Who should call the pitches the coach, dad, or catcher?????

[Coach JV]

OK, I have a question. My DD was pitching last week, catcher calls all pitches.
Batter drives a ball to deep RF. Next time up, catcher calls the same pitch on a 2-2
count 2 outs runners on 2nd and 3rd, DD shakes her off. Catcher calls for pitch again
(low fastball at knees), my dd throws a rise to strike out batter, catcher went ballistic.
Catcher is mad at DD, both are stubborn, where do we go from here? Catcher is managers kid,
I am a parent, DD is currently #1 pitcher and is ready to leave the team. Catcher has serious
attitude as a result of daddy ball.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Why can't we all just get along?

Can the girls hash it out between themselves without any parents involved?

Does the coach know what happened?

By the way, I think that your DD did the right thing. How old is she?

 

[Coach JV]

Thanks Amy, like any parent, I am on my DD side come hell or high water.
She is 12. Did I mention that she is also the best outfielder on the team and
leads the team in batting (.527)?

 

[Goobie]

Heaven forbid a 12 YOA girl would be unhappy.

If we want her to be happy, then why stop with Daddy helping her call pitches? Shouldn't Daddy pick her spot in the lineup for her? Shouldn't Daddy pick which games she will pitch? Shouldn't Daddy pick out the umpires for her? And the batters?

Yet another sarcastic response that really doesn't address the question or provide any value. Ray, obviously you have a problem with the word "Happy." How about substituting "confident" in place of "Happy." Would your answer change? (or at least be constructive?)

The issue as I see it is the pitcher does not have the confidence in the 12U catcher being able to call the right pitch