Need advice on whether to move teams..

[elizabeth]

My daughter has played for this 12U team for 7-8 months and has LOVED every minute of it. She has made long lasting friendships, no drama and all the parents are great too. However, come this fall, several of the older girls will move up to 14U. When these girls move up my daughter will be the oldest and best one on the team. The talent level is not that great. We do not win games. My daughter has been promised tons of pitching time come this fall, because their main bracket pitcher is moving up. We have been strung along for 6 months, because they keep telling my daughter she will be pitching the majority of the tournament and then at the last minute they have always put another girl in (coaches daughter). I feel like my daughter may finally get her chance for mound time. So for this reason I DO want her to stay on this team.

However I am considering possible switching teams because there is no emphasis on batting. At practices the girls are always practicing fielding and rarely practices batting. There is no pitching machine, and the coach doesn't even let the 3 pitchers on the team pitch to batters during practice. The only batting practice they get is the coach soft tossing to them and soft tossing into the net. We may have a 2 hour practice, but the girls will practice fielding for 1 hour and a half, then the last 30 minutes practice batting once a week. Because of this my daughter does not do well at batting in tournaments. She can hit the ball but the ball does not make it past the infield. In fact none of the girls have a big bat. It gets very frusterating to see the girls lose every single game because no one can hit the ball.

I am not sure if we should stay on the team so she can get mound time, or leave so that she can get solid batting practice with another team??
Any advice will be appreciated.

 

[Mark H]

Because of this my daughter does not do well at batting in tournaments.

No, she does not hit well because she does not hit well. Getting your swing ready is an individual responsibility. Take ownership of that yourselves.

 

[jimginas]

Elizabeth, To a degree I do agree with Mark, and I understand various regions, players are expected to have their own batting coaches. I'm on the east coast and most players I know do NOT have their OWN batting coaches. I do personally feel that coaches have the responsibility to develop players. IF the coaching staff chooses NOT to develop batting, I feel they should provide options for how you can get your batting in.
1) I ask my girls to swing a bat 80-100 times a day w/ CORRECT mechanics. Most do not listen, and feel that our 2-3 days a week practice will help them. Some do and it shows in their power, mechanics and on-base %.
2) I like to offer an extra night of "OPTIONAL" batting, no gloves, just show up and spend 30-45 minutes getting swings in. ASK your COACH if there is a means to have this night!
3) I also believe batters should ABSOLUTELY face LIVE PITCHING at LEAST once a week in practice.
4) again, if you are not getting the batting in practice, you need to make a point of getting your daughter SOMEWHERE where she can good instructions from a knowledgable coach that she can learn from. You'll have to be proactive becuase some coaches do NOT organize well and some coaches have focus on a low level of the game (almost like many rec ball coaches I've seen.)
**** You never mentioned the practice time for BASERUNNING... does she understand her leads, aggressiveness, hook slides, breaking up force plays, tagging rules, HOW to get out of the box properly and how to approach 1B on a ball in the Infield??? Many coaches ignore baserunning and that just ticks me off!

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Well, he probably isn't teaching hitting, because he doesn't know how. SO, maybe you don't want him teaching hitting.

Get your DD some hitting lessons or get her to a clinic.

Make sure that she has the right bat.

Video tape her and ask for advice. Set up a tee and a net in the garage and encourage her to practice.

You can throw to her from the front, even if you have to throw tennis balls overhand.

This is basically how all of us started. We had to do it, because no one else was going to. I bought the Englishby DVD's and went from there.

 

[elizabeth]

Need advise on whether to move teams..

The coach is very aggressive on stealing bases and we do practice base running alot. We do sliding quite a bit, situational plays etc. Because he does teach this to the girls, when we do get on base, we usually can always score.

 

[Mark H]

Well, he probably isn't teaching hitting, because he doesn't know how. SO, maybe you don't want him teaching hitting.

Get your DD some hitting lessons or get her to a clinic.

Make sure that she has the right bat.

Video tape her and ask for advice. Set up a tee and a net in the garage and encourage her to practice.

You can throw to her from the front, even if you have to throw tennis balls overhand.

This is basically how all of us started. We had to do it, because no one else was going to. I bought the Englishby DVD's and went from there.

I wish I had said it that well.

 

[FJRGerry]

The 12U team my daughter just finished with (season just ended) and I helped coach had batting one out of three nights per week mixing some tee work, soft toss, machine pitch and (too) rarely live pitching. Figuring 20 balls at each station that's only about 60 balls a week, which isn't nearly enough to improve hitting. In addition, I had my daughter hit from a tee into a net in our garage 50 balls 2 - 3 days a week and I worked with her once a week with 1 on 1 live pitching, soft toss and tee work. All added up, this was maybe 200 - 250 hits per week, which is probably the low end of what's recommended. Even so her hitting improved tremendously from the beginning of the season. While working on mechanics we also worked on batting smart so she wouldn't be swinging at any bad pitches I threw. Usually we'd play a full count situation - very obvious ball take the walk, questionable ball foul off if possible, hittable pitch then hit it hard! Little by little her decision process is improving which is helping her become the best she can be at the plate.

Regarding switching teams: talk to the coach about your concerns. Does he agree with you that hitting has been a weaknes? If so then hopefully he's planning on emphasizing it next season. Are there other teams nearby that you know hit well? If so is it due to the coach, or are parents spending money on hitting instructors? If your daughter loves pitching then staying may be the best option since it sounds like she'll be the number one pitcher.

 

[sluggers]

If you want your DD to hit, you have to work with her yourself. If you want her to pitch, you have to work with her yourself. If you want your DD to be a good player, you have to devote 5 to 7 hours a week with her hitting her popups, groundballs, and working on her hitting and pitching.

Coaches aren't going to do it for you. There isn't enough time.

 

[Bill Bollinger]

All added up, this was maybe 200 - 250 hits per week, which is probably the low end of what's recommended.

To add to this... I think hitting and golf is very similar as to what is required to be good. If anyone on this forum ONLY hit 200-250 balls per week on the driving range they would improve over hitting 0, or 100 etc.. but over time it will not get them to their fullest of abilities. Most pro's and even children who are learning the game of golf on the highest levels will hit no less than 400 balls per day.

Now, on the other hand... I think the offensive game of softball is also a LOT more than just 9-10 girls swinging the bats to their own fullest abilities as well. The coach should be practicing the girls offensive part of the game as well. Even if he/she isn't good at a "hitting coach" there is a lot more about offense than just knowing how to be a good hitting coach. You can still be a good offensive coach even if you didn't know squat about being a hitting coach.

Bill

 

[TNSoftballDad]

Not to pile on, but I definitely agree with the others that it's your responsibility to help her on hitting away from practice. Her not hitting in tournaments doesn't have anything to do with what they do or don't do in practice. And I think it is a good thing that the coaches don't use a machine...those things can be destructive if over-used. Coaches throwing close-range front toss from behind a screen is better, IMO.

As others have said...tee work, tee work, tee work. Tried and true, the best hitting aid there is.

If you cannot find or afford a quality instructor, there are plenty of knowledgeable folks in the internet softball community who are more than willing to help you learn the art and science of hitting. But make sure you are able to filter through the junk...that is a constant process, really. All "camps" have good advice and ideas, but no one who says you have to do it all 100 percent this exact way is correct. There are some constants, but variables do exist too.

Lastly, be patient with it. For most kids, it is not something that comes overnight.