New parent to 8u TB player - apprehensive mom

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Jun 24, 2013
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Also don't get stuck in the rec ball mentality of "My DD's not going to be stuck in the outfield. That's where they put the weak players." I coach an 8U travel team. Last tourney about 40% of the balls went to the OF. It normally ranges between 40-60% this time of year due to older girls and hotter bats. If I put my "weaker" players out there in the OF, then there would be several in the park home runs each game. I put my speedsters out there. I also teach them to move and back up a base if they don't have a play on the ball. My girls are not daisy pickers, they move on the ball. I move my girls around so that none of them become the "weaker" players. Sure for braket games I might strategically place some players based on their strengths to start with, but I also move them around after that intial placement. If my stud C (or insert any other position here) goes down and no one else has played there, I am in a world of hurt. My goal is to teach these girls, not fill a trophy case (because I already know how great I am, LOL!)

I would watch the coach issue however. If he tells you one thing just to get you on the team and take your money and then does it to everyone else, that is a BIG RED FLAG. Been there, done that, still paying off the loans. Other indicators to look out for:
1) carrying a bloated roster (13+ girls): Having too many girls sit on game days makes for some unhappy parents, having unhappy parents will cause them to start trying to jostle for positions for their DD's and then you have lots of anger and loss of team unity.
2) constant player jumping and dumping (i.e. picking up the newest "best" girl on the market and sitting a longer term teammate). A coach willing to drop you at the drop of a hat because someone "better" comes along will cause the parents to fight amongst themselves and will creat a hostile team environment. When a player can be cut at a moments notice it causes the parents to start pointing out flaws about the other girls to try to keep their DD out of the bottom 3.
3) a coach not teaching fundamentals and wanting to win badly in this age bracket. At 8U it really needs to be about player development. Before they move on to 10U they should have throwing and catching pretty much straightened out. Baserunning skills and sliding should be worked on heavily because they are not yet afraid to slide at this age. You should start developing pitching skills for those that want to go that route. If the coach is all about wins at this age, you have the wrong coach.
 
Dec 12, 2012
1,668
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On the bucket
OP, you may or may not like the answers so far, but they are correct answers.

At 7 she needs to stick with the fundamentals and playing every position now will only help her later on. If you want to mix it up in a couple of years, then she could try pitching if you think she may have what it takes, you have extra money, and time to burn. :)
 
Aug 5, 2009
242
16
Bordentown, NJ
I'd look at a coach that permanently assigns positions at that age as a huge red flag.

What if you did get your way? Say she "earned" that position, and the coach kept her there all year. And then kept her there next year, and the year after, all the way up until she's 12 or 14...

Then someone comes along who is simply better at that position. Or, she wants to play school ball and there's someone else that's better. Now your DD is without a place to play, because she never learned how to play any other position
 

JJsqueeze

Dad, Husband....legend
Jul 5, 2013
5,436
38
safe in an undisclosed location
My DD (just turned 7) just started with a relatively new travel team after starting to play ball in April. She was picked up by this team a few months later. We have been to every practice and practice at home. We also pay for lessons with a college coach. She scored the highest in batting during try outs and is the most improved on the team per the coaches; however, we have picked up a few new players and each time we do my DD has lost the position she earned and gets tossed around to a different one. The coach is constantly moving to her new positions during tournaments. 3B, C, 2, LF

I understand that some parents think their daughter is the best and there is a bunch of drama but that is not the case here. We are doing everything we can to help our daughter progress at the sport she loves but feel that she is being slighted by the coach because he's promising the new parents the positions that they want for their daughter.

Is it important at this age for her to pick her position and start learning it or is it beneficial for her to just get the practice and be a utility player? Am I being to critical of the coach even though he tells me one thing and does another? We just want to give her every opportunity and if you think I'm overreacting because she's 7 - don't bother replying. Should we look for another team? Thank you.

The biggest concern I see is your concern. There are going to be so many situations down the road that are not 100% what you want that you really have to be flexible with the things you get worked up about. Playing different positions at 7 yrs old is not even a blip on the radar. Whether it is by design of the coach or by accident because he promised the positions to other girls. The result is the same, your DD is getting the correct exposure right now. The only thing you should be worried about at this age is whether or not she is having fun, gets good fundamental coaching and gets enough playing time in games to develop. Where she bats in the order, and which position she plays (two common parental problem areas) should not even be considered.
 
Jun 11, 2013
2,619
113
I think all the answers to OP were good and fair answers. I think it's a great question to ask when starting out. One thing to remember is that often the coach is trying to field the best team (especially on Sunday). If I'm the coach I want my best 9 starting on Sunday. Often a player might be the best at several positions. 3B might be the one the like the best, but they might have another pretty good 3B and no good SS so that's where you play.

One thing I might ask the coach is to see if your DD can get at least a game in during the weekend at her preferred position if you feel she is one of the best there.
 
Aug 9, 2013
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I have to agree - 8U and even to some extent 10U should be about seeing where you can do well and get exposed to new positions. I'm a 10U TB manager and I will move girls all over the place to keep them fresh and not lock them in. My best 1B also plays 3B. My best SS will catch for me. In a bracket game, it's a bit more locked down but during scrimmages, I let them go at it on the field.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
It seems that we have sacred off kygirl. I guess she was just looking for people to agree with her. Oh, well.
 

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