Not sure what that means. I'll cut to the 'chase' I believe in instruction. It will shorten the 'learning curve'. I have always given my DD & DS additional instruction. If your DD can't hit the ball the game won't be fun and they will not want to play anymore. It's as simple as that.
Honest question regarding amount of instruction
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Not sure what that means. I'll cut to the 'chase' I believe in instruction. It will shorten the 'learning curve'. I have always given my DD & DS additional instruction. If your DD can't hit the ball the game won't be fun and they will not want to play anymore. It's as simple as that.
- Jun 8, 2016
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Sorry just statistical speak for saying 99.7% of population will benefit greatly from instruction..other 0.3% either won the athletic lottery or can't walk and chew gum at the same time...I certainly agree that if one isn't hitting the game isn't much fun (thanks for bringing back painful memories of slumps long ago forgotten..
)
Getting lessons from the best is really important at a young age. Just watch a real pro like Domingo teach this kid how to hit a Bomb!
- Dec 11, 2010
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I didn't read all the responses.
I think womens fastpitch attracts a fairly high number of players and coaches who have a meticulous nature, people who like a sport that requires and rewards technically correct execution and repetitive practice.
I think womens fastpitch attracts a fairly high number of players and coaches who have a meticulous nature, people who like a sport that requires and rewards technically correct execution and repetitive practice.
I think the pitfall of too meticulous instruction can "coach the athlete out of the player".
With younger players, planting the seeds of a high-level swing early is a good thing.
But drilling too excessively, and setting the bar too high, too early, can really stifle a kid's game performance;
and you run the risk of her losing her enjoyment of the game.
I think most parent-coaches set off on a mission to take a swing from 0 to 100 all over the course of a single off-season.
6 months of drills, drills, drills.
This will certainly correct some things, but realistically, a 10-14 year old girls isn't going to make that level of improvement over that short of a time-span,
no matter how hard she works.
And you always run the risk of a kid who has become so "cerebral" about her swing,
that she loses the ability to just step in the box, with a clear mind, and smack the ball.
Marathon, not a sprint.
With younger players, planting the seeds of a high-level swing early is a good thing.
But drilling too excessively, and setting the bar too high, too early, can really stifle a kid's game performance;
and you run the risk of her losing her enjoyment of the game.
I think most parent-coaches set off on a mission to take a swing from 0 to 100 all over the course of a single off-season.
6 months of drills, drills, drills.
This will certainly correct some things, but realistically, a 10-14 year old girls isn't going to make that level of improvement over that short of a time-span,
no matter how hard she works.
And you always run the risk of a kid who has become so "cerebral" about her swing,
that she loses the ability to just step in the box, with a clear mind, and smack the ball.
Marathon, not a sprint.
- Jun 8, 2016
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I agree with most of this. Perhaps at a younger age (6 - 10??) one can use "drills" without really telling
the kid too much about what sort of mechanics you are trying to instill/fix. For example lately my 6 year
old drops her hands a bunch both with a normal tee setup and in her 8U machine pitch games.
So when I am throwing front toss to her I try and throw many of them higher.
Same with the tee e.g. set it up a bit higher. When she hits it on the button I say that felt good
didn't it..that's it. Of course when she gets older this won't work more than likely but hopefully
by then she will be able to better separate the mindset needed for practice versus games.
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I get the idea that overloading a young kid can be detrimental and that overly restrictive instruction can remove athleticism.
But think about this: how does a kid develop a poor swing? They are overloaded and overtrained with bad information and drills that then burn in permanently. And the idea of "developing" on their own is great if they are watching and emulating great swings (like boys with MLBers or girls with NCAAers). Without those models, hands on instruction and guidance is essential.
Even if a kid only understands 10% of what you teach them in terms of good mechanics at 10U, when it's repeated over time at 12U, 14U, 16U, 18U it builds on itself and burns in good vs. bad.
But think about this: how does a kid develop a poor swing? They are overloaded and overtrained with bad information and drills that then burn in permanently. And the idea of "developing" on their own is great if they are watching and emulating great swings (like boys with MLBers or girls with NCAAers). Without those models, hands on instruction and guidance is essential.
Even if a kid only understands 10% of what you teach them in terms of good mechanics at 10U, when it's repeated over time at 12U, 14U, 16U, 18U it builds on itself and burns in good vs. bad.
- Dec 11, 2010
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Did my post bring on all of the overcoached and over trained talk?
I would counter that *some* of the people who say that have no idea how to run a practice or a hitting session and it shows up on the field.
Keep in mind I am coming off a spring season where a high school coach shortened and cancelled dull practices because he did not have any idea how to effectively practice and the players were begging to be "overtrained" and "overcoached" with some "boring" drills so the players didn't have to work on hitting and fielding outside of practice in addition to the two hours a day he wasted at practice.
Whew, guess I'm still pretty salty about that. Sorry.
Edited to add: DD's have by now played for some very good coaches. Repetition and meticulous fundemental work have been commonalities of the coaches that improved them the most and that they liked the best.
I would counter that *some* of the people who say that have no idea how to run a practice or a hitting session and it shows up on the field.
Keep in mind I am coming off a spring season where a high school coach shortened and cancelled dull practices because he did not have any idea how to effectively practice and the players were begging to be "overtrained" and "overcoached" with some "boring" drills so the players didn't have to work on hitting and fielding outside of practice in addition to the two hours a day he wasted at practice.
Whew, guess I'm still pretty salty about that. Sorry.
Edited to add: DD's have by now played for some very good coaches. Repetition and meticulous fundemental work have been commonalities of the coaches that improved them the most and that they liked the best.
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- Jun 8, 2016
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I agree with you regarding what type of fan/person baseball/softball attract. Without understanding the finer details of the game it can be (admittedly) quite boring hence those that love it are naturally
detail oriented. This is unlike football/basketball where you can pretty much follow what's going without understanding the first thing about a box in one defense or post patterns. It is also why
it is the game which I enjoy bringing my kids to the most because I get to teach them all of the little things going on "behind the scences" that they would otherwise not notice..
