Nice quality.
What kind of player is your daughter?
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Nice quality.
My daughter is different from yours. She is the one you might think has a "bad attitude" or "doesn't care," because she's quiet and not overly demonstrative, or seems a little nonchalant at times. Maybe she gives you a funny look when she thinks you're nagging her, or when you say something profoundly, stupidly obvious. Believe me, she cares.
She gets upset when her teammates tell her she doesn't smile enough, or cheer loud enough, because she doesn't know how to be anything other than who she is. She won't tell you this, but she came home and cried after you chose someone else to be the starting All-Star catcher, because at the beginning of the regular season, when no one else was willing or capable, she got behind the plate for you, and showed no fear, and found out that she liked the job and was actually pretty good at it. She won't question your decision, because she is not a wave-maker, and she understands a coach's prerogative. She's done everything you ever asked her to do, yet she still suspects you don't like her that much, because she didn't always do it with a smile on her face.
She is a straight-A student, and probably has a better softball IQ than anybody on the team, maybe including you. She's just a 13-year-old kid whose personality you don't understand.
She gets upset when her teammates tell her she doesn't smile enough, or cheer loud enough, because she doesn't know how to be anything other than who she is. She won't tell you this, but she came home and cried after you chose someone else to be the starting All-Star catcher, because at the beginning of the regular season, when no one else was willing or capable, she got behind the plate for you, and showed no fear, and found out that she liked the job and was actually pretty good at it. She won't question your decision, because she is not a wave-maker, and she understands a coach's prerogative. She's done everything you ever asked her to do, yet she still suspects you don't like her that much, because she didn't always do it with a smile on her face.
She is a straight-A student, and probably has a better softball IQ than anybody on the team, maybe including you. She's just a 13-year-old kid whose personality you don't understand.
Little bit of this coach, little bit of that teammate, no one and everyone in particular.
Interesting and very thought provoking. DD is 9 and in her first year of TB.
Hitting- DD strengths are that she is extremely disciplined at the plate, she typically will not swing at bad pitches and as a result draws a lot of BB. This can sometimes border on not being aggressive but she understands that being on base is important and often times swinging at bad pitches leads to outs. Typically she will bat leadoff or number 2 if they are shaking some things up. Very seldom will they have her bunt although she is extremely capable of laying one down when needed. For not being very big she can pack a mean punch at the plate (reason why she doesn't bunt much). I had at one time thought about making her a slapped (she's a lefty) but I think she's going to have a nice little power game as she grows up. She is in the top 3 (first in a couple) in every hitting category on the team. Major weakness in the hitting department is she starts to over emphasize things. A slight 'load' eventually becomes a monster move back and she's off balance. Most of this is done because she is trying very hard to do what she's taught which isn't a bad thing but she needs to be reigned in at times. She has a tendency to get pop up or ground out heavy at times. Good news is it doesn't usually last long.
Fielding- this is by far her area of strength. Outside of pitching (she did pitch in a rec game and had 10 Ks and 2 BB) she can play anywhere in the field. Typically she plays shortstop or first base. Right now we seem to have trouble with girls being consistent at first base so putting her there is a very safe and smart play. I would describe her arm as very good. She's not necessarily going to knock your socks off with speed but her consistency from everywhere on the field is often times flawless. She takes a lot of pride in fielding balls and making great throws and playing defense. One area here of weakness and where she needs work is understanding the whole field in terms of what's going to happen next. Her understanding of the game is not quite there yet but she is 9 and honestly I would like to see us doing more situational type stuff in practice so this learning can take place for all of the girls. For most of our team this is their first year in TB so just getting reps is important too.
Base running- DD is the fastest girl on her team and is actually faster going from home to home than she is home to first. Meaning she just keeps getting faster and faster as she goes. She leads her team in stolen bases and takes a lot of pride in her running. A weakness here would be her lack of experience. I would like to see her taking bigger 'turn and looks' and being even more aggressive than what she is. I believe this will come in time, at least I hope it does.
Intangibles- probably one of the most coachable and hard working 9 year olds you will find. We practice every day (either softball or basketball or both) and she eats it up. She aims to please and hates disappointing people. She will do anything anyone asks her to do and will never question you on why she has to do it. She loves practice and loves preparing to be successful. She's definitely a winner and is very competitive. This year in school they had to write down one goal they had for themselves and her goal read "I want to be the best at everything I do". We have talked a lot about having a short memory and never letting the last play/at bat effect the next play (we apply this to basketball too) and she has carried that notion out extremely well. She is a quiet kid but is very well liked by her teammates and without ever saying much you can tell she has love, admiration, and respect for them all. Some areas where she needs some work/development would be to have a more vocal presence. she does great in terms of leading by example but I would like to see her be more vocal with her teammates (high fives, pick me ups...). I would also like to see her act as if she's enjoying what she's doing. She's all business all the time on the field and sometimes appears to be a stick in the mud. As much as I HATe to admit it, she gets it from me. She LOVES playing and competing but it would be nice to see her smile while she's playing and not just after she's done playing.
