So I ask...is it really worth it to pay more for college softball graduates?

[RichK]

Yep to all the above....but don't mix up the money and the female coaches questions, I think they are separate:

- can you afford/think it's worth paying that amount of money -- will you get value?
- evaluate the coaches like any other -- are they good teachers/people, will they do a good job?
- you are out of daddy ball and into a seemingly more competitive environment -- is it the right time for your DD to do that?

The one thing that you have to watch out for with young female coaches is that their most recent experience is with their college program. That style of coaching, which often includes a focus more on conditioning than skills development, doesn't always fit young teams. Young players need to be taught skills and have them reinforced again and again until they get them right -- throw, catch, play the field, run, hit, etc....that is more important than winning at that level...

Good luck

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I will answer the question. "No," I don't think so. I wouldn't pay that kind of money for any coach.

My nephew runs a good team, south of Houston and has a young woman associated with him. His fees are more like $85.00 a month, last that I knew.

 

[chinamigarden]

Are these coaches taking a salary from this fee? If no then the part about their age and their experience really doesn't mean a whole lot. I have seen great coaches who were 20 and terrible ones who were 50, and the other way around too. Some people with 40 years on their resume have one year of experience that they keep repeating. No new knowledge. While a young person may only have a year or two of experience but at least it is current knowledge. So what makes their team worth more money? Having 150 uniform combinations seems to be one of the key money factors on some of the teams I have seen.

If the coaches are taking a salary from that fee then you need to interview them. Ask them about practice structure, drill, what are their thoughts on strategy, player discipline...

You wouldn't pay for guitar lessons if you didn't know about the instructor.

 

[chinamigarden]

My wife and I were/are the main positive influence on my children. The idea that some person trained in throwing and hitting a ball is going to spend 5 hours a week and instill some greater moral purpose is a fantasy straight from Hollywood. (E.g., Joe Paterno, and all the other disgraced coaches.)

Sluggers, I agree 100% with this statement, but as part of your job as the main positive influence on your children you also made sure to not expose your children to negative influences. So while in the grand scheme of things you may not have counted on a coach to instill morals to your children you tried to keep them away from coaches who would be a negative influence.

 

[BrianMonk]

1. My wife and I were/are the main positive influence on my children. The idea that some person trained in throwing and hitting a ball is going to spend 5 hours a week and instill some greater moral purpose is a fantasy straight from Hollywood.

2. E.g., college coaches called my kids worthless pieces of **** on more than one occasion. (They were women enough by that time to not let it get to them too much. ) But, you can't do that with young kids.

1. Woot, woot – not many kids need surrogate parents. My kids certainly don’t and I’m not interested in them getting that.

2. But the Sharks did that with 12u players as well.

 

[glf0845]

How many months do you have to pay?

Since no one answered my question I will assume it is for the season $225 for three months is right on for a fall ball 14u team, in Ca anyway. They are probably taking a salary and travel experiences. How many tourneys are schedule?

 

[GTRH8R]

Just a couple quick thoughts. DW played D1 ball, she will tell you herself, she doesn't coach because she would "lose it" with some of the girls. So if they are positive coaches great, but just cause they played high level, it doesn't make it so.
Howell, the most negative hard to play and get along with coach (by far) I know is a woman. So negative doesn't just come from daddy.
One of the worst, most uncoached teams we consistently play is coached by 2 young D1 player grads.
Me/us coaching a daddy ball team know more about teaching softball then a good friend who is a college coach.
I know now 2 ex mlb players that teach hitting, both teach horribly, I am currently trying to break a girl of spinning on her back foot because this top level player had her doing it for a year.
My summary: playing D1 ball is a great point on these girls resume! It isn't the whole kitten kaboodle!

Summary = very true. I had DD go to a recent D1 grad for hitting instruction because I thought she would associate well with her since it was a young lady who just got done playing ball. Well that part came true. She thought she was great. Similar build, similar type of player, so they hit it off. The problem is the college player couldn't teach worth a flip so DD didn't learn anything and we had to drop her as a coach. Great young lady, but just because you played does not mean you can teach.

I took DD to a fat old guy afterwards and he has done miracles with her swing. DD listens to every word this guy says like gospel and has total trust in him. So the moral of the story is I would not pay that much for any coach unless you know you are getting results. I'd pay more for her hitting coach if he needed to up rates all day long and twice on Sunday.

 

[howellhandmade]

Sluggers, I agree 100% with this statement, but as part of your job as the main positive influence on your children you also made sure to not expose your children to negative influences. So while in the grand scheme of things you may not have counted on a coach to instill morals to your children you tried to keep them away from coaches who would be a negative influence.

Precisely. Much better said.

 

[nanotech14]

You have to look beyond the Div. 1 thing. I read & hear that all the time about some ex Div. 1 player. Example not a Div. 1 player, but father of a Div 1 player and the most well know softball pitcher, Doug Finch teaches the hello elbow, Jenny doesn't throw that way, but he teaches that and people listen to him. Daddyball is out there, but not all teams coached by fathers or mothers are bad. Local TB team in my area has been getting more sucessful every year since 12u and they have had the same girls since the start and now are 16u. The HC's dd and AC's dd both are on the team and the parents seem very supportive, the team gels well. Good job Ed, he comes on the site sometime.

 

[MsDinosaur]

Summary = very true. I had DD go to a recent D1 grad for hitting instruction because I thought she would associate well with her since it was a young lady who just got done playing ball. Well that part came true. She thought she was great. Similar build, similar type of player, so they hit it off. The problem is the college player couldn't teach worth a flip so DD didn't learn anything and we had to drop her as a coach. Great young lady, but just because you played does not mean you can teach.

I took DD to a fat old guy afterwards and he has done miracles with her swing. DD listens to every word this guy says like gospel and has total trust in him. So the moral of the story is I would not pay that much for any coach unless you know you are getting results. I'd pay more for her hitting coach if he needed to up rates all day long and twice on Sunday.

IA, it's all about what works for your DD. Last year, I was taking DD to a hitting instructor who was both inexpensive and nearby. Unfortunately, DD's hitting kept getting worse and worse. I ended up taking her back to a young woman who had given some group instructions to her and some of her 10U teammates the year before. Coincidentally, this lady is a D1 grad. It's further away and more expensive, but she is right for DD. I'd drive further and pay more if I had to, LOL.

Strangely enough, I recently had a conversation with her on this topic. I was helping the two of them pick up balls on Sunday and the instructor and I started talking about how DD was improving. She said that DD was making huge strides compared to some of her students and we talked about how sometimes teachers and students clicked and a child could understand the lesson and use it, and sometimes they didn't. She said that there have been times she has even advised parents to try someone else, because what she was trying to teach their daughter just wasn't working.