Am I doing the right thing?

I'll be honest. I would have left a long time ago if I was in your situation.

I drive past a great athletic facility everyday that is right next to my house on the way to better run organizations for both my kids. It would be convenient to have my kids be part of the leagues next to my house but since they are a poor experience for everyone involved it is better for us to go further afield.

IMO, rec ball, and especially Fall rec ball is for the development of ALL the players involved. When my DW and I ran our rec Fall Ball years ago, in the younger age groups, every player learned every position on the field. The coaches were mandated with teaching them a new position each week and had to play them at the new position for 2 innings and ALL of the pitchers had to pitch at least 2 innings a game. One year we only had 2 teams in 10u and 10 pitchers so we had double headers to get all of the pitchers circle time. They went through a rotation and the next game the rotation would start where the rotation left off. At 12u and above, the coaches had to play them in at least 2 different positions (at least one an IF position) a game for 2 innings and the pitchers got at least 2 innings of circle time. All games were 6 innings with a 5 run limit, each player had to play at least 4 innings and there was a 12 player roster on most teams although some had 11.

I won't lie and say it wasn't a pain in the butt for the coaches but our girls learned and at the end of the season we usually had several sets of parents thank the coaches and comment on how much their DD improved. Also, in the Spring, many returning coaches that didn't participate in Fall Ball were pleasantly surprised at the girls situational and skills advancement since the end of the last Spring/Summer season.

It seems to me as if your Fall Ball is divided into a "practice" squad and a travel team so that the travel team could have two confirmed scrimmages a week to get ready for the weekend tournament. If your DD is as passionate about softball as you think she is, then I would suggest you stick out your commitment to the team this year, keep practicing and taking lessons and next year you volunteer to run the Fall Ball program with some, if not more of these types of rules in place.

I'm not sure if anyone addressed your question regarding missing practice for sleepovers, Girl Scouts, etc. Unless it is a school event, or a very special family evernt, your girls need to attend all practices and games until they are no longer part of the team.

Thanks for all of the input. It has truly given me a lot to think about. Nothing is perfect and I feel like the coaches are doing the best they know how given what they were given so we are just going to ride it out this fall. We will keep with our lessons over the winter along with a couple of clinics we signed up for. And we will stick with this league through the spring as a lot of her friends are there. I will look for other opportunities at the same time and keep exposing her to new avenues as long as she still seems interested with the game.

I have volunteered to help out with our league as the president is resigning so we'll see if I get a call. I will also put on her sign up sheet that I am willing to assist with coaching if needed. I can put the ball on a tee and do drills any coach asks me too. That way I know that I have put forth maximum effort. In the end our concern has to be the effort, not the outcome since that is out of our control anyway.

GG

GatorGirl said:

Thanks for all of the input. It has truly given me a lot to think about. Nothing is perfect and I feel like the coaches are doing the best they know how given what they were given so we are just going to ride it out this fall. We will keep with our lessons over the winter along with a couple of clinics we signed up for. And we will stick with this league through the spring as a lot of her friends are there. I will look for other opportunities at the same time and keep exposing her to new avenues as long as she still seems interested with the game.

I have volunteered to help out with our league as the president is resigning so we'll see if I get a call. I will also put on her sign up sheet that I am willing to assist with coaching if needed. I can put the ball on a tee and do drills any coach asks me too. That way I know that I have put forth maximum effort. In the end our concern has to be the effort, not the outcome since that is out of our control anyway.

GG

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Don't wait for the call! Go to the meeting and present yourself to the members, state how and why you would be better, and wait for the vote. A committe doesn't assign a president. The members of the league vote on it. (Parents)

Most rec league and travel ball coaches are NOT qualified to develop a pitcher. My suggestion would be to work with your DD outside of her games to develop her pitching prowess - pitching lessons once a week and lots of "bucket time". If she is just starting, I would expect to throw 3-4 times/week for 4-6 months before she is ready for "prime time". I know it is a lot of hard work with little to no reward, but if your DD becomes a good pitcher teams will line up to sign her.

JAD wrote above, "Most rec league and travel ball coaches are NOT qualified to develop a pitcher."

I think he is being kind. It is the rare exception that a team coach can develop your DD as a pitcher - town, travel or club. Not to mention, if you leave the team what do you do about learning to pitch. It is best to have a separate & independent pitching coach. A pitching coach is part softball expert, part therapist, diagnosing issues and working to maximize the pitchers ability.

left turn said:

It is the rare exception that a team coach can develop your DD as a pitcher - town, travel or club. Not to mention, if you leave the team what do you do about learning to pitch. It is best to have a separate & independent pitching coach. A pitching coach is part softball expert, part therapist, diagnosing issues and working to maximize the pitchers ability.

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I can still vividly remember a conversation our HC had with a players parent when we were first year 12U low-B level TB team.

Parent - "Coach, my DD has decided she wants to become a pitcher".
HC - "That's great, has she ever pitched before?"
Parent - "No"
HC - "OK, who is she taking lessons from?"
Parent - "She is not taking lessons, I want you to teach her and let her pitch a few games to see how she likes it before I pay for lessons".
HC - "Are you working with her at home"
Parent - "No".
HC - "So you want me to pitch your DD instead of my other two pitchers who are taking lessons and working at home 3-4 times per week"
Parent - "Yes"
HC - "And you want me to take time during our normal team practices to teach your DD how to pitch?"
Parent - "Yes"
HC - "And you want the other 11 girls on the team to endure long, painful innings, while your DD walks batters, hits batters and gets shelled while she learns how to pitch?"
Parent - "I never really thought about it that way"
HC - "Then you need to adjust your way of thinking!"

JAD said:

I can still vividly remember a conversation our HC had with a players parent when we were first year 12U low-B level TB team.

Parent - "Coach, my DD has decided she wants to become a pitcher".
HC - "That's great, has she ever pitched before?"
Parent - "No"
HC - "OK, who is she taking lessons from?"
Parent - "She is not taking lessons, I want you to teach her and let her pitch a few games to see how she likes it before I pay for lessons".
HC - "Are you working with her at home"
Parent - "No".
HC - "So you want me to pitch your DD instead of my other two pitchers who are taking lessons and working at home 3-4 times per week"
Parent - "Yes"
HC - "And you want me to take time during our normal team practices to teach your DD how to pitch?"
Parent - "Yes"
HC - "And you want the other 11 girls on the team to endure long, painful innings, while your DD walks batters, hits batters and gets shelled while she learns how to pitch?"
Parent - "I never really thought about it that way"
HC - "Then you need to adjust your way of thinking!"

Click to expand...

Conversation continued...

Parent: You're right. A whole game might be a bit much to start. Just get her a few innings each game and see how it goes from there.

Greenmonsters said:

Conversation continued...

Parent: You're right. A whole game might be a bit much to start. Just get her a few innings each game and see how it goes from there.

Click to expand...

Conversation continued....
HC - "Take a lesson or two, learn the mechanics from someone who knows how to teach proper form, practice at home and get your DD where she can throw some strikes and we will work in her for a couple of innings to see how she does."