Softball IQ....

CoogansBluff · Oct 25, 2016

JAD said:
After watching my DD's HS season, and some college fall ball, I would like to take a moment to emphasize to all DFP parents to work with your DD's on improving their softball IQs. Everyone practices the physical skills it takes to play softball at a high level, but I am astonished at the number of high level players who are either ignorant or have not been properly coached in the fundamentals of the game. Know the rules, know where to go with the ball when it is hit to you, find the lead runner, hit your cutoffs. Preventing a base runner from taking an extra base can be the difference between winning and losing in a tight game.

I would not assume that they haven't been taught it. I know my own DD does stuff that I can't easily break. I've seen her make base-running errors (not tagging up on a line drive to the outfield, staying too close to 1B on a drive to left field) not long after having specifically practiced and gone over it. Not to pick on DD, but she's the only one where I can confirm that she's been taught something that she didn't then do.

Not being taught is certainly one reason, but I have another theory.

Many kids today are dependent on what they've been taught and don't really think for themselves. Today's TB players are the products of years of structure and organization in their sports. They learn that you do what the coach says. Which is fine to a point. But what you have mainly are players trying to do as they're told. It's instruction by memorization. Imagine that a runner gets thrown out at third trying to advance on a ball that short-hops the catcher. The over-taught player will say, 'If the balls in the dirt, I go. That's the rule,'' The instinctive player will say, ''I sized up that catcher and figured my speed was better than her hands and her arm. Just got beat this time.''

So the problem isn't so much that they haven't been taught fundamentals. It's that they haven't been taught to view the game in a way that encourages them to have their own theories about what to do. They're waiting on us to tell them. The players with the best softball IQ aren't necessarily the most well-coached, but the ones who are motivated and encouraged to think for themselves.

quincy · Oct 25, 2016

As season goes on I am more and more quite. They need to make their own decisions.

Usally they are right and faster then them waiting for someone to yell at them.

FP26 · Oct 25, 2016

When DD was younger, we would often sit together watching Phillies games. We would talk about what was going on. Defense, pitch calling, you name it. Now as an 18u player she seems to have a pretty good grasp of what is going on. At least above average for players in our area.

One quick story. DD was 14 playing as a pickup player for an 18u team. DD is not a fast runner (understatement...). She is on second base at the time. 3rd base coach gives signals to hitter and then watches the pitch. Hitter takes the pitch. Coach turns to give signals to DD on 2nd base, only she was now standing on 3rd base.

Coach asks what happens, and DD states "3rd baseman was playing up and SS wasn't covering so I took the base".

quincy · Oct 25, 2016

Philly Game?

At least watch a good team if you want her to get better.

CoogansBluff · Oct 25, 2016

grcsftbll said:
Do you think this is something some kids are more naturally prone to picking up? I don't feel like we've done anything special with our DD for softball IQ, she just gets it. It's funny because in all other aspects of life she is a total space cadet. Loses everything she owns, dawdles for everything, a kind of naive type personality. She's totally different on the field. We're only 10U so often you'll see a girl catch a pop fly and she stands there like whoo hoo! I caught the ball! Meanwhile the runner on third is tagging up and heading home. Some of our girls who do this have been in travel ball 2-3 years by now. Mine is always aware of where the runners are, where the play is, etc.

We've got a girl on our team who has never played travel ball before this fall. The coaches took her based on potential, a risk but a good one, it turns out. Besides how fast she's progressing on her physical skills, she seems to have that knack for the mental game. She was on 1B for a small scrimmage and made a play, and immediately knew where to go with the ball next to stop the lead runner from advancing. A simple skill, but she's fresh out of rec where normally you just toss back to the circle to stop the play. Plus 1B is not her normal position, we're just hoping to teach it to her since she's a tall lefty. So to me that shows a natural instinct for how the game works.

I'm 100% positive it can be taught too. It just seems like some are soooooo slow to pick it up. Kind of like me and chemistry.

