True or False?

[Sweet Lou]

If you hit or catch 1000s of balls the player will figure it out, it is not that hard when you do it all the time. I agree that good instruction is important but I will take reps over instruction.

There is no substitute for doing that's true. But like that car commersical where the father is showing the kid all the wrong things to do with throwing a a ball and saying - good job - that kid can practice all he wants that way, he's just going to get really good at being really bad.

If a kid is OK at a skill I agree they probably will figure it out by doing it over and over but if they've got a flaw it's going to get magnified if not corrected early and be very difficult to correct later after they've ingrained it with 1000s of reps.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

If you hit or catch 1000s of balls the player will figure it out, it is not that hard when you do it all the time. I agree that good instruction is important but I will take reps over instruction.

I've known pitchers who have thrown 1000's of balls and are no where near figuring out how to apply their skills to game situations, because they've never been properly "instructed" on using the organ between the ears.

 

[Hit by the Pitch]

I've known pitchers who have thrown 1000's of balls and are no where near figuring out how to apply their skills to game situations, because they've never been properly "instructed" on using the organ between the ears.

Stop picking on my DD! ))

 

[austinwass]

I'm loving all of the responses. I thought this would make for some great interaction. What's crazy is that this answer is actually TRUE, according to the ASA ACE online coaches certification, which I may get some heat for for posting this, but quality instruction and quality information leads to quality skill practice. Deliberate practice is key! Not just practice. It really bothered me to see a question like this. I stared at the screen for a good 10 minutes and was just shocked.

One of the best books I've read on this topic was Talent is Overrated, which discusses quality instruction and deliberate practice.

Young athletes are eager to learn and want to succeed in order to progress in that sport. They'll also have more fun because they've learned the correct patterns and will have success based on their Process. Teaching the fundamentals and basics is a must, but giving detailed instruction and detailed information will help maximize an athlete's long term development. Isn't that what we want for our youth athletes?

 

[JAD]

Am I they only one who thought of this commercial when I read the question?

 

[austinwass]

JAD, definitely not. I thought of that instantly! LOL

 

[Little Angels Softball]

Double-edged sword here .... to truly get better you need both.

However, I'll take repetitions over instruction every time, particularly so at the younger ages. For example, if a 9 year old girl goes out in the back yard and plays catch with her dad or mom or sister or brother every day for six months, I guarantee you she will both catch and throw the ball better at the end of those six months. Not much instruction required, if any, for quite a bit of improvement.

 

[David Carter]

Double-edged sword here .... to truly get better you need both.

However, I'll take repetitions over instruction every time, particularly so at the younger ages. For example, if a 9 year old girl goes out in the back yard and plays catch with her dad or mom or sister or brother every day for six months, I guarantee you she will both catch and throw the ball better at the end of those six months. Not much instruction required, if any, for quite a bit of improvement.

I keep telling my parents this even if all you do is play catch for 15mins a day I will take that over doing nothing. Catching and throwing need to be second nature and the more you practice the better you will be at it unless you are the VW commercial guy

 

[starsnuffer]

It's a much more difficult formula than this.

Practice makes permanent, so what practice does is ingrain the techniques that the player uses during practice. Practicing with poor technique will not make a player better. Practicing with correct or superior technique will make a player better.

Information passed on to a player is only as good as the information the player absorbs and acts upon. The most knowledgeable coach in the world is only as good as the knowledge that his/her players are able to enact. This is why communication skills are more important then game or skill knowledge to any coach. A good communicator can always pull in experts to learn technique from and pass that on to their players via communication, but a knowledgeable player/coach cannot ever impart more information than what they are able to communicate successfully. This is why the best players seldom make good coaches.

-W

 

[Eric F]

To echo the sentiments of many others who have posted already...
Repetition alone is a slow way to develop. It leads the the development of bad habits, a lot of time wasted on trial and error, and the likelihood that the "best" technique may never be discovered. Proper instruction and information will get better results much faster.