genetics

[JC heir]

I was reading the pitching thread about the Shamrock 14u pitcher, & several of you seemed to think she iss just 1 in a million geneticly, & it made me think of a comment a hitting instructor made at a clinic I was at last weekend. He was a d1 coach (Todd Randall I think), & his first statement right out of the box was that when it comes to hitting, either she has it or she doessnt.He said that if she has it, he can make her better, & if she doesnt, she is probably not going to get it. Now he didnt say a poor uncoordinated player couldnt improve some, but basiclly either you have the tools in there or you dont. what do you think of that statement??

 

[lhowser]

Disagree. When it comes to a young lady enjoying Softball through her elementry, teen and high school years and playing at a fairly high level on winning teams and creating GREAT memories many many young girls with varied natural abilities can hit and contribute.

 

[JC heir]

I agree that any girl can enjoy the game,& with work can improve, but I personally have never seen a player who just cant hit the ball & really looks bad trying (we have all seen them) progress to the point that they become a high level player, be it TB, HS, or college. Maybe some of you have??? Just asking...

 

[Hitter]

I agree that any girl can enjoy the game,& with work can improve, but I personally have never seen a player who just cant hit the ball & really looks bad trying (we have all seen them) progress to the point that they become a high level player, be it TB, HS, or college. Maybe some of you have??? Just asking...

JC hope things are going well and she is improving! Whoever believes this should roll up their tent and move on in my opinion. I have had and still have the kids the other coaches did not think they could make an improvement with and many have learning dis abilities or (LD). I have one girl who is blind in her left eye so we switched her to the left side. She can see light however see can not see an object. If she plays indoors and the walls are white she has a tough time seeing the ball and the same thing happens when the sun comes from behind the clouds. While doing a clinic with Laura Berg we wondered if the colored contacts Nike made would help so Laura was nice enough to get us some and we kept working from the left side with a more open stance and she strides to the ball closing up and adjusting to the pitch. She hit her first over the fence shot ever last year in high school! I wonder if he would have given up on her! The contacts absolutely helped her situation.

In my opinion the instructors who can relate to the individual they are working with and can make improvements so they have more fun playing the game are the ones who make a difference.

We have had three girls who had lazy left eye surgery and the other instructors made them do push ups and other associated punishments for not hitting the ball. We found working with a
vision specialist that if we closed their stance they could see and track the ball better. One of the girls signed a home run ball and gave it to her old hitting instructor...priceless!

Some of the issues especially with girls is balance and the flex in the front knee....there is nothing genetic about that it is how we teach and instruct that will and can make a difference.

Thanks Howard

 

[PEPPERS]

I’ve coached a number of kids who were just beginning players, the thing I see is that hard word and dedication seems to over come many obstacles. Having dedicated coaches like Howard in the above post who work with and teach young people to over come obstacles and not give into them.

I bet there are a number of great players who at one time were told by a coach that they didn’t have it. Michael Jordon did not make his HS BB team and look what a career he had in professional BB. Wonder where that coach is today?

Yes some kids are more athletic than others but, as the kids get older the kids that work the hardest, not the most athletic are the ones I see that make the greatest strides in sports and in life.

 

[Ken Krause]

In the pitching thread, the discussion was about how a 14U player who wasn't unnaturally big or strong was able to throw the ball 65 mph. To me, that's genetics. In other words, if you teach a group of kids who are the same size the same things and they work equally hard, they won't get the same results.

But that's different from being successful. I think you can teach any willing kid to hit, or pitch, or play the field, or whatever. But that doesn't mean you can teach them to the point that they're going to qualify for a scholarship to a major D1 school. Which is ok, as JC Heir points out. If you turn it into hitting, some kids are going to be more genetically predisposed to hit the long ball. Others may be able to do it now and then, but it will be more of a struggle. I'm sure there are women who work equally as hard as Crystal Bustos but don't produce the same results. She was teammates with some.

The simplest way to think about it is running speed. Some kids are capable of running faster than others. You can teach any willing kid to get faster than they are, but that doesn't mean you can make them fast. If your natural speed at age 15 is 3.5 to first, no amount of training, mechanics work, or practice is going to help you move that to 2.6 or 2.7.

So it all depends on what you think you're going to change. You can help kids get better. You can't always help them hit a top-line number.

 

[JC heir]

Ken, I think thats what coach Randall was trying to get accross, however Peppers hasa good point on the Michael Jordan thing. It is beyond me how he could be too poor a player to make his HS team & then go on to his career.

I personally feel that natural ability falls into the same categoy as aggressiveness. I think you can promote aggressiveness & try to teach it, but some kids just have it & others never get it.

 

[Hitter]

Ken, I think thats what coach Randall was trying to get accross, however Peppers hasa good point on the Michael Jordan thing. It is beyond me how he could be too poor a player to make his HS team & then go on to his career.

I personally feel that natural ability falls into the same categoy as aggressiveness. I think you can promote aggressiveness & try to teach it, but some kids just have it & others never get it.

I agree with everyone and disagree also....if all these coaches were so wise, how come they have for the most part not been able to get a female to throw like an athlete and use the lower half of their body? How would you know what is predisposed verses lack of ability to actually teach to their potential and help them learn?

I have kids that are athletic however did not understand the throwing or understand the hitting mechanics being taught.

I had a kid, that his mother said he was a short stop and I said what makes him a short stop? His father was a short stop! I said I did not know that could be breed and if it could be why can't he throw? So I said I will save you a dental bill and use a tennis ball and moved away from him and threw the ball towards his head and he ducked and made no attempt to catch the ball...I looked at his mother and said dad needs to teach him just a little more.

Thanks Howard

 

[MVLA Softball]

I am in agreement that genetics do not dictate the ability to succeed in softball. Genetics play a role, but there are equally important factors. Still, genetics factor into determining the upper limits of ability and success.

There are some good examples of players overcoming limitations, but we shouldn't consider Michael Jordan. In high school, he was placed on the high school "All American Team" for his basketball success in his senior year. He averaged more than 20 points per game in his junior year. His Hall of Fame speech indicates a small amount of bitterness over not making the Varsity squad in his sophmore year, but the reasons given were that he was too short and too focussed on the other sports. His talent was not questioned -- he was the featured player on the JV team.

Jordan was blessed, genetically. My DDs, not so much

 

[halskinner]

Hey Lane. I disagree wiuth that coaches statement. Ever worked with a softball pitcher that had ADHD? I have worked with several and with the exception of one, they all did really well. I dont believe in this 'genetic' mentallity. I think that is a cop out statement equal to 'This one is going to be a challenge and I might not be successful with her so I am not going to take the chance". None of those students 'Got it' when they first started and yes, they required personalized training and I had to adapt to many new things and mindsets.

I dont buy the 'Genetic' reasoning at all. I have proved that wrong too many times with students that had some sort of disablity.

BTW, that one student I referred to not only had ADHD, she had lost an eye to cancer years prior. She could throw really hard for her age but I had to recommend she not be put in the circle. With only one eye, you have no depth perception and that is a must for the closest player to the batter. A safety thing.