Question for coaches - from parent

[Coach JV]

Hitting-Hitting-Hitting
If dd lacks consistency as a 12U, she will
be eaten alive by 14U pitchers. If she has the heart
and passion that you describe, enlist the help of a
private hitting instructor. This appears to be the missing
piece of the puzzle. My best SS at 12U is now playing CF.
There is no shame in OF positions, I would prefer my dd
play any OF position over the bench.

Have some realistic expectations, look objectively at the talent
level in her age group and see how she fits into the puzzle during games.
I have seen numerous players who are outstanding practice players
and not showcase the same skill level during competition for whatever reason.
As the players mature, they need to define the mental aspect of the game
and try visualizing to get past the mental hurdles.

 

[iMlearning]

"Also, for games, coaches will consistently put her in LF. After reading the LF/CF/RF post, I am beginning to think that dd isn't all that great."
Interesting how I didn't get that feeling at all after reading the LF/CF/RF post. At 14U Nationals, it seemed like all of the balls were going to the outfield (maybe because of the pitching quality on that team

As for the hitting coach...do you all recommend a coach during the season also? We have 3 more lessons scheduled but are going to 3 practices a week with a lot of tournaments. I've been debating on whether to buy more sessions.

 

[coachtucc]

1) Why is everyone so against playing the OF?? As you get older, the OF gets action and they always have something to do ( back up a base, LH has to be at third when a bunt is put down and a runner is at 1B.
2) I have players that always come for extra practice...2 out of those 6 haven't improved much and might not get any better than they are but they always work hard and get playing time.

 

[maksoftball]

Okay, I have a couple of things to clear up:
1) DD loves playing OF...the point was that during practices, the coaches were not involving her in the active part of fielding drills...she wanted to be in the action too...for practice. She does NOT want to be infield unless coach wants her to. She LOVES to pitch too but knows and understands that the coach will do what's good for the TEAM.

2) She does take hitting lessons...her pitching coach is also her hitting coach. We do over an hour of lessons on Mondays for pitching and hitting. She's coming around on hitting, and did pretty well in her first 14U tournament. She struck out once, got out the other times on pop ups and good hard hits infield (we were up against a REALLY good team)...got on base once too with 2 RBIs. She is definitely getting there.

3) I think that the nail on the head is MENTAL. She needs to come out of her shell and be a little more vocal with the coaches on what she wants/desires. Also, she is NOT quiet on the field...she is the loudest one to communicate with teammates (i.e. UP!!!, HOME!!!, MINE!!!!).

4) I have talked with her and I am trying to encourage her to speak up more with teachers and coaches...it's an authority thing, I think. She's shy and afraid of being rejected. She's gradually getting better.

Thank you all for your responses...hopefully DD will break that mental barrier soon...esp since I am backing off and letting her assume responsibility for her wishes/desires (in that she needs to speak up and push/pesevere).

 

[Greenmonsters]

Okay, I have a couple of things to clear up:
1) DD loves playing OF...the point was that during practices, the coaches were not involving her in the active part of fielding drills...she wanted to be in the action too...for practice. She does NOT want to be infield unless coach wants her to. She LOVES to pitch too but knows and understands that the coach will do what's good for the TEAM.

2) She does take hitting lessons...her pitching coach is also her hitting coach. We do over an hour of lessons on Mondays for pitching and hitting. She's coming around on hitting, and did pretty well in her first 14U tournament. She struck out once, got out the other times on pop ups and good hard hits infield (we were up against a REALLY good team)...got on base once too with 2 RBIs. She is definitely getting there.

3) I think that the nail on the head is MENTAL. She needs to come out of her shell and be a little more vocal with the coaches on what she wants/desires. Also, she is NOT quiet on the field...she is the loudest one to communicate with teammates (i.e. UP!!!, HOME!!!, MINE!!!!).

4) I have talked with her and I am trying to encourage her to speak up more with teachers and coaches...it's an authority thing, I think. She's shy and afraid of being rejected. She's gradually getting better.

Thank you all for your responses...hopefully DD will break that mental barrier soon...esp since I am backing off and letting her assume responsibility for her wishes/desires (in that she needs to speak up and push/pesevere).

