Two kinds of softball players ...

[CoachJD]

We had one player that had no interest in being on field, she just wanted to be in dugout. Her HS dad football coach has came to every game, watching her sit in dugout.

It kind of grounds you as a parent.

I have one of these. She does like to hit, but really no interest in even owning a glove.

She's also really into being vocal, cheering on her teammates, etc. The problem: She doesn't really understand the game well enough yet, so sometimes she yells out the wrong pieces of advice. Whoops.

 

[CoogansBluff]

She's also really into being vocal, cheering on her teammates, etc. The problem: She doesn't really understand the game well enough yet, so sometimes she yells out the wrong pieces of advice. Whoops.

That describes a lot of parents.

 

[Sparky Guy]

Mine was a motivated Type 2 till she hit 13. After that she was nothing but a Type 1. She wanted the ball in big games. She wanted to K every hitter she faced. Had a short memory when it came to both good and bad things. Never got too high or low. Never let it get her down.

 

[CoachJD]

That describes a lot of parents.

"I'd love to coach a team of kids whose parents are all dead." - Still think that's the best line in the entire All Stars movie.

In all seriousness, kids are pretty good at ignoring their parents. A little tougher to keep them from screwing up when it's a teammate leading them astray.

 

[Phathead]

Little of 1 mostly 2 with some indifference at time. Maybe a 2 minus

 

[Rambler34]

It also will be fun to see how it evolves over time. Yours is still young. When mine was 11-12, I really don't know what motivated her. Honestly might've been playing for dad, who was the coach at that age. Thought that if dad coaches a team, it must be important, and when I do well, he's proud. But as she got older, she got way more competitive in certain situations and not others. She's most competitive on a team where she likes everybody and they like here and there's this sense of ''us.'' When that doesn't exist, she's not very competitive at all.

This is one thing I am waiting on with DD#2. She is definitely a #2 from this list. DD#1 has always been competitive and she would just about break a sweat playing Candyland when she was 4 trying to figure out a way to win. She would ask why a girl was crying after she got hit by a ball in 6U. Playing MS basketball she had a girl elbow her in the head. It was an accident because DD only came up to her elbow but she went after her hard after that every time they were close to her. It looked like Spud Web trying to get a rebound from Barkley.

DD#2 just turned 7 and I am trying to explain how being aggressive playing sports isn't being mean. She will play a board game with us and regardless of who wins she will ask if everyone had a good time. She loves playing sports and has tried basketball, soccer, and softball. Playing basketball she got a defensive rebound and handed it to the offense because she felt bad for the girl. In soccer she will jump up and down cheering for her team when she should be running with the offense. I saw some hope in softball when she was the first 6U player in history while playing LF or LC who would back up throws to 2nd and 3rd or back up other players when she was in the infield. After the play she would pirouette or skip all the way back to her position.

She always says it's most important to have fun regardless of what happens so honestly I could learn a lot from a 7yo.

 

[chinamigarden]

Been thinking about this lately as it pertains to my DD's motivation for playing.

Which is more like your daughter?

Type 1
-Very competitive. Wants to win. Wants to be the best hitter, pitcher on her team.
-Inwardly motivated.
-Also motivated by doubters and haters. Loves to prove people wrong.
-She's not going to enjoy a team unless she's playing the role that she wants. Doesn't mean that she's selfish or that she's not a team player, as coaches love self-motivated players, but she's also going to look for a team that helps her achieve her personal goals. Team chemistry and relationships are all nice, but her role on the team and the competition level are paramount.
-If the team brings in a better player at her position, she doesn't like it, but it also will stir her competitive fires.
-If she were a football player, she's more likely turn pro after 3 years to play at a higher level.
-She'd really miss playing softball if she had to give it up right now.

Type 2
-Plays softball to be part of something bigger than herself. Not as interested in individual goals.
-Outwardly motivated. Will run through a wall for the right coaches and teammates.
-No time for haters and doubters. Thrives around people who believe in her and care about her. Seeks them out instead.
-If the team brings in a better player at her position, that's fine. She's happy to play another position. She hopes the new player makes the team better but also hopes the new player is fun to be around.
-If she were a football player, she'd more likely return for a senior year to make one more run at the title.
-Selfless to a fault. Has no problem sacrificing or even sitting out sometimes if she's part of a team that she loves.
-She wouldn't miss softball that much if she had to quit. She'd just miss her teammates and coaches.

Prior to being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes she was mostly #1, except for the motivation by drama, she never seemed to care what anyone else thought or did.
After her diagnosis she seemed to be more of the # 2 player. She still was her toughest critic though, and that is what drove her to success in all sports and academics, the drive to be the best she could be without sacrificing her life goals.

 

[Lightning]

DD is a mix of both, I think.

Last year, she befriended a teammate who had the best softball IQ I've seen in a 7-year-old but who just was not as physically mature as the rest of the team. She tried hard, but her skills were not great. DD was her biggest cheerleader on the team, and always played catch with her. She told me that it was because when she struggled at the start of 8U, one of the better players made a point to play catch with her all the time, and she wanted to pass it on.

She loves being successful and winning, but she thrives in being a team player.

 

[Bob516]

Good answers all, thanks.

When i was thinking of two types, I was thinking of travel players, those who would say softball is their main occupation. For rec players, you probably do have more types. Also would think the types are ends of a spectrum rather than distinct types.

What I did not expect was a drastic change. DD1 tried out and was offered to play up, 14u, when she had just turned 12, after playing on a rec team with her twin sister. DD1's team was having one last tryout for their 12u team. With the TB team being much closer to my home than the rec team, I wanted DD2 to tryout for the TB team. She said she didn't want to, she just wanted to have fun, playing softball with her friends she made on the rec team. She went to the 12u tryouts, to appease me, and played down to make sure she didn't make the team. That was the summer of 2016.

DD2, decided to try pitching this past season, quickly became the #1 pitcher on the rec team, and suddenly was ready to move up to TB. DD2 tried out for DD1's team in August, and made the team. Now DD2, who seemed to only care about softball as a social event has turned into a Type 1 player. She wants to be the #1 pitcher on the 14u TB team.

DD1, a catcher, has been Type 1 since she was 7 y/o, when I took her to her to see her a college game.

 

[Tinker08]

I wish it was that simple to categorize my two DD's as a Type 1 or Type 2! Mine are both a mix between the two, but the biggest thing I have noticed about them are:

DD#1 - Born without a lick of athletic talent, but somehow born with an absolute love for the game of softball. She is the type that will go down to the basement and do tee work every day year-round to continue improving her swing (without ever having to be told). Two years ago she let her hitting coach completely revamp her swing, knowing full well it would be one to two years before it would feel second nature to her and she would be hitting with confidence with it. ALWAYS open to constructive ways for her to improve her game whether hitting or fielding, and more than willing to put the time in to make improvement.

DD#2 - Born a natural softball player! Born with a natural swing that utilizes her quick hand speed, born with natural speed and footwork, a real joy just to watch play the game. Never wants to put in any extra time working on her game, in season or off season, some days you wonder if she even wants to play softball. Always her decision, we have never forced the game on her, her hitting coach just shakes his head and tells us if the "switch" ever flips, she is going to be something special on the diamond, but she is the only one that can flip that switch.

Their hitting coach very early on made the comment, do you ever wish you could combine the two into a single player. When he said it, I thought absolutely I would, but after three years of watching them both grow in the game since he made that comment, one through lots and lots of hard work, and the other from God given talent, I don't think I would change a thing about them. Well, maybe I would change one thing - I still pray every day that the "switch" will flip for DD#2, but if it never does, then I guess it was never meant to be.