High School experts!

[00fpdaddy]

If your dds have been playing high level travel ball and getting good instruction from parents/paid instruction/coaches parents shouldnt have to worry about HS. The game will set it straight on who can play and who cant handle it. If your dd is hearing a load of steaming poo she should be able to recognize and flip the ignore switch and just smile and nod at the nonsense coming from the uneducated. Teamates know who should be playing and ones who have to work on their game more. Some are given a bad hand, (bad program, stubborn old school coaches) life aint easy, its up to the parents to teach their kids of the right thing to do.

 

[YOCOACH]

Let's make it clear, it is often the daddy coach who is irritated with the HS coach. Not that I have had this issue (because my kids show results), but there are two sides to any argument. There is a lot of "we" in this from the parent and the parent needs to let go of the kid. (Who cares if parent went to clinics, it is the player who needs to have gone.) If the player has an issue it is hers to fix alone.

I agree OIL and I would have no issue with our HS coaches working with my DD'S mechanics IF they were knowledgeable and it didn't go against everything that I and many other knowledgeable people believe is the generally accepted best, most injury free and proper way to do it. All too often, this is not the case. Some of the HS coaches are no longer students of the game, if they ever were and promote bad mechanics in effort to exert their authority. I would have no issue with DD playing for you or any of the HS coaches on here simply because by being on this forum and others like it, it shows that you are still willing to learn and don't think you know it all already.

Edit to add: One other thing. It is not uncommon for some HS programs to show success in SPITE of the coaching involved. I'm not saying this is the case with your team or the teams that are perennial power houses. But you have to admit that there are many weak HS teams and divisions. The teams playing in these with more TB-A pitchers and TB players will sweep these teams/divisions and show alot of success even if the coaches are a bunch of idiots. Just because they show success is not an indicator of how good a HS coach one is or that they know the first thing about proper mechanics in any aspect of the sport. As a matter of fact, these coaches are usually the worst offenders because of that very same success. They quit being students of the game because they already know it all. Those are the most dangerous for our DD's since they promote mechanics which are often out of date since they failed to keep up with the latest knowledge and will refuse to even consider that what they know is no longer the best way to do it.

 

[nanotech14]

Let's make it clear, it is often the daddy coach who is irritated with the HS coach. Not that I have had this issue (because my kids show results), but there are two sides to any argument. There is a lot of "we" in this from the parent and the parent needs to let go of the kid. (Who cares if parent went to clinics, it is the player who needs to have gone.) If the player has an issue it is hers to fix alone.

Let's also make it clear, it is often you high school coaches that know less then use daddy coaches and that irritates you HS coaches. Who cares if some HS pays you to coach against most other weak softball minded HS coaches. Remember those really good players come to you already a really good player, no work by you. So come down off of your high horse, you didn't make them softball players, most of them were with their daddy or mommy coaches. Same is true for college coaches.

 

[sluggers]

You guys want it both ways...basically, you want the HC to identify the greatness of your child, let your child play every inning of every game, but never correct their child since, obviously, their child child knows how to play better than the coach. (Are you guys that way with math teachers?)

Where does my DD fit into your scheme of thinking? She was a big dog D1 pitcher (not as good as Pauly or Osterman, but still pretty good). Her knowledge of pitching is better than 95% of the people who post on here. Her knowledge of softball is better than almost everyone who posts here. She also knows what she doesn't know, which puts her way ahead of most people. She is now a HC for a HS varsity team.

Should she just keep her mouth shut and when your kid doesn't perform sit her on the bench and not tell your DD why? Should she tell parents who are spending $$$ on terrible PCs that they are throwing their money away?

The way the game is structured allows parents to "blame" someone other than their DD for their DD's failures. Why did the pitcher walk batters? The umpire was squeezing the zone. Why did the batter strike out? The umpire's zone was too big. Why did the ball go through the legs of the SS? The pitcher let the batter hit the ball too hard. Why did the team lose? The coach didn't play my DD. It goes on and on.

 

[riseball]

Let's make it clear, it is often the daddy coach who is irritated with the HS coach. Not that I have had this issue (because my kids show results), but there are two sides to any argument. There is a lot of "we" in this from the parent and the parent needs to let go of the kid. (Who cares if parent went to clinics, it is the player who needs to have gone.) If the player has an issue it is hers to fix alone.

