Another "Should DD change teams" thread

[calgofo]

The distance isn't that big an issue, although weekday practices would be tough, since my wife and I both work until 5ish. She played for a team last year that was based about 2 hours and 15 minutes from home, but they usually practiced on weekends, and didn't expect my DD to be at the few weekday practices they had. Some teams wouldn't be the same though, I'm sure.

We've built a decent team this summer from girls in about a 30-mile radius from us, and I think some of the girls have some good potential, and while I'm obviously more concerned about my own DD's development, I also would like to help the other girls have opportunities to move onward with softball after High School if they want to. I'm not saying I am the greatest coach or anything, but I am trying to learn all the time (which is why I'm on sites like this one and others), not just on the field stuff, but also the other stuff the girls need to know, like sending letters to colleges now, not when they're a senior, etc., and if I go a different path next year, I'm not sure there will be anyone to take my place, especially in the off the field stuff.

But hey, every good travel coach started out as a rookie sometime in the past, right? If I expect my girls to work hard over the winter to improve, then it's only fair that I do the same. Besides, I have a 3 year old DD too, who will just about be ready to start 10U when my older DD hits her college years, so I won't be quite as inexperienced that time around, if the little one loves softball as much as her older sister.

Another idea to consider, while not optimal, is to hold seperate parctices during the week. We had an asst. coach that lived near 3 or 4 of the players and I was closer to the other 8 or 9 and he and I would communicate what we were going to work on that week and he and I would focus the weekday practices with that in mind, then when we met for team practices on the weekends everyone was at least familiar with the lesson.

 

[calgofo]

2 hours one way for two years. Gold was easy. That was only an hour one way. Practically next door. I know kids who come from Edinburgh to play with a name gold team in Houston. I'm sure that's not the record.

Indeed. Tangentially, while I lived at ground zero (at the time) for softball, I was on the wrong side for private schools. Since C was a year younger than her class mates at St. A, I had to make the drive from DP to Bellaire 5 days a week for 3 years, against Houston traffic, both ways. I easily spent 3 hours in traffic everyday of the week. Again, the price I paid for being on the wrong side of town for the best private schools.

 

[Cannonball]

We're going through changing teams. DD's 16. If we move up and already playing only ASA "A" then we will have a very long drive. BTW, why is my dd the only pitcher around who doesn't throw 60, hasn't hit 60, and probably won't? She has won a lot of games.

 

[Mark H]

Indeed. Tangentially, while I lived at ground zero (at the time) for softball, I was on the wrong side for private schools. Since C was a year younger than her class mates at St. A, I had to make the drive from DP to Bellaire 5 days a week for 3 years, against Houston traffic, both ways. I easily spent 3 hours in traffic everyday of the week. Again, the price I paid for being on the wrong side of town for the best private schools.

Brutal but understandable.

 

[calgofo]

We're going through changing teams. DD's 16. If we move up and already playing only ASA "A" then we will have a very long drive. BTW, why is my dd the only pitcher around who doesn't throw 60, hasn't hit 60, and probably won't? She has won a lot of games.

CB, your gun must be miscallibrated. I can't speak to todays speeds but years ago the NFCA published the results of their different recruiting camps and at the time only one in twelve could actually bust 60 mph and presumably the kids in attendance represented most of the best available. At the time I think 60+ in SB represented about the same amount of boys who were able to hit 90+. I know when Gary's daughter was clocked at one of the camps, she hit about 60-61 and Cat was able to hang on .

 

[Cannonball]

CB, your gun must be miscallibrated. I can't speak to todays speeds but years ago the NFCA published the results of their different recruiting camps and at the time only one in twelve could actually bust 60 mph and presumably the kids in attendance represented most of the best available. At the time I think 60+ in SB represented about the same amount of boys who were able to hit 90+. I know when Gary's daughter was clocked at one of the camps, she hit about 60-61 and Cat was able to hang on .

That's it! I'm trading my kid in!!! Wait, well, she's still a good kid and so... With all of the tryouts coming up, I'm sure that we will run into some guns. Maybe if I pay them to "calibrate" that gun "just right" she will hit 60 and I can sleep at night.

 

[Mark H]

Yeah Cat did ok I guess. Seriously, high fifties with spin and command will get you a lot of fun. In the meantime incorporate regular long toss using Jaeger's protocol and who knows. A few more mph might be nice.

 

[Cannonball]

Yeah Cat did ok I guess. Seriously, high fifties with spin and command will get you a lot of fun. In the meantime incorporate regular long toss using Jaeger's protocol and who knows. A few more mph might be nice.

Mark, we just recently purchased a JF Trainer. It is paying dividends. She does throw long and does a decent workout. In the winter, she gets after it and I don't know of many who work as hard. She threw harder yesterday than she has in the past and so, who knows. The last time she was gunned, she was consistent at 57-58. She has a better than average drop and curve. She rarely strikes anyone out. Typically they ground out before they strike out. In HS ball this year she averaged right at 7 ks per game. Not good in our area. However, she had a very good ERA pitching against the toughest schools on our schedule. Her total HS record is 19-4 in 2 years. Next year, she should be the #1.

 

[Mark H]

Well you know where she would be more than welcome.

 

[Ken Krause]

You're not alone

We're going through changing teams. DD's 16. If we move up and already playing only ASA "A" then we will have a very long drive. BTW, why is my dd the only pitcher around who doesn't throw 60, hasn't hit 60, and probably won't? She has won a lot of games.

Mine never came close to 60 mph. She's about 5' 3" tall, weighs maybe 110 lbs., and wasn't exactly gifted with fast twitch muscles. I have no doubt we could've had her pitch for a 14U team at the age of 18 and never been challenged. Yet at 18U she was very effective, even against the better A teams we saw. She didn't strike a lot of kids out either (maybe five to seven per game in travel ball), but induced a lot of pop-ups, easily caught fly balls and ground balls. Her weapons were movement and changing speeds. Had a real nice changeup that was tough to pick up. Anyone who did usually didn't hit it very far, or hard.

With the lack of overpowering speed I was a little worried about her pitching at 43 feet, but she liked it. She felt she was more effective with the extra three feet.

We're pretty sure she pitched a game at 46 feet in our last tournament. First couple of games, Blue told both teams to use the pitching rubber that was further back. Next day, a different umpire told us to use the front rubber, that the back one was for slow pitch. I never did measure it, but if he was right and the front rubber was at 43 already she got quite a workout in the earlier game.