Private softball instructors level the playing field

[Ken Krause]

As someone who has a broad interest in the state of youth sports in general as well as fastpitch softball specifically, I’m always interested to read articles on the topic. There’s no doubt that the U.S. (along with more and more other countries) has become sports-crazy, to the point where it is having a negative […]

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[dbronstein]

Ken, my first thought when I saw this post was "of course you're going to say how great private instructors are because you are one." After actually reading the article (because it's really only fair to read it before judging it ), I think you make a lot of good points. My kids are great examples of what you are talking about.

DS is in 8th grade and really wants to play baseball in HS. He's got some natural ability, but not a ton. When you play rec, you get a lot of coaches like me (I'm HC of his team) who are well-intentioned but don't have the knowledge or skill to teach the finer points. The other option is trying to play TB to be with better coaches (and that's still a crapshoot), and assuming he could make a team, our family doesn't want to go down that road. He is taking hitting and pitching lessons with a private instructor and in just the three weeks since we've started, he's made significant progress.

DD is in 7th grade playing her second year of 12U this year. She inherited all of my athletic ability, which is pretty much none, but she fell in love with softball back in 8U. She wanted to pitch when she started 10U so I got her some lessons and she got the basics down. I've been doing the best I can working with her, but besides my lack of knowledge, the parent-child overhead kills any instruction between me and her, plus she had a lot of medical issues. She's fully healthy now and I found a new PC about a month ago and she's already improved quite a bit. I'm working on finding her a hitting coach (DS' also does softball but he's full right now.) Given the sprts landscape, the only place to play when she gets to HS age is HS or TB, and she has zero interest in TB. I'm an AC for her team (rec), and HC is a decent hitting instructor, but getting 5 minutes of attention in practice isn't even close to a private lesson. I don't want her to have to stop playing because she's not good enough to make her HS team.

 

[Ken Krause]

Yeah, I knew there was a risk of seeming self-serving, but it is something I really believe. At least there is an option for kids who aren't naturals to be able to compete.

You tell some great stories, and have obviously seen the difference it makes first-hand. You're right there's a difference between 5 minutes with a coach at practice and a half hour (or whatever) of one-on-one time. But it has to be something she really wants to do. Lessons are pointless if the player doesn't want to put in the effort. As I've said many a time the private instructor is merely a guide on the journey. It's up to the player to drive.

Thanks for sharing and good luck to both your kids!

 

[NewbieDad]

Ken, your article is 100% accurate in our experience. Despite not being gifted with great athleticism, DD has been able to stay at or above the level of her peers first with assistance from all of the greats on this site, and more recently from direct instruction from Java. She has a LONG way to go, but he is an AMAZING motivator that has her working hard to overcome those deficiencies. DD LOVES the game, and private instruction is helping her compete for a spot that might otherwise be out of reach. Thanks again to you and EVERYONE on this site that has provided advice or shared part of their journey, it is helping us more than you will ever realize.

 

[Ken Krause]

Glad your daughter is finding success, Newbie, and that both the site and Java personally have helped. That's exciting for you both.

Thanks for the kind words on the post, too. Glad you liked it. Private instruction has been getting a bad rap lately as part of the overkill of youth sports. Glad you have found it helpful.