How Strict is Your Travel Ball Team?

[Amy in AZ.]

My granddaughter wouldn't be playing there. What purpose does grabbing the bat and handing it to the batter serve?

 

[riseball]

Such archaic coaching when running is punishment for errors in a game where you are a superstar if you fail 6 out of 10 times.............

One of the biggest sports myths ever.

 

[riseball]

Wanted to see how strict the coaches are on your DD's travel ball team? DD's team is '02 and the coaches are pretty strict about the rules and the organization's expectations for each player. For example, if a batter fouls off a pitch and runs to 1st base, her teammate in the on-deck circle must immediately get the bat and hand it to the batter before the next pitch. If not, the whole team runs after the game. Another example, if a player makes a mental error, the coaches keep track and the players have to run sprints for each mental error committed.

What's your experience?

So you have a group of young ladies and their parents who have bought into a program high on discipline and personal accountability. The next thing you know that discipline will seep over into their personal lives and they will start saying things like Yes Sir, No Mam, Thank You, and Please. God forbid, what is this world coming to?

 

[KCPRK]

One of the biggest sports myths ever.

so hitting .400 avg is not good?

My point is the game is based on failure-its part of the game-its going to happen

 

[Rocketech1]

I personally have mixed feelings about a very strict travel ball program. Below are some pros and cons of a strict coaching style:

The Cons:
physical activity shouldn't be a form of punishment, it might be humiliating
it could create animosity among players and resentment
players shouldn't be afraid to make errors, mental or otherwise (they will)
softball should be fun
coaches should focus on the positives, not the negatives.

the Pros:
might creates discipline and team unity
expectations are clear from day 1
you play in the game how you practice
you stay focused and play hard every play
if you fool around, the whole team suffers (peer pressure)
it might motivate the players
players are responsible for everything (set-up and breakdown equipment, treat their equipment with respect, cheer fellow players during drills, practices, and games, keep dugout clean, etc.)

With my DD having gone through many rec teams with very little discipline or organization, I am leaning on the side of appreciating the fact that she is playing for a more strict TB organization. For example, yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to see her place her glove on the bench correctly so that it was open, with fingers down (not on its side, smashed like a pancake, thrown on the dirty ground under the bench). For years, I have been asking her to take care of her equipment so it lasts a long time. Even practices are run like well-oiled machines. Fast-paced, organized, no fooling around. Contrast that to this summer, where the players talked back to the coaches (dads), some players were disrespectful, and too much fooling around at practice (that carried over into the games), and just a general lack of discipline with no real consequences for their actions. So far, I am buying the Kool aid...time will tell...

Amy - I guess the purpose of grabbing the bat and handing it to the player serves several purposes: a) tells the player I got your back; b) there is never any kind of throwing of bats (for example, after a walk the batter hands the bat to her teammate to place in the bat rack); and c) the batter in the on-deck circle gets in a habit of retrieving the bat at home plate in case there is a play at the plate.

 

[riseball]

so hitting .400 avg is not good?

My point is the game is based on failure-its part of the game-its going to happen

So your sole criteria for success is based on if the scorekeeper credited you with a hit? I think there is much more to it.

 

[KCPRK]

The next thing you know that discipline will seep over into their personal lives and they will start saying things like Yes Sir, No Mam, Thank You, and Please.

Or punch their wives if they disagree and beat their kids when they screw up. Everything in moderation as any aggressive action and discipline can quickly go too far. If not getting a bat gets you running what does striking out or making an error get you? Lashes with a stick at 4 years old perhaps?

Manners are great but they aren't truly taught with forced physical discipline. Anything that is forced physically is never psychologically maintained as when you remove the consequence from the equation the action is then avoided rather than retained due to the negative connotation associated with the action. Textbook stuff.

 

[KCPRK]

So your sole criteria for success is based on if the scorekeeper credited you with a hit? I think there is much more to it.

I think your overanalyzing the comment based on your affinity to the OP request of an opinion. relax

It was a singular example in a myriad of choices. I could give many examples where lack of perfection in this game is still considered success. All my opinion obviously.

 

[Rocketech1]

so hitting .400 avg is not good?

My point is the game is based on failure-its part of the game-its going to happen

I think the issue isn't that you will fail, it's whether you gave it your best effort and failed or you failed to give it your best effort.

 

[grmerrill]

Wanted to see how strict the coaches are on your DD's travel ball team? DD's team is '02 and the coaches are pretty strict about the rules and the organization's expectations for each player. For example, if a batter fouls off a pitch and runs to 1st base, her teammate in the on-deck circle must immediately get the bat and hand it to the batter before the next pitch. If not, the whole team runs after the game. Another example, if a player makes a mental error, the coaches keep track and the players have to run sprints for each mental error committed.

What's your experience?

So you have a group of young ladies and their parents who have bought into a program high on discipline and personal accountability. The next thing you know that discipline will seep over into their personal lives and they will start saying things like Yes Sir, No Mam, Thank You, and Please. God forbid, what is this world coming to?

You misspelled ma'am.

And yes someone in the program is high and has confused softball with the marines.