I know and I have been listening, I have been rethinking my opinion to see if I can come up with a better solution.
Parents Callig Pitches from Stands
- Thread starter Hoover's Dad
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I know and I have been listening, I have been rethinking my opinion to see if I can come up with a better solution.
Ok here goes to anyone who thinks this is remotely OK.
IF YOU WANT TO COACH THEN COACH. VOLUNTEER/MAKE YOUR OWN TEAM/WHATEVER...
IF YOU DON'T THEN SIT IN THE STANDS AND MAKE SUPPORTIVE NOISES (OR NOT)
I don't know of any coaches making millions out of being a head coach for a youth sports team. They are coaching because either they wanted to or no one else was willing to step up. Making it HARDER for them by undermining them is low class. In my opinion this is even worse than daddyball - at least Daddyball Coach stepped up and actually coached.
If you don't want to take the responsibility of coaching yourself then you don't get to do it just because it is your daughter in the game. If you don't like how the coach is doing it - find another team or do it yourself. If you don't have time to coach then respect the person who does.
This is why if you see my WAY out of the way during games when I am not coaching my kid's team myself. My kids have had great/good/average/bad/horrible coaches in a variety of sports and I have never ONCE said anything during a game. I volunteer to help when I can and help out how ever the coach wants when asked. Seasons don't last that long - you can always move to the next team/coach/sport/season/league/whatever
On the original topic - good coaches will work with their catchers to teach them how to call a game. That might take some time and is a building exercise. Right now I am working with the girl who is the primary catcher for my 10U travel team. She is right now at a point where she is comfortable with giving signals and is now starting to learn to make decisions when the game is on the line (we have a signal for 'her' call) and calling an inning totally by herself (currently when the game is not on the line). By end of year she should be close to calling a full game. If some dad tried to call signals over this catcher I am building up I would be furious. Fortunately that has not happened.
IF YOU WANT TO COACH THEN COACH. VOLUNTEER/MAKE YOUR OWN TEAM/WHATEVER...
IF YOU DON'T THEN SIT IN THE STANDS AND MAKE SUPPORTIVE NOISES (OR NOT)
I don't know of any coaches making millions out of being a head coach for a youth sports team. They are coaching because either they wanted to or no one else was willing to step up. Making it HARDER for them by undermining them is low class. In my opinion this is even worse than daddyball - at least Daddyball Coach stepped up and actually coached.
If you don't want to take the responsibility of coaching yourself then you don't get to do it just because it is your daughter in the game. If you don't like how the coach is doing it - find another team or do it yourself. If you don't have time to coach then respect the person who does.
This is why if you see my WAY out of the way during games when I am not coaching my kid's team myself. My kids have had great/good/average/bad/horrible coaches in a variety of sports and I have never ONCE said anything during a game. I volunteer to help when I can and help out how ever the coach wants when asked. Seasons don't last that long - you can always move to the next team/coach/sport/season/league/whatever
On the original topic - good coaches will work with their catchers to teach them how to call a game. That might take some time and is a building exercise. Right now I am working with the girl who is the primary catcher for my 10U travel team. She is right now at a point where she is comfortable with giving signals and is now starting to learn to make decisions when the game is on the line (we have a signal for 'her' call) and calling an inning totally by herself (currently when the game is not on the line). By end of year she should be close to calling a full game. If some dad tried to call signals over this catcher I am building up I would be furious. Fortunately that has not happened.
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02Crush
Way past gone
Parents should not be calling anything. Pitch calling should go through or be called by the catcher (depending on age and level of play). We are using signals to teach our pitchers and catchers about the relationship they have during a game. I jokingly call my pitchers and catchers the Siamese twins b/c they are to work together all the time. We are teaching our catchers to give a signal and the pitchers are to nod or shake the head to signal whether they see or not. I am calling them from a bucket at the dugout door to the catcher and she relays it in. As they get older this will change but for now it a way for them to realize that signals are a part of the game. We have a simple system and I suppose it could be easily figured out but it is not about that. It is about these two positions learning what will be a long time part of the game for them. Parents need to stay out of that. Signals and code is one of the coolest things about the relationship in a game between a pitcher and a catcher. Interfering with this is taking away some of the fun for the players. It is also like telling them you do not trust them in some way or another.