The one thing I can say about her and you can decide rather it's good or bad is that her temperament and demeanor very seldom change. Up by 10 or down by 15 -she's the same kid. Hits a home run, walks, grounds out -same kid. Makes a great play, makes an error -same kid. Even keel all the time and she will never get too excited or too down about anything. This makes her a very un-needy kid who need almost no prompting or push from a coach to do her job. On the other hand, she needs to learn to 'stop and smell the roses...'
Hitting- DD strengths are that she is extremely disciplined at the plate, she typically will not swing at bad pitches and as a result draws a lot of BB. This can sometimes border on not being aggressive but she understands that being on base is important and often times swinging at bad pitches leads to outs. Typically she will bat leadoff or number 2 if they are shaking some things up. Very seldom will they have her bunt although she is extremely capable of laying one down when needed. For not being very big she can pack a mean punch at the plate (reason why she doesn't bunt much). I had at one time thought about making her a slapped (she's a lefty) but I think she's going to have a nice little power game as she grows up. She is in the top 3 (first in a couple) in every hitting category on the team. Major weakness in the hitting department is she starts to over emphasize things. A slight 'load' eventually becomes a monster move back and she's off balance. Most of this is done because she is trying very hard to do what she's taught which isn't a bad thing but she needs to be reigned in at times. She has a tendency to get pop up or ground out heavy at times. Good news is it doesn't usually last long.
Fielding- this is by far her area of strength. Outside of pitching (she did pitch in a rec game and had 10 Ks and 2 BB) she can play anywhere in the field. Typically she plays shortstop or first base. Right now we seem to have trouble with girls being consistent at first base so putting her there is a very safe and smart play. I would describe her arm as very good. She's not necessarily going to knock your socks off with speed but her consistency from everywhere on the field is often times flawless. She takes a lot of pride in fielding balls and making great throws and playing defense. One area here of weakness and where she needs work is understanding the whole field in terms of what's going to happen next. Her understanding of the game is not quite there yet but she is 9 and honestly I would like to see us doing more situational type stuff in practice so this learning can take place for all of the girls. For most of our team this is their first year in TB so just getting reps is important too.
Base running- DD is the fastest girl on her team and is actually faster going from home to home than she is home to first. Meaning she just keeps getting faster and faster as she goes. She leads her team in stolen bases and takes a lot of pride in her running. A weakness here would be her lack of experience. I would like to see her taking bigger 'turn and looks' and being even more aggressive than what she is. I believe this will come in time, at least I hope it does.
Intangibles- probably one of the most coachable and hard working 9 year olds you will find. We practice every day (either softball or basketball or both) and she eats it up. She aims to please and hates disappointing people. She will do anything anyone asks her to do and will never question you on why she has to do it. She loves practice and loves preparing to be successful. She's definitely a winner and is very competitive. This year in school they had to write down one goal they had for themselves and her goal read "I want to be the best at everything I do". We have talked a lot about having a short memory and never letting the last play/at bat effect the next play (we apply this to basketball too) and she has carried that notion out extremely well. She is a quiet kid but is very well liked by her teammates and without ever saying much you can tell she has love, admiration, and respect for them all. Some areas where she needs some work/development would be to have a more vocal presence. she does great in terms of leading by example but I would like to see her be more vocal with her teammates (high fives, pick me ups...). I would also like to see her act as if she's enjoying what she's doing. She's all business all the time on the field and sometimes appears to be a stick in the mud. As much as I HATe to admit it, she gets it from me. She LOVES playing and competing but it would be nice to see her smile while she's playing and not just after she's done playing.
The one thing I can say about her and you can decide rather it's good or bad is that her temperament and demeanor very seldom change. Up by 10 or down by 15 -she's the same kid. Hits a home run, walks, grounds out -same kid. Makes a great play, makes an error -same kid. Even keel all the time and she will never get too excited or too down about anything. This makes her a very un-needy kid who need almost no prompting or push from a coach to do her job. On the other hand, she needs to learn to 'stop and smell the roses...'
