Trying to Move to Comp and Not Sure We Should

[WagonPuller]

My 11yo daughter has been playing for a while. She's been going to a private pitching coach for a year and this past season, everything clicked and she wants to make a commitment to getting better and taking the sport seriously. She just played her last 10U Rec game yesterday and is going to move up to 12U. But she wants to be with girls who take the game as seriously as she wants to. It's not about winning or losing, she just wants teammates who listen to the coach, take direction, do as they're told, try their best, and WANT to improve. Her Rec teams have not been like that (and I know because I'm the coach). I usually have at most 3 girls who really want to play and improve while the rest want to be on a team and wear a uniform. Our Rec organization is more concerned with girls having a good time than development (they handle the boys side very differently). Anyway, she has brought up that she wants to try Comp ball so she can be with serious players, but I'll be honest, from what I have seen, she's not ready. She has the desire and the attitude and she is very coachable, but from what I'm learning, she doesn't have basic skills that she'll need (like sliding) because I haven't been able to teach that (every season I'm given at least 4 Never Evers and I have to start from scratch with "this is how you hold a bat," "this is where you stand in the box," "throw it to 1st --- no not there -- 1st is over there." She knows she is going to be on an incredibly slow trajectory if she sticks around this organization, but she's kind of in Softball Purgatory -- needs to get out of Rec, but isn't ready for the intensity of Comp. I want to support her found love of the game, but I don't want to throw her to the Wolves of Disappointment at the same time. Nor do I want her to have to stay in a place where improving is going to be difficult because she would do so much better if she were surrounded by players who had the same goals. I'm just now learning about the world of Comp softball and from what I can gather, she can play C level, but I'm having a hard time finding those teams -- lots of 12UBs (even As) -- a team where they're looking to take girls with some skills and lots of desire, and will develop them through the next levels. Does such a thing exist? She honestly needs a RecreTive team -- more than Rec, less than Comp. Any advice or words of wisdom (or encouragement)? Thanks!!

 

[Strike2]

12U is a good age to make that move away from Rec ball. Focus your coaching efforts on your DD. You can teach a kid to slide in less than an hour. Give her the work to get her to the level she needs to be. If you don't know enough about hitting, pay for lessons with the right instructor. I wish I'd done that sooner. Try out for some teams...you might be surprised. If she's really not there yet, work through the Fall and get her up to speed. It might take some trial and error to find the right fit, but it will eventually happen.

If you want your kid to keep playing, get out of Rec league. After 12U, it's pretty much deserted.

 

[quincy]

We had a Team that went undefeat in rec. So the powers that be moved us up in the year end tournament to play the TB teams. We were crushed, they were faster smarter and better coaching. We had players that were as good as theirs but were not used to speed of the game.

I would find a Team and expect to sit on the bench for a little while until she catchs up. Practice is where she will get better. Might also find a Team that will allow your DD to practice with them.

 

[WagonPuller]

12U is a good age to make that move away from Rec ball. Focus your coaching efforts on your DD. You can teach a kid to slide in less than an hour. Give her the work to get her to the level she needs to be. If you don't know enough about hitting, pay for lessons with the right instructor. I wish I'd done that sooner. Try out for some teams...you might be surprised. If she's really not there yet, work through the Fall and get her up to speed. It might take some trial and error to find the right fit, but it will eventually happen.

If you want your kid to keep playing, get out of Rec league. After 12U, it's pretty much deserted.

Thanks for the response. I'm a decent player myself and I started her pitching, but know the game is different than when I played (I played D3) so I'm very ok with handing over the baton to more qualified specialists. So yes, I think she would benefit from a hitting coach, even with the improvements she has made this year. She asked me to teach her to bunt and she caught on in about 15 minutes, laying down some nice ones down the baselines. She has a tryout tomorrow night and I've told her to try her best and if she doesn't make it, we know what we have to work on and we'll make that commitment. It might mean having to do another season of Rec, but we'll do it with a more honed focus on her and her skills. Thanks again...I appreciate the insight!

 

[whiporee]

Where in Colorado are you? If you're in Denver Metro, there are a few options to throw your way. PM me if you want.

As for the bigger picture, I think coming from rec ball you think the differentiation in talent is bigger than it really is. 12-year-old girls are still 12-year-old girls, and as impressive as some of those teams might look, when you watch a full game or a tournament you see just how many mistakes even the good teams make. So don't get intimidated.

That said, you do need to be looking for tryouts now. With the comp season just about ended (and the high school one about to start) there have already been a bunch of tryouts but there are still some to come. Do a search on facebook for softball in your area. The one big piece of advice I can give is to find a team that is looking for players -- and a lot of teams are often looking for players. A few P&R districts still have a competitive branch, and they can be a good place to start. Tell the coaches the truth -- that she's been playing rec, that she' struggles because she hasn't had a lot of coaching but she's seeing a private coach -- speaking of that, that coach should be a good person to point you in the right direction, because they should be tied into various programs around your area.

Since she's a pitcher, make sure she focuses on her basic mechanics. They are hard to change once she's been at at a while. If she gets her technique down and solid, she'll be in a great place. And once she's competent as a pitcher, she'll be able to find a team. Everyone is always looking for pitching.

