Reality Check and Maturity

[sluggers]

Why do you ask?

A pitcher who doesn't know which pitches to throw to a batter is little more than a trained monkey.

I think it is pathetic for travel ball coaches to take that part of the game away from the kids. Travel ball is supposed to be about teaching the kids how to play the game, but many coaches are such control freaks who can't let go.

 

[lawdawg]

A pitcher who doesn't know which pitches to throw to a batter is little more than a trained monkey.

I think it is pathetic for travel ball coaches to take that part of the game away from the kids. Travel ball is supposed to be about teaching the kids how to play the game, but many coaches are such control freaks who can't let go.

Kind of harsh, eh? I agree that a 14u pitcher (not just thrower) and catcher should be able to call pitches. I allow my better catchers to call games much of the time. However, the front/rear angle is the worst for seeing holes in swings or hitches that are exploitable. Moreover, if I catch the opposing coach or team guessing right too much - i'll change signals and take over. Furthermore, I will call pitchouts and pick offs if I sense something that my catcher misses. Thus, she needs to be looking for my cue every pitch.

 

[SoCalDad]

Socaldad
A 16U team cannot be a gold team.
It's only 18 Gold and in So Cal you must qualify to be 18 Gold.

Yes, starting in 2010 ASA played around with the Gold designation. In 2009, however, 16A teams could go for the gold designation. It still sticks with some teams to differentiate the top tier teams from the numerous 'pop-up' daddy ball teams.

Gold Classification Procedures
1. Criteria for becoming a Gold Team.
• Gold teams that qualify for the Gold Nationals the previous year earn an
automatic classification as Gold. Maximum number of Gold teams will be 50.
(Exception: 2009 the number of Gold teams will be 54)
• Remaining teams must classify in one of two classification tournaments to be
held each year. The number of teams required to classify each year will be
determined by the number of teams that qualify for Gold Nationals the
previous year.
• Teams will be entered into the Classification Tournaments using the following
precedence order:
1. Gold teams that participated in the previous year’s Pacific Coast Region (14)
Gold Regional Tournament.
2. 18A teams that finished in the top 10 at the previous years So Cal ASA State
Championship. (Max 13teams)
3. 18A teams with a return berth to the ASA/USA Nationals. (Max 2 teams)
4. 18A teams that qualified for the previous year’s 18U A Hall of Fame Qualifier
in the Pacific Coast Region (14). (Max 2 teams)
5. Open to all So Cal ASA teams that registered in 2008 as Gold or 18U A.
6. 16A teams that finished in the top 10 at the previous year’s So Cal ASA State
Championship. (Max 13 teams)
7. 16A teams with a return berth to the ASA/USA Nationals. (Max 2 teams)
8. 16A teams that qualified for the previous year’s Hall of Fame Qualifier in the
Pacific Coast Region (14) Qualifier. (Max 2 teams)
9. Open to all So Cal ASA teams that registered in 16A or newly formed teams.
Teams will be entered into the tournaments in the order that the Gold
Commissioner receives them.

 

[sluggers]

lawdawg-- You aren't calling every pitch of every game, which is what many travel coaches do.

You are letting the kids handle much of the responsibility, and when they get in a situation over their heads, you help them out. That is teaching.

Travel ball coaches are supposed to be teaching kids the game, not playing the game themselves. Pitching is a game within a game--so, literally, the coach is playing, and not the kids. It is the equivalent of letting an adult play 3rd base.

I understand about calling pitches in college--college coaches have to win, or they get fired. They aren't there to teach the kids to play. They are there to win. And, I can understand being a control freak when your pay check is at risk.

 

[Coachmom]

Amen to sluggers. Coaches that call the game for their catchers do a disservice to the sport. I believe that if more coaches taught this skill at the younger levels, more girls would be capable of doing it at college level.

 

[StacieM]

So awesome that she made adjustments and learned from the experience. Two necessary steps to continue getting better and better and being successful. There will be many pitchers that do not learn to make these adjustments at 43" and will opt to make excuses instead.

mudbug: ugh walks - you're right about that one. Good teams will make you pay for those walks!

 

[Coach-n-Dad]

OK, so obviously my comments mean 0 to this conversation.

 

[livingontheroad]

Yes they are. And if you watch DI College softball there are many coaches at THAT AGE that call games as well.

Why do you ask?

In my experiences, the coaches of the best teams in the country all call the pitches. That doesnt mean a girl is not able to. But it does let her focus on the task at hand, and not be distracted by trying to remember what this girl did before and what pitch might be best in a situation. Besides, a good coach knows his pitcher better than she knows herself.

All the players at every position are trained monkeys. All taught to do specific things in specific situations. There is no freedom to it at all. It is practiced mechanized play. What makes the difference is how WELL they do what they have been trained to do.