well, it looks like we have different coaching philosophies here...good.
When I was an 11 year old girl, it was nearly IMPOSSIBLE for me to stay "tuned" for 2 hours straight. And I don't care how PLANNED your practices are, or how much "stuff" your teaching them that should be holding them in awe...when a couple of cute boys ride by on their bikes and yell out your SS's name, and she responds by turning her back to watch them ride off after she's already waved HI to them with her glove way up in the air, and then turns to your 3B and they both start giggling, itis time to just look at them, cock your head a little to the side, ask "really?", and then tell them they know the drill...at which point they will both turn and take a run to the fence...
Is it going to stop the behavior? maybe not. I find it hard myself to stop looking a a really cute guy, too...
Does it make a point? yep.
Does it make the point to ALL of them? yep.
Are 11 year old girls going to quit liking softball because you made them run to the fence and back? nope.
If I yelled at them, and called them names, and made them look like idiots, would they stop liking softball. very likely.
If I asked them a litlle later if they understood why they had to run, would they say yes? yep.
Did they learn enough to completely stop the behavior. nope.
They are girls.
Girls giggle about boys. And they will point out someones really funky nail polish while you're explaining how to slide properly. And they will talk about how they are going to wear their hair for the next game when they line up for fielding drills. They will be late for the first inning, because they wore the shorts when everyone else had on their pants, so they had to go change real quick.
It's okay to make them run a little....
It's not like you made them wear a cup to the next game...
When I was an 11 year old girl, it was nearly IMPOSSIBLE for me to stay "tuned" for 2 hours straight. And I don't care how PLANNED your practices are, or how much "stuff" your teaching them that should be holding them in awe...when a couple of cute boys ride by on their bikes and yell out your SS's name, and she responds by turning her back to watch them ride off after she's already waved HI to them with her glove way up in the air, and then turns to your 3B and they both start giggling, itis time to just look at them, cock your head a little to the side, ask "really?", and then tell them they know the drill...at which point they will both turn and take a run to the fence...
Is it going to stop the behavior? maybe not. I find it hard myself to stop looking a a really cute guy, too...
Does it make a point? yep.
Does it make the point to ALL of them? yep.
Are 11 year old girls going to quit liking softball because you made them run to the fence and back? nope.
If I yelled at them, and called them names, and made them look like idiots, would they stop liking softball. very likely.
If I asked them a litlle later if they understood why they had to run, would they say yes? yep.
Did they learn enough to completely stop the behavior. nope.
They are girls.
Girls giggle about boys. And they will point out someones really funky nail polish while you're explaining how to slide properly. And they will talk about how they are going to wear their hair for the next game when they line up for fielding drills. They will be late for the first inning, because they wore the shorts when everyone else had on their pants, so they had to go change real quick.
It's okay to make them run a little....
It's not like you made them wear a cup to the next game...