It's probably her mindset. She goes on the field with the idea that the goal and the fun is getting the other team out and preventing runs and winning. So at some unconscious level, she's processing ways to accomplish that, and she gets smarter at it. While running the bases, her goal is to score, not by waiting for it to happen, but if possible by making it happen. Most kids in youth sports operate at a more basic level. Their mindset is more about doing what they're taught and following rules. And while intelligence is a factor, it probably has much more to do with the subject matter. Some kids enjoy the competition and the strategy much more than others and spend more time thinking about it. Another reason I think you see dubious softball IQ among otherwise very experienced players is that they really don't want to win that badly. They don't spend much time thinking about it. They aren't obsessed about it like the folks here on this fourm.

cvsoftball · Oct 25, 2016

We call it situational awareness and, yes, it can be taught. It is also self taught and some players have an intuition for it. The problem area for us is that line between players who just take off to third because they are aware of the situation and the player who just takes off for third. The latter player is the one you really have to work with and explain things, sometimes numerous times. Some will refuse to get it but most will get it. As it was said, we coach humans, not robots and our goal is to not only get players to do the right thing the right way but also to understand why the right thing is the right thing.

grcsftbll · Oct 25, 2016

CoogansBluff said:
I would not assume that they haven't been taught it. I know my own DD does stuff that I can't easily break. I've seen her make base-running errors (not tagging up on a line drive to the outfield, staying too close to 1B on a drive to left field) not long after having specifically practiced and gone over it. Not to pick on DD, but she's the only one where I can confirm that she's been taught something that she didn't then do.

Not being taught is certainly one reason, but I have another theory.

Many kids today are dependent on what they've been taught and don't really think for themselves. Today's TB players are the products of years of structure and organization in their sports. They learn that you do what the coach says. Which is fine to a point. But what you have mainly are players trying to do as they're told. It's instruction by memorization. Imagine that a runner gets thrown out at third trying to advance on a ball that short-hops the catcher. The over-taught player will say, 'If the balls in the dirt, I go. That's the rule,'' The instinctive player will say, ''I sized up that catcher and figured my speed was better than her hands and her arm. Just got beat this time.''

So the problem isn't so much that they haven't been taught fundamentals. It's that they haven't been taught to view the game in a way that encourages them to have their own theories about what to do. They're waiting on us to tell them. The players with the best softball IQ aren't necessarily the most well-coached, but the ones who are motivated and encouraged to think for themselves.

I definitely think you're onto something here! My DH is a retail manager and sees this a lot in his employees, particularly the younger generations. My theory is the focus on testing and standardizing education has made having the right answer more important than knowing how to get there.

The motivation thing is probably true too. When I think back on the players we've worked with who just could not seem to get it, they're mostly the ones playing because their parents wanted them to. Not that they hated it, you just tell it wasn't going to be their thing. Kinda like me and chemistry

I doubt any amount of teaching could have gotten me interested or competent at that particular subject, because I just didn't care about it.

FP26 · Oct 25, 2016

grcsftbll said:
I'm 100% positive it can be taught too. It just seems like some are soooooo slow to pick it up. Kind of like me and chemistry.

I completely agree with this statement. However, there are two important aspects required to make this work.

1) A coach/teacher that can instruct in such a way that the player/student understands.
2) A player/student that actually wants to learn.

I have witnessed coaches who give up on players way too early simply because they don't want (or don't know how) to teach them. And I have seen parents blame coaches when the truth of the matter is that the player simply isn't that interested to begin with.

quincy · Oct 25, 2016

Some players are 2 steps ahead of me, not to hard.

Others are 2 steps behind, discuss as much as you want.

I at least hope repition will make everything good, sometimes not.

I do not think it is anyone's fault.

Rocketech1 · Oct 25, 2016

I think one of the best drills to develop a high "softball IQ" is setting up the defense in their normal position, placing runner(s) on the bases, calling out the situation (e.g. runner on 1st, 1 out) and then hitting the ball. Every player on defense has a role and responsibility (i.e. the 3 B's - get the Ball, cover the Base, or Back-up the throw). You do this hundreds and hundreds of times, correcting the players for missed assignments, etc. and they will start developing the knowledge to execute the correct play correctly every time. This is a long process and not something that can be learned in a few weeks.

Softball IQ....

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