Need some advice

[slowcelica]

I need some advice on what to do to help my DD out, she is playing TB on a B level decent team. The last few weeks she just hasn't been playing like herself, she plays 3rd and pitches. She's been bobbling the ball when fielding that she normally wouldn't, which has lead to her not being as aggressive as she normally is. I can just see her confidence going down. She's said to me she feels like her coaches do not like her and are singling her out sometimes, she gets moved when she makes a mistake other girls don't.

What do I say to her, I told her right now she is just not making plays that she can and needs to make, she starts making them again and you'll be fine. They have been trying to teach someone else to play the position so that when she does pitch someone can fill in for her, but that has caused her to get about a 3rd of the reps she normally would get in practice and I feel like that is about the time her problems started, and in the last few weeks her practice time at the spot has gone down to a 4th of the number of balls she would normally get, because the 1st girl they tried to teach wasn't getting it done so now they are bringing in a 2nd girl.

Any advice on how to handle this and get her confidence back up?

 

[sjw62000]

Just a recommendation and what I might do if faced with a similar situation. I might take DD out and do some one-on-one glove work. Just me, a bat, a bucket of balls, her, her facemask and glove, and a bownet. Keep hitting her balls and making her throw to 1B (the bownet) until she gets confident. This will let the TB coaches know she is "putting in work" and it is likely to build her confidence back. Please remember this is just something I might do if DD was struggling at 3B. I have done something similar when DD had some hiccups in OF.

 

[slowcelica]

Just a recommendation and what I might do if faced with a similar situation. I might take DD out and do some one-on-one glove work. Just me, a bat, a bucket of balls, her, her facemask and glove, and a bownet. Keep hitting her balls and making her throw to 1B (the bownet) until she gets confident. This will let the TB coaches know she is "putting in work" and it is likely to build her confidence back. Please remember this is just something I might do if DD was struggling at 3B. I have done something similar when DD had some hiccups in OF.

Thanks I had thought the same thing.

 

[Rick M]

I might take DD out and do some one-on-one glove work. Just me, a bat, a bucket of balls, her, her facemask and glove, and a bownet.

This is good advice. If your DD is a pitcher who the team depends on, she's going to get less and less team practice time at any other position. The coach needs to make sure that the other eight spots are covered when your daughter is in the circle. That is also going to mean a lot of reps in fielding drills where her only role is to be in the right spot as a backup. Not as much fun as taking grounders at the hot corner, but an important part of being a pitcher.

 

[softball dad 6]

Definitely go out and do the one on one thing with her. When my DD's journey is over those times will be my fondest memories. Start with something easy you are sure she can handle well and build from there. Just taking a bucket of balls and rolling them to her and having her throw to first is good place to start. Confidence is an important and often overlooked aspect of softball. Make it slightly harder as you go. Whatever you do make sure you do not show any disappointment in your mannerisms. I can speak from experience. Nothing can ruin a parent/DD session faster than that. After you finish take her to get some frozen yogurt, starbucks, or whatever.

 

[Eric F]

As others have said...more practice. Confidence on the field comes from confidence in your skills. Confident skills come with practice.

In most TB situations, players need to be constantly earning their spot. For a player that already is the regular starter, it's usually about continuing to prove that you are the best choice. For a player looking to take a starting spot, it's about proving that you are undeniably better.

That said, if the coaches are trying to get a backup player up to speed to fill the hole left at that position when your DD pitches, it's totally understandable that your DD is getting way less than a majority of reps at that spot right now. As a coach, solving the problem of a competent backup player is an important issue that needs to get resolved sooner rather than later. However, if your DD isn't keeping up her level of play in games, resolving a backup issue might evolve into the coaches deciding they have a new #1 at that spot.

Get to work...

 

[slowcelica]

This is good advice. If your DD is a pitcher who the team depends on, she's going to get less and less team practice time at any other position. The coach needs to make sure that the other eight spots are covered when your daughter is in the circle. That is also going to mean a lot of reps in fielding drills where her only role is to be in the right spot as a backup. Not as much fun as taking grounders at the hot corner, but an important part of being a pitcher.

She is the #2 pitcher at this point, I'm not sure how much they actually rely on her right now. That's a frustration we have atm is she is not getting enough mound time or the mound time we feel that she deserves. She's not walking a lot of girls, she has I think 4 walks on the entire year( 3 or 4 tournies). We are playing recball currently to get her more time and may start sub'ing for other teams.

Definitely go out and do the one on one thing with her. When my DD's journey is over those times will be my fondest memories. Start with something easy you are sure she can handle well and build from there. Just taking a bucket of balls and rolling them to her and having her throw to first is good place to start. Confidence is an important and often overlooked aspect of softball. Make it slightly harder as you go. Whatever you do make sure you do not show any disappointment in your mannerisms. I can speak from experience. Nothing can ruin a parent/DD session faster than that. After you finish take her to get some frozen yogurt, starbucks, or whatever.

That's pretty much what we do now with pitching, I learned early on if I get frustrated with her, she's going to get frustrated with herself and it will do no good. Ya we go get frosty's at least once a week lol.

 

[Strike2]

I've never relied on team practice alone to give DD the number of reps needed for competent hitting or fielding. That includes any team where I was the HC. Individual work is always important, especially when team practices are limited by weather or other factors. Get the bugs out of her glove when it's just you and her, and let the coaches see the refined version in practice.

 

[Cyder517]

I’d imagine that your daughter is feeling uneasy with where she stands with her team- #2 pitcher and now she is having to share her secondary position with other players. She has to become self-motivated and build her confidence up. She needs to make the most out of the reps she is getting and should be putting extra work in on her own. As hard as it is to watch them go through this- let her struggle a little and don’t let her come up with excuses/rationales. I hope she finds it within herself to be the best player she can be!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[slowcelica]

I've never relied on team practice alone to give DD the number of reps needed for competent hitting or fielding. That includes any team where I was the HC. Individual work is always important, especially when team practices are limited by weather or other factors. Get the bugs out of her glove when it's just you and her, and let the coaches see the refined version in practice.

Don't get me wrong, she never just practices at practice, but we have been neglecting fielding with pitching and getting her hitting improved. We probably have just been putting it off too long.

I’d imagine that your daughter is feeling uneasy with where she stands with her team- #2 pitcher and now she is having to share her secondary position with other players. She has to become self-motivated and build her confidence up. She needs to make the most out of the reps she is getting and should be putting extra work in on her own. As hard as it is to watch them go through this- let her struggle a little and don’t let her come up with excuses/rationales. I hope she finds it within herself to be the best player she can be!

She is putting the extra work in, unfortunately 60% of the extra work is with pitching 40% has been with hitting, I guess it's time to work on fielding again.