Coach telling players to "take a hit"!
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Getting hit by a pitch is part of the game. I agree that advertising it is a bit over the top. I am wondering if some of this has to do with the mom and her DD's first experience with softball? It is a contact sport, no matter what one might think. The seams from the ball are a badge of honor.
I teach my players from a young age how to get hit by a pitch. Every good coach does. Front shoulder in, back to the pitcher. Otherwise you would have inexperienced players turning to face the ball and exposing their face/chest/stomach to injury.
Also, I agree with not jumping out of the batters box. Many times the girls are crowding the plate, and jump away from an inside pitch, only to have it called a strike.
I teach my players from a young age how to get hit by a pitch. Every good coach does. Front shoulder in, back to the pitcher. Otherwise you would have inexperienced players turning to face the ball and exposing their face/chest/stomach to injury.
Also, I agree with not jumping out of the batters box. Many times the girls are crowding the plate, and jump away from an inside pitch, only to have it called a strike.
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it occured to me that if a coach was yelling to take one and his kid was toeing the line, the opposing coach might start calling away. You could get a benny without having to actually take a hit.
Now if DD is behind the plate and you want to place your toes on the line you can expect a couple of FBs up and and in. You can take them if you're up to it but it won't be in your rump.
Now if DD is behind the plate and you want to place your toes on the line you can expect a couple of FBs up and and in. You can take them if you're up to it but it won't be in your rump.
If he is going to tell them to "wear" one for the team he better be teaching them how to do it first. If your getting hit on the arm you need to learn how to turn away from the pitch.
Never a fan of having a kid get hit. I say get out of the way, but do it right so if it does hit you it hits you in a softer spot
Never a fan of having a kid get hit. I say get out of the way, but do it right so if it does hit you it hits you in a softer spot
I think that is why we see so many kids wearing the elbow guard.
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Awaiting genuis pills
In USSSA that's definitely not the case. Page 4 of Clarification and Interpretation Topics (can you believe that there are actually 2 rulebooks in Utrip used to explain the "main" rulebook?)....
"The batter does not have to make an effort to avoid ball. However the batter can not move to get hit by a ball.
I'm not sure about NSA, ASA. or PGF though.
- Feb 22, 2013
- 206
- 18
My dd gets hit by a pitch every weekend that she plays. Sometimes, she will get hit by a pitch 2 or 3 times in a game.
Getting hit by a pitch wasn't anything that a coach or her dad taught her. She really learned that getting hit by a pitch was part of the game when we would watch College Softball Games on ESPN. The college softball players with the high on base percentages would never get out of the way of an inside pitch. The girls would get hit by a pitch and trot down to 1st base showing little, to no emotion. The ESPN Announcers would usually comment on the possitive aspects of having baserunners for the offensive team and the negative aspects of hitting/walking batters for the defensive team.
My dd is a pitcher and hates baserunners. The more baserunners, the greater the chance of giving up runs. So when my dd gets hit by a pitch, she knows that she has won the battle with that pitcher. She just hopes that the pitcher is like her and hates baserunners as much as she does.
I am guessing that by now, my dd has learned, through trial and error, how to take a pitch. Everytime she is hit by a pitch, there is a risk for injury. Getting hit by a pitch helps her to achieve her goal of getting on base.
I agree with most people on this board that yelling at a kid to get hit by a pitch without proper instruction could be dangerous to the young athlete. The same could be said for yelling at a first year athlete to slide into a base without having given proper instruction (or any instruction) on how to slide. Both scenarios could cause season ending injuries.
Most of the middle school coaches that my dd played for weren't great instructors of fundamentals. If they had been, the high school coaches wouldn't still be teaching fundamentals at the Varsity level. As to the original post, it is a tough situation to be in. If I thought there was a danger to my child, I wouldn't hesitate to set up a meeting with the coach and express my concern.
Best of luck.
Getting hit by a pitch wasn't anything that a coach or her dad taught her. She really learned that getting hit by a pitch was part of the game when we would watch College Softball Games on ESPN. The college softball players with the high on base percentages would never get out of the way of an inside pitch. The girls would get hit by a pitch and trot down to 1st base showing little, to no emotion. The ESPN Announcers would usually comment on the possitive aspects of having baserunners for the offensive team and the negative aspects of hitting/walking batters for the defensive team.
My dd is a pitcher and hates baserunners. The more baserunners, the greater the chance of giving up runs. So when my dd gets hit by a pitch, she knows that she has won the battle with that pitcher. She just hopes that the pitcher is like her and hates baserunners as much as she does.
I am guessing that by now, my dd has learned, through trial and error, how to take a pitch. Everytime she is hit by a pitch, there is a risk for injury. Getting hit by a pitch helps her to achieve her goal of getting on base.
I agree with most people on this board that yelling at a kid to get hit by a pitch without proper instruction could be dangerous to the young athlete. The same could be said for yelling at a first year athlete to slide into a base without having given proper instruction (or any instruction) on how to slide. Both scenarios could cause season ending injuries.
Most of the middle school coaches that my dd played for weren't great instructors of fundamentals. If they had been, the high school coaches wouldn't still be teaching fundamentals at the Varsity level. As to the original post, it is a tough situation to be in. If I thought there was a danger to my child, I wouldn't hesitate to set up a meeting with the coach and express my concern.
Best of luck.
That was a rule change this year (2013 12th Edition Rulebook) for USSSA.
What kind of liability issues could there be if a coach tells a player to get hit by a pitched ball and they get injured?
These are all great posts! Thank you all for the advice, comments, examples... As some of you said it would be okay if she knew HOW to take a hit. This is her first year playing and she is a tough kid. She was proud of the mark. It was me that had the issue. If he taught her how to turn her body and prepare for the possiblity of getting his by a pitch and she took one that would be fine with me. But he plays her the last two innings of games. She has not had much experience. Im getting her set up with a hitting coach from the local college and get her the training she needs. 
Next time she gets hit by a pitch it will be on her decision. Not sure what Im going to do, talk to the coach or not. It usually comes back to hurt the kids when a parent steps in.
Next time she gets hit by a pitch it will be on her decision. Not sure what Im going to do, talk to the coach or not. It usually comes back to hurt the kids when a parent steps in.
