Loosely following this and for me it begs the question...when do you typically allow the pitcher (or pitcher/catcher combo) to call the game, if ever? Seems like a lot of talk about developing this skill and knowledge base in them but so many coaches still want to control every pitch at older ages. Should it be a group effort with lots of input from coach, catcher, pitcher, etc.. If a coach controls each and every pitch and interferes with the pitchers sense of rhythm or groove is that development or ? Certainly a kid needs to know how to work effectively with a wide range of variables and receiving pitch calls in a variety of ways is only one of those variables. Lots of coaches would probably say get used to it because that's just the way it is in college softball...but is it? Is there a trend to allow the players to use the experience and skill that we've supposedly tried to develop in them as it relates to setting up a batter, knowing your pitcher, the situation and the defensive alignment? Besides (what some may call a unicorn or an exception) UCLA which is probably the highest profile example, what other programs are allowing the battery to run the game in the world of women's fastpitch?
When DD played 14u, myself and the other coaches talked about allowing the catcher to call the pitches. In my opinion she was smart and could have picked it up quickly. Unfortunately the head coach didn't want to lose control of that aspect of the game. At 16u DD switched teams (wanted to play on a team that traveled more and attended showcases). The assistant coach was a former D1 catcher. His daughter was the primary catcher on the team. The head coach asked me to work with the pitchers. So between the coaches, the pitchers, and the catchers, we developed a system. We communicated a lot before and during games. We wanted feedback from the catchers and the pitchers, including the pitchers that were not in the game.
I find it curious. On tv I will often hear announcers make comments like "he's a coaches son" or "he's like having another coach on the field". There are reasons for that. Part of it is teaching. But part of it is by giving your players authority and responsibility during games. Yet I see a lot of coaches that want to control every aspect of the game, but still wonder why their players don't have a high game IQ.