- Jun 12, 2015
- 3,848
- 83
I know of at least one local coach, and I'm sure there are others, that has one catcher (actually 3 but he almost never puts anyone in but the #1) and will also pitch his #1 until her arm falls off. To me this is nothing but bad coaching. It's all about winning this game, this tournament. At this age it just seems ridiculous to me to risk permanently disabling a child so you can say your team won a game. That kind of ego trip is beyond my comprehension. Some people should not be coaching kids period. If they don't care enough to protect their players from injuries they're only being selfish and living vicariously. It hurts the less experienced players who never get to grow because they don't get to play, and it hurts the #1s too, when they end up sitting out for months because they have an overuse injury.
I know the common theory is you let the coach do the coaching and be quiet about the choices but in this case I think parents need to speak up to protect their kids. Unfortunately parents' egos often very involved too. "My kid is so great she catches/pitches almost every game."
I know the common theory is you let the coach do the coaching and be quiet about the choices but in this case I think parents need to speak up to protect their kids. Unfortunately parents' egos often very involved too. "My kid is so great she catches/pitches almost every game."