So my family and I recently moved to another state. The school softball team is having workouts once a week until the season starts. At the first workout that my youngest went to (both play, but oldest had another in season sport) I was talking with the head coach about the team. Long story short I volunteered to help coach the JH team. Few weeks later I was asked to come on as a assistant coach. Now, here's where the problems start. Oh, and I have been coaching for rec 6 years, 3 of those also included travel. I was the manager of our travel team for the last 2 years.
First practice I am at, I hear the coaches telling my youngest to "squish the bug". She is on the tee next to me, where I am working with some other players. Anyway, she shoots me a look and rolls her eyes. I continue to hear the coaches saying how beautiful her swing is and that they are impressed with how hard she hits, but she needs to squish the bug. I notice a lot of the players are casting bad, rolling their wrists before contact and are DBSF. During one hand drills, I asked why we only do the bottom hand, and was told that we don't need to do one hand drills with the top hand because it doesn't do anything. Not the drill, but the top hand during a swing. It just helps guide the bat.
So, I typed up an email explaining that I am not a fan of squishing the bug, why I am not and included a couple of videos and links to read to back up my thoughts. Receive an email back saying that we will continue to use squish the bug, he doesn't agree with what I am saying and that proper hip action and weight transfer does come from squish the bug and that I am wrong. He did agree that there are a number of girls casting and rolling wrists to early along with sucking their front elbow into their ribs during the swing.
Now, next night of practice and I hear a coach telling a girl to bend her front knee to get low and go get a low pitch? Then I hear, swing level, swing level. Most of the players are DBSF off the tee followed by a "great swing" reinforcement. In the cage its cues of squish the bug, keep your shoulders level and rotate those hips.
I am so frustrated right now as I am trying my hardest to help this team, who by the way was 4-13 last season for Senior High with most loses being very little or nothing to a lot. I'm talking 1-15 or 20. I was told that they are trying to build a program, they need help with basics and wanted to focus on fundamentals. I may not have been doing the coaching thing to long, but I have learned a lot from here and the other coaches I have coached with. I know the coaching staff at a local college where we lived before moving and was told on multiple occasions, by the head coach (who also came and helped the team every so often) that he wanted both of my daughters to come play for him. One is in 10th grade and one in 7th grade. He also said that there were multiple players on my team that he wanted too. I also was the assistant coach for 5 years to one of the assistant coaches from this college on his rec ball team that both my daughters played on. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I must have been doing something right.
Anyway, it just seems like, so far at least with hitting, they are very weak, but they don't want to listen to suggestions or different ways of thinking or approaches.
Well, thanks for reading my vent. Guess we shall see how the rest of the year goes. I never do this, but I have told my girls to swing as they have been taught, they are not to listen to the other coaches. They are in the habit of doing what they are told, but then ask me if its ok for everything else.
First practice I am at, I hear the coaches telling my youngest to "squish the bug". She is on the tee next to me, where I am working with some other players. Anyway, she shoots me a look and rolls her eyes. I continue to hear the coaches saying how beautiful her swing is and that they are impressed with how hard she hits, but she needs to squish the bug. I notice a lot of the players are casting bad, rolling their wrists before contact and are DBSF. During one hand drills, I asked why we only do the bottom hand, and was told that we don't need to do one hand drills with the top hand because it doesn't do anything. Not the drill, but the top hand during a swing. It just helps guide the bat.
So, I typed up an email explaining that I am not a fan of squishing the bug, why I am not and included a couple of videos and links to read to back up my thoughts. Receive an email back saying that we will continue to use squish the bug, he doesn't agree with what I am saying and that proper hip action and weight transfer does come from squish the bug and that I am wrong. He did agree that there are a number of girls casting and rolling wrists to early along with sucking their front elbow into their ribs during the swing.
Now, next night of practice and I hear a coach telling a girl to bend her front knee to get low and go get a low pitch? Then I hear, swing level, swing level. Most of the players are DBSF off the tee followed by a "great swing" reinforcement. In the cage its cues of squish the bug, keep your shoulders level and rotate those hips.
I am so frustrated right now as I am trying my hardest to help this team, who by the way was 4-13 last season for Senior High with most loses being very little or nothing to a lot. I'm talking 1-15 or 20. I was told that they are trying to build a program, they need help with basics and wanted to focus on fundamentals. I may not have been doing the coaching thing to long, but I have learned a lot from here and the other coaches I have coached with. I know the coaching staff at a local college where we lived before moving and was told on multiple occasions, by the head coach (who also came and helped the team every so often) that he wanted both of my daughters to come play for him. One is in 10th grade and one in 7th grade. He also said that there were multiple players on my team that he wanted too. I also was the assistant coach for 5 years to one of the assistant coaches from this college on his rec ball team that both my daughters played on. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I must have been doing something right.
Anyway, it just seems like, so far at least with hitting, they are very weak, but they don't want to listen to suggestions or different ways of thinking or approaches.
Well, thanks for reading my vent. Guess we shall see how the rest of the year goes. I never do this, but I have told my girls to swing as they have been taught, they are not to listen to the other coaches. They are in the habit of doing what they are told, but then ask me if its ok for everything else.