High School playing time/positions, How to ask...from the kid's perspective.

[Nimrod]

I think we may be on to something here. Any player can challenge a position on Mondays and Wednesdays. Each player get 10 GB or FBs and 10 swings of front toss. Coaches judge each swing/hit and fielding attempt (1 to 10 on paper), tally it up and announce the winner. Monday's winners plays Tuesday and Wednesday's winners plays Thursday. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

I like it. My DD dominated front-toss competitions in her day. Unfortunately, live pitching turned her swing back into a pumpkin.

 

[Filterbing]

"starting decisions were made via a wrestle off."

I think we may be on to something here. Any player can challenge a position on Mondays and Wednesdays. Each player get 10 GB or FBs and 10 swings of front toss. Coaches judge each swing/hit and fielding attempt (1 to 10 on paper), tally it up and announce the winner. Monday's winners plays Tuesday and Wednesday's winners plays Thursday. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

The wrestle off was sometimes the most fun we had in practice. It was a great moment when so and so could finally beat the other guy at his weight class and it was a clear indicator of earning the start. Seems like a clear way to set a line up other than "coaches perception". I didn't grow up in the sport and from an outsider's perspective, Baseball/Softball has a weird coaching ego trip culture.

This meme (which some people think of as funny) encapsulates it for me. This coach hasn't talked to this kid about their performance, isn't helping them get better, and really the parent's instincts were right that this coach hates their player. I'm left asking why they player made the team in the first place.

 

[cnardone]

I like it. My DD dominated front-toss competitions in her day. Unfortunately, live pitching turned her swing back into a pumpkin.

My dd was taking a pitching lesson in a lane next to a girl KILLING it in front toss. I mentioned it to the pitching coach and the PC said something along the lines of, "too bad for her the game is fast pitch not front toss." ha!

 

[Rolling Hard]

My dd was taking a pitching lesson in a lane next to a girl KILLING it in front toss. I mentioned it to the pitching coach and the PC said something along the lines of, "too bad for her the game is fast pitch not front toss." ha!

Front toss may not be a perfect indicator of a players skill level but if hitter is fouling off, rolling over, popping up or God forbid swinging and missing during front toss then you know she is probably not so good. On the other hand, if a hitter hit 10 line-drives to the grass in a row she is probably pretty good. Barrel control and consistent barrel contact goes a long way.

 

[CoachJD]

The wrestle off was sometimes the most fun we had in practice. It was a great moment when so and so could finally beat the other guy at his weight class and it was a clear indicator of earning the start. Seems like a clear way to set a line up other than "coaches perception". I didn't grow up in the sport and from an outsider's perspective, Baseball/Softball has a weird coaching ego trip culture.

This meme (which some people think of as funny) encapsulates it for me. This coach hasn't talked to this kid about their performance, isn't helping them get better, and really the parent's instincts were right that this coach hates their player. I'm left asking why they player made the team in the first place.

The meme isn't that good (the mistake is engaging at all when the parent brings up playing time), but you are missing something with your outsider's perspective: learning a player's True Talent in this game requires many hundreds of inputs (PA, defensive chances, etc.). Most teams don't come anywhere close to the requisite number, to say nothing of other factors (quality of competition, etc.). When you have a very small sample size, you have to rely more on the perception of the coaches, though this is obviously imperfect (in theory, a decent coach with enough experience can make a better call than one would make by relying entirely on a small sample size).

Creating some kind of limited, extremely small sample, intra-team competition helps very little if you're trying to determine the best players on a softball team -- this becomes more true the at higher levels where talent disparity is less.

I don't know much about wrestling, but I suspect the better wrestler wins a one-on-one match almost all the time. That's just not necessarily true in softball. Not if you're limiting the competition to something like 10 swings or 10 balls to field. Add a couple zeroes to it and now we're talking.

 

[torpedo #8]

I like it. My DD dominated front-toss competitions in her day. Unfortunately, live pitching turned her swing back into a pumpkin.

