- Jun 8, 2016
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- 113
I think, in general, people are really bad at admitting they made a mistake and then moving on from it until they are forced to by circumstances which would dramatically alter their life.
Part Vent and part observation:
- Thread starter Cannonball
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I think, in general, people are really bad at admitting they made a mistake and then moving on from it until they are forced to by circumstances which would dramatically alter their life.
More experienced parents please chime in. My daughter is a 2024. Plays for a top nationally recognized organization that shall remain nameless. Our current routine is hitting lesson weekly with a coach we think is teaching the right things and she seems to be responding to. Tee work 2 other days when we play about 200 balls a session...sometimes front toss it DH is available, 3 days of this when we don't play and have practice instead. 1 day off a week to be a kid. She seems happy this way. No lip or bad attitude. Are we on the right track hitting wise. We are 11u and she tears it up when we play 11u struggles some when we play 12s no more or less than other kids on her team.
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I worked closely with a DI Power 5 program in an administrative role, coached high school varsity (stopped after my wife and I had our daughter), and started giving hitting lessons a little bit more than a year ago. I had always given free lessons until my wife told me I had to start charging something (I currently charge $30 per hour in a suburb of a major American city and often go well over the hour if I can). I now have about 30 students, about 15 of whom are regulars, but I have a "real" job too so the schedule can be a grind. I have the "he's coached multiple DI players" tag when some people introduce me, although if you've coached long enough in the right areas this can be said for just about anyone.
However, to be honest, if you care about your students it can be an emotional roller coaster. In many ways it's like coaching and parenting as the "wins" aren't nearly as rewarding as the losses are painful. I try not to live and die with the results of every student but when one is struggling it can be tough. I have GC alerts on my phone and I really try not to live-and-die with the results of individual ABs but it's tough not to. I have one student now (12-year-old) who is talented and struggled for about a month. She's coming out of it now but I was ready to find her another instructor, and I love this kid and family. The parents were very loyal. I'm confident in my instruction but I just didn't think this girls was progressing to her natural abilities. What do you do then? How long do you try to make it work? Not easy answers.
The very first private student I started working with last April has gone from 55 exit velocity to over 70 in a year, but she's also worked her rear end off and has made herself a very good hitter. Made all-region this year as a junior in a talent rich suburb, and will definitely play NAIA or DII as she's getting a lot of interest now. She's also taken the most lessons and put in the most time. I feel like I've had more success with my older players.
With the younger kids I wrestle with long-term mechanics vs. short term in-game success. I feel like I could bring a 10U or 12U kid in for a lesson and just throw front toss and live pitch to her for an hour and she's going to hit better in games, but am I helping her develop a "top-level" swing long term in doing so. I wrestle with that often. Parents aren't paying me to be a BP pitcher, or at least I don't think they should be.
As for the mention about working with players who are less gifted, I love those kids. However, I too argue with myself about if I should just encourage these kids to take on another activity because long-term softball success is just not likely, no matter how much time we spend. On the flip side, there are a few of these kids who just want to do better in rec. I do try to be honest in these cases, not a dream crusher but a dose of reality too.
In all, my kids do improve. Would they be improving more rapidly, or less so, elsewhere? I wrestle with that...often.
Gosh, I think I'm emotionally fragile reading this.
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- Jun 8, 2016
- 16,118
- 113
I worked closely with a DI Power 5 program in an administrative role, coached high school varsity (stopped after my wife and I had our daughter), and started giving hitting lessons a little bit more than a year ago. I had always given free lessons until my wife told me I had to start charging something (I currently charge $30 per hour in a suburb of a major American city and often go well over the hour if I can). I now have about 30 students, about 15 of whom are regulars, but I have a "real" job too so the schedule can be a grind. I have the "he's coached multiple DI players" tag when some people introduce me, although if you've coached long enough in the right areas this can be said for just about anyone.
However, to be honest, if you care about your students it can be an emotional roller coaster. In many ways it's like coaching and parenting as the "wins" aren't nearly as rewarding as the losses are painful. I try not to live and die with the results of every student but when one is struggling it can be tough. I have GC alerts on my phone and I really try not to live-and-die with the results of individual ABs but it's tough not to. I have one student now (12-year-old) who is talented and struggled for about a month. She's coming out of it now but I was ready to find her another instructor, and I love this kid and family. The parents were very loyal. I'm confident in my instruction but I just didn't think this girls was progressing to her natural abilities. What do you do then? How long do you try to make it work? Not easy answers.
The very first private student I started working with last April has gone from 55 exit velocity to over 70 in a year, but she's also worked her rear end off and has made herself a very good hitter. Made all-region this year as a junior in a talent rich suburb, and will definitely play NAIA or DII as she's getting a lot of interest now. She's also taken the most lessons and put in the most time. I feel like I've had more success with my older players.
