Coach wants DD to switch PCs

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Aug 23, 2016
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DD's all-star coach wants DD to use his daughter's PC and I don't want to switch. Not only is this PC a big believer in HE, but she charges twice as much as DD's PC to dole out this advice.

Coach tells me that DD isn't serious enough about pitching because we have no interest in his PC. He's threatening DD's pitching time.

So far my husband and I have told DD to pitch the way she pitches and then let her results speak for themselves. But her coach is spending practice time questioning her mechanics because, for example, she doesn't keep her arm totally straight during her windmill.

How do we handle this?

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May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Heading into the all-star season is the WRONG time to make a significant mechanical change. Your DD being comfortable and confident with what she is doing, and how she does it, is a more important factor.

I could suggest showing the coach slow motion video of the best pitchers in the world who do not have a straight arm in their windmill (all of them), but I suspect he wouldn't be interested in being proven wrong. Probably the best thing you can do is to let him know that you aren't comfortable with making any changes right now, and ask that he evaluate her abilities on results, not mechanics.
 
Feb 17, 2014
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How old is your daughter?

You keep doing what you are doing as long as you believe in it. All Stars around here only lasts for 3 months. So, I wouldn't worry about it. When my DD was 8 her AS coach only pitched her DD. Today, that kid doesn't play anymore and my DD is pitching Varsity as a freshman.

Your DD has a long softball life. Keep her with the right coaches and things will be fine.
 
Jun 12, 2015
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83
The coach wants her to keep her arm completely straight during the arm circle? Does he know anything about pitching? Personally we have been really careful about pitching coaches for our DD, and have done a lot lot lot of independent research. I don't want any all stars coaches telling her how to pitch, because odds are, they're wrong anyway. As far as how to handle it, I guess it depends on the coach's ego how well it'll go no matter how you do it. I like to be straightforward. Thanks for the input, but we're comfortable with our PC's style and would prefer you don't try to influence her mechanics. We don't want to confuse her. You don't have to tell him he's wrong and doesn't know squat. Just think that part.
 
Last edited:
Oct 1, 2014
2,219
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USA
This situation continues on all through the age groups in our area and is not confined to head coaches. You would think that even if they don't understand the mechanics that any reasonably smart coach would know better as to when to try and "coach" their version of better mechanics to a kid....but, no.

Good luck with the conversation, I'm a skeptic of it ever turning out well. They may say ya ya, ok to your face but the relationship and all that it means to your kid (think playing time) is likely to suffer. It seems to be the rare bird in coaching youth sports that is open to anything brought to them by a lowly parent.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
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If he continues to push the issue with your DD I would go to the coach and tell that while you appreciate that he is the coach and can have his opinion, your DD and you are comfortable
with the way she is being instructed now. If that means less playing time so be it...there will be plenty of softball left in her life.
 
Good luck with the conversation, I'm a skeptic of it ever turning out well. They may say ya ya, ok to your face but the relationship and all that it means to your kid (think playing time) is likely to suffer. It seems to be the rare bird in coaching youth sports that is open to anything brought to them by a lowly parent.

Living this right now. Here is my cautionary tale, for what it's worth:

DD started working with a Tincher instructor late in her second year of 10U. I thought it would be a good time to get serious, as the change in distance and ball size would present a challenge to all the pitchers. When 12U fall ball started, DD's coaches start getting on her about not snapping her wrist, and I can hear them lamenting to one another that "she's short-arming the ball" every time she gets effective brush interference. They want her to warm up with the other pitchers, using the three-quarter motion where they start with their hand on top of the ball at nine-o-clock and throw clear through HE-style.

She responded at first with the old "yes, okay" and then go out and do your thing trick. That didn't work, the coaches aren't dummies. So I had to intervene. My approach was to load up some video from last year's WCWS on my phone, and just say: hey coach, this is what she's working on. I did tell them that some of the things that they were telling her to do contradicted her pitching coach, so please don't get into the weeds with her mechanics. I was very civil, and they immediately agreed that they're not experts and that they're just trying to help. I agreed and thanked them (this was late October, end of fall ball).

Fast forward to now, a few weeks into the spring season, and DD is benched. Like, flat-out not getting into the games at all. Hitting last only when the entire roster bats on Saturdays (she hit third all last summer and led the team in OBP in the fall). Her pitching is cruddy, moving to IR takes time. But she's a solid glove anywhere on the field.

Right now, I'm feeling all the guilt of a parent who should have kept his mouth shut. DD loves her team but finds herself completely on the outs.
 
Aug 23, 2016
359
43
https://www.discussfastpitch.com/be...when-do-you-know-its-time-go-travel-ball.html

Maybe it’s time to find a new way to get play time..

I’d have to speak up to the coach. No way I’d be okay for him to try to change what my wallet is paying for. I do agree with Eric F and show him but that may not end well. Lol


What age group?
She's a first-year 10U and it's her third year pitching.

Unfortunately we don't want to move to travel because she plays multiple sports and we can only manage that if we play rec and all-stars. Unfortunately this coach thinks he knows everything about pitching and he has an enormous ego. (He'll be moving to 12u in the fall so I think I just need to grin and bear it for now.)

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