Line Drive Nation ??

MikeP said:

8u has become serious business in the last 3-4 years around here.

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MikeP said:

I promise I’m not the crazy dad that’s living through his daughter and pushing her too hard. I really just want to help her the best I can and hope that she learns and has fun.

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Eric F said:

- Expect there to be peaks and valleys in her performance. Don't panic during the valleys.
- Take LOTS of video.

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Eric F said:

This made me literally LOL, and spit Diet Pepsi on my desk. Not because I think you're crazy, but because I remember how 8U felt when my DD was that age - serious. I still have a pic of my DD's 8U All-Star team in my office. This is also about the time I found this site and started my journey of learning how to help my DD.



In other words, you're EXACTLY like pretty much everyone who has offered you advice in this thread. We've been where you are.

A few things I learned...
- When it comes to any kind of mechanics (hitting, throwing, pitching, catching, etc.), understand to the best of your ability how it feels in your own body, and how it fits in with the rest of the sequence of movements, before you try to teach it to your DD. If it doesn't make sense to you, don't try to teach it to your DD.
- Stay ahead of her learning curve, but - and this is important - don't feed her every new thing you learn (see above). Overwhelming her with information and changes and concepts will muddy the process, and is a quick way to create frustration for both of you. Be patient. Don't try to fix everything all at once. (I didn't do this part right.)
- Look at progress over a long period of time, not day-to-day. Players as young as your DD are still trying to figure out how their body works and how to control it. Sometimes it takes them a while to connect the dots of what you're trying to teach them. This tends to improve over time.
- If you're struggling with her during a session together, be willing to walk away and leave it it for another day.
- Expect there to be peaks and valleys in her performance. Don't panic during the valleys.
- Take LOTS of video. Compare it to the best. No one expects an 8yo to have a pro-level swing, but a lot can be learned by seeing where the differences are.
- While a tee can be a useful tool for working on mechanics concepts, front toss is better. Do as much front toss as you can.

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MikeP said:

Talked to a girl last spring at a tournament after her team destroyed us and every other team. She said that they practice 6 days a week year round and play indoor tournaments all winter. This was 8u mind you and she said they never take a break. Crazy but I guess the girls are crazy dedicated.

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FP26 said:

I am all for hard work and dedication, but I feel this is a bit extreme at the 8u level. I would be very curious to see how many of those players are still involved in softball by the time they are 16.

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Eric F said:

I would bet a majority aren't playing at 12U.

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