Things you would do different for your daughter if you could go back in time.

Cannonball said:

I will come at this question differently. We did not take enough photos of my dd.

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I made that mistake with my first boy. 8 years of coaching baseball and no pictures. Decided not to let that happen again and have hundreds of pictures of my daughter. I am now the team photographer. You won't see me at a game without a camera in my hand.

The biggest thing I could have done better...

Been less overwhelming with trying to teach hitting mechanics. Everything I was learning at the start, I was immediately trying to upload to my DD. It was too much for her to process, especially since I was still trying to sort out a lot of things for myself. It ruined a lot of practice sessions, and those experiences have strained the ability for me to be an effective instructor with her. Advice: At a young age, keep instruction focused on one improvement at a time.

A few things I managed to get right...

Catcher, not a pitcher - In 8U (her first season), DD asked about trying pitching, and I dodged around it because I didn't want to do all the extra work. Little did I know at the time, that she was going to be doing a ton of extra work, regardless, just because of her desire to improve. When she decided to try being a catcher, I was all for it. Stupid me didn't realize what that meant for extra work, but that has been one of the best decisions she's made. Her mentality does great behind the plate. I don't think it would have handled pitching very well.

Moving to TB when we did - DD's first all-star experience (8U), and the people we met, set a path for us that changed everything. First year of 10U (rec), she got her feet wet as a catcher and her batting improved above mediocre. Going to TB that early would have been a mistake. She wasn't mentally ready. Second year of 10U, it became vividly clear that she had outgrown the rec league experience, and it was time to move on. She skipped all-stars in her second 10U season, and committed to full-time TB. She was ready physically and mentally.

Picking her first TB team - DD's first TB team was the closest to home, which was a big factor at the time, but it also included some of the best coaching I could have asked for, and her game took a big leap forward very quickly. When she moved up to 12U, I was invited to join the coaching staff, and I also learned a ton from coaches who have been in the game a very long time. Despite some conflicts in the coach-daughter relationship along the way, DD and I did okay together. Last fall (going into 14U), the team was unable to keep going, we were forced to find another team, and I became "just a parent" again. It was the right time for that, too.

Let's get this out of the way...

First and foremost I am so glad my DD picked softball to be her main sport. It is something that her and I can do and talk about all day. She loves the fact that I go on here and other places to get all the info I can find to help her out and to learn as much as I can that baseball is not softball!!

Now if I could go back...
1. I wish my ex-wife would have informed me that she was taking DD to tryouts for clubs without me knowing. She had an offer from an "A" level team going into 10U.

2. I wish I could take a chill pill during the games and not stress over every little thing she does! (I am getting better!! I sit down and watch keep notes and we now talk the next day)

3. Like most of you that I would have got DD in club/travel ball sooner.

Looking back I would not have dragged my 9yo DD out to the field to hit her brand new and 1st composite bat (Easton Synge) in 107 degree heat. After 20 minutes and tears coming down her cheeks, we quit and grabbed an ice cream. Live and learn

Three things to change if I had a do over...

- Would get hitting lessons from a particular coach earlier (the best at teaching this skill in my area)

- Avoid a particular 12U coach (not a screamer, but a schemer...not as obvious at first glance)

- Behave more like I do now during games (much quieter).

Three things I did right...

- DD played Rec through 10U, and I don't regret that at all. I coached her team most of the time, and that was a great experience. Had we done a heavy tournament schedule when she was younger, that might have burned her out like so many other kids I've seen.

- I've managed to place her on teams that could win AND where she played a lot. I never worried about being on the highest level or with the biggest name. Now that I see the number of good ball players playing on those big name teams having less than impressive outcomes in terms of college placement and experience, I'm really glad I didn't care about that.

- Her defensive fundamentals and execution are rock solid...we spent tons of time on it. She can hang with anyone on a ballfield.

I should of signed my daughter up for Curling and better education.


In all seriousness. Yes spend more time on education and less time in sports .

My kid is really just starting out but what I do know is that my younger son's are going to benefit from all the mistakes I have made/will make with their older sister.
I hope when they are grown they thank her

Agbracing said:

That seems to be a pitch to me that is greatly overlooked by most young pitchers and parents. They all want to throw 6 pitches at 10 years old. If you are a young flame thrower and master a killer change up it can make the best batters look silly. Our pitching instructor is a big believer and made my DD master it before ever starting a movement pitch. It’s still not perfect and on demand ever single time but when it is working it is so effective. There is not a much better feeling to watch a batter swing when the ball is only 2/3 of the way to the plate.

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True, but that is soooo much more on their hitting coaches than the pitchers doing it right at the younger ages. At the collegiate level...an entirely different scenario IMO.

YOCOACH said:

True, but that is soooo much more on their hitting coaches than the pitchers.

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Best MLB pitcher in my lifetime IMO was Pedro Martinez and his best pitch was probably his changeup. Used properly, at the correct
times and with a fastball which you need to respect, a good changeup can make even the best hitters look silly.

I clearly remember after her 1st season of rec (5th grade), when she told me that she wanted to play travel ball. I said you have to chose between gymnastics or softball. You can’t do both. If I knew then what I know now, I would have kept her in gymnastics


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