How to pick....coach

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Oct 1, 2014
2,219
113
USA
  • effective coaches actually say very little (Is there research to back up this claim? Followed by anecdotal life story)
  • Micromanaging the game sends out signals of mistrust and incompetence (introduces straw-man)
  • Over-calling pitches from the bench at the youth level robs athletes of critical tactical knowledge needed to compete at an elite level. (coaches typically call pitches at all levels of competitive softball.)
  • Through direct eye contact and an empathetic response to failure, great coaches show they care about their pitchers as individuals, no matter their successes or failures on the field. (What?)
  • background check (Most parents do no leave their child unsupervised with their pitching coach. Most parents are catching their kids at the youth level. Team based pitching coaches will already have a background check).

So, not surprisingly you disagree with other coaching styles. in my opinion there can be extremes in either direction regarding each of the points brought up. The thing that bothers me is (and we've been through this before) is your opinion that the players (at all levels of competitive softball) should not be involved in calling pitches. You might be the greatest pitch calling coach in the world but not every coach (or staff) is yet their ego or whatever gets in the way and they have to assert that control anyway. And if the Coach is so good at it, why not help the athlete with that mental aspect of the game? Wouldn't you consider that to be "coaching"? As i've also said before, pitch calling should be a group effort not just some stubborn, know it all on a bucket expecting the players to be robots.
 
Sep 28, 2015
150
18
That article was hot garbage.


Wow, we would not be a good combination to coach together (meant in good spirit)!!

I felt affirmation that the POINTS being expressed by the author were a reflection of my own values and responsibility of the type of youth coach I try to be.

YMMV but every kid is different and approaches should vary slightly but being calm and showing trust is always part of it.

Thanks for the article.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
May 17, 2012
2,804
113
So, not surprisingly you disagree with other coaching styles. in my opinion there can be extremes in either direction regarding each of the points brought up. The thing that bothers me is (and we've been through this before) is your opinion that the players (at all levels of competitive softball) should not be involved in calling pitches. You might be the greatest pitch calling coach in the world but not every coach (or staff) is yet their ego or whatever gets in the way and they have to assert that control anyway. And if the Coach is so good at it, why not help the athlete with that mental aspect of the game? Wouldn't you consider that to be "coaching"? As i've also said before, pitch calling should be a group effort not just some stubborn, know it all on a bucket expecting the players to be robots.

Again I am not excusing the behavior (coach calling the pitches) I merely try to explain why it is that way. Don't confuse the two.
 
Apr 28, 2014
2,316
113
Simple in my mind. Does the coach you're thinking about turning your DD over to have a proven track record of developing kids who are successful at the level your DD aspires to play at in College.
 

StormChase

3 Daughter's, 3 Athletes
Jan 21, 2019
30
8
Vancouver, BC, Canada
I let my catcher call the shots on the field. I may nudge them in the right direction when needed but as a catcher myself, I laugh when ever I see a coach giving catcher signals from the bench every pitch. Robs the pitcher and catcher of one of the best parts about having the position and trust to run the game while knowing you did your job as coach to allow them to make the right calls
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
I'm biased since I'm married to a coach, so I'm going to probably think his way is best. He calls pitches in games (or his assistant coach does). But he loves teaching the girls about the strategy behind pitch calling. We're playing an indoor league this winter and he has them calling pitches. It's basically hitting practice for us, wins/losses don't matter even a tiny bit. He started out calling them but the 2nd week had them take over. I think he'd love to get to a point where they were confident calling their own games, even if they will never get to do that in high school or college.
 
Aug 21, 2008
2,359
113
I used to be hellbent on the subject of coaches calling pitches. I never understood it. How can a coach, sitting on the bench, have a better feel for the situation, the ball in play, the umpire, etc. than the pitcher/catcher? They can't.

Then I came to the university setting. I was/am amazed at how little Division 1 athletes were trained about the game from the beginning. And make no mistake, it starts at 10u!!! That's the age you need to start letting catchers call pitches, even if it's just a change up. Trial and error. Teachable moments. Little things like not throwing a riseball with a runner on 3, less than 2 outs, and last inning were foreign concepts. "But coach, my rise is my best pitch!!" Ummm, yea, do you want them to hit a sac fly? <<deer in the headlights look>> "NO". Ok then, throw dropball, dropball dropball and play the percentages!!! In our "fall season" I split the games of me calling pitches and the catchers calling, just to see what kind of thoughts went into effect. I was amazed. "Why would you throw a change up, on an 0-2 count, with the hitter short handled trying to protect the plate?" I don't know coach. Ugggh.

So, it starts young. They have to learn how to call pitches young. What to look for. What to call. Why to call it. What are the percentages? And, it's very helpful to have a former pitcher or fastpitch catcher to help learn these things. No, it's not mandatory. But, there are A LOT of coaches who claim to be great pitch "callers" when there is a simple truth at play, either: A) the pitcher is dominant and it won't matter what pitch is called of B) the other team cannot hit for the life of them. Either scenario will make any coach look like a genius. Far too many people confuse bad hitting with good pitching.

Bill
 

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