If I recall correctly, she's playing w/ girls 2 years older so being a little passive or quiet is not unexpected. Two additional years of experience and maturity can be a huge difference. She needs to learn that she (and her parents when necessary) is her own best advocate and realize that she can approach talk to her coaches/authority figures when she needs or wants to as long as she does it respectfully and at appropriate times. Success breeds confidence which leads to greater success, but it can be a little of the ol' chicken or the egg first. She might get a little boost if she occasionally thinks about how she would compare to her current teammates presently with 2 more years of experience under her belt.

 

[02Crush]

Lots of comments I agree with here. I will start with one I felt was the best line of thinking...Infielders ebb and flow off of each other. Whether the best talent or not; players know their teammates strengths and weaknesses. There is an unspoken bond of infielders who are together for a while. They know on certain plays where the others will be, how hard to throw, what amount of touch to add to the ball when at different distances from each other, who gets the bag and how fast they will get there on certain plays, etc... The point is..when you see a group emerge as a primary "set" of players in infield (and even in the outfield) who work well together it takes a lot to change that. It is hard to teach unity and once you have it most of us roll with it.

Secondly, When you mentioned pitching you hit it another thing on the head. If she is considered for pitching she is in a different world of consideration. I try to avoid playing my pitchers infield unless they are just amazingly good there also. You need healthy pitchers and being involved in plays where baserunners are added to the mix we worry about possible injury to a very important position. At least I see it as dangerous for the team who needs a deep roster of pitchers no matter the situation.

Hitting will get her playing time. However the older you get in TB usually you see everyone can hit well so I personally feel this line of thinking is true but more so in younger ages (10U and 12U) then older.

Lastly, Fake it until you make it! I agree and love it. Be the most vocal and supportive player in the group. It will be recognized by your teammates and coaches and when a door opens....you will get more than a fair look as many of us agree that B+ talent with A+ integrity eventually trumps A+ talent with B- integrity. Attitude is everything. Positive parents and players make the world of difference in a team.

If you are going to keep her on the older team then work to develop her into a great outfielder. They are needed and as players gets older it will matter.

If it were me I would get back into her age group. Bottom line is that playing time matters. I noticed you mentioned being on a lesser team as if it was bad but the reality is this...Reps in games matter more than anything else. In my experience, being on a better/older team but seeing less time on the field is not going to make your DD better. Experience, Ability and Knowledge come from experiences and those experience make it easier to coach a kid even further along. When you are the younger player on an older team you probably will not get the reps as a player the same age would. While you would be recognized as a good talent that can play up but you will still be given less looks. It is just something that will happen very often.

As far as the drills in practice...Just ask the coach how she can be more involved in all the drills even any others she is not being involved in that may not have been mentioned do to time.

She sounds like on heck of a player. Good luck in whatever you choose.
If she is two years younger and seeing consistent playing time this is a blessing and not normal circumstances.

 

[Stephanie Aull Johnson]

On my team, if you cant hit, you dont get as much playing time in the field. It is simple...hitting wins games. Also, remember that as she gets older the dynamics of who plays changes. In the younger leagues, a good coach will give everyone playing time. As they get older, coaches have pressures to win and things change. It is way more competitive. The fact that she has the ability to play on an older team at a younger team says she has ability. It may be just a matter of time. I know at the college level, a lot of high school stars face the same challenges. They played all the time in high school then go to college to find out the first year or two they sit the bench more than play. It is difficult. But a good player will use that time wisely and challenge the coach with helping them to become better.
The player-not the parent-needs to talk to the coach. Ask the coach, what can i do to improve? Can you give me more practice with grounders or fly balls after practice? Can someone give me extra hitting practice. The player must take the inititive to show they want to play. This alone will grab the coaches eye and keep the player on the top of the list. There is nothing i love more than to see one of my players put in the extra effort when they "dont have to". Hard work will pay off!

