Going Backwards

[CoachBroker]

We had a fourth game tonight (8u) and we plaid the same team all 4 times. In our first game 10 out of 12 girls got hits. We won 10 to 1. Second game we won, 14-4, I think we still had 9 or 10 get hits in that game plus everyone on the team had gotten a hit by game two. Game three was a much tighter game. We won 6 to 1. There was no doubt the other team was getting much better at both fielding and batting. We are all from the same town and all these girls are friends at school. I have made a point after the first 3 games that all the girls were to tell the other team that they plaid a good game and show them respect. Sportsmanship and respect were two of my key elements I discussed on day 1.
It was brought to my attention that some of our players had been running their mouths at school and talking smack to the other girls. Our next practice I informed them that I would bench them if it happen again. Well we had game four tonight and it is like my team from game one has left and someother team showed up. We lost 4-1. Our first batter led off with a homerun, her first ever. It just seemed to go down hill from there. Batters 2,3,5 struck out. We usually make it to batters 8 - 10 before we get 3 outs. Our infielders let balls go by and even the outfielders backing them up let balls get by. I could tell my pitcher to make the play at first and she would get the ball and turn and throw it to an unprepared second baseman......

Well now they have a taste of losing and I hope they disliked it as much as I did. I would not mind losing if I know we were beat by a better team. I do not want to take anything away from the other team they have shown obvious improvement and I am proud for them. I just hate losing when it was because my girls didn't show up to play. Hopefully this loss will cause them to come back and play better in this weekends game.
Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[sluggers]

I'm sure a bunch of 8U girls appreciate the gravity of losing a softball. Perhaps you should make them watch "Knute Rockne, All American".

some of our players had been running their mouths at school

Wouldn't it be odder if a bunch of 8U girls didn't run their mouths?

 

[Thing1Thing2]

I don't think they are going backwards... I think it's softball
Kind of like gambling... You win some, you lose some... And when you lose the rush is bigger to win the next time!!! Why do you think 2,000 people are on this site right now? It's our next draw, next bet... But here it's all legal

 

[SoftSocDad]

We had a fourth game tonight (8u) and we plaid the same team all 4 times. In our first game 10 out of 12 girls got hits. We won 10 to 1. Second game we won, 14-4, I think we still had 9 or 10 get hits in that game plus everyone on the team had gotten a hit by game two. Game three was a much tighter game. We won 6 to 1. There was no doubt the other team was getting much better at both fielding and batting. We are all from the same town and all these girls are friends at school. I have made a point after the first 3 games that all the girls were to tell the other team that they plaid a good game and show them respect. Sportsmanship and respect were two of my key elements I discussed on day 1.
It was brought to my attention that some of our players had been running their mouths at school and talking smack to the other girls. Our next practice I informed them that I would bench them if it happen again. Well we had game four tonight and it is like my team from game one has left and someother team showed up. We lost 4-1. Our first batter led off with a homerun, her first ever. It just seemed to go down hill from there. Batters 2,3,5 struck out. We usually make it to batters 8 - 10 before we get 3 outs. Our infielders let balls go by and even the outfielders backing them up let balls get by. I could tell my pitcher to make the play at first and she would get the ball and turn and throw it to an unprepared second baseman......

Well now they have a taste of losing and I hope they disliked it as much as I did. I would not mind losing if I know we were beat by a better team. I do not want to take anything away from the other team they have shown obvious improvement and I am proud for them. I just hate losing when it was because my girls didn't show up to play. Hopefully this loss will cause them to come back and play better in this weekends game.
Thanks for letting me vent.

You're welcome, but.....

Forgive me for telling you how to live your life, but you're making a ton of mistakes with a bunch of impressionable young girls. You say you believe in teaching sportsmanship and respect, but I want you to think about what you're really doing. Look at the number of times that you mentioned winning or losing. And not only that, you personalized it.

By putting so much emphasis on winning and losing, that feeling has been transferred to some of your players if what's being said about trash talk is true. They may have taken it to school, but it started with you.

Why are you talking about benching 7- and 8-year-olds?

Lastly, whatever happens at school involving players is not something you should be talking about discipline for, except as much as your DD is involved.

I appreciate everyone who volunteers their time to work with other people's kids, but give the game back to the kids, and I bet you will get a lot more enjoyment out of what you're doing.

 

[CLM265]

Chill out, relax, let them have fun! It can be frustrating for you, but don't drive your players away from the game at such an early age.

 

[Lozza]

We are talking about six and seven year olds right?

 

[humpty]

Its a mystery to me also. Somedays they hit like champs and field everything hit. Other days they cant hit the ball or make the routine plays. I think defense is more consistent at this age. Hitting is contagious.

 

[Osric]

Its a mystery to me also. Somedays they hit like champs and field everything hit. Other days they cant hit the ball or make the routine plays. I think defense is more consistent at this age. Hitting is contagious.

There is a term for this kind of play around here. It is called "being a kid".

 

[coach james]

2nd graders getting benched for having some swagger!
Your going backwards because the kids are no longer having fun. Girls have to feel good about themselves FIRST, and then and only then will they play good! You beat then down before a game and you expected a positive outcome????

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Surely this post was meant as humor.