Becoming a dedicated pitcher only, when???

[radness]

That is what our general feeling has been. And what we have done the last couple of years. This was going to be her first PGF this year but due to the rona that got changed. IThe sad part is she actually has one of the most powerful bats in her age group. In a cage or practice she can knock the hide off the ball. Has finished second in every home run derby she has been in but has not had a coach to believe in and willing to commit to getting her live reps to finish developing. I tell people her bat needs work and reps but then she don’t even get at bats in pool games. I have decided I’m going to start telling coaches she is the biggest bat they will ever have and see if that might get her more opportunities. Tonight and most nights she will go out to our cage and hit for an hour or two while knowing she probably will not get an at bat this weekend. Sometimes this can be a confusing and crazy road for these girls.

Its a decision.
Simple as that.
There is everybody plays type of teams.
There is competitive top players play teams.

Someone's post commented on their team they have everybody bat through pool play. Well that might sound good and fair perhaps, but there are other teams who always want to win their bracket and will not do that.
The team who's going to hit all of their line up against a top team who only are hitting their top 9 will generally not do as well. Because one team has a planned strategy to Kick-rear and are utilizing top roster hitters.

Not saying batting everybody is a losing strategy.
But generally a strategy utilizing top performing players has an advantage.

This topic of conversation really becomes more critical when losing a pool play game puts the team in silver bracket instead of gold in sundays tourny.

Or the difference in reaching
pgf platinum lower bracket instead of
Upper bracket Premier

 

[Rolling Hard]

Also import to note that great quality practices are just as important, if not more important than games. If you have a choice to play on a team with 12 players that holds average practices or a team with 18 players that runs outstanding practices you should seriously consider the team with the larger roster.

When I agree that a well planned quality practices with multiple stations and with little down time are very important, players must play the game. If your DD tryouts for a 12u team that has 16 players and the coach offers her a spot, you should ask him point blank- Thank you coach, where do you see her in the line-up on your team? You will probably catch him off guard which is exactly where you might get an honest answer. You do not want your DD to be number 17 base runner. 12u teams with 18 players are wasting some parents money. 18 players? Make 2 teams for crying out loud.

 

[wheresmycar]

DD is quickly approaching the end of her 12U season and I'm already starting to seeing it on some of the other high level teams around her. I'm also hearing from the parents of pitchers a few years ahead of her, that it may not be that far down the road that we can expect coaches to start playing her less and less in the field unless she's in the circle.

40% of the Circle time... Meaning she would sit 60% of the innings? Ummmm..... NO. Whatever wisdom your coach thinks he is imparting by breaking down 13 year old hitters... it is not worth losing ground on hitting and fielding.

 

[thecat]

Find a new coach

 

[BT3100]

When I agree that a well planned quality practices with multiple stations and with little down time are very important, players must play the game. If your DD tryouts for a 12u team that has 16 players and the coach offers her a spot, you should ask him point blank- Thank you coach, where do you see her in the line-up on your team? You will probably catch him off guard which is exactly where you might get an honest answer. You do not want your DD to be number 17 base runner. 12u teams with 18 players are wasting some parents money. 18 players? Make 2 teams for crying out loud.

At 12u yes.
However I see many 12u teams who dont practice at a high level and the kids never get better. A coach in our area said once that he'd rather play one game per week and practice 12 times per week than play 12 times and practice once. Players dont get better during games, they get better at practice.
If games are more important that's what rec is for.

 

[_MIA_]

At 12u yes.
However I see many 12u teams who dont practice at a high level and the kids never get better. A coach in our area said once that he'd rather play one game per week and practice 12 times per week than play 12 times and practice once. Players dont get better during games, they get better at practice.
If games are more important that's what rec is for.

In lieu of the unrealistic goal of 12 team practices a week, if we are talking about skill development, the best place is individualized work assuming the "instructor" knows wth they are doing. I can give my DD 300 GB and 300 swings in 2 hours (I don't actually do 2 hours all at once..)..how many team practices would that take? 4? 5?

 

[BT3100]

In lieu of the unrealistic goal of 12 team practices a week, if we are talking about skill development, the best place is individualized work assuming the "instructor" knows wth they are doing. I can give my DD 300 GB and 300 swings in 2 hours (I don't actually do 2 hours all at once..)..how many team practices would that take? 4? 5?

No doubt
The premise is that teams want to play so many games... practice is where the skills get built.

 

[Rolling Hard]

In lieu of the unrealistic goal of 12 team practices a week, if we are talking about skill development, the best place is individualized work assuming the "instructor" knows wth they are doing. I can give my DD 300 GB and 300 swings in 2 hours (I don't actually do 2 hours all at once..)..how many team practices would that take? 4? 5?

Ah pattar, we are agreeing again. My DD's team has Saturday 3.5 to 4.5 hour practice and an optional Thursday night 1.5 hour practice(which is very hard for many players to attend due to traffic and geographically challenged team). The rest of the work is up to you, dad and mom, or another paid instructor. DD and I go to the park Tuesday and Thursday to hit and field for 45 minutes. She gets a lot of work in. Oh BTW, the pitching screen ($55) is an absolute must. Monday and/or Wednesday play catch out front or practice bare handed tennis ball backhands in the living room during commercials. I have said this before but I am going to say it again: In most cases, if your DD is playing TB and you don not own a bownet and a bucket of balls you are spinning your wheels. We keep are private practices to 45 minutes tops.
Back to the point at hand. Your DD needs to play the game. Period.

 

[Rolling Hard]

At 12u yes.
However I see many 12u teams who dont practice at a high level and the kids never get better. A coach in our area said once that he'd rather play one game per week and practice 12 times per week than play 12 times and practice once. Players dont get better during games, they get better at practice.
If games are more important that's what rec is for.

What is the final outcome for these players that got better at practice but never or rarely sniffed the dirt?
They had a good time? They learn how to be a good teammate? OR they helped the Org. financially?

 

[_MIA_]

Ah pattar, we are agreeing again. My DD's team has Saturday 3.5 to 4.5 hour practice and an optional Thursday night 1.5 hour practice(which is very hard for many players to attend due to traffic and geographically challenged team). The rest of the work is up to you, dad and mom, or another paid instructor. DD and I go to the park Tuesday and Thursday to hit and field for 45 minutes. She gets a lot of work in. Oh BTW, the pitching screen ($55) is an absolute must. Monday and/or Wednesday play catch out front or practice bare handed tennis ball backhands in the living room during commercials. I have said this before but I am going to say it again: In most cases, if your DD is playing TB and you don not own a bownet and a bucket of balls you are spinning your wheels. We keep are private practices to 45 minutes tops.
Back to the point at hand. Your DD needs to play the game. Period.

If it was just DD and myself our field workouts would be 45 minutes..but with the 5 YO son we probably go twice that at least a few times a week. Once the 2 YO starts to play I might have to quit my job to find the time