Practice criticism

[Rolling Hard]

The difference between rec level, semi-pro and pro-level is the attention to detail. Let's use the "rolling the ball drill".

REC LEVEL: Coach is rolling the ball but spends most of his time trying to figure out where to pick up a six pack on the way home.
SEMI-PRO: Coach is watching the players, but gives advice such as "You have to want it!", "Give 110%!", and "Dig deep!" Likes discussing how he "could have been contender" had the coach just let him play SS.
PRO: Coach is watching each and and every move the player makes, from the time the player gets into position to the time the player releases the ball. Gives advise on specifics such as feet position, glove position and hand position.

For example:

Just had DD watch the video Good stuff.

 

[The Man In Blue]

No kidding. The idea that people are spending thousands for 10 and even 12 yr olds to play ball is mind boggling to me. We need more parents like my old man who back in the 80s bitched out the local rec league I was in when yearly fees went up $10 for the year.

Kids these days are growing up with a warped mindset. I actually had a 12-year-old in practice the other day who is struggling with fielding. She came off the field and told her parents she needed to have a fielding lesson. I thought, maybe all those lessons you’re taking are the reason why you’re struggling?

Maybe she’s worrying about so many other things other than fielding the damn ball and making the throw?

Less lessons, less travel, more sandlot.

I guess it’s just the way I am, I’m in my 40s, and played high school ball and was successful. I never took a private lesson in my life. Or played travel ball. But I was a little before it’s time.

But I get it, keeping up with the Jones’ can be a lot of work. My wife sees other girls taking lessons all the time and she feels we have to do that too. Not just with sports but with everything, tutors, etc. I guess it’s just the way things are these days. My parents just told me to work harder and study harder, they weren’t handing out 40 bucks an hour for someone to teach me outside of practice or school.

Can I give this something more than just a thumb’s up? Perhaps a “You have won the internets today!”?

Somewhere along the line the mindset was developed of “If I am paying for it, it must be the answer and it must be good.” Look to PT Barnum for the real wisdom in that.

 

[The Man In Blue]

a) Girls never really played sandlot ball..at least where I grew up b) nothing wrong with lessons (my 10 YO DD doesn't take them) but going to a fielding/hitting lesson once a week and not doing any other work on the side isn't going to turn somebody in Ozzie Smith/Ted Williams. That is the biggest problem parents have with lessons..they think they are a substitute for hard work.

Does anybody really play sandlot ball anymore? That was where my passion for the game was developed. We were there because we wanted to be, not because it was scheduled and paid for.

Spot on with the “lessons vs. work” observation.

 

[uncdrew]

No kidding. The idea that people are spending thousands for 10 and even 12 yr olds to play ball is mind boggling to me. We need more parents like my old man who back in the 80s bitched out the local rec league I was in when yearly fees went up $10 for the year.

Kids these days are growing up with a warped mindset. I actually had a 12-year-old in practice the other day who is struggling with fielding. She came off the field and told her parents she needed to have a fielding lesson. I thought, maybe all those lessons you’re taking are the reason why you’re struggling?

Maybe she’s worrying about so many other things other than fielding the damn ball and making the throw?

Less lessons, less travel, more sandlot.

I guess it’s just the way I am, I’m in my 40s, and played high school ball and was successful. I never took a private lesson in my life. Or played travel ball. But I was a little before it’s time.

But I get it, keeping up with the Jones’ can be a lot of work. My wife sees other girls taking lessons all the time and she feels we have to do that too. Not just with sports but with everything, tutors, etc. I guess it’s just the way things are these days. My parents just told me to work harder and study harder, they weren’t handing out 40 bucks an hour for someone to teach me outside of practice or school.

First off, it's $40 for half an hour.

Secondly, lessons from the right professionals most certainly make the vast majority of players better, assuming they work on what they've learned on their own. If you ask the top players, I'm guessing they almost all take lessons.

 

[uncdrew]

My DD practiced with a different team recently.

I came home and told my wife that it was so impressive, and so much better than our practices. But I quickly realized while watching the practice that it wasn't the coaching that made the practice so much better, it was the girls.

Perhaps coaching is responsible, but the girls were more focused, more driven. They cared more, they goofed off less. And they were just better players.

p.s. My DD loved it.

 

[bmakj]

lessons absolutely make a difference, but what is said here is correct, they need to work on their own to reinforce the lesson.

one of the main reasons lessons work is that very often, what a player is doing and what they think/feel/"know" they are doing are vastly different. I know this is case with DD, but because I am Dad, of course I cannot possibly know. but her instructor tells her, it is gospel than

 

[marriard]

This weekend we had a parent talk to our sister 16U coach stating that our team's 14U practice drills are "Rec Level" I'm certain this was a ploy to join the older, already successful 16U team. However, I don't want to ignore the comment. So in your mind, what drills would you consider below a 14U team or better yet, what drills should a 14U team definitely run. For some context we have only been a team for four weeks. Currently we are running some foundational drills for throwing and batting mixed with situational work. We only had one scrimmage (last week) so we are now addressing things we saw in game.

Most people are overthinking this - and some are 100% wrong.

This is what a coach says when he wants to stress to someone that his team is just better and more intense than your current team. Whether that is true or not doesn't matter - they are just 'better' and more serious and you need that for your kid - why wouldn't you?

Because that is what a lot of parents think is important. And then they go join his team. You know, because little Susie needs to be pushed hard or be left behind.

At least 80% of the time it is total BS.

 

[canyonjoe]

It's human nature when you get criticized to get defensive. Maybe it's a load of crap but possibly there is some truth to it. Go watch the other team practice some night and see if it's different. To me the difference between practices is the speed that teams do them. On the best teams you see more players going all out on every drill.

 

[djcarter1966]

When I coached rec tball-10U parents always asked what was the most important thing they could do at home or during off season to keep sharp and I always said play catch 15-20 minutes every day with your kid. Throwing the ball back and forth vary distance, roll a few grounders, throw some pop ups....yeah its old school but I can promise you this you put 20 girls facing each other in a line playing catch with each other and I can pick out the girls I want on my team in less than five minutes.

 

[uncdrew]

When I coached rec tball-10U parents always asked what was the most important thing they could do at home or during off season to keep sharp and I always said play catch 15-20 minutes every day with your kid. Throwing the ball back and forth vary distance, roll a few grounders, throw some pop ups....yeah its old school but I can promise you this you put 20 girls facing each other in a line playing catch with each other and I can pick out the girls I want on my team in less than five minutes.

Most of us can tell the talent level of the player with how they walk into the dugout. But most certainly during warm-ups.