 

[JAD]

If you DD is playing SB on a high level travel team the coaches responsibility is to put the players on the field that they feel give the team the best chance to win. There is not an 'equal playing time' mentality that you get in rec ball and some low level travel ball. While 'hustle and work ethic' are great, some kids are just more naturally gifted. If your daughter loves SB and wants to play positions other than LF I would suggest finding another team where her talent level more closely matches other girls on the team.

 

[02Crush]

With the EPs in the line up and Flex, DP in other leagues, you can place hitters who can't field somewhere. You can also put the defensive kid in just to play defense.

Hitting is easy to see and coaches don't teach defensive skills. And more players take personal hitting lessons than defensive lessons. So I don't think you should punish a good defensive kid by not getting a chance at all. I also don't think bad defense should always be rewarded, even if hitting is good.

Well put. They do not say Defense wins championships in most all sport for no reason! We here it all the time. We see it all the time. We all spend so much time enthralled in the Pitching battles we watch in the collegiate level (which is part of Defense)...So why is it that in so many younger ages all we here about is how hitting earns playing time....My team is not hitting consistently yet, but we are winning. So I am baffled at how I constantly hear this statement. Sure, we need offense. Sure, hitting is a fine art and an important part of the game. But if you let the other team out score you it is still a loss. Defense is a serious matter and take time to teach right. Truth is "Balance" wins games.

 

[dadonachair]

Does your DD feel like she is part of a team, or a teammate?

You mentioned that your DD is 2 years younger than the other girls. I would put her with girls her own age. There is a big difference in the maturity of a 14 y/o compared to a 12y/o. I think you said your DD is 13 but I am using these ages as an example. Physical size has nothing to do with it. The older girls might look at her as a kid, not as an equal. some of the 14y/o girls might have boyfriends (I really hate to type that) while a 12y/o doesn't. (I really want to put down shouldn't not doesn't, but that is just the daddy in me speaking). She might see them as big girls, while in her mind she is not a big girl yet. She might get along with them fine, but is not friends with them or have anything in common with them except softball. She might not be vocal with them cause she is shy and doesn't want to secretly step on a big girls toes. Then again she might be best friends with these girls and have everything in common with them. So I see the question as, if you put her with girls her own age and hopefully with girls she is friends with in school she might relax and come out of her shell. I do not know you or your DD so I won't pretend to know what is really going on, but this is the first thing I would look at.

I am also a believer in playing at you own age. That way they mature as a team. Her former team might not be very good right now but what can they become if they play together for a few years. Teams that play together for a few years tend to know each other very well on and off the field. They know what the other one is thinking and gel together. If she plays down it might be "easier" for her to get the confidence she needs to make transitions later. If your DD is a year 99 and eligible for 12u while the other girls are 97's is she going to move up with them next year? If so that is a big jump. Will you be looking for a team next year? Again, it depends on your and your DD circumstances. Those things are up to you.

Next if SHE wants to stay with this team than you have to see how she fits in to the team and how the team plans to use her. She is a pitcher. Most coaches put pitchers in the OF so they are less likely to get hurt on tag play or hard hit ground ball. Even in MLB coaches don't want pitchers to catch pop ups to the IF. That is part of being a pitcher. A hurt pitcher is hard to replace. As far as playing LF compared to RF or CF. believe it or not some coaches don't put that much thought in to it or know any better. They just throw 3 girls out there and think nothing of it. Others analyze every part of it. Work at foot work and tracking the ball. Become the best OF she can be. At the same time work on the IF positions you never know when she will get her chance. Kids leave teams all the time or god forbid get hurt. Most of the time it is a necessity for the coach to fill positions internally cause they don't have time to get another player. This is not MLB where they have 25 man rosters.

If she wants to play every inning. Help her hit her way into the line up. On some teams a lot of time playing time has to do with hitting. If you have 2 equal players with the same defensive skills same batting average but one gets more extra base hits. Who are you going to play? The Nationals are turning Bryce Harper into a LF so he can play more games, Rather than keeping him as a catcher. Hit bat is more important to them. Some kids don't do well with hitting lessons during the season, it is to many thoughts going through there heads. Some handle it quite well. It all depends on the kid.

These are just some things I would look at. I am sure your DD will be great. Best of luck.