Confused, annoyed, you name it!

[EP Dad]

She's still too young to really know. Is she ahead or behind the other girls physically? Girls usually around that 10-14 age have huge growth spurts and kids tend to level out a little then physically.

Keep plugging away. Good coaching and good repetitive coaching are the keys to success as long as the kid has the drive and desire behind it.

 

[mrslug01]

The great pitching dilema. Kids want to pitch and it takes a rediculous amout of time to try do it right. And even if they work hard that doesn't guarantee any pitching time. You should work to teach the other skills concurrently. Never want to be pigeon holed as a pitcher and find later she can't cut it and have no other skills to fall back on. You'll know at some point if she will get beyond the 3rd pitcher thing

 

[livingontheroad]

Well, whose fault is it she doesnt know what to do in the field?

It is the coaches, thats who it is. Obviously you have a coach that depends on someone else to teach is players what to do.

Ideally the #3 pitcher is a younger one and will likely be a #1 or #2 next yr when an older pitcher ages up. Thats what keeps them there, the possibility of next yr.

 

[sluggers]

My DD was a pretty good pitcher in travel ball. When my DD turned 16YOA, I wanted her to be on an elite team--one of the best in the midwest. The coach had watched my DD play and pitch. So, I went to him and talked to him about it. He said:

"I don't want her on the team. Your DD is good enough to pitch for us, but she would be the #2 or #3 on the team. She will not be getting any time on the mound on Sunday during the tournament. She is not good enough to be a position player. So, she is going to be sitting on the bench 60% of the time. I think it is a waste of her time to be sitting the bench while she could be on another team playing."​

So, my DD played for a team that was very good, but not an elite team. She got at least 50% of the pitching time and they played about 80% of the same tournaments as the elite team. The team was not as good as the elite team, but the won a lot of games.

The #1 pitcher on the elite team played for Michigan. The #2 pitcher played a year of D1 ball and then quit.

 

[dropballpop]

DD gets a fair amount of practice in the outfield and seems to do fine, leaving me at a loss for her "freeze-ups" during games. Her coach has told me that she is a different player on the mound in terms of focus and tenacity, yet he insists that he has never had attitute problems with her. Picking up new skills often takes her a little longer, but her upside is tremendous--according to the coaches. We have been approached by many teams wanting to acquire her, but we have committed through next summer--sometimes I wish that were not the case. I don't want her to play out of fear of making a mistake and getting your butt chewed consistently seems to lend itself to just that.

I spoke with the coach the other day and my plan is to continue the pitching work, but spend additional time on the fielding and situational things. I have already purchased the video mentioned above...thanks by the way. I understand that most kids don't get this stuff...but I fear that her coaches will lose patience with her. She loves the game and looks forward to every weekend, but none of us want to see her go through this all again next spring. Hopefully, we can make some progress toward correcting this stuff over the winter. It's tough to be a dad and watch this...

 

[Wookie]

Could it be that she is just too far from the action, and therefore daydreams? We had a girl last year that was sleep walking while in the outfield, but put her in the infield and she was a monster at getting to the ball, and was such a chatter box that everyone wondered where all of this came from. It was obvious that she needed to be closer to the action, and I think this may be your DD situation too.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

The chewing her out part, needs to stop. That is not going to work with her.

 

[PAcoach]

The chewing her out part, needs to stop. That is not going to work with her.

I agree. Sounds like she shuts down, afraid to make a mistake so she plays scared! Not the way to play............should be playin loosey goosey

 

[CPSBDad]

It is tough to be a dad and watch. Our situation is similar, but my DD isn't a pitcher. She's one of three catchers and has seen very little game time behind the plate. No word why from the coach, and she does spend more time on the bench than out if the field. She's been in a slump hitting-wise, but her fielding is fine--she understands what to do with the ball when it comes to her and she takes care of it.

We haven't commited to the team beyond fall, so I'm considering leaving the team and basically do what slugger did and find another team so she can catch. She isn't a bad catcher, and I'm not biased to what is going on. I'd say she is about as good as #2 and can throw more accurate and can block as well as #1 and #2. So, why she isn't playing I can't say--I don't know why.

I'd suggest that you have a talk with the coach and see if you can get out of your commitment ( you paid for Spring/Summer '11? ). If there are other teams who want your DD, make sure she is going to get playing time--make sure you know the situation about the pitchers on those teams. Plenty of time to work on some other stuff during the winter. Not sure where you are. We will practice as long as we can then go indoors until spring.

Hang in there and know that you are not alone as a dad. Keep working with your DD and keep her positive and help her to know more about other positions.

DD gets a fair amount of practice in the outfield and seems to do fine, leaving me at a loss for her "freeze-ups" during games. Her coach has told me that she is a different player on the mound in terms of focus and tenacity, yet he insists that he has never had attitute problems with her. Picking up new skills often takes her a little longer, but her upside is tremendous--according to the coaches. We have been approached by many teams wanting to acquire her, but we have committed through next summer--sometimes I wish that were not the case. I don't want her to play out of fear of making a mistake and getting your butt chewed consistently seems to lend itself to just that.

I spoke with the coach the other day and my plan is to continue the pitching work, but spend additional time on the fielding and situational things. I have already purchased the video mentioned above...thanks by the way. I understand that most kids don't get this stuff...but I fear that her coaches will lose patience with her. She loves the game and looks forward to every weekend, but none of us want to see her go through this all again next spring. Hopefully, we can make some progress toward correcting this stuff over the winter. It's tough to be a dad and watch this...

 

[Screwball]

Is the commitment money? I would see if I could talk this out with the coach and find out if leaving (or a refund of some portion of money) is a possibility.

I see girls leaving at all times of the year. Not being on the paying/money collecting end, I don't know how it works. Sometimes the 'team you want to go to' may even know of a replacement to help your 'old' team (if things can be talked out with present coach).

I find young girls more fearless in bouncing back from mistakes and less affected by nerves (than let's say the self-conscious teen/hs 'I'm now on a big stage' span), so if she is freezing than the 'old guy' chewing her out is the cause.