- Jul 26, 2010
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HS coaches are generally the last person to go to for an opinion on softball. It's what kids do for fun, it isn't what kids do to get better at softball.
-W
-W
I guess my style is all wrong
- Thread starter wild man
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- Nov 29, 2009
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I hear some of the horror stories about playing HS on here and other message boards and I'm so glad my DD didn't have to deal with rec level coaches and players. Her HS coached played D1 ball and was invited to the workouts for the 96 Olympic team. Almost every team in her conference was made up of top level travel ball players. The level of play in most of the conference games was equal to good travel ball.
Several of the girls my daughter played with and against ended up in the WCWS. One was tournament MVP and another is up for player of the year this year. Another one hit a dinger off of Monica Abbot. I tell ya.... It's always more fun to watch the games on TV and know who some of the players are personally.
- Jul 26, 2010
- 3,553
- 0
You're lucky. Thats very rare in HS ball. There are some high schools that have multiple great players come through their ranks, but that's usually because of the great travel teams in the same area. A kid doesn't get to be a good softball player for playing 3 months of public school ball a year for 3 years of their late teen life.
There's a ton of great players from this area as well, and both my own daughter and my travel players are exposed to multiple former Olympians (taking lessons from them) as well as several current NPF players. Two of these girls went to the same HS, but I can tell you that it wasn't the HS experience that helped them become the great ball players they are.
I had one of my TB players cut from her HS team recently because she went on a family vacation for Spring Break and missed a "mandatory" practice. A ball clubs don't even pull that nonsense. I think that being a high school softball coach is a prerequisite for attending clown school.
-W
Most of you seem none to happy with HS coaching. I am however a HS JV coach. It is what we have so I go with it.
Yes I am fighting an up hill battle. But just like LL does not have to be played poorly nor does HS ball. The teams in our league are most all well coached and Our Varsity struggles to win. I am happy to say that as a JV coach I am usually able to pull out a
.500 season or better even with the Head coach pulling me down on a regular basis.
I am doing this for the kids so I keep on going even if it is "Just HS ball.
Yes I am fighting an up hill battle. But just like LL does not have to be played poorly nor does HS ball. The teams in our league are most all well coached and Our Varsity struggles to win. I am happy to say that as a JV coach I am usually able to pull out a
.500 season or better even with the Head coach pulling me down on a regular basis.
I am doing this for the kids so I keep on going even if it is "Just HS ball.
halskinner
Banned
- May 7, 2008
- 2,637
- 0
Your coach is uninformed
In 1997 the Steadman-Hawkins institute put out a report on a study they did on the olympic pitchers from the 1996 games.
To close the hips / shoulders all the way is extremely dangerous for the FEMALE shoulder complex. They gave the safest angles for everything for the safest mechanics for the shoulder complex.
The report is several pages more than what I can apperently post here.
sneakysoftballpitching.com
In 1997 the Steadman-Hawkins institute put out a report on a study they did on the olympic pitchers from the 1996 games.
To close the hips / shoulders all the way is extremely dangerous for the FEMALE shoulder complex. They gave the safest angles for everything for the safest mechanics for the shoulder complex.
The report is several pages more than what I can apperently post here.
sneakysoftballpitching.com
Attachments
That's an awesome thing. Your players are very lucky. Many of us see a lot of stupid and very negative stufff in HS ball in our areas. There seems to be little accountability, and little effort on the part of the coaches to learn the game or how to work with kids. They know the kids don't have much choice if they want to play and they act that way.
But like all assumptions, that's not true everyone or with everyone. There are plenty of great HS coaches out there too. But I think the parents of kids who go to those schools try to keep it a secret so no one tries to steal their coaches.
I've met a lot of HS coaches who take their responsibility seriously and do it for the kids. I've also observed many who are clueless jerks who seem to be in it for their own egos. Just like travel coaches, rec coaches, football coaches, soccer coaches, etc.obbay
Banned
WildMan- isn't this the same coach who went to the states and is "re-building" and chasing off the seniors?
If this is the same guy, I thought he was an idiot then and I think he's proving it again.