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As some else stated, the whole defensive team needs to know what pitch is coming.
Something to think about. Pitch calling is just not about strikeouts. Strategies to get pop-ups and ground-outs, pitch-outs or even intentional walks, etc. is sometimes key to a coaches plan. Most pitchers parents are obsessed with getting the K's which might not be in the teams best interest. . .
Something to think about. Pitch calling is just not about strikeouts. Strategies to get pop-ups and ground-outs, pitch-outs or even intentional walks, etc. is sometimes key to a coaches plan. Most pitchers parents are obsessed with getting the K's which might not be in the teams best interest. . .
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Excellent point! There is a game within the game that parents that are not on the coaching staff cannot understand from the bleachers. Coaching a game is difficult enough without having it undermined by parents not inside the fences. Trust the coach that she/he is doing what is best for the TEAM.
- Apr 1, 2010
- 1,673
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Yep, I've complained about this before. The #1 pitcher on DD's team (great pitcher, great kid) called her own pitches last fall. I really came to prefer to see DD catching for the #2 and 3 pitchers instead (the coach gives the catchers the signs for their pitches). IMO DD's best skill is framing and it's very hard to frame a pitch nicely when it's always a surprise. It's also a lot harder to prevent passed balls. I'd even argue that it's not fair to categorize them as passed balls, but I'm clearly biased. ;-)
I'm hoping that it will be different this spring. I do know she's been working on her drop and is pitching it more and more. When they're practicing, she yells out that she's going to throw it and it's still a challenge to catch. If they're in a game and the catchers don't know that drop is coming....
- Apr 1, 2010
- 1,673
- 0
I completely agree with you and pride. Isn't it actually better for the team to have a lot of balls in play early in the season so they can get sharp defensively?
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Quincy - you're being led around in one big circle.
Pitcher can't call the pitch because it's not her job and will scar her for life if she can't handle it.
Parent can't do it because they are not a participant but a spectator
Coach doesn't want to do it because...who knows, it's likely they have no idea or he/she doesn't have the time during the limited practice schedule to cover it all if he/she did know.
Catchers they may be taught in a rudimentary kinda way how to do it but the coach doesn't know how or wants to focus on the 1000 other items that need correcting. Correcting things they may know something about. In addition there may be 2 to 3 different catchers in a game that get to play back there. Zero of which have any idea what they should be calling.
So I guess that leaves the umpire to call the game for the pitcher? MTR it's all yours.
Perhaps the center fielder just yell out, Hey Susie, how about you throw the strike pitch, there haven't been many of those lately and I'm plum out of dandelions to pick.
I imagine at least some of that applies where you're playing.
Reality is, it doesn't really matter.
Someone should call pitches, at least some of the time, so the pitchers have a plan. Sometimes it's hard to throw a stike when the only thing they're trying to accomplish is to throw a strike. I've found that, at times, it can just make it more difficult if that's your only goal (I know it's not for your daughter).
Wait until the team/coaches are picked and find out what will work best with the coach(es). The world will not end (or your daughter's pitching career) regardless of what plan your group decides is best.
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I know this is an old post.
I had an opportunity to discuss this with DD’s Manager, we have not had a practice yet and he has not seen DD since last year. He understands the Issue and I asked him to think about it. At a minimum he thinks he will pair DD with an individual C that we will teach to call the game.
Not a perfect plan but sounds like a good plan. See if it works. He is excited about getting the catchers more involved in the games.
I had an opportunity to discuss this with DD’s Manager, we have not had a practice yet and he has not seen DD since last year. He understands the Issue and I asked him to think about it. At a minimum he thinks he will pair DD with an individual C that we will teach to call the game.
Not a perfect plan but sounds like a good plan. See if it works. He is excited about getting the catchers more involved in the games.
