Skip practice for private pitching lesson.
- Thread starter Gambler Bob
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O.P. here.
You couldn't be wrong in your assumption about the amount of travel ball programs in this area. There has to be atleast 15 different tb teams in a 10 mile radius of where we live. We have 1 practice each week that is set in stone, that is what is bothersome about this whole situation. We also practiced every Thursday indoors but those practices were always optional. Now that we can finally get outside we are practicing outside on either Saturday or Sunday.
If the kid is a pitcher and she is your #1, all things equal her lesson trumps your practice. You should ask the parents to work around your practice schedule and they should do all they can to oblige. But unless you have the ability to develop her as a pitcher, which it sounds like you don't since she has a pitching coach, the lesson is paramount. Regardless of what wisdom you may instill in practice, come game day without pitching it is a moot point. Again, both parties must work together.
Also having team rules that proscribe specific penalties is a very foolish practice. That is the easy way out and teaches no life lesson as it does not reflect a life experience. You need to treat your players fairly and with respect, not equally. There is no one size fits all answer, find what motivates the individual player and coach them.
FWIW - For a 10U team it sounds like you may be taking this a bit too seriously. Remember that TB is about developing the individual, not chasing plastic and t-shirts.
I think you are assuming to much in regards to the comment about chasing plastic trophies in t-shirts. Not the case at all.
We do have 3 other pitchers on the team that are serviceable, all 3 of the other girls also are getting private pitching lessons, and they do it on any other day but Tuesday's which is the only day that was set in stone for practice. We also had an optional indoor practice on Thursdays, and we just started practicing on the weekends now that we can get outdoors. Our optional Thursday practices were always focused on pitching and catching, Tuesdays we are more focused on a team practice.
Not directed toward you: The girl that this post was about ended up pitching the 4th inning of the game tonight, she would have pitched the 4th and 5th inning tonight but we ran out of sunlight, 2 stirke outs, 1 ground ball out and 1 walk. She probably would have pitched the 1st and 2nd inning but we had our #2 pitcher pitch the 1st and 2nd inning instead. The # 2 pitcher did not let up any runs in either inning, 3 strike outs, and 3 ground ball outs, 1 walk in two innings. The other pitcher had a rough inning, gave up the 5 run max per inning, in her defense we made two errors but she walked 4 batters. She could have got out of the inning with 0 runs but there was a ball hit softly back at the pitcher and she rushed the throw to the catcher and threw it away, bases were loaded. On that same play the catcher threw the ball to first base, the first baseman tagged the runner who rounded first base to far and the ball popped out her glove on the tag play. Could have been a double play and the inning would have been over.
We ended up winning 5-9
Also we were not told ahead of time that she would be missing practices. The head coach got a text about 10 minutes before the practices started saying she could not make practice. We found out later why.
It's amazing how flippant some of you are to how much dedication and effort, these players that specialize, really put into what they do.
Yup, DD2 is a pitcher, DD3 is learning to be a catcher, and we have never missed a practice for a lesson. We have never asked for any special treatment, but we really appreciate the acknowledgement the coach gives when we discuss what we are working on in pitching and hitting lessons.
Any player that puts in so much additional effort is special, you should pray that you have a team full of them instead of just the few that you seem to hold in low regard.
Yup, DD2 is a pitcher, DD3 is learning to be a catcher, and we have never missed a practice for a lesson. We have never asked for any special treatment, but we really appreciate the acknowledgement the coach gives when we discuss what we are working on in pitching and hitting lessons.
Any player that puts in so much additional effort is special, you should pray that you have a team full of them instead of just the few that you seem to hold in low regard.
Sounds like this one might have benefitted from a missed team practice and some additional specialization work.
- Mar 15, 2013
- 68
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OMG this is 10u people. Missing one practice for a lesson or grandpa's 90th birthday or a school function should NOT be the end of the world. My DD is a pitcher..she went to EVERY practice, worked on her own (while other kids were playing video games, going to dance, sleeping etc) 4-5days a week and took lessons. She was always working on pitching and would quickly become the #1 no matter where she was playing...she is a very self driven and highly competitive kid. If she had to miss a team practice to go to a lesson because that's the only time we or the PC could get her in, her coaches would never give us hard time.I don't know that we ever did at 10u I can't remember but I know at 14u she did for clinics. But they did not give us hard time...
Not because she was their #1 but because life happens, sh*t happens and sometimes you have to say ok thanks for letting me know. In the scheme of life, this is 10u people..missing one team practice??? To get better at your specialized position? Seriously? ONE missed practice?? At 10u? One!!! not evry week..let's put it into perspective
Kind of a critical piece of information. What other information have you left out? #tellinghalfthestory
- Mar 15, 2013
- 68
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LOL Riseball...I still think it needs to be put in other perspective. One missed practice for a lesson not a big deal. #letitgo ��
I agree. But certainly an aggravating factor. To me it would be a bigger deal than the missed practice as it tells me I have a big issue with a parent. Sounds like this team has some issues all the way around. But that is the drama that is 10u which is why I do strictly 18u showcase.
Agreed. At 10u, it's the parent's responsibility. At the older ages it is the player's responsibility. But in an age when a teen can literally send 15 snap chats per minute, asking someone to notify a coach in advance about a conflict isn't too much to ask, in my opinion. Texting the coach doesn't take very long...