Good luck. If your DD wants to play competitive, 12 is a great time to start.

 

[WagonPuller]

We had a Team that went undefeat in rec. So the powers that be moved us up in the year end tournament to play the TB teams. We were crushed, they were faster smarter and better coaching. We had players that were as good as theirs but were not used to speed of the game.

I would find a Team and expect to sit on the bench for a little while until she catchs up. Practice is where she will get better. Might also find a Team that will allow your DD to practice with them.

Thanks for the reply. I wish we had more girls that would want to move up with her and we'd be ok with losing -- you learn a lot from losing. But there just isn't the interest around us. She has a tryout tomorrow and we'll see what happens. We'd both be ok with her sitting on the bench until she catches up -- I guess it's just a matter of finding a team/organization who is willing to take less-than-stellar players and sees their potential. The practice idea is a good one -- I do know one coach of an established team who might be willing to let her practice with them. Thanks for that!

 

[Strike2]

Thanks for the response. I'm a decent player myself and I started her pitching, but know the game is different than when I played (I played D3) so I'm very ok with handing over the baton to more qualified specialists. So yes, I think she would benefit from a hitting coach, even with the improvements she has made this year. She asked me to teach her to bunt and she caught on in about 15 minutes, laying down some nice ones down the baselines. She has a tryout tomorrow night and I've told her to try her best and if she doesn't make it, we know what we have to work on and we'll make that commitment. It might mean having to do another season of Rec, but we'll do it with a more honed focus on her and her skills. Thanks again...I appreciate the insight!

The game has evolved a bit, but you can't be that old if you have an 11yo. It hasn't changed as much as you think, and your peers are now college head coaches. If you played college softball, don't keep that a secret. Teams are often looking for competent ACs. A female who was a college player is gold in a fastpitch dugout. That can easily help your DD find a spot.

 

[WagonPuller]

Where in Colorado are you? If you're in Denver Metro, there are a few options to throw your way. PM me if you want.

As for the bigger picture, I think coming from rec ball you think the differentiation in talent is bigger than it really is. 12-year-old girls are still 12-year-old girls, and as impressive as some of those teams might look, when you watch a full game or a tournament you see just how many mistakes even the good teams make. So don't get intimidated.

That said, you do need to be looking for tryouts now. With the comp season just about ended (and the high school one about to start) there have already been a bunch of tryouts but there are still some to come. Do a search on facebook for softball in your area. The one big piece of advice I can give is to find a team that is looking for players -- and a lot of teams are often looking for players. A few P&R districts still have a competitive branch, and they can be a good place to start. Tell the coaches the truth -- that she's been playing rec, that she' struggles because she hasn't had a lot of coaching but she's seeing a private coach -- speaking of that, that coach should be a good person to point you in the right direction, because they should be tied into various programs around your area.

Since she's a pitcher, make sure she focuses on her basic mechanics. They are hard to change once she's been at at a while. If she gets her technique down and solid, she'll be in a great place. And once she's competent as a pitcher, she'll be able to find a team. Everyone is always looking for pitching.

Good luck. If your DD wants to play competitive, 12 is a great time to start.

Thank for the response! We're in Longmont -- she plays with Niwot Youth Sports in IPGSA Rec. The Comp World is very new to me, so I have started looking for teams. She had a tryout with Elite X last week and as they are looking for one player, she wasn't the best fit. But the coach, who was very kind and encouraging, said she is ready for Comp, but C, and he's building a solid B team. So that was good to know. She's going to ProSwing tomorrow night in Berthoud so we'll see. I joined the ColoradoFastPitchTravelTeam Facebook page to find tryouts and teams. I actually saw one today that would have been perfect if she was 14U and in Littleton (looking for girls who are more than Rec but not having the best time in the ultra intense competitive land -- their words (or something like that).

She's been working with a pitching coach and I can say she is one of the better pitchers in our Rec level. But to play 12U she now needs to get used to a bigger ball and a greater distance, so I suspect her tryout tomorrow on the pitching front is not going to be as good as it will in a couple of weeks when she's had time to practice from that distance. Her mechanics are solid, we just need to work to get her speed a little better. But she throws solid strikes (and actually has a nice changeup).

But thanks for all the advice. It really does help. I've played all my life (up to D3) and have coached her from the start. But I now feel like a fish out of water as we did not have these options or levels when I was playing in New York!

 

[cnardone]

Lot's of orgs have more than one team at each age. The good orgs will find the appropriate opponents for each team to play. At that age, if she works hard, and gets some solid instruction, she will likely be a completely different player by spring.

 

[WagonPuller]

The game has evolved a bit, but you can't be that old if you have an 11yo. It hasn't changed as much as you think, and your peers are now college head coaches. If you played college softball, don't keep that a secret. Teams are often looking for competent ACs. A female who was a college player is gold in a fastpitch dugout. That can easily help your DD find a spot.

That's the nicest thing I've heard in a while! I actually would love to AC -- head coaching, even at Rec, is a major headache. I love the game and love to help girls develop their skills. Thanks for the heads up that it would be welcome (I often think coaches are "get out of here...I got this covered."