If this is the same guy, I thought he was an idiot then and I think he's proving it again.
One Style Doesn't fit All
My DD ran into this problem with her HS coaches. The HS Assistant Pitching Advisor is tall and uses the open stlye, long lever technique. The coach did not like that my DD is 5'3" tall and uses a style based off of Taryn Mowatt which uses quick body drive/high arm speed/closing the hips at the release point to drive the ball. The coach would sit on the bench and close her arms and remove herself from the game when my DD got a chance to get on the field. I believe that the coach didn't understand my DD's technique or the concept of Internal Rotation. My DD sat as the coaches "Girls" she coached took the field no matter how they pitched.
My DD is a Junior and did not go out for HS ball this year. She is on an 18U-A tournament team and pitched 11 innings in a round robin format this weekend. She gave up 2 hits, no walks, and 14 strike outs over the 11 innings. The spin that she can develop by "Closing at Release" is much higher than the traditional open style pitchers that I see.
In my view and from what I see in high level D1 play today, if the pitcher is tall and physically strong, the open stance seems to work well. When the pitcher is smaller and quicker, the closing method seems to work better. Do what works best for you.
My DD ran into this problem with her HS coaches. The HS Assistant Pitching Advisor is tall and uses the open stlye, long lever technique. The coach did not like that my DD is 5'3" tall and uses a style based off of Taryn Mowatt which uses quick body drive/high arm speed/closing the hips at the release point to drive the ball. The coach would sit on the bench and close her arms and remove herself from the game when my DD got a chance to get on the field. I believe that the coach didn't understand my DD's technique or the concept of Internal Rotation. My DD sat as the coaches "Girls" she coached took the field no matter how they pitched.
My DD is a Junior and did not go out for HS ball this year. She is on an 18U-A tournament team and pitched 11 innings in a round robin format this weekend. She gave up 2 hits, no walks, and 14 strike outs over the 11 innings. The spin that she can develop by "Closing at Release" is much higher than the traditional open style pitchers that I see.
In my view and from what I see in high level D1 play today, if the pitcher is tall and physically strong, the open stance seems to work well. When the pitcher is smaller and quicker, the closing method seems to work better. Do what works best for you.
- Oct 19, 2009
- 1,821
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In our area a HS coach receives an extra 8,000 – 12,000 per year in addition to teacher’s salary and MS coachers receive 5,000 – 8,000. There are some good ones in our area and some very poor ones. I am glad to say the principal or assistant principal at my daughter’s school are at all sporting events and readily speak to parents and discuss the needs of the players and teams. The coaches are held accountable to the principal for fairness to the students as the sports fields are considered an extension of the class room.
I know one school where the administration always sides with the coach although many complaints have been lodged against the coach at this one school. Many good players have quit this program and went to other sports, many of them I’ve coached and heard the complaints. Sometimes the administration refuses to admit there is a problem with a coach and does not want to address the problem. In my opinion coaches should be accountable to the principal and the principal should be accountable to the parents and students to see that every child has an equal opportunity. Sometimes it sad to say, but it all depends on who you your parents are instead of how good you are at a sport.
There are many styles of pitching out there, if it works and a pitcher is effective then it should not matter.
I know one school where the administration always sides with the coach although many complaints have been lodged against the coach at this one school. Many good players have quit this program and went to other sports, many of them I’ve coached and heard the complaints. Sometimes the administration refuses to admit there is a problem with a coach and does not want to address the problem. In my opinion coaches should be accountable to the principal and the principal should be accountable to the parents and students to see that every child has an equal opportunity. Sometimes it sad to say, but it all depends on who you your parents are instead of how good you are at a sport.
There are many styles of pitching out there, if it works and a pitcher is effective then it should not matter.
- Nov 29, 2009
- 2,974
- 83
At least the coach was smart enough to not try and change her pitching style. In the coach's defense I will have to say staying away from something she doesn't understand does not make her a bad coach. I've had a couple of kids who took lessons from someone else and the things this guy had these kids doing made ABSOLUTELY no sense to me. I never tried to work with or change them.
