12U Coaches: A poll about how many errors are acceptable

pattar said:

If you have a kid who you think will make less errors at a position why are they not playing there to begin with? If the kid you have out there has shown in practice, etc to be the best at that position
then a sure fire way of quickly making sure they are no longer the best is to get them to start worrying about making errors. Cannot play ball effectively scared.

Mental/effort errors are a different story.

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Elk Grove Hurricane said:

It isn't always that simple. You're assuming that the best player for every position is always picked, the coaches don't make any mistakes in terms of whom they select (in some cases, anoint) as a starter, coaches don't let their own emotions get the better of themselves when they are picking a lineup, and that any mistakes made by a coach aren't going to crush a team. My DD's have been on a few teams where certain kids get left in to make 4 or 5 errors a game, and/or where some kids make multiple errors every game and are never switched to a new position. Watching it happen repeatedly crushes morale and doesn't teach anyone on the team anything other than that the coaches favor some players over others. Sometimes it's a case of a coach giving a kid a chance, and sometimes it's frankly their own stubbornness or rose-colored glasses that lead them to put a kid in who shouldn't be at a position. When one kid isn't removed after multiple errors, the rest of the team suffers.

I honestly think it's better to immediately instruct and teach the kid who is making repeated errors on what they are doing wrong, or move them to a position where they are more likely to do better. Benching a kid mid-inning or moving positions mid-inning isn't a bad thing when it is done with a little heart and with the intent to teach. Especially when the one who is benched is given another chance in one of the next few games.

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dadofadirtlover said:

Regrettably, if it's my DD, she gets 1 error. Anyone else gets 2 or 3. 1st year TB. Spent the entire fall in my head about making sure I wasn't playing Daddy Ball. Cost our team a couple games because of it. Trying to correct that now.....trying.

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