Interesting subject. As a coach, I never felt that I trouble figuring out who cared since I saw them up close for long stretches of time. More recently I've been a parent only, and from the stands it can be more deceiving. There are a couple of really quite/unemotional types on my daughter's current team. My daughter seemed to think they weren't really into it, but I've decided they are just quiet. My daughter also is generally unemotional and doesn't do a lot of small talk and socializing, but she does cheer from the fence in the dugout and pass out a lot of high-fives and beats everybody on the field when she takes her position, so you can see she's into it based on that.
Intangible-ish stuff: 13years old. Always plays hard. Always wants to be better. A bit on the quiet side. Excellent composure on the field, and especially in the circle (in state championship game yesterday, got hit hard first two innings, giving up 11 runs. Stayed calm and focused, and put up 0s the next three innings. Lost 11-8). Learns from the game. Doesn't get on other players for their mistakes. Doesn't dwell on her own. Has always done everything a coach has asked her, but is getting to that place where she knows to ignore or discuss certain suggestions about swing or pitch mechanics. Will be on time for practice and will not miss practice unless absolutely necessary. Practices extra at home, and has private coaches for hitting, pitching, fielding. Very dedicated. When she's not playing/practicing, leaves the game totally behind and is a real girl.
Fielding: One of the smoothest infielders I've seen. Rock-solid balance, quiet feet, cannon arm, and dead-on accurate. Very good range. Makes all the routine plays, but doesn't make real flashy plays, has never laid out for a ball - yet. Can't wait till she does/wish she would. Tracks most everything well in the outfield, but struggles to read flies straight over her head.
Hitting: Typically, an outstanding line drive hitter; a natural 3 hitter, (or for Tony LaRussa fans, a 2 hitter). Hit .400 for school, higher in TB last fall. Will consistently hit 55ish fb. Usually fouls off CU. Hasn't faced a lot of breaking stuff. We'll see. Right now has developed a terrible habit of starting her swing just before getting her front foot down in the stride, so her front shoulder is pulling out badly and we're getting a lot of weak ground balls. So we keep working. Excellent bunter. Doesn't feel pressured with 2 strikes. Rarely strikes out. Will probably be one of your fastest 3 or 4 runners.
Pitching: Deceptively good, but not what I call dominant. FB about 50-52. Good control. Doesn't walk batters, but won't strike out many. FB has a little drop, so lots of ground balls. Very consistent. Rarely, but sometimes gets hammered (see above). When CU is right, it is devastating, and then she does get Ks. With an average defense behind her, she'll win most games. A couple of basic mechanical flaws are holding her back right now, but she's getting close. Then, look out...
Parents: We love the game. Dad will help you coach if you need it. There are coaches who know more, but he studies the game, is a good motivator for the players, and knows enough to tell if you know what you're doing (meaning, if you don't know, DD isn't playing for you and you won't need all this information). We don't complain, and enjoy supporting all the girls on the team. (if there are questions or concerns, we'll talk to you privately.) If I'm not coaching (which is really hard for me, but possible), I will want to talk strategies and ideas after the game, at practice, or wherever you like... because I enjoy it and learn from it, not because I know better. We will support your authority as a coach, even if we don't agree with you. When we commit to a team, we stay committed, and we'll finish the season (barring serious issues of character, etc., that might arise and surprise).
First, she will be early. She will chat with teammates but focus on the warm up. During OF drills she will go all out to reach a fly ball.
She usually bats 1 or 2 and will work the count the first time up to see as many pitches as possible. She draws a high number of walks the first time up after seeing 7-8 pitches.
Once on base she will make sure the catcher knows she's there and will be an annoyance on every base. She is not the fastest but you will think she is fast. She has a very good sense for when to go. She is the kid you want on base when you need to manufacture a run. You want her on 3rd when the suicide squeeze is on or the kid you rely on to lay down that bunt.
If she Ks or is put out she stops by the kid on deck and fills her in, then yelling "pick me up" on her way to the dugout where she reports on the pitcher.
She isn't a superstar but you want her on your team. She is a gamer with a great attitude and I could not be more proud of her. Unfortunately she was injured this past weekend and will miss a couple of weeks. Time to catch up on the summer reading list.
She usually bats 1 or 2 and will work the count the first time up to see as many pitches as possible. She draws a high number of walks the first time up after seeing 7-8 pitches.
Once on base she will make sure the catcher knows she's there and will be an annoyance on every base. She is not the fastest but you will think she is fast. She has a very good sense for when to go. She is the kid you want on base when you need to manufacture a run. You want her on 3rd when the suicide squeeze is on or the kid you rely on to lay down that bunt.
