HS pitching and parenting

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Greenmonsters

Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Feb 21, 2009
6,168
38
New England
What in the world does a calculus exam and being in the circle have to do with each other? That is apples and oranges. Again, you need to take a walk in the real world with regard to softball. Unlike calculus, pitching is a dynamic physical event and performance is enhanced by competent coaching during that event. This is common in most athletic endeavors. That is why top programs in softball and baseball have pitching coaches. Only a coach who is insecure in their abilities insists on providing zero help and then expecting pitchers to "figure it out". Of course when things do go south on game day who do they blame? Of course, it is the pitcher who they have had zero role in developing.

I gladly would have accepted both mental and mechanical advice from a coach during college calculus exams.
 
Jun 18, 2012
3,183
48
Utah
It's not that I don't value other peoples (pitching coach, parent) insight it's just that I am not interested in it during the game.

Understood and agree....regarding during a game. However, given the pitching mechanics advocated here on DFP are often not familiar to many coaches (often seen as WRONG mechanics needing correcting), I would argue that even away from games, the coach is very often not at all interested in what a pitcher's pitching coach has to say regarding the pitcher he's/she's working with. Ego, ego, ego, often comes ahead of all else.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
See Post #2 and #6. He mentioned receiving feedback from a pitching coach during a game. The conversation turned towards parents and private paid coaches providing feedback during games. My response was that she needs to "figure it out" without the assistance of her parents and or paid pitching coach during a game. Said player has adequate support from the coaching staff (head coach, assistant coach, pitching coach, etc.) during the game. You are making it sound like some individual coach just shows up to the game and rolls out the balls and bats and tells the players to just, "figure it out". I have not seen this before however some posters have pointed out some coaching staffs are morons.

A couple of random thoughts...
1) How many HS and TB coaches have played fastpitch softball?
2) How many HS and TB coaches have ever thrown a pitch in a fastpitch game?
3) How many HS and TB teams have a qualified pitching coach on staff?
4) How many HS and TB coaches have a DD that pitched in college or a high level of TB?
5) How many HS and TB coaches have read the IR thread on DFP?
6) How many HS and TB coaches know what brush interference is?
7) How many HS and TB coaches know who Bill Hillhouse and Ricky Pauly are?
8) How many HS coaches got the job because they are also the PE Coach?
9) How many TB coaches got their start as a clueless REC league coach of their DD's team when she was 8?
10) How many TB and HS coaches have ever attended one of their pitchers pitching lessons?
11) How many TB and HS teams have more than one pitcher with completely different mechanics?
 
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Greenmonsters

Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Feb 21, 2009
6,168
38
New England
Is it possible that a parent knows more than a coach about certain aspects of the game?

IMO/IME, if I, ....oops, I mean they do, they need to refrain from sharing that knowledge unless specifically requested to by the coach during said coaches practices or games or else it won't end well. And that parent either needs to become the coach or help their DD choose their coach well or bite their tongue regardless of how many stitches that may cause. YMMV
 
It's come to my attention that most softball coaches wouldn't last very long as wrestling coaches. Go to a crowded HS wrestling match sometime - the coach on the mat will be shouting direct instructions to the athlete the whole time - as will a hundred people in the stands. At a swim meet hundreds will yell - while the kid's head is underwater. I guess it's just the etiquette of the sport in question.

Most of you must be blessed with top shelf coaching from tee ball to college. DD's 10U rec season, I was asked to coach one of the three teams in our local association. I declined because although DD was pitching about a year and had been to several months of lessons, I felt unqualified to coach a fastpitch team trying to recruit pitchers. I wound up as AC on DD's team. Turns out I was the only coach of 9 in the league who had ever been to a pitching lesson or even knew how to throw a legal pitch. If I was not AC, I think I would have found it hard to watch a guy who didn't know a legal pitch "correct" my DD during a game. Now in MS, things have not changed. We have one MS coach, no assistants, and HC knows absolutely nothing about pitching, she was a 1B in a couple years of TB and HS 10 years ago. That's the real world where I am from.
 
