Differing coaching philosophies on hitting

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Apr 5, 2013
2,130
83
Back on the dirt...
Our teams head coach and I have differing hitting philosophies. (I am also an AC, 1st year 14u) He’s a swing flat, don’t lift the ball to pop out, push the barrel coach. I’m more of a turn the barrel to the ball, get square behind the ball, typical of what is posted here kind of coach.

I am really struggling with it. Today, he had the girls swinging and not letting the bat get behind them. He had a pool noodle on a cone trying to keep the barrel from getting behind them, which is totally against what I understand a good swing to be. He also told them to not let the barrel travel up because that creates pop fly outs.

Does anyone have any tips on getting him to understand how he is limiting the players? LOL
This is somewhat more of a rant than anything but if you have some ideas, please share. I am telling them one thing in one cage and I hear him telling them almost OPPOSITE in the next cage over.
 
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marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
Always tough, but you can't be teaching one thing and your HC another because then the girls will go nowhere. And changing people's mind on these things for some reason seems to be near impossible. So assuming he isn't open to new ideas on hitting.....

I have had success in the past with flattery and redirection. It is actually the same technique I use to make sure useless members of my project teams at work can do as little as damage as possible by keeping them away from anything really important.

Suggest that he is SOOO good at teaching fielding (or wherever he can do as little damage as possible) that you had the idea of how great it would be for the team if he could concentrate on instructing on that while you take on the way less important task of hitting instruction which we are already really good at because of his already incredible instruction. You honestly can't lay it on too thick. The hardest part is not laughing. If you do it right it will become his idea in no time and you can agree what a great idea he had.

If you can get this separation, then every week you just keep talking about how the feedback on his fielding instruction has been incredible and how it is really showing up in games. It doesn't even have to be true and no one will even notice if the team is whacking the &&&& out of the ball.

And if he is actually really good at teaching some other aspect of the game - then BONUS!
 
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shaker1

Softball Junkie
Dec 4, 2014
894
18
On a bucket
Good luck, that's sounds tough. I'd probaly con him into joining this website, making sure he knew he could help the techinal hitting forum, poor guy would eaten alive. Lol, maybe try and share some info with him, gifs, videos, all while asking questions that you already know the answer to. Help him along nice and easy
 
Oct 2, 2015
615
18
Try living up here in the Minn/Dak area...

That's what the most popular swing is up here...the !@#$% Linear Hand swing.... and/ or the EIO Swing (Old MacDonald Swing)

I feel for ya man!
 
Apr 30, 2018
349
43
Don't do what I did. My daughter made the 8u All-Star team. HC and #2 coach had the girls doing this crazy leaning and stretching the bat out towards the umpire. Many of the girls were casting badly and had the arms straight long before the bat ever got near the plate. I just started teaching the girls the way I have been learning on here combined with what I have learned from my daughters batting coach without talking with the HC first. Pissed off a few parents, irritated the HC and #2 coach, and confused the girls. HC and #2 just knew that their way was the correct way and since I was new I just needed to shut up and do it their way. I backed off and just told my daughter to ignore it and bat the way she was taught by her batting coach. During a game the #2 coach's wife yelled instructions to my daughter when she was up to bat telling her to "get the bat back like coach #2 taught you". Typical 8u girl is going to follow any instruction given to her by an adult, so she assumed this crazy position. This screwed up my daughters swing and of course she missed badly. My wife then yelled to my daughter to bat the way her batting coach taught her. #2's wife gave my wife a very dirty look. Next pitch my daughter smacked it hard into the outfield and scored a HR. After that we pretty much had an agreement that they would let my daughter bat her way, but I wasn't to coach the other girls on hitting. Thru stories on here and my limited experience in rec ball, I'm finding out that sometimes the newer coaches do some research and aren't stuck in these old way's of doing things. When you find coaches that used to play ball in college or have been coaching rec ball for a long time they often times have made the assumption that things haven't changed in the last 20-30 years. If the flattery idea doesn't work, and you don't get the feeling that he is willing to listen to new ideas then I suggest that you talk with him privately regarding your daughter. Explain that you have spent much time and money to have her bat a certain way and you feel it would be detrimental for her to try and change. See if he will at least agree to not coach your daughter on hitting and you won't try to coach the other kids on hitting.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
Our teams head coach and I have differing hitting philosophies. (1st year 14u) He’s a swing flat, don’t lift the ball to pop out, push the barrel coach. I’m more of a turn the barrel to the ball, get square behind the ball, typical of what is posted here kind of coach.

I am really struggling with it. Today, he had the girls swinging and not letting the bat get behind them. He had a pool noodle on a cone trying to keep the barrel from getting behind them, which is totally against what I understand a good swing to be. He also told them to not let the barrel travel up because that creates pop fly outs.

Does anyone have any tips on getting him to understand how he is limiting the players? LOL
This is somewhat more of a rant than anything but if you have some ideas, please share. I am telling them one thing in one cage and I hear him telling them almost OPPOSITE in the next cage over.

Get an anonymous e-mail account and start spamming him with gifs of good swings :cool:
 
Sep 21, 2017
230
43
PA
Have you had a conversation about it with him? Does he know you have philosophical differences, or is he assuming that you teach the same that he does?

I have went though the same thing. The HC I worked for, for four years, was a good coach, solid defensive coach, treated the girls extremely well, had high standards, successful, he just had an old school hitting approach. We had conversations, he felt his way was best, and ultimately, I was the assistant, so we did things his way when we were at practice. He and I were always honest with each other. It's tough sometimes, but it is what it is...it wasn't my program.

Like Marriard said - what you cannot do is teach something that the HC isn't. That turns into confusion for the team and could lead to mistrust from your HC...and that turns into losing a job.
 
Apr 16, 2013
1,113
83
If you really care, I've found that taking the best hitters in the game and showing the person the breakdown of their swing is the only possible way to open up a mind. Personally, I don't bother. I let success be my measuring stick.

On our team the coaches don't do much coaching at all of swings. I see some girls that have some really bad habits, but I just keep my mouth shut. My DD leads the team, by a massive margin, in offense. If they want my help I'm more than willing, but I'll stick with just my DD until then.
 
Dec 10, 2015
845
63
Chautauqua County
good story here- one of the ACs declared himself batting coach. came over to me and told me, nicely, DD's swing is all wrong and what she needed to be doing. we had a very short conversation of how I teach and he explained his level swing approach. I said thank you but my DD and I will do it my way. he said OK, turned to my DD and said, please forget everything I just told you. I feel for the rest of the team but at least he was decent about things.
 
May 23, 2015
999
63
Spit it out. Tell him what you believe is in the best interest of your daughter. Also, why is she on the team if you don't believe the coaches know what they're doing:?
 

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