Shake things up?

[Slappers]

I'm thinking about doing some what I like to call "radical lineup" changes for our tournament this weekend. One of my pitchers is a great SS as well which lets me have a lot more flexibility in placing people in different positions when I pitch one of my other pitchers.

Does anyone move position players around to see what happens?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

No. But, good luck. It might be fun at a friendly, though. I have bad luck and about the time I pulled something "radical," my pitcher would break a finger at SS. Just inform the parents, before hand, I think. You could always do an inning, just to liven things up.

 

[Softball_2]

All the time. Help make them softball players instead of just a first baseman or a left fielder. Good luck!

 

[Rocketech1]

Fall is a great time to mix things up since it's considered developmental season. I would experiment with line-up changes and position changes this time of year. Our HC does it all the time It sends a great message to ALL the players that no position is guaranteed and that every player has an opportunity to compete for playing time, positions, etc. Frequently players will step up when given the right opportunity.

 

[ConorMacleod]

What age level? At 12U, I change things up a little. Basically, I try to nail down the two best positions for each player. But that's about it.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

Fall is a great time to mix things up since it's considered developmental season. I would experiment with line-up changes and position changes this time of year. Our HC does it all the time It sends a great message to ALL the players that no position is guaranteed and that every player has an opportunity to compete for playing time, positions, etc. Frequently players will step up when given the right opportunity.

Ding ding ding ^^^^^^ correct answer

 

[cuzmail]

I'm thinking about doing some what I like to call "radical lineup" changes for our tournament this weekend. One of my pitchers is a great SS as well which lets me have a lot more flexibility in placing people in different positions when I pitch one of my other pitchers.

Does anyone move position players around to see what happens?

Just be careful of pitching this girl less than she should simply because she is a good SS.

I have no idea if she is a good pitcher or not. I also don't know if she is a pitcher first and fielder second or vise versa. Just a word of advice based on what I have noticed with my DD over the last year.

 

[MagicDad]

Every player should play more than one position. On my DD's 12U team each player plays at mutiple positions during each game. No players have a set position. That being said the coach doesn't put anyone who can't handle a certain position in that spot, like a lefty or slower fielder playing at ss. But he will use one of five different players at ss and so on. His reasoning is that each player should learn as many positions as possible so when they enter HS, they have a good shot at varsity as freshman. It works for my DD team, they lost one game so far and won three championships this fall.

 

[cmustangsfp]

I agree with the versatility of multiple positions. That is what pool games are all about, letting girls learn new positions. I would hate to be the coach whose SS gets injured and having no one to put in that position that knows how to play SS correctly. If you only have one position learned, what happens when you show up for HS ball and they already are 3 deep at your position? Saw this happen in teams I was not the coach of. My DD plays 2B great, gets swapped out with AC's DD who misplays several balls and is out of position for several more, team ends up eliminated. The AC's DD was normally the catcher and he wanted her to get some field time so he swaps for no other reason, great idea, bad timing.
Now that I am the coach I move girls around. I find it also helps them have compassion for girls that play that position regularly. When you have a girl who doesn't play outfield, get that chance and they see how hard it is to run fast, judge the ball, time the catch, etc. it makes them a little less likely to holler out something stupid to an OF like "Why didn't you get to that ball????"

 

[JAD]

We play some tournaments to get better (friendlies, showcases), and some tournaments to win (ASA qualifiers). Pick a tournament that you can "play to get better" and move girls around. It is also a good idea to let the players and parents know what you are doing beforehand.