Bummed

[Eric F]

Ah I see what you are saying and present a very valid argument. I had her at 3B and pitcher towards end of the year. Her blind luck ability to stop the ball could be molded into a fine catcher. Just need to figure out her thought process and adjust it...

Currently I'm at
1) Ignore dad
2) Give mean look to other coaches for repeating dad
3) Oh look dirt!
4) :ball is hit: Look up
5) Stick glove out at the last second
6) Make a good throw to first.

Sounds pretty normal. The "ignore dad" will soon be expanded to include an eye-roll and exasperated sigh. Some people have said this maneuver doesn't get perfected until 14U. I suspect that my 11yo DD may be ahead of the curve.

The BEST advice I can give you (from my own mistakes) is to keep things fun as much as you can, and be okay with cutting a session short if it's getting adversarial and frustrating for either of you. Pretty much everyone struggles with the parent-kid dynamic, but you can make it worse by trying to force things - especially when it's technical/mechanical things that you are just learning for yourself.

Other stuff...
- Keep in mind that she's young, and the road ahead is long. She doesn't need perfect skills today. If she's motivated to practice, you will be pressed to keep up with her learning curve, but it's worth your effort.
- Do not tolerate her having a bad attitude towards other coaches.

 

[finalcloud]

She is already practicing her eye-roll and sigh. For now my wife and I find it funny. No bad attitude towards the coaches. Back talk or disrespect is quickly address and corrected. So naturally when she is older I will ask for your pity as I deal with the teenager from hell.

 

[JAD]

You may be done playing games, but practice never ends! Also a good time to find some local college camps that cater to younger players.

 

[finalcloud]

You may be done playing games, but practice never ends! Also a good time to find some local college camps that cater to younger players.

There is some but they are during her summer reading class. When we found out the camps everyone in the family was bummed. We have a hitting lesson Thursday evening!

 

[Eric F]

She is already practicing her eye-roll and sigh. For now my wife and I find it funny. No bad attitude towards the coaches. Back talk or disrespect is quickly address and corrected. So naturally when she is older I will ask for your pity as I deal with the teenager from hell.

I also have a 17yo DD. You have my future condolences.

 

[Classof2020]

Don't fall for it!!...

...train her to be a catcher, instead. Same time commitment, but it's easier on your shins.

And maybe her shins too she has a major lump from taking a line drive off of one of them 5 weeks ago - it still hurts her!!