Forgot to warn one of my newer pitchers,

That there are many wolves out there just waiting to tell them how much they know about pitching and how they are doing it all wrong.

I can't believe I forgot this vital information!

They got freaked out this weekend when someone told them their DD was doing it all wrong, she was not supposed to lean or push, just stand tall, step and slam the door. And the follow through on your backhand needs to go behind your ear.

At least they decided until they saw me again to make all the new changes and we had to have "the talk".

They said he was very convincing because his 12u league ball daughter could throw strikes.

I know you are making a point but the poor guy is just trying to help. It is the coaches that are a little bit harder to figure out what to do with and can get confusing. Some random guy is easy to ignore no matter how earnest they are in helping.

quincy said:

I know you are making a point but the poor guy is just trying to help. It is the coaches that are a little bit harder to figure out what to do with and can get confusing. Some random guy is easy to ignore no matter how earnest they are in helping.

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She told the man she had an instructor and then told him my name, he said he knew who I was and I was teaching her kid wrong.

That is a little bit different, good luck to him.

well When a HE pitching dad/coach says you don't have a clue, isn't that a good thing?

I have had this problem before with another instructor that would hand out business cards to my pitchers. Promise them he could give them 5mph's or more in 4 lessons.

I lost a few to him and many others showed me his card he'd given them, he was a step instructor.

Honestly I was amazed that there were so many people wanting to take my pitchers, I think every one of my kids has been approached at least once, or had their team coach attempt to change them.

Because as long as I've been doing this, I have never ever had the desire to take a pitcher from another instructor, or even just volunteer advice no matter how poorly I thought their instruction was. And trust me, I have seen some horrible instruction.

Even when I do clinics I ask if anyone there is currently with an instructor and I make sure when I work on them one on one, I limit anything that goes against what they are being taught.

I consider it a matter of respect to the parent, their daughter and to their instructor.

I just feel bad because I forgot to explain to this particular parent and student that there were other methods of pitching out there and those that taught it are convinced that it is the only way, and I caused them a few days of panic.

Fending off other instructors is something that family is going to have to get very good at and you cant teach them that confidence they have to develop it. They just got their first lesson. soon they will learn to give off that don't mess with my dd vibe that IR parents develop and it will be over.

bucket pinata said:

Fending off other instructors is something that family is going to have to get very good at and you cant teach them that confidence they have to develop it. They just got their first lesson. soon they will learn to give off that don't mess with my dd vibe that IR parents develop and it will be over.

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True, after I talked to them they said the way they would approach it was to be polite and listen to everything he had to say and just let it go in one ear and out the other, I said, why bother with that? Just tell them you're paying for instruction and that's that. But they said they wanted to be polite.

I'm sure after they gain some confidence that "politeness" will eventually turn into, "Thanks, but no thanks".

Had a similar incident a few weeks ago.... I asked this PC who was telling my students how wrong they were, why did he feel so strongly about HE mechanics. He replied "that's how he was taught by his father who was a former men's FP player/pitcher"...etc
I responded to him that my dad used to do all of his math on a piece of paper, but I've learned to use a calculator. Some things are best when they've evolved.

If they get students by trolling tournaments and such handing out business card they are probably not that good no matter what they teach.