Rotating players?

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Mar 28, 2017
8
0
Thanks everyone! Since is my first year coaching and I was going off of how things have been traditionally done, I didn't realize most people rotated all players. I'll be sure to give this a try! I know my girls who need a little more work will enjoy this, plus there are some things practice can't prepare you for. Sometimes you need the pressure of a real game to get in the groove!
 
Last edited:
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
In rec ball, all girls should get equal play time in the infield and the outfield. Everyone should take a turn sitting. You play to teach, not play to win. That's the whole point of rec ball, IMO.
 
Apr 17, 2012
806
18
Wi
In rec all girls should play all positions unless safety is an issue. They should all get a chance to pitch. You should be the coach that fuels the love for the game not the one who smothered it. How can you learn to love to play if you dont play?
 
Aug 29, 2011
2,581
83
NorCal
I don't know about your rec league but we have the following rules in ours to ensure girls get some equal playing time and a chance to develop
Girls can only pitch 3 innings per game to keep a coach from riding one stud pitcher.
All girls get 2 innings in the infield
Free defensive substitution
Bat the whole line up.

We have a roster not too far from yours. 6 pretty darn good players, 6 not so much. Guess what all 6 pretty darn good players each sit one inning per game when we have all 12 at the game. No one ever sits more than 1 inning per game unless they are late, leave early or get hurt.

It's your job to coach up the girls and make them love softball, not run rule your competition each game, save that for summer all-stars or your jump to travel ball.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
DD got sucked into SB because of her friend, friend was uncomfortable and did not play a game.

I know I annoyed some parents but I do want anyone to get hurt.

Dang 10 year olds get right back up, resilient.

(DD has always armored up, she has always been best fielder. A ball has never come close to touching her, she will always were one when DW ans me have a say)
 
Last edited:
Mar 28, 2017
8
0
Thank you all for the responses so far! I didn't realize how calloused I sounded in my post. Our league doesn't have any infield/outfield equal play rules. For as long as I can remember (back to when I played rec ball myself) not every player was benched. Generally only 2-3 select players were rotated throughout the game. I do want each girl to learn to love the sport like I did, but part of me was feeling like it wouldn't be fair to the other girls to put a player who I felt wouldn't perform as well as they needed to. I guess that's another good learning point for my girls. This is fun and they need to be good sportsmen!
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
The players who aren't necessarily our best are the ones who I've decided will only get to play half of the game and rotate.

This is *REC* ball. All girls should get equal playing time.

Also...it is better to give all the girls equal playing time and lose than to play "stars" for the whole game and win.

*BUT*...you can win by giving equal playing time.

The keys to "good defense" at this age are:

1) Get force outs at 2B and 3B.
2) Catch popups.
3) Stop overthrows.


SO:

1) The most important positions are 1B, SS and CF. (If this is player pitch, then obviously P is much more important than any other position.) You rotate your best players into those spots.
2) Your weak players play 2B, RF, LF, 3B and C.
3) At practice, you spend *LOTS AND LOTS* of time practicing force outs at 2B and 3B. Put the girls into two lines...one line between 1B and 2B the other between 3B and SS. You roll ground balls to one line, and the other line covers. Switch which line is covering about once every 10 minutes. Do this forever. Teach them the various ways to make the throw to 2B.
4) Practice popups *FOREVER*. Over and over and over again.
5) Teach backing up.

You cannot practice (3) and (4) enough.
 
Last edited:
Aug 29, 2011
2,581
83
NorCal
2) Your weak players play 2B, RF, LF, 3B and C.

If you have an open home plate and drop third strike rule in play, make sure you have someone who can catch the ball at C. Doesn't have to be a stud with a rocket arm, but it does have to be someone who isn't a sieve either.
 
Nov 16, 2015
184
18
Safety is an issue. Dont put a girl who cant catch a ball at 1st or 3rd and i would explain that to the parent/guardian.

Our coach would rotate them by game. I really like it. DD would play 3rd base this game, left field this game, etc. If he had extras then they would play even and odd innings at that 1 position. Each game it was a different girl playing half the innings. He kept track of it to show the unhappy parents. I thought it was more beneficial to our girls to do it this way rather than switch every inning. Plus it kept the game moving bc coach didnt have to gather everyone up and tell them where to go and then wait for the catcher to get the gear on
 
Nov 16, 2015
184
18
1 more thing. If's its a timed game, play until the time is up. Dont quit prior to time bc a team cant come back and win. At this level, reps are more important than the score.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,477
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top