When success shows up....

[Jdaddy]

Darn dumb coaches! Speaking as an ex-expert, I say do away with them all. I do remember the days of being an expert. I tried to coach then. LOL

These times they are a changin’! There are good team coaches who can teach all aspects of the game. I do believe they are few and far between these days. A lot of the ones who could are now giving private lessons at $100/hr. I really admire the ones that still coach too. Giving back to the game.

 

[Xplode22]

These times they are a changin’! There are good team coaches who can teach all aspects of the game. I do believe they are few and far between these days. A lot of the ones who could are now giving private lessons at $100/hr. I really admire the ones that still coach too. Giving back to the game.

HC doesn’t teach much of the newer stuff. He’s a good coach and I have no reason to pull her for that. She is just learning some new stuff to help her get ahead.

 

[Cannonball]

As most of us know, don't fix things that aren't broken. There are several reasons a coach might instruct a player. For example, during tryouts, I might give a freshmen some tips etc. to see whether they would be coachable and, thus, have a spot on the varsity. I might see something with a good player that I think that if they make this little change, they might be a great player. Of course, there are experts out there that observe all that is going on and critical of any coach who doesn't see things their way. I run into that a lot with expert hitting instructors.

You are right that things are changing. From what I often read here, coaching should be relatively easy now. Sit on your assets and roll the ball out. The players have their experts. When they don't produce, don't coach. Simply find others to take those positions. Some experts have the system figured out and so become the expert for those who play for them. In that way, they have a guaranteed income. Why didn't I think about that?

 

[_MIA_]

From what I often read here, coaching should be relatively easy now. Sit on your assets and roll the ball out. The players have their experts. When they don't produce, don't coach.

I don't see anybody saying that.

 

[Jdaddy]

As most of us know, don't fix things that aren't broken. There are several reasons a coach might instruct a player. For example, during tryouts, I might give a freshmen some tips etc. to see whether they would be coachable and, thus, have a spot on the varsity. I might see something with a good player that I think that if they make this little change, they might be a great player. Of course, there are experts out there that observe all that is going on and critical of any coach who doesn't see things their way. I run into that a lot with expert hitting instructors.

You are right that things are changing. From what I often read here, coaching should be relatively easy now. Sit on your assets and roll the ball out. The players have their experts. When they don't produce, don't coach. Simply find others to take those positions. Some experts have the system figured out and so become the expert for those who play for them. In that way, they have a guaranteed income. Why didn't I think about that?

You didn’t think about that because they were “your kids” and they expected to be coached. DDs 10-12 coach would work with any of his players for free outside of practice if they wanted it. He did charge outsiders for pitching lessons though. I would bet most all of that money went back into the team. It had to. There’s no way our fees covered all spring summer and fall ($200) with a couple small fundraisers. Rumor was he’d been coaching so long, a couple of tournament directors didn’t charge him.

 

[Rolling Hard]

I was thinking the same thing

You are a hit Turbo!

 

[HighStrung]

We have a somewhat standard rule, try everything. You never actually know where a small tidbit of advice or instruction could come from, and sometimes small things can have big results for different girls in different ways. So give it an honest try, what's the worst that can happen? Is trying something new for 30 minutes seriously going to forever change their swing, or their pitching? If so, their fundamentals aren't set in firm enough.

After being in TB for a few years, private lessons for pitching and hitting for a while, we're just now getting to the Jr High softball scene. First practice, 8th grade coach (not even DD's own 7th grade coach) tries changing the way she swings. She came home mad that he was trying to change it. I agreed with her in the fact that what he was trying to do went against several things private coach had been working on for past few weeks. She said she smiled, did what he said, and waited until he walked away and went back to normal, so she could talk to me about implementing school coaches changes first.

First, I don't agree with him making changes literally on his first look at her, and/or without asking why she may be doing exactly what she was doing. Second, I don't agree with exactly what he wants her to do (bat path down toward ball in this instance). He has no idea that over the past three years she's historically hit down on the ball and we're working to bring her bat path to a slightly positive angle to get the ball up more. So right now she's been exaggerating the upward path when on a tee in hope to find a middle ground against live pitching. But he hasn't got that far yet, this was first practice, double tee work with second tee lower than first ball and she wasn't hitting the second one.

But that's not to say that he won't have some piece of advice along the way that could help, maybe if even just a small tweek that helps her swing, So I don't want her to totally dismiss her coach. I want her to try what he's suggesting, and see for herself what the results are. If it helps, then great. If results are poor, then we'll appease him by trying but still not making permanent changes. If a 20 min tee station breaks her swing then I have bigger problems anyway.

