be some type of tracking but to set a hard number on everyone is not the answer imho. I just feel that everyone does not fit in the same box which putting a limit would do. My DD is 15 and if her arm or back were hurting from pitching (never has except in the HE stage) she would tell us that she was going to tell her coach she needed a break. In HS the kids need to converse and negotiate with adults (coaches) as it is going to be part of the rest of their life! Mine knows if she needs help we will jump in but have not needed to in a long time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[FlSoftball]

Not sure why it double posted


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk