Do players need to watch where they hit the ball

[Jim]

So what is suggested here is this... Hit the ball, look at the ground and run. Listen to the coach, they will tell you what to do next. Once on base, when the ball is hit by your teammate, look at the ground and run. The coach will tell you what to do next. Are these girls robots?

Come on

Nobody is suggesting that they stare and admire the ball that was just hit. Just to have some feel so that instincts can take over. Base-running is a critical part to winning. They must have some feel for where the ball is as well as where the defenders are. Coaching is best when done at a minimum. Try not to coach more than is needed, and definitely not less than needed.

 

[softballphreak]

So what is suggested here is this... Hit the ball, look at the ground and run. Listen to the coach, they will tell you what to do next. Once on base, when the ball is hit by your teammate, look at the ground and run. The coach will tell you what to do next. Are these girls robots?

Come on

Nobody is suggesting that they stare and admire the ball that was just hit. Just to have some feel so that instincts can take over. Base-running is a critical part to winning. They must have some feel for where the ball is as well as where the defenders are. Coaching is best when done at a minimum. Try not to coach more than is needed, and definitely not less than needed.

I agree with that totally. The reason for head down looking at the ground for the first few steps is for acceleration. After that the focus is on the bag.

The coach should be giving the correct signals but like other things coaches do the player should already be doing it. If the player has to wait for the coach it's too late. She should know enough about her hit to anticipate where she's going without having to look after she starts running. But the 1st base coach will know more about the status of the ball in left field.

 

[Huskerdu]

Track is not softball, why do people keep bringing up this cannard. They aren't the same thing.

The biggest bummer for a coach is when you are trying to build momentum you are the home team down by a run, last inning, and your girls gets thrown out at third...or second because she was trying to self-preserve and self-coach rounding and delaying because she thinks she is going to make an out, only to THEN follow the directions of her base coach to try and make the base.

Track it is not, but you have to know kids don't make the best decisions for themselves at the 12u level.

 

[Jim]

The biggest bummer for a coach is when you are trying to build momentum you are the home team down by a run, last inning, and your girls gets thrown out at third...or second because she was trying to self-preserve and self-coach rounding and delaying because she thinks she is going to make an out, only to THEN follow the directions of her base coach to try and make the base.

Track it is not, but you have to know kids don't make the best decisions for themselves at the 12u level.

I agree, but we are discussing the first base coach, not the third base coach... Completely different.

 

[chinamigarden]

The biggest bummer for a coach is when you are trying to build momentum you are the home team down by a run, last inning, and your girls gets thrown out at third...or second because she was trying to self-preserve and self-coach rounding and delaying because she thinks she is going to make an out, only to THEN follow the directions of her base coach to try and make the base.

Track it is not, but you have to know kids don't make the best decisions for themselves at the 12u level.

They aren't the best hitters yet either. Maybe the coaches should bat for them as well.

But regardless of that, if you think that the kids should never look away from the path of travel? When they are running to 2nd, how are they seeing what the 3rd base coach is doing?

 

[Huskerdu]

C'mon Chin, don't be silly...It is very apparent when a player is rounding second and she picks up the third base coach and either holds or continues to 3 based on his/her guidance, it is another thing when she is watching the left fielder to see if they are making a play and she gets strung out between 2nd and 3rd because she can't decide what to do. All the while, me the base coach has been watching and evaluating the defensive players to measure their abililty to make a play. Kids don't think two and three steps ahead, coaches have to...

 

[chinamigarden]

I'm not being silly. I am putting it into perspective.

People here have said looking to the side slows them down too much, and causes them to not run straight. How do you get them to look at the third base coach (between 1st and second) without them slowing down and vereing off??

People here have said the kids aren't the BEST at doing these sorts of things, so the coaches should do these things for them. by extension should coaches do everything the kids aren't the BEST at?

Kids have to learn sometime, at what age do you teach them the best way (as defined by what college, and national team coaches teach) to run to first? If you say kids aren't old enough to learn the right way, then you are right. If you say they are, then you are also right. The kids will rise (or fall) to your level of expectations. If you expect them to learn they will, if you expect them to be dumb as rocks, they will be.

So whats silly

 

[softballphreak]

I'm not being silly. I am putting it into perspective.

People here have said looking to the side slows them down too much, and causes them to not run straight. How do you get them to look at the third base coach (between 1st and second) without them slowing down and vereing off??

People here have said the kids aren't the BEST at doing these sorts of things, so the coaches should do these things for them. by extension should coaches do everything the kids aren't the BEST at?

Kids have to learn sometime, at what age do you teach them the best way (as defined by what college, and national team coaches teach) to run to first? If you say kids aren't old enough to learn the right way, then you are right. If you say they are, then you are also right. The kids will rise (or fall) to your level of expectations. If you expect them to learn they will, if you expect them to be dumb as rocks, they will be.

So whats silly

The discussion was about running from home to 1st I think. When the ball is out of sight of the runner going to 1st (left field, for example) the runner does not need to be turning her head to left field. She will be much more efficient keeping her eye on 1st, letting the 1st base coach be her eyes.

When running between 1st and 2nd you do need to pick up the 3rd base coach. That's an entirely different situation.

PS:
When going from 2nd to 3rd, you don't turn and look towards centerfield, for example. You depend on the coach's eyes.

And don't even think about looking at the outfielders when running to home after tagging at 3rd!

 

[chinamigarden]

The discussion was about running from home to 1st I think. When the ball is out of sight of the runner going to 1st (left field, for example) the runner does not need to be turning her head to left field. She will be much more efficient keeping her eye on 1st, letting the 1st base coach be her eyes.

When running between 1st and 2nd you do need to pick up the 3rd base coach. That's an entirely different situation.

PS:
When going from 2nd to 3rd, you don't turn and look towards centerfield, for example. You depend on the coach's eyes.

And don't even think about looking at the outfielders when running to home after tagging at 3rd!

Yes exactly the runner doesn't watch the ball the entire time going to first. But she should take a peek. People here have argued that that peek would cause her to both, slow down and not run a straight line. My example of picking up the 3rd base coach is to show that the same people who say don't turn your head a fraction to peek at a ball, would expect their player to turn her head a fraction to pick up the 3rd base coach. Both the peek at the ball on the way to first and picking up the 3rd base coach are good baserunning techniques.

edited to ad
I would expect a good baserunner to turn her head to watch a ball in centerfield. She is in a better position to see if the ball is getting by the center fielder then the 3rd base coach. Again, not to stare at the ball, but she has to take a peek at a ball that is in front of her. Never turning to see a ball behind her, but if its right there to be seen, she should be able to make a quicker judgment then the 3rd base coach.

 

[softballphreak]

Yes exactly the runner doesn't watch the ball the entire time going to first. But she should take a peek. People here have argued that that peek would cause her to both, slow down and not run a straight line. My example of picking up the 3rd base coach is to show that the same people who say don't turn your head a fraction to peek at a ball, would expect their player to turn her head a fraction to pick up the 3rd base coach. Both the peek at the ball on the way to first and picking up the 3rd base coach are good baserunning techniques.

edited to ad
I would expect a good baserunner to turn her head to watch a ball in centerfield. She is in a better position to see if the ball is getting by the center fielder then the 3rd base coach. Again, not to stare at the ball, but she has to take a peek at a ball that is in front of her. Never turning to see a ball behind her, but if its right there to be seen, she should be able to make a quicker judgment then the 3rd base coach.

That's the key. If the peek doesn't inhibit the runner. You're right, if the player can see more or less the same thing the coach sees then it definitely makes more sense for the player to make a decision without waiting for the coach's decision.

As has been said before, most of the time when a coach says go the player should already be going, based on her own vision. It's when she has to alter her path that it can affect her quickness to the base. There is NO time to lose between home and first. Why take a chance on being thrown out; forget everything but the base. The 1st base coach will let the runner know soon enough if anything else is involved.