Tryout Etiquette - Pitching

[Snotbubbles]

Back story: My DD is a 10u player that I have been converting the past 6 months from HE to IR. She has been doing an amazing job and is finally starting to get the IR mechanics down. In our workouts her PC has eliminated many of the mechanical drills that were customary in her HE practices like wrist flicks and closing the hips on the follow through and has her doing what I'll say are non-traditional drills.

So my daughter was at a tryout and the pitchers and catchers were sent to the side to throw. The girls (mine included) throwing in this session were holdovers from on the team from the previous year so the session was more of a "get some work in" than a tryout. The AC (who was not part of the staff last year) handling the throwing session wanted her to start out doing wrist flicks and all the traditional HE mechanical drills. She told him that her PC eliminated those from her workouts and she does different drills for mechanics. The tryout coach told her, today she's doing wrist flicks. Then, once her warm-up drills were over she started the pitching portion of her throwing. The coach was telling her to shorten her stride which we've been working on lengthening at practices to get her to explode toward home and to close her hips which we totally eliminated and have her finishing with her belly button at an angle instead of home.

I spoke with an AC (who was on the staff the previous season) who was on the side watching the session. I told him that my DD doesn't do the same drills as most pitchers and that I pay a PC pretty handsomely for her pitching knowledge. I said I would prefer if the new AC not change my DD's mechanics or drills without first speaking with her PC. He agreed and said he would talk to coach.

How do others handle coaches who try and change mechanics? Did I handle it properly or should I have just kept my mouth shut? I don't want to undermine the AC's authority in front of my DD but I don't want him messing with her mechanics.

 

[grcsftbll]

I don't know if you handled it properly or not but that's probably what I would have done too. I wouldn't want to be on a team where some random coach was contradicting the expert I'm paying to teach my kiddo. I'd be interested to see how the HC responds. That will tell you a lot about his ego.

 

[Pop time 44]

Yes please post a follow up, I'm interested how this turned out for you. I would have done the same.

 

[quincy]

Maybe write up your DD warm up routine and provide it to coach.

 

[Rambler34]

I think you handled it the correct way. If she is getting the job done the coaches should not have anything to say. On the flip side if she struggles they could blame the new way she is being taught.

 

[Jquick823]

I would think a good coach would ask if she goes to a pitching coach first, I know I do. If they say yes then I go back to my bucket, if they say no I ask more questions to make sure I understand what they're doing.

 

[marriard]

Did I handle it properly or should I have just kept my mouth shut? I don't want to undermine the AC's authority in front of my DD but I don't want him messing with her mechanics.

In travel this can be a big part of your decision on whether to take a spot on the roster or not. If they want to change mechanics and you don't want them to, then you need to know and you did the right thing in asking one coach and they seemed open to it - but you need to know ALL the coaches - especially the one insisting on a specific warm up drill - is open to more than one way of doing things.

If they are not open to changing their ways and they want to make this part of the the team practices and activities, then it is often time to move on to some other team.

 

[riseball]

I probably would have addressed it before the start or the tryout with a phone call. First priority for you with any tryout should be to find out if they will respect the relationship with your DD's PC. If not you are wasting your time. The guy wanting her to do the wrist flicks probably does not know any better and has no idea what your DD has been taught or why. Let's face it at 10U if they started doing BM's basic drills and teaching IR/BI our collective jaws would hit the floor. If a coaching staff knows that a player is seeing a professional instructor most will respect that. If they don't and it is "my way or the highway" then hit the first entrance ramp and get out of there! FWIW - I actually encourage my players to seek high level hitting instruction, and for some even demand it. "Either fix your hitting or I cannot get you recruited." I had that conversation with 2 of my players yesterday and they have already scheduled lessons. As long as your DD is delivering an acceptable level of performance they should stay hands off.

At the younger ages you will face some challenges with regard to your DD's pitching mechanics and expectations. As we know high level pitching is a journey, a very long and at times frustrating journey. At the younger ages it is very much about the now and quick success. And unfortunately that is the case for HE mechanics. More often than not a kid will learn to throw harder and get success sooner with HE than they will with IR. But like most things that quick success and immediate gratification will come with a price as they get older. Sometimes a very high price as a 2017 that just came to me is finding out. You know you are doing right by your DD. Just need to find her the right environment.

 

[djcarter1966]

At 10U it is kind of hard to stand up for yourself, so maybe next time just have her tell the coach my PC said I can't do wrist flicks and if you have any questions go talk to my Dad, by 12U maybe and 14U for sure she needs to just let the coach know she has a specific warm up routine that her PC has design for her and that is what she will be doing. This all works best of course if she can back it up in the circle when she is pitching.

Same goes for hitting, all the coaches that constantly want to change things will quietly fade into the background and stay quiet as long as the girl produces.

 

[catmaster]

If that would have been my DD. When the coach told her she doing wrist flips after you told her she doesn't do those. I would've told DD to get get her stuff we are out of here. If the coach is already dictating how she throws at tryouts. Just imagine how it's going to be if she's on the team. My DD is 10u. So far nobody has said anything about her warmups and how she throws.