How Strict is Your Travel Ball Team?

[KCPRK]

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.

All very good reasons to have order-IMHO its consequence of a forced action vs the positive reinforcement of a desired action. I took my beatings playing sports as a result of my errors. Long ago we realized there are better ways to motivate people than physical punishment-problem is its too easy to punish a kid than educate yourself on how to teach the desired action in a respectful manner.

Beat your dog until it learns or spend more time training your dog till it learns. Choices.

 

[KCPRK]

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.

Valid point in which I do agree.

 

[riseball]

As I see it the problem with this thought process is that it sets an expectation of failure more often than success. It is focused purely on the outcome not on the process. In the failure based mindset a sharp hit ball to CF where the player dives and makes an ESPN play is labeled as failure. Conversely that weak popup over 1B into no mans land is labeled as success. Like they say "Control the Controlables." If you look deeper that .400 hitter is probably successful at the plate at least 90% of the time. Was the AB productive 90% of the time? Of course not. But if you "Control the Controlables" and have good at bats the productivity or outcome which is beyond your control will take care of itself.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

We have group hugs after mental mistakes and for physical mistakes we try and talk it out with our feelings.

 

[marriard]

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?

See we have ALL that on our team... and it didn't require the coaches being &#(&@(@* drill sergeants to make it happen.

This isn't high on disciple or personal accountability coaching - this is beat the animal until it behaves the way I want coaching. There is a major difference.

 

[riseball]

See we have ALL that on our team... and it didn't require the coaches being &#(&@(@* drill sergeants to make it happen.

This isn't high on disciple or personal accountability coaching - this is beat the animal until it behaves the way I want coaching. There is a major difference.

How do you come to that conclusion based on the information supplied by the OP? If as I stated the young ladies and parents bought into the program, what is the issue? From what statement did you draw your conclusion that the coaches where being &#(&@(@* drill sergeants to make it happen?

 

[Little Angels Softball]

It is easier to train a puppy with treats than it is with a lash. The lessons learned via the treats will be retained throughout the dog's life, where the lessons learned via the lash will be avoided whenever possible.

Positive reinforcement beats punishment every time. Every time. You don't need to punish 12 year old girls to have discipline and extremely high performance. You just need to know how to teach both things rather than knowing only how to punish if things don't go your way.

Learn to coach or get out of the way for someone who already knows or is willing to learn. Then go home and punish yourself for not being able to coach properly. In fact, make yourself run sprints in front of a bunch of people who matter to you just to make sure they know you didn't do it correctly.

 

[riseball]

It is easier to train a puppy with treats than it is with a lash. The lessons learned via the treats will be retained throughout the dog's life, where the lessons learned via the lash will be avoided whenever possible.

Positive reinforcement beats punishment every time. Every time. You don't need to punish 12 year old girls to have discipline and extremely high performance. You just need to know how to teach both things rather than knowing only how to punish if things don't go your way.

Learn to coach or get out of the way for someone who already knows or is willing to learn. Then go home and punish yourself for not being able to coach properly. In fact, make yourself run sprints in front of a bunch of people who matter to you just to make sure they know you didn't do it correctly.

Did you by chance read the OP? Neither punishment nor puppies was ever mentioned.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

Making girls run for not doing something correctly is punishment.

The puppy was used for illustrative purposes, only. Even something man is supposedly master over still works better with positive reinforcement over punishment. I'd say girls are no different, and maybe even more prone to be repulsed by punishment than a puppy might be.

The orgs with the highest dropout rates are almost always the ones which employ the yellers/screamers/punishers as coaches. The girls either jump to another org or drop out of softball altogether. I've seen it for years and years.

 

[riseball]

Making girls run for not doing something correctly is punishment.

The puppy was used for illustrative purposes, only. Even something man is supposedly master over still works better with positive reinforcement over punishment. I'd say girls are no different, and maybe even more prone to be repulsed by punishment than a puppy might be.

The orgs with the highest dropout rates are almost always the ones which employ the yellers/screamers/punishers as coaches. The girls either jump to another org or drop out of softball altogether. I've seen it for years and years.

Did you just compare young girls to dogs?