 

[ANNASDAD]

As most of us know, don't fix things that aren't broken.

This right here! The coaches that kill me are the ones that think there’s only one cookie cutter way of doing things, and that’s usually their way only! Instead of finding out the strengths and weaknesses of each individual player and building on that.

Now if a player is definitely doing whatever wrong, then by all means, fix it, and teach it correctly!

 

[ArmWhip]

As both a coach and an instructor I see both sides of this issue. I have a general rule, if a player is seeing an instructor I will not try to change what she is doing. However I see a good amount of what I judge to be bad instruction from hitting and pitching 'instructors', knob of the bat to the ball, HE, etc. Generally I handle this by mentioning to a parent that I have a different way of teaching hitting or pitching and if they are not satisfied with their daughter's play/progress I would be happy to give them some alternatives. It's difficult to tell a parent that they have been, or are, wasting their money. It's even worse if they 'like' the instructor.

 

[radness]

We have a somewhat standard rule, try everything. You never actually know where a small tidbit of advice or instruction could come from, and sometimes small things can have big results for different girls in different ways. So give it an honest try, what's the worst that can happen? Is trying something new for 30 minutes seriously going to forever change their swing, or their pitching? If so, their fundamentals aren't set in firm enough.

After being in TB for a few years, private lessons for pitching and hitting for a while, we're just now getting to the Jr High softball scene. First practice, 8th grade coach (not even DD's own 7th grade coach) tries changing the way she swings. She came home mad that he was trying to change it. I agreed with her in the fact that what he was trying to do went against several things private coach had been working on for past few weeks. She said she smiled, did what he said, and waited until he walked away and went back to normal, so she could talk to me about implementing school coaches changes first.

First, I don't agree with him making changes literally on his first look at her, and/or without asking why she may be doing exactly what she was doing. Second, I don't agree with exactly what he wants her to do (bat path down toward ball in this instance). He has no idea that over the past three years she's historically hit down on the ball and we're working to bring her bat path to a slightly positive angle to get the ball up more. So right now she's been exaggerating the upward path when on a tee in hope to find a middle ground against live pitching. But he hasn't got that far yet, this was first practice, double tee work with second tee lower than first ball and she wasn't hitting the second one.

But that's not to say that he won't have some piece of advice along the way that could help, maybe if even just a small tweek that helps her swing, So I don't want her to totally dismiss her coach. I want her to try what he's suggesting, and see for herself what the results are. If it helps, then great. If results are poor, then we'll appease him by trying but still not making permanent changes. If a 20 min tee station breaks her swing then I have bigger problems anyway.

This has some good thoughts to process.

1. Try everything once.
Why? Access Why.
Ok tried it. Didnt help.
Do you keep trying it again with another coaches suggestion? Or speak up?!

2. If your paying an instructor
Why? Wouldnt that be with/for a goal? Is it appropriate to mix in things that are not what the instructor is teaching?

When I have had students that I work on, say specifically hitting, and they get a new travel ball coach or High School coach that starts to tell them do this instead or don't do that.
I will say to the student,
"Did that coach explain to you the purpose they are telling you to do that? Ask.
Then I will go back to the foundation of what we have been learning and what the student has been doing and ask them if they feel like they've already had success? Have we been building success on top of that like stronger hitting. Or perhaps hitting a pitch location they used to struggle at? To identify where their progress /success is.
Then I say.... that I know what is on this path. I know the success that is on this path. If you choose to do something else, add something else at the beginning or the end or the middle of mechanics. Then you are choosing to be on a different path. You'll have to make a decision what you would like to do. It is okay to choose whatever path you want to be on. But I disagree with doing those things on this path. And changing means you're changing your path.

It would not be appropriate for me to accept money to teach you if you chose to do something i dont teach or believe is best."


*Everyone finds and defines their own path. Sometimes learning from mistakes can be a great lesson. Pay attention on our path, sometimes the path can be rocky, slippery and have twists.
If you have uncertainty....about your direction....its probably not that right path to be on.
Find a confident path!
Perhaps it comes from
off-roading, i prefer to see whats ahead, pick a line, and then go for it. Not figure it out as i go and get stuck.

It shouldnt take more than a month or two to see if something brings positive/negative results.

At a tryout i would never recommend changing if you've already be training for a longer time and already having success.

Coaches should be able to recognize success and acknowledge it!