May 5, 2014
93
0
Pacific Northwest
Add basketball games to that list. I can coach 10U TB team 5-6 games on a weekend but one BB game and I don't have much of a voice left over. I am one of these dads that coached LL as a necessity but grew to love it and searched for all the information and advice I could get, 8 years later I am still amazed at how much I learn every year, and how my thoughts and opinions change. I am enjoying this thread and the different opinions being offered.

I am happy to say that I can finally watch my middle daughter pitch @ 14U and enjoy the experience without having to involve myself in the process. I cheer from the stands and chat with the rest of the parents. The coaches will from time to time ask what I see and I will provide an opinion but I am finally at that point that I will not provide one unless asked. None of my DD's have asked me for pitching advice during a game that I can think of, they will complain about a lot of things, bad field conditions, bad umpire, the rain, the heat, etc... so I have never given this much thought. I coach 10U TB and i'm not the best hitting coach but I have told a parent or two to not coach their DD on hitting in the on deck circle or between innings I don't care how good the parent is at hitting so I guess I would apply this to pitching as well. I do however make a point to know what the girls are working on with their hitting coaches and reinforce it during practices and games. I suppose every situation is different and if what you have going on works for all involved then everything is good.
 

ez_softball

Life at the diamond...
Apr 14, 2017
158
28
IMO a parent/coach is foolish to try and fix both swing and/or pitching mechanics "in game". Sure you can give minor cues but anything is else is what practices are for. Game days are for showing off the work you have put in during the prior weeks/months practices and for coaching strategy and scenarios.

I've seen it over and over when coaches/parents OVER coach their players on game day and ruin the confidence of a player. I see it happening both in game and also 30 minutes before a game in warm-ups... to me it makes ZERO sense.

On game days when my daughter is in the circle you will rarely hear or see me and when you do, it will be only a "good job" etc. I almost always sit away from the action either down the right or left field side. After the game we discuss things and we tackle issues in the next practice batting/pitching session.
 
Feb 3, 2010
5,752
113
Pac NW
I don’t think it would be an official game for me unless I heard any of the following:

“Release point! Watch your release point!”
“Just like practice!”
“Just you and Sara!”
“Trust your defense!”
“Nice Pitch!!!” (That pitch that just went straight down the tube and the hitter choked…)

Not exactly related, but always a classic:
“WHOA!!! Are you kidding me?!?! AWE, come on! Good miss Sally!” (Pitcher’s dad making a scene about the pitch thrown just inside the opposite batter’s box.”

Gotta say, I'd get a kick out of it if I heard a parent or coach call out any of my favorite cues:
"Get whippy at the hippy!"
"Rock it from the pocket!"
"NAIL POLISH!"
 
Nov 4, 2015
320
43
"Get whippy at the hippy!" made me laugh. That will be used this weekend! Maybe just in warm-ups to loosen her up!
 
Feb 19, 2009
196
0
How should you conduct yourself?

1) Sit yourself as far away from the action as you can.,,preferably down the 3B or 1B line past the bases. Why? You are, inevitably, going to groan or sigh...you are, after all, only human. This minimizes the chance that your insane mumblings will be heard by anyone.

2) You can make mental notes about the strategy behind pitching and discuss that with her at some later date.

For me personally, I spent her sophomore, junior and senior years down the left field line. I did give her advice after the game. Here is the advice that was most helpful to her:

a) If your breaking pitch isn't working, grab the backup catcher and work on it between innings.
b) You have to throw your breaking pitch/offspeed pitch even if it isn't working. You cannot abandon a pitch simply because you couldn't get it to work in your first 10 pitches.
c) Learn the umpire's strike zone.

Really? HS pitchers are very often starters, middle inning relievers and closers. Rinse and repeat for the next game which may be the very next day. So if one of my dd's pitches isn't working she's supposed to take one of the few brief opportunities she has to rest her arm and go out fix that pitch? Maybe she fixes that pitch and maybe she doesn't but either way she raises her pitch count by 10-20 pitches for every inning she does this. Dumb advice.
 

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