If she Ks or is put out she stops by the kid on deck and fills her in, then yelling "pick me up" on her way to the dugout where she reports on the pitcher.
She isn't a superstar but you want her on your team. She is a gamer with a great attitude and I could not be more proud of her. Unfortunately she was injured this past weekend and will miss a couple of weeks. Time to catch up on the summer reading list.
This might sound weird, but my DD is always the second best player on any team she is on. As she has moved up the classifications and ages divisions this has continued team after team even in teams where I thought she might initially struggle.
I guess the best description of her is 'surprising'. She doesn't look the part - she isn't tall or athletic looking, she wears glasses of a style that doesn't help that perception on the field (IMO) and she isn't that fast over long distances. But she has a quick first step, hits the ball hard, has an excellent eye for which pitches to swing at and she runs the bases well. She also pitches with above average speed and movement and makes all the fielding plays she is meant to - and some you wonder how she made it.
One of the coaches we play against all the time once told me that it takes 5-10 games of watching her play is and realizing how often you get beaten by her to appreciate how good she really is.
I guess the best description of her is 'surprising'. She doesn't look the part - she isn't tall or athletic looking, she wears glasses of a style that doesn't help that perception on the field (IMO) and she isn't that fast over long distances. But she has a quick first step, hits the ball hard, has an excellent eye for which pitches to swing at and she runs the bases well. She also pitches with above average speed and movement and makes all the fielding plays she is meant to - and some you wonder how she made it.
One of the coaches we play against all the time once told me that it takes 5-10 games of watching her play is and realizing how often you get beaten by her to appreciate how good she really is.
I love reading everyone's assesments of their DD. Makes me seem more normal i guess lol.
MY DD:
Meet the GRINDER as i call her. My DD is 5'4'' and about 120LBs and pretty solid. She doesn't blaze the bases by any means, makes plenty of errors when given the opportunity and offensively will gladly have a tournament where she hits a very unimpressive .300 or better. But the one thing i drill to her is GRIND. When you're tired you push harder, work harder and lift your teamates.
Stregths. 100% all the time, plus + arm behind the plate, good blocking skills, throws from knees when needed, Offensively gifted at times, hits for decent power at 12U open level, very quick hands at the plate, adapted to the pressure of batting 3rd.
Weakness': Very quick hands at the plate (changeup kills her), makes the little mistakes behind the plate (watches runner instead of ball into glove), Hesitates with her throws, hasn't become that leader she needs to be.
Dads weakness: If she hits 3 doubles in a game i want #4, if she misses a ball i expect her to catch two on the next play.
If my DD was coming to tryout for you, you would be getting a player that would have to be on the field for you because she invokes confidence in her team, she will hit over .300, switch hits for power, can bunt from both sides, can play everywhere on the field except P although isn't fast enough for SS IMO. She will never take a practice off, will catch 1 or 15 games in a weekend and not complain, won't start drama, won't participate in drama and doesn't have parents that complain about playing time. My DD takes care of her own issues with the coaches as i won't be there to hold her hand every minute of every day.
MY DD:
Meet the GRINDER as i call her. My DD is 5'4'' and about 120LBs and pretty solid. She doesn't blaze the bases by any means, makes plenty of errors when given the opportunity and offensively will gladly have a tournament where she hits a very unimpressive .300 or better. But the one thing i drill to her is GRIND. When you're tired you push harder, work harder and lift your teamates.
Stregths. 100% all the time, plus + arm behind the plate, good blocking skills, throws from knees when needed, Offensively gifted at times, hits for decent power at 12U open level, very quick hands at the plate, adapted to the pressure of batting 3rd.
Weakness': Very quick hands at the plate (changeup kills her), makes the little mistakes behind the plate (watches runner instead of ball into glove), Hesitates with her throws, hasn't become that leader she needs to be.
Dads weakness: If she hits 3 doubles in a game i want #4, if she misses a ball i expect her to catch two on the next play.
If my DD was coming to tryout for you, you would be getting a player that would have to be on the field for you because she invokes confidence in her team, she will hit over .300, switch hits for power, can bunt from both sides, can play everywhere on the field except P although isn't fast enough for SS IMO. She will never take a practice off, will catch 1 or 15 games in a weekend and not complain, won't start drama, won't participate in drama and doesn't have parents that complain about playing time. My DD takes care of her own issues with the coaches as i won't be there to hold her hand every minute of every day.
