10U Just be positive and encouraging
12U Take and Sac Bunt signs
14U Steal, Fake Bunt, Squeeze signs
Low stake age levels have to be about players taking chances and figuring things out on their own. For 3B coaching at younger levels it should be about what NOT to do...don't cause that 3rd out...
It's actually pretty complicated: D1 and D2 teams have budgets set by the school for athletic scholarships. Each school funds these scholarships differently and smaller or less competitive schools are often NOT funded as fully as the NCAA allows. The most desirable players--pitchers usually--can...
My daughter chose a great D3 program over an offer at a struggling D1 program and one very good D2. She wasn't awed by the D1 facillities and giant campuses, so none of that mattered. What mattered is that she had a former TB teammate in a losing D1 program who started once in four years...
The top pitcher in D3 doesn't throw as hard as you might think. My DD plays in the same conference and guesses no more than 60 mph fastball. This pitcher has incredible control though and has an incredible ball/strike ratio.
At 14 my DD broke her left arm and missed what we thought at the time was a crucial TB season. Her incentive to rehabilitate was a custom A2K 11.75 baseball glove. It was incredibly stiff. We pounded with a mallet and used pure lanolin to soften it up. It was an awesome glove all the way through...
https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/sports/softball
This is a beautuful school dedicated to increasing opportunities for young women in Engineering. They have a camp coming up too.
The last time I saw this as an issue was when the pitcher while on the pitching rubber brought the ball into her glove while reading her wristband and then started her routine which included once again bringing her hands together. She was called on it and then did it at least five more times...
Location is the priority for a coach. My final year coaching a top HS team I had a great battery and could literally use just four signals...high or low outside high or low inside. I let my pitcher and catcher decide how to get it there. We had high 50s speed wise and that was plenty. It didn't...
That is the goal of every coach in a championship game...hoping the losers...um...lose. Feeling bad about losing and remembering that it hurts to lose...part of the game.
The losing team...Lake Brantley...was the only team all year to beat Lakewood Ranch (twice) and this was great revenge. Also, with the game pretty much over, the Lake Brantley coach called a few bush-league plays...sac bunt...attempt to steal 3rd...just to get one more run when they needed six...
With a foolish coach or a bad team, the questions become, what value can I bring and what value am I getting from my time? If she isn't contributing as a player (pitching BP hardly qualifies) and isn't developing her skills in practice, then what is she doing there? A very bad coach can do real...
The umpires I admire most realize that fan noise...no matter how ugly...is simply outside of their purview and ignore it. Tournament or park officials all have sportsmanship standards for spectators. It is those folks responsible for everything outside the fence. Players, coaches, and umpires...
And of course "pushing it" becomes a habit for your players and comes back to bite you when you least can afford it. Two years ago USA Natls 18U in Sioux Falls...speedy runner on first leaves early, batter crushes the pitch for a two run dinger...disallowed because the early leave is a deadball...
Here's a great drill learned from Cindy Bristow: two coaches each with a whistle...one watches the pitcher and blows on release...the other one blows when the runner's foot leaves 1st base...if not in sync the the runner is early or late. The sound of both whistles in sync is a powerful...
An experienced slapper wins every time if your fielders are slow and/or your pitching isn't exceptional. That's why good slappers eat uo defenses in 12 and 14U. For 18U we bring LF almost to the dirt for flares, SS comes inside the baseline to cover slow rollers, 2B comes in almost level with...
Share what you know about college ball in the state. DD is very interested in Carleton and curious about St. Olafs...haven't had a chance to visit. DD may go D1 locally but interested in D3 programs.