With the younger kids I wrestle with long-term mechanics vs. short term in-game success. I feel like I could bring a 10U or 12U kid in for a lesson and just throw front toss and live pitch to her for an hour and she's going to hit better in games, but am I helping her develop a "top-level" swing long term in doing so. I wrestle with that often. Parents aren't paying me to be a BP pitcher, or at least I don't think they should be.
As for the mention about working with players who are less gifted, I love those kids. However, I too argue with myself about if I should just encourage these kids to take on another activity because long-term softball success is just not likely, no matter how much time we spend. On the flip side, there are a few of these kids who just want to do better in rec. I do try to be honest in these cases, not a dream crusher but a dose of reality too.
In all, my kids do improve. Would they be improving more rapidly, or less so, elsewhere? I wrestle with that...often.
Gosh, I think I'm emotionally fragile reading this.
Nice post. Being emotionally invested in an activity where failing 6 or 7 times out of 10 is considered great can be draining. It is bad enough for me as a parent when I only have 1 to worry about (for now..every hit my 3 year old DS gets is a HR
)..cannot imagine worrying about 30+
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Unfortunately, money drives a lot of instructors and to be honest, its very easy money if you are doing it for the wrong reasons.
A little bs lip service to parents that have rose colored glasses on and the lessons money train can go on for a long time without having
to show any good results. The last thing they want to do is have parents step into reality about their dd's skill set.
A little bs lip service to parents that have rose colored glasses on and the lessons money train can go on for a long time without having
to show any good results. The last thing they want to do is have parents step into reality about their dd's skill set.
To me the bottom line is, are you getting results from the hitting instruction.To get good results it needs to be enjoyable, and the instruction has to be good and easy for the kid to understand. If there is no improvement than whats the point? I know parents that send their kids to hitting lessons almost every week of the year to some renowned & successful hitting guru, and the kid still hits .200. I'm guilty of this myself to some extent, but I cannot afford a 26 lesson hitting package at some high dollar place.To these instructors/organizations it's all about the money. I am pretty blessed that I stumbled onto a pretty darn good hitting coach for my DD. She loves going, and takes something away from every session. When she's at home she works on the same drills she does at lessons, and understands the how's & why's pretty darn good for a 14 year old. This was not the case with the previous 4 or 5 instructors that she had. I think if people really knew what good instruction looked like it would be an eye opener. The problem is there seems to be more bad than good out there these days.
She loves going, and takes something away from every session. When she's at home she works on the same drills she does at lessons, and understands the how's & why's pretty darn good for a 14 year old. This was not the case with the previous 4 or 5 instructors that she had. I think if people really knew what good instruction looked like it would be an eye opener. The problem is there seems to be more bad than good out there these days.The vast majority of "coaches" are stealing money. It's akin to modeling agencies stealing your money with hopes of seeing your sweetie on the cover of a magazine. Elite athletes have an extra gear. You can't coach that. True hitting is an art and craft that's what people don't understand. It's not a cookie cutter approach answered by a chatroom, GIF, or youtube video. There's a lot that goes in to it, but that effort comes from the athlete itself.
Great point. And goes directly into the "instant gratification" that parents want (or think they are paying for) vs understanding that the whole process is a journey. It cracks me up watching parents run from instructor to instructor chasing that "quick fix". If more people would understand it's about building trust and adding what a player can handle in the steps they can process and understand and then execute they will be better off long term than trying to make 1000 changes looking for the "fix". Know the absolutes of a great swing. Work toward a goal. Celebrate the successes along the way. Even this forum can be guilty of "chasing perfection" and if you don't know how to step back and take a little step at a time you can get very overwhelmed.
- Jun 8, 2016
- 16,118
- 113
Nice!!
Went to the park with my kids yesterday for a few hours. It was hot but they are troopers. Little one (3 year old boy) got his "swings" and ground balls in first before I hit grounders and pitched to my 8 year old DD. Usually the little one helps shag for my DD (stick him about 200 ft out there..8 year old cannot hit that far yet) but he was lazy yesterday and found shade instead
Fun times. Reminds me of when I was a kid, play all day and don't realize how hot it is until you are done..keeps me young.
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- Jun 8, 2016
- 16,118
- 113
I got a ways to go with parenting but I am trying. My father would take me to the field every day in the summer when I was a kid and it is the best memories I have with my father. I am hoping my kids have similar feelings when they are grown. Agree about teaching work ethic, the idea that if you want to be good at something you have to work at it, instilled in me by my parents, has carried through to other things in my life (including being a better parent..that is tough!!)
