Arm Bands and 12U - Great Googily Moogily

[bmakj]

I think it’s helpful for pitching coaches to call pitches to be able to make pitcher adjustments based on misses.

most pitching coaches are not at their pupils games though at the youth level. woujdl be nigh on impossible for most, they see a dozen more students on a dozen or more different teams.

 

[smddad]

Years back, when DD was a sophomore, her and the Sr. pitcher approached their head coach and told him that they were taking over the pitch calling. Now he played BB on a college scholarship and was also a college coach afterwards. He came to me after the game and had told me what they had done. He was chuckling and said it was gutsy of them, but he respected their decision and handed over the reigns mid season.

 

[ArmWhip]

When I have let pitchers call their own pitches they tend to call what they like and avoid the pitches they don't like. They throw one bad curve and won't throw it again. Plus they often don't take into account the strategic situation, for instance with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs you have to avoid high pitches which could result in a sac fly.

 

[The Man In Blue]

I think it’s helpful for pitching coaches to call pitches to be able to make pitcher adjustments based on misses.

Only if the pitcher is capable of making adjustments. Or controlling her pitches.

 

[uncdrew]

I cringe a bit at the pitch calling technique used by our team, for my DD.

When you call 1-1-2, you can pretty much know it's a fastball.

 

[The Man In Blue]

I cringe a bit at the pitch calling technique used by our team, for my DD.

When you call 1-1-2 or any number, you can pretty much know it's a fastball.

Fixed.

 

[marriard]

They can be great or terrible.

We have a great system - we splashed out years ago for Nevermissasign.com to make the cards - quick, and easy. Verbal call and fingers to send sign. Calling sheets (so NMS produces a card and a 'call sheet' for the coach versus a coach trying to use the card to call from). Much quicker.Much more accurate. Easy to make it simpler for young ages, more complex for older teams.

It is easy to mess it up. But people mess up the whole hand signal stuff as well.

As with most things - it is not the tool, it is the people using the tool.

 

[mmeece]

It is easy to mess it up. But people mess up the whole hand signal stuff as well.

As with most things - it is not the tool, it is the people using the tool.

Exactly! I used a free trial then started making my own. We don't play the same teams often enough to worry about stealing signs (as long as we have more than one card) and there are easy ways to disguise the calls a bit if you need to. The key is producing good call sheets. I think that's where the teams who mess it up miss the point. If you're trying to make calls from the same card the players have it's horribly tedious. I guess many people have forgotten or never knew how often old-fashioned signs were missed or stolen. I was very anti-wristband until I used them a couple of times. I'd never go back to the old way now.

 

[inumpire]

As an umpire, these systems are not hard to decipher and it helps me know what pitch is coming. "323, this one is going to be in the dirt. 126, in the dirt and to the backstop. 489, over my head and to the backstop. 516, in the dirt to the dugout. 297, hit the Bull mascot."

95% of the time this is pointless, but all the cool kids do it. My take as an umpire: you have a set amount of time to pitch. You can do what you want with that time. (See also my comment in another thread about good coaches not doing too much.)

The arm bands at any age group has done more to slow the game down more than anything that has taken place in the past 20 years. I wish they would just go away.

I will say that at 12U you call a ball a couple times for the pitcher exceeding the time limit, and boy that will speed things up. I have called it a few times at HS games, and boy does that mess up a HS coach. But it will speed the game up.

I just wish the softball gods, when please make them go away.

 

[sluggers]

When I have let pitchers call their own pitches they tend to call what they like and avoid the pitches they don't like. They throw one bad curve and won't throw it again.

You have to teach the kids how to pitch. Isn't that the coach's job--teach the kids the game?