Do I say something or keep my mouth shut?

[PEPPERS]

My DD goes to a pitching coach who she and I respect, he has improved her skills and she has been going to him about three years. Her team from last year disbanded and she is playing for a new team and new coaches, I’m not helping this year.

Her first game she pitched a 2 hitter SO 8, won 3-0 in seven innings she is 16 the team she pitched against was 18U. The team’s coach is telling her she could be much better if she does what he says and doesn’t do what she is doing, which is what she is taught from her pitching coach. He is telling her the exact opposite of what the pitching coach taught her, she said she just ignores the team coach and does what she learned from the pitching coach. She does not want me to say anything to the team coach, but I think at some point it will affect her. The pitching coach is about spin and movement, the team coach is about speed, we don’t have a speed gun and she has not been clocked since she was 12, pitching coach does not like speed guns.

I’m thinking this is not good, any of you ran into this problem and how did you handle it?

 

[SoftSocDad]

she said she just ignores the team coach and does what she learned from the pitching coach. She does not want me to say anything to the team coach...

Your daughter is the smart one. You've obviously done a great job raising her, so no need to screw it up by interfering here.

 

[starsnuffer]

Your daughter is 16. Any issues she is having with her team or her coach should be addressed by her, not by you.

Your daughter is 16. She should listen and experiment first and make judgement second. There could be a freak accident and she might learn something.

Your daughter is 16. She understands her body better then anyone else, if she is instructed to move in a way that is unsafe or painful to her, she needs to communicate that immediately.

That said, there really isn't much content in your post about what, exactly, the coach is asking her to do to form any kind of opinion on if it is valuable or sound instruction or not. I'm also not aware of what your daughters goals are regarding softball (college, 18Gold, ect). At 16, how your daughter and her family interact with her coach now has an immediate and lasting effect on the remainder of her softball "career", and she must be mindful of that.

-W

 

[Jojo]

I had a pitching student similar to your DD, she went to another team whose coach had a pitching daughter on the team. His daughter was not very good, no movement, just tried to throw hard with no control, she always started then had to bring in my student to close and save or just finish out a lost cause game.

The games she got to start she went the whole game usually with a win.

Coach told her the same thing, "Pitch more like my daughter, and you can be really good!"

Does this coach have a pitching daughter?

 

[Coach JV]

Mouth shut, let DD handle it when it really bothers her, she can tell him,
that she takes lessons from a professional and the results show it

 

[sluggers]

If you ever ask yourself, "Should I say something or keep my mouth shut?", the answer is always "Keep your mouth shut."

At your DD's age, you really have to find out how fast she is throwing and you do have to worry about speed. This is a little bit different than the usual "close your hips earlier because you'll throw faster." While I understand the whole "movement vs. speed" stuff, college coaches don't. Your DD will be compared to other pitchers based upon speed.

I told this story before...

There was a kid in HS who threw 55 MPH and had a great riseball. She tried playing D1 and couldn't do it...she was too slow. She played D3 and became an All-American.

 

[Coach JV]

There was a kid in HS who threw 55 MPH and had a great riseball. She tried playing D1 and couldn't do it...she was too slow. She played D3 and became an All-American.

This kind of sums it up. Girls are done at the end of college anyways.
If they are fortunate enough to play after HS- God bless them,
does it matter where they play as long as they get a good education?
I would have no problem having my DD play at at d# school if this is
what is in the cards for her.

 

[D.G. OutLaws 16u]

she said she just ignores the team coach and does what she learned from the pitching coach. She does not want me to say anything to the team coach, but I think at some point it will affect her.

All posts here are spot on!! Take a seat in the back and proudly enjoy observing your maturing young adult DD handle what you think 'could' be a potential 'affecting' issue. 16 is a popular age us parents start/are forced with cutting the cord. The way your DD chooses to handle this 'sequence of events' are life changing moments that hone her abilities to navigate differences of opinions. IMO parents that indulge their kids to high level team competition at early ages (10-18) are rewarded with confident respectful, authoritative adults. Trust, support, and applaud your DD......sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders.
Don't mess with it by interfearing .....if she wants your opinion she'll ask

 

[coachtucc]

yep...yep..yep..yep...yep..yep and yep!!