If you had to do it all over again....

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Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
I was micromanaging DD. This board made me stop, thank you all.

She was looking at me all the time. I told her I was going to shut up, rightful she did not believe me, I needed to prove to her I could keep my mouth shut.

Unbelievable how much better she got with me staying out of her way.

Practice yes, games are hers.

(Wieght has always been an Issue for DD and me. Niece is 2 weeks older then DD and is solid attractive SB player. Brother calls my DD a wrath)
 
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Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
I wish I'd taken her to a certain hitting instructor earlier, and yapped at her less when she was younger. That said, we've both gotten quite a bit from this game, outlasted some people alleged to be better, and proved a few wrong. She's living in some rarefied air in college, and doing some things that I never foresaw happening.
 
Mar 6, 2016
383
63
I was too hard on my older DD when she played. I went from coaching HS baseball and football with teenage boys and then was an AC for older DD starting in 8u. Lets just say it was hard for me to change my coaching "habits" and ...ahem...voice level. Still regret the first couple seasons until I changed.

Have definitely toned down for my younger DD but have "relapses" now and then. 😲
 
Apr 1, 2017
535
93
Definitely agree about taking pictures/video. I’m really bad with that and entire seasons go by and there are very few pics on my phone.

specific to the actual game, I wish I had taken my daughter to a pitching coach sooner. Not because it would have magically made her the top recruit in the country, but just because I think it would have saved a lot of frustration in the beginning.
 
Jan 27, 2010
1,871
83
NJ
She says I wasn't too bad on the drives home from tourneys but I can think of a couple of times I wish I'd kept my mouth shut. I spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to help her get to D1 and when the decision was made she chose the college she wanted to attend irrespective of softball. She still plays and is very happy with her decision. I'm more than happy with my decision to support her softball in the way we did. I got to spend countless hours with her that I wouldn't trade for anything. It's her last spring playing and I plan on attending as many games as possible. After commissioning she's headed to NAS Pensacola to become a Naval Aviator. 13 years she has played and the Game has given us a lot in what seems like the blink of an eye.

Be less critical and enjoy the moments.
 
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May 27, 2013
2,353
113
I definitely would do the whole Little League experience again. There was just something “magical” about our run dd’s 11U year that is difficult to describe. I think every player should try to have the LL experience if you have a decent program in your area.

I would have stopped coaching at 12U. Once dd moved to a team that I did not coach it was amazing to see how much more effort she put in. Having different voices truly helped her development.

IR pitching coach from the beginning. When dd made the switch at age 13 it was a very frustrating season for the both of us.

Less pitching time. Dd was always the workhorse of her teams through 14U that no one ever realized how decent of a fielder she was until 18U. I think she would have enjoyed the game more at the younger ages if she wasn’t always in the circle or on the bench. Lesson learned - don’t let your dd become pigeon-holed at one position at the younger age levels.

Let your dd figure out where she wants to go with softball. It is ultimately her journey, no one else’s. You and her coaches are just there for support and guidance. Don’t ever let anyone make your dd feel like it’s DI or bust. Dd knew where she wanted to go for college after her sophomore year; however, there were several people trying to push her in a different direction, and I should have stopped that. It would have saved us a lot of time and money with regards to camps. Ultimately, dd had the better head on her shoulders and displayed more maturity with her college decision than the adults did. College is more about getting an education vs playing a sport at the end of the day.
 
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Sep 3, 2015
372
63
I wouldn't change much, and we're not there yet (2022 DD), but my advice is to find coaches that coach and develop their players, not coaches that only manage. Big difference.

I'm really going to miss it when it's over. DD will be playing in college but it won't be the same. The road trips, getting up really early, the game breaks where you go get food, the way home after a long day. So much good stuff.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 

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