Example of 12U coach pitch calling--please, don't be this guy.

[The Man In Blue]

This is almost never enforced in Oklahoma, in my experience (even in sanctioned tournaments). Typically it’s only enforced by umpires that have gotten mad at one of the head coaches in prior encounters lol. In fact, a decent amount of umpires will let multiple coaches wander around along the fence while their team is on defense.

I wish they’d enforce it. Maybe more coaches would let their kids just play the game instead of having to insert themselves into every play.


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Absolutely not on my field. This is a major point of emphasis around my neck of the woods. Not saying all umps are strict, but it is a common POE most places.

 

[Strike2]

Some 12U pitchers can hit a spot with more than one pitch, but that's definitely more the exception than the rule. For me at 12U, the default was "throw strikes...don't walk or hit batters". I did have a signal for "throw something other than a strike", but that was rarely used.

 

[FP26]

I was "that guy" when DD was playing at the younger ages. When DD first started playing softball, I was an assistant coach. The head coach for that team called pitches, so when I took over, I assumed I was supposed to do it as well. Thinking back to my little league days, our head coach called pitches for our pitchers as well. That said, I basically called locations (inside/outside) at the younger ages, until she started gaining better control. As I gained more experience as a coach, I gradually gave more control to the players and kept less control for myself. Although I admit now that I made numerous mistakes as an inexperienced coach, it was all part of my learning process.

 

[_MIA_]

Thinking back to my little league days, our head coach called pitches for our pitchers as well.

This is surprising since I think we are of similar ages. It didn't happen once in all the years I played baseball, including college. Catchers/pitchers always called the game even in LL. After I stopped playing I didn't follow much baseball/softball other than MLB where catchers/pitchers call the game so it was a big surprise to me
when I started tp watch college baseball/softball around the time when my kids were born to see that it was the norm for both sports. Not sure if it has always been that way in softball ( I didn't play close enough attention to my sister's softball games growing up) or when it changed for baseball.

 

[The Man In Blue]

I caught from 10 years old through high school ... only once did a coach ever tell us what to throw, and that was because he wanted us to walk “the big kid”. We screwed it up and struck him out.

 

[_MIA_]

Maybe if coaches were not so busy calling pitches they would pay enough attention to the rest of the game to pull the IF in when they are supposed to

Edit: Sorry pet peeve of mine

 

[uncdrew]

One thing that struck me in the video is the coach just sitting out there in live territory throwing the signs. Whatever happened to you have to be in the dugout? This guy wasn't just out a little bit so the catcher could see better around a fence. He was around the center of the dugout.

Just seems odd to me. The field is for the players. The dugout is for the coaches when you're on defense.

A lot of the rules we play under allow one coach on the defensive side to sit on a bucket outside the dugout. Pretty standard in the tournaments we play in.

 

[_MIA_]

A lot of the rules we play under allow one coach on the defensive side to sit on a bucket outside the dugout. Pretty standard in the tournaments we play in.

Like @OsDad mentioned, the only way that is enforced in Oklahoma is if you have screamed GREAT PITCH 103 times for any close pitch not called your way..if you really piss them off they make you turn your hat around if you are wearing it backwards...

 

[uncdrew]

I think that is a fair criticism.

But... I wish that when dd was a 10/12u she would have been taught to attack the zone by hitting spots first before messing around with 4 pitches and taking every friggin’ count full.

If only I could do it all over again I would insist on it. And she would probably still be pitching.

Amen to that.

My DD has been pitching 18 months. Weekly lessons. We let her pitch a fastball and change. We work on location, location, location.

And thus when we call pitches for her (in 10U), she hits her spots. And she is successful.

When I was asked to help call pitches for a different team (12U), the girls and their bucket dads told me the 5-6 pitches they could throw, but said they don't work on location. Well, turns out they have about 1-2 pitches, and they go wherever they go.

Now we are just now getting to a dropball with my DD, but not ready for games yet.


... and yes, it pisses me off to no end when my DD is blowing the ball by girls and gets to an 0-2 or 1-2 count and someone calls for a change-up which they then hit. Grrrr....

 

[uncdrew]

Maybe if coaches were not so busy calling pitches they would pay enough attention to the rest of the game to pull the IF in when they are supposed to

Edit: Sorry pet peeve of mine

That's a job for one of the other 7 assistance coaches in the dugout to handle.