Trips to the Mound

[jinjet95]

"Have a seat on the bench."

And that response helps develop a young pitcher? If there's no way they'll regain control, maybe, but shouldn't a young pitcher have an opportunity to work out of a jam?

 

[Dusty]

Three pages in with lots of experienced coaches and players chiming in and everyone is calling it a mound instead of what it really is, a circle. I'm kind of bemused by this, both of my dd's travel coaches do the same thing and every time they say it I find myself immediately restraining myself from correcting them, I know they'll just go right back to calling it a mound and my kids aren't too good to be cut.

 

[halskinner]

Three pages in with lots of experienced coaches and players chiming in and everyone is calling it a mound instead of what it really is, a circle. I'm kind of bemused by this, both of my dd's travel coaches do the same thing and every time they say it I find myself immediately restraining myself from correcting them, I know they'll just go right back to calling it a mound and my kids aren't too good to be cut.

I aint one of em! I played 1/2 inning of baseball in my lifetime, I never refer to it as the mound.

 

[Coach JV]

I will make a circle visit with entire IF to try to stem the motivation of a big
inning. Settle the them down. I rarely speak to pitcher, other
than exchange pleasantries, she knows her job, if she is not getting it done,
the hook is coming and she is aware.

 

[fastpitch]

"Circle" visits are sometimes needed to help get a young pitcher (and sometimes the defense) some time to take a breath, regain composure and reset and start over. As far as what I say... I usually just make stuff up that doesn't really make any sense... but I do make sure they see that I am smiling, not panicked or upset with what is going on.

 

[tomzpc]

The whole ritual surrounding mound visits for a struggling pitcher is silly.

The coach stops the game, the walks slowly out to the mound and glances at the ump or the outfield, puts a hand on the pitcher's shoulder, and then says *SOMETHING MARVELOUS* and everything is all right.

Coaches add ZERO by going out to the mound. It is a way for the parent/coach to feel better about themselves and to appear to be coaching. The idea that someone can provide some magical insight in 60 seconds is straight out of Hollywood.

Softball is a game. Kids succeed and fail in every game. If there wasn't failure, then softball would be called band competition. There is no shame in a kid failing and doing poorly. It just happens. You don't need to baby the kids. A simple, "Hey, this ain't your day. You'll do better tomorrow," is more than enough.

If a kid at any age is struggling, take her out of the game and sit her on the bench. After she regains her composure, put her back in.

I totally disagree Sluggers, particularly with the young kids that I coach. My daughter for instance will often get upset with herself when she gets wild and walks a bunch in a row. I, and everyone else, can see it right there in her face. Sometimes a quick trip out there to remind her that this is just a softball game, don't rush, take a deep breath before you start your motion and have fun, or something along those lines, actually works. Just yanking them from the game everytime they get wild or leaving them out there by themselves until the tears start flowing won't help them learn to relax and stay calm when they struggle, and that's a life lesson that transcends anything that they will ever do on the mound.

 

[Dadof3]

The whole ritual surrounding mound visits for a struggling pitcher is silly.

The coach stops the game, the walks slowly out to the mound and glances at the ump or the outfield, puts a hand on the pitcher's shoulder, and then says *SOMETHING MARVELOUS* and everything is all right.

Coaches add ZERO by going out to the mound. It is a way for the parent/coach to feel better about themselves and to appear to be coaching. The idea that someone can provide some magical insight in 60 seconds is straight out of Hollywood.

Softball is a game. Kids succeed and fail in every game. If there wasn't failure, then softball would be called band competition. There is no shame in a kid failing and doing poorly. It just happens. You don't need to baby the kids. A simple, "Hey, this ain't your day. You'll do better tomorrow," is more than enough.

If a kid at any age is struggling, take her out of the game and sit her on the bench. After she regains her composure, put her back in.

Really? My daughter said her coach really pumps her up when he comes out to the mound. 10U.

 

[Mike]

Our catcher visists the mound 99% of the time, I save my visit to make sure the infield is on the same page. IMO, you need to learn your pitchers traits. We got 3 new pitchers this year and its taken many games so far to really learn there traits. I can pretty much tell when they are on or off by there form and facial expressions, we are 12-u and all have been pulled mid inning with no tears. Last weekend the pitcher who started a game gave up 5 runs on walks and hits and got pulled. We put her back in in the 5th and she didn't allow any runs. We still lost by a run but the point is she got pulled and knew why, she then got another shot the same game and made the best of it. What a confidence booster. I didn't have to waste a time out to talk to her I could see the writing on the wall from the dug out. My advice is to use your catcher and learn there traits and "know when to fold em"

Mike

 

[Coach JV]

I totally disagree Sluggers, particularly with the young kids that I coach. My daughter for instance will often get upset with herself when she gets wild and walks a bunch in a row..................

By rights she should be upset as she knows she shouldn't walk "a bunch in a row"....... When my pitcher walks a bunch in a row I am going to the circle to give her the hook and an encouraging "better luck next time......"

 

[3DD'sDAD]

There are times when I visit the "middle of the infield" (I still refer to the mound, not circle; or the hill; I also refer to home as a plate, not a base - old school I guess) to buy time for another pitcher to finish warm-up. I also bring the catcher in to ask her opinion of what the pitcher is doing. No one knows better than the catcher if the pitcher has lost her "stuff". I never try to bring any magic statements or anything else. i simply wnat to know if she is running out of gas, or to make sure that the infield is on the same page to deal with a specific batter - or just to give everyone s#*t because they are bootting everything being hit. It is more of a calming than anything magic. They don't want me out there, and I don't want to have to go out there. It is typically in response to something negative.

Or as Ray says tell the pitcher to "go have a seat on the bench".