Anyone ever face this quandry?

[Fastpitch_Dad]

I think there are a couple of things that need to be clarified and is a conversation with the parent and coach.

1) Ask for communication or expectations of whether pitchers will be working out at practice.
2) That should lead to a discussion of pitch counts and days of pitching practice (home, lessons, team practice).
3) Use that opportunity to get clarity/expectations on the coaches method of utilizing pitchers during tourneys.
4) Yes, pitchers are special!!!

Ask now before it becomes a problem on a Sunday evening during a championship game.


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[chinamigarden]

You asked for advice. Multiple parents who have seen their dds all the way to the completion
Of their softball careers have weighed in. Multiple coach’s have told you what they would want to have happen. Unfortunately the advice given wasn’t what you had hoped for. Your dd is your responsibility. Do what you feel is best. But try to understand that the advice given is good advice.

 

[Chris8]

Thanks for the advice on who should say it. Again. lol...........

Now do you have any advice on how I should approach the conversation with the coach and some good ways to convey the message that 1 hour and 20 minutes of live pitching/BP is too much? Thanks.

This is 14u travel ball, not HS. so there is no AD involved nor any statewide rules/regulations but I think it still applies. No coach is going to say no to a pitcher that wants a water break. The issue is getting my DD to ask for one. She will throw until her arm falls off and never complain a bit in order to please a coach. Just the way she is. That's why I feel the need to talk to the coach. That's the only way it gets done IMO.

Sorry wasn't clear if it was HS or TB. Either way agree...a coach isn't going to say no to a water break. I hear you, my DD in the past wouldn't ask either....whether I was coaching or she was playing for someone else. That's been corrected and she will ask when appropriate We're 14U also...I've encouraged my players to ask for that water break if they need it...coaches, even myself, can get wrapped up in the practice and not realize how much effort and energy the players have been exerting. The great thing about out team now...is when they ask, they need it. Multiple, sometimes quick, breaks has led to better hydration and more effective practices. It took time but now my whole team is hydration conscious. It really pays off on the those long hot tournament days that they are conscious of their bodies needs and requirements. Even during a winter workout my players are hydrating 3-6 times while indoors. Sometimes it's quick between a change in stations/focus...others it's when we have a quick talk/review. During our winter indoor hitting they generally take their water jug with them to their hitting stations.

If just for your DD's best performance I'd want her hydrating for her own performance.

Good luck. Just my .02 cents-I'd coach your daughter up on how to handle if it happens again. at 13/14 IMHO players need to be learning how to communicate with their coaches directly and especially when they get to HS.

 

[FP26]

Player/Parent/Coach meetings are almost always stressful for all parties. But I agree with those that say the conversation should be approached by the player. But I say that with a caveat. Younger players are going to rely more on their parents. At some point in time, this needs to transition. As others have stated, most high school and college coaches really don't want to talk to parents about player topics. As our DD was growing up we rarely felt the need to talk to coaches about anything. But if we did, we made sure DD was right there with us. She was involved in the conversation, and as time went on, DW and I were less and less involved. DD eventually took over all of the conversations for herself.

That said, I did get involved with one conversation her freshman year in high school. DD showed up at practice and the assistant was having them do warm ups. He is a football coach by the way. He wanted them to do something called drops. Basically they were to stand straight up, fall forward to the ground, and catch themselves in a push up position. After they did this a couple of times, he asked them to do this while just catching themselves with one arm. DD tried it once and felt sharp pain in her right shoulder. She was a tough kid, but this incident caused her to cry. The coach asked her to call her parents. As soon as I found out i immediately drove to the school. My first concern was for DD, but I also requested a private meeting with the head coach. At the meeting I made it clear that DD would never do that exercise again. Yes, I always wanted DD to handle her problems as much as possible, but when it comes to safety and her health, I felt I needed to get involved. On a positive note, the team never did that exercise again. On a negative note, DD still has shoulder issues 4 years later (pitching arm no less) and will probably require surgery at some point in time.

Sorry for the rant... But my advice is this. If your DD is comfortable with this coach, have her approach the topic first. Like someone else mentioned "Coach, what should I do if my arm gets tired or sore? Can I take a break?". Etc. Then if the problem persists, request a conversation yourself. But make sure this all occurs before your DD is placed at risk. Good luck.

 

[texasheat]

You asked for advice. Multiple parents who have seen their dds all the way to the completion
Of their softball careers have weighed in. Multiple coach’s have told you what they would want to have happen. Unfortunately the advice given wasn’t what you had hoped for.

I disagree. Sluggers said “Health issues need to be addressed by the parent. It is one thing when discussing serious injury...it is another when discussing position in the batting order.” and then followed it up with some very good resource material.

That is excellent advice and exactly what I was looking for.

 

[grcsftbll]

Personally I think an 8th grader still needs a parent advocate sometimes. It's hard enough sometimes for adults to stand up to authority figures. An 8th grader is only 13 or 14. There are certain things they should be confronting themselves at that age, and I'm sure some 8th graders could speak up to their coach about being fatigued. But how often have they been taught to listen to their coaches, go all out, work harder than everyone else, etc. There's a conflict there that might not be easy for a 13 year old to work through. This is where the parent has to step in. It's a health issue, not just a "I want to play more infield" issue. Totally different IMO.

 

[spleen1015]

IMO, it is never too early for your DD to start speaking for herself. We started when DD was in the 7th grade and it was a struggle at first, but now as a sophomore she can handle a lot more on her own. She has these conversations with coaches and we don't even know about them some times and when we do she doesn't want to include us much. She won't even tell us what was said in the conversation. That's between me and coach she says.

 

[625ender]

Well, how important is it that she play with this team? It's rare that there will be no reprecussions for her or you discussing this with the coach.

This is what's killing youth athletics. If she threw for an hour 20 hrs she probably chucked 250+ pitches. Live pitching should never go over 50-60 MAX

 

[texasheat]

Personally I think an 8th grader still needs a parent advocate sometimes. It's hard enough sometimes for adults to stand up to authority figures. An 8th grader is only 13 or 14. There are certain things they should be confronting themselves at that age, and I'm sure some 8th graders could speak up to their coach about being fatigued. But how often have they been taught to listen to their coaches, go all out, work harder than everyone else, etc. There's a conflict there that might not be easy for a 13 year old to work through. This is where the parent has to step in. It's a health issue, not just a "I want to play more infield" issue. Totally different IMO.

I agree 100%. It's all based on the individual. Some are ready for that at 13 and some aren't. I would guess that most actually aren't IMO. There is never a one size fits all solution for parenting.

 

[Strike2]

I'm not sure what the quandry is...

There's pitching practice, live games, scrimmages, and BATTING PRACTICE. They all are worked differently and have different goals.

Batting practice is for hitters, not pitchers. I don't think teams should EVER use their own pitchers for BATTING PRACTICE.

Not only is it counter-productive to learning how to pitch, it's dangerous to face batter after batter. If it's a scrimmage situation where the defense is set and the pitcher is working on her pitch sequence and not serving up meatballs, that's reasonable and productive for all if done on a limited basis and there's more than one pitcher involved. An hour and twenty minutes for one pitcher non-stop isn't at all reasonable for a scrimmage, and is rage-worthy for straight BP.

There's been some discussion about when to allow the kid to engage the coach, and those who want to tread lightly, but I see this as a health and safety issue. Even if she were HS age, I'd tell the coach directly that isn't ever happening again. If I were actually watching practice, I would strongly consider pulling the coach aside and telling him my concern then and there. If he (or she) was the least bit argumentative, I'd be looking for another team that day. Good pitchers can easily find a new home.