- Jun 12, 2015
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I don't know your situation exactly, just throwing it out there from my experience watching DD play at various levels.
How to help a girl become a team leader
- Thread starter Bob516
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I don't know your situation exactly, just throwing it out there from my experience watching DD play at various levels.
My response was meant to be somewhat of a rhetorical question. Also, your restating what I had said in my original post, that being in this situation is not going to make her a better player is, to be blunt, not helpful.
- Jun 12, 2015
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Sorry, I tend to skim when I'm surfing at work 
I miss things.
I miss things.Sorry, I tend to skim when I'm surfing at work
I understand.
I really question parents that think their kid is the best player on the team, and that playing with "lesser" talent doesn't make their DD a better player, " it brings them down". Maybe so, but to be a great player, you should bring up the talent around you, not the other way around. Now the other 14u team may have had a great catcher and the only way to get her time, was to put her on the "other" team. If she's just a "spot" on an elite team, she doesn't shine, but if she is a bright diamond among coal, she may POP. And its all about catching the college coaches eye. AND it should build her character and leadership for when she does play with more talented girls. JMO
- Nov 29, 2009
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You are incorrect about the team talent level. If a player is that much better than her teammates she usually has to lower her game to match that of her teammates. It's nearly impossible for one player to raise the level of the entire team to match hers, no matter how hard she tries. It's up to the rest of the team to make the effort to raise their game to the top player. In theory it sounds like a great thing to be a leader and show the other less talented players how it's done. Unfortunately, it usually doesn't happen. The rest of the team usually won't put in the time or the effort to raise their game.
Last season I had two catchers on my team. Catcher #1 was a superior athlete in every sense of the word and a natural leader. The team followed her both on and off the field. Catcher #2 was an average catcher. She did most of the things well, but at a much lower level than the #1. She tried to lead but came off as forced. The team did not follow her. Catcher #1 became complacent because she knew there was no one to push her. This year catcher #2 was replaced with another really good catcher. The competition is on for playing time and both players are raising their game.
If a player is that talented she needs to play on a team with players who will challenge her skills to be up to the task of playing with them or surpassing them. It's better to chase the talent level on a team and work to meet or beat it rather than having the talent level chasing the player. That's why the very high-level teams across the country succeed. There is competition on the team among top talent.
- Nov 18, 2013
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I had similar thoughts. I’m guessing these feelings have also been shared with a parent and/or teammate. Letting everybody know your kid is the top player or believing they’re dragging others down isn’t going to help earn them respect as a leader. People often believe this is anonymous and/or nobody else from our organization looks at sites like this. The softball world is very small and chances are someone has figured out your true identity and what’s posted here will get back to others.
- May 17, 2012
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I agree with Sparky Guy for the most part but I will go deeper in that softball is not a team sport. No matter how good the one individual is they cannot help the other players directly during the game like you can with a lot of other sports. Specifically there is nothing a teammate can do to help another teammate hit the ball when she is at bat. In basketball you can double team to help a weak defender, in football the QB can look of the safety to help a receiver get some extra space....in softball it's a bunch of individual actions (hitting, pitching, catching, throwing).
There are some team concepts like double plays and relays but for the majority of the action it's individuals either performing or not. To me this is why "team leaders" are overrated in baseball and softball.
I would rather have talented kids pushing other talented kids for playing time as that's the only real weapon a coach has.
There are some team concepts like double plays and relays but for the majority of the action it's individuals either performing or not. To me this is why "team leaders" are overrated in baseball and softball.
I would rather have talented kids pushing other talented kids for playing time as that's the only real weapon a coach has.
Lets watch that "individual" make a stop, and throw, then go dig it out the dirt at first! or let her pitch, then run behind the plate to throw out a runner, and make the tag! I do understand your reasoning, I'm just joking with you, but like I said, if she's a great player, she will bring up the level of play if those girls want to play. I'm not talking about rec level girls with one" A" club travel player. It's like a pitcher thats soso, if a SS makes a great dive, it will pick the pitcher and teammates up. AND WHILE I"M ON MY SOAP BOX......any "person" can coach an A level team with A level talent most of the time, But give a "coach" a C level team that can turn them into A level talent is a "true coach"! build them up, not break them down!
You can disagree all you want, but you say its up to the rest of the team to raise their game to hers. That sounds like what I said, she shows the level that the team needs to be, and she can set an example of what that looks like. She cant make them follow, they have to be willing. AND most of the time, competition is needed to push girls and to make them see.
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