Yes, all parents need to let go at some point. But the question as to when and with who is at the sole discretion of the parent. Most parents want and it is their duty to provide the very best for their kids. So they must insist that coaches be trustworthy and competent. Unfortunately these are 2 qualities which are a rare commodity in government in any government run institution. It is ludicrous to suggest that HS coaches be given a pass when it is clear that they lack 1 or both of these qualities. If you are fortunate to be in a situation with great HS coaches you are blessed. But don't look down on those who care only to want the best and refuse to "turn their kids over" to the village idiot.

 

[coach james]

Let's make it clear, it is often the daddy coach who is irritated with the HS coach. Not that I have had this issue (because my kids show results), but there are two sides to any argument. There is a lot of "we" in this from the parent and the parent needs to let go of the kid. (Who cares if parent went to clinics, it is the player who needs to have gone.) If the player has an issue it is hers to fix alone.

Statements like this only validate how much you don't know me, and how narrow minded that was. My girls do perform and work hard to not only do it well but do it mechanically right as well. She's busted her rear for a year to get away from HE mechanics. And now that its coming together for her, this guy wants to "fix" her back to HE... normally she does the aforementioned smile and nod, does it his way once, and then goes right back to the IR mechanics. However, this guy is persistent and if she pulls instead of pushes, he's all over her. That is my rant. None of which is a daddy ball coach issue.

 

[thefinest]

Oh my, that has to be awful!! Usually the nod and smile works but sounds like this coach is a real pain. I'm afraid I'd have to have my DD speak up and say "No Offense, but I don't pitch that way anymore I pitch it like this...." She may have to speak up about it and explain to him the situation.

 

[JAD]

Let's also make it clear, it is often you high school coaches that know less then use daddy coaches and that irritates you HS coaches. Who cares if some HS pays you to coach against most other weak softball minded HS coaches. Remember those really good players come to you already a really good player, no work by you. So come down off of your high horse, you didn't make them softball players, most of them were with their daddy or mommy coaches. Same is true for college coaches.

Most college coaches are former players and they are under pressure by the AD to win.

 

[Doug Romrell]

It's been my experience that the HE mindset is based on seeing IR as what causes wild pitches due to the motion, or release action, of the arm and hand. They simply do not understand the physics of it. In their minds the pitcher needs to push and bowl through, or paint through, the path she wants the ball to take. It's ignorance at it's best.

 

[YOCOACH]

You guys want it both ways...basically, you want the HC to identify the greatness of your child, let your child play every inning of every game, but never correct their child since, obviously, their child child knows how to play better than the coach. (Are you guys that way with math teachers?)

Where does my DD fit into your scheme of thinking? She was a big dog D1 pitcher (not as good as Pauly or Osterman, but still pretty good). Her knowledge of pitching is better than 95% of the people who post on here. Her knowledge of softball is better than almost everyone who posts here. She also knows what she doesn't know, which puts her way ahead of most people. She is now a HC for a HS varsity team.

Should she just keep her mouth shut and when your kid doesn't perform sit her on the bench and not tell your DD why? Should she tell parents who are spending $$$ on terrible PCs that they are throwing their money away?

The way the game is structured allows parents to "blame" someone other than their DD for their DD's failures. Why did the pitcher walk batters? The umpire was squeezing the zone. Why did the batter strike out? The umpire's zone was too big. Why did the ball go through the legs of the SS? The pitcher let the batter hit the ball too hard. Why did the team lose? The coach didn't play my DD. It goes on and on.

Sluggers, I have a lot of respect for you but this post makes it sound like it's all or nothing as many posts on this thread do also. This is rarely the case nor is it with the OP since we can only go by the one side of the story. Simply stated, there are good and bad coaches in all phases of a girl's softball career. If we take the OP at their word, this is one of the bad ones. So why should the OP continue to let a coach that wants to go against Bill Hillhouse's instuction change her mechanics for pitching. How many games has this coach pitched let alone world championships? What makes this coach think he knows more than someone who's been there and done that? If we, as a forum quit with the generalizations, especially when it comes to hot topics such as this, we would be much further ahead.