That was beautiful

 

[Filterbing]

slight update, here is the current offensive state of the team after 2 scrimmages and 3 games (all stats from 5 games). My daughter is at the top with least amount of chances. Team last night could not get a ball out of the infield and RF bunted out on 3rd strike. Its F'n ridiculous at this point. I'd show the defensive stats but I don't trust them. I know 2B has at least 4 errors after 4 games but GC is only showing 2, she got pulled in 2nd inning 5th game for throwing her helmet after a strikeout. Coach put LF at 2B and we watched her miss two due to range and 1 error backhand also failed to cover 1st on slow rolling hit 1B took. I Took my daughter to the field over the weekend for some work and she made those plays that new 2B missed.

Not sure of the the status of DD request for time. I do know other coaches are recognizing her effort at practice (said this to DD). Topper to all of it last night though... I could her DD screaming from the dugout all night long and it was really obvious it was only her, Head Coach gave the "lunch pale" game award to another girl in the dugout for cheering (also a previous player from chosen org) . SMH

Told my daughter not to sweat it, if we wanted awards for cheering she would be shaking her rear on the football field in a skirt.

 

[flash277]

slight update, here is the current offensive state of the team after 2 scrimmages and 3 games (all stats from 5 games). My daughter is at the top with least amount of chances. Team last night could not get a ball out of the infield and RF bunted out on 3rd strike. Its F'n ridiculous at this point. I'd show the defensive stats but I don't trust them. I know 2B has at least 4 errors after 4 games but GC is only showing 2, she got pulled in 2nd inning 5th game for throwing her helmet after a strikeout. Coach put LF at 2B and we watched her miss two due to range and 1 error backhand also failed to cover 1st on slow rolling hit 1B took. I Took my daughter to the field over the weekend for some work and she made those plays that new 2B missed.

Not sure of the the status of DD request for time. I do know other coaches are recognizing her effort at practice (said this to DD). Topper to all of it last night though... I could her DD screaming from the dugout all night long and it was really obvious it was only her, Head Coach gave the "lunch pale" game award to another girl in the dugout for cheering (also a previous player from chosen org) . SMH

Told my daughter not to sweat it, if we wanted awards for cheering she would be shaking her rear on the football field in a skirt.





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Your DD only has 3 Plate Appearances in 5 games?........Brother, she's not gonna play anytime in the near future. Tell her to keep grinding at practice and accept the fact that she's not playing (you accept it too). She has two more years to go in this school, don't get on the coach's bad side.

 

[Filterbing]

Your DD only has 3 Plate Appearances in 5 games?........Brother, she's not gonna play anytime in the near future. Tell her to keep grinding at practice and accept the fact that she's not playing (you accept it too). She has two more years to go in this school, don't get on the coach's bad side.

I know this looks like she isn't good enough but I'm telling you there is something wrong here. Watch her play vs watching this team play is night and day. Our travel team doesn't play the locals here, we were in clearwater, scenic city, new Jersey, and will be in Denver this summer, she hits off those pitchers and fields with the best of them at these tournaments. These HS pitchers aren't on anywhere near the same level as girls she faced in those tourneys. Assistant coaches are telling her they recognize her for killing it in practice. Head coach couldn't even tell she was the one cheering in the dugout. (or knew and awarded another kid anyway) SMH

 

[_MIA_]

I know this looks like she isn't good enough but I'm telling you there is something wrong here. Watch her play vs watching this team play is night and day. Our travel team doesn't play the locals here, we were in clearwater, scenic city, new Jersey, and will be in Denver this summer, she hits off those pitchers and fields with the best of them at these tournaments. These HS pitchers aren't on anywhere near the same level as girls she faced in those tourneys. Assistant coaches are telling her they recognize her for killing it in practice. Head coach couldn't even tell she was the one cheering in the dugout. (or knew and awarded another kid anyway) SMH

Ok so you obviously think the HC doesn’t like your DD so I guess the next obvious question would be why that is? I used to watch enough of those TV crime shows to know that if you are going to charge somebody with murder there has to be a motive.

Of course it probably won’t matter in terms of anything tangible but it will make the thread more interesting…

Seriously though if she is killing it in practice then she is controlling everything she can control..
Sometimes learning to sit the bench, whether justified or not, is a good thing. I don't think I ever sat an inning (other than if I got kicked out of a game) before I got to college and when I sat my freshmen year of college I was really,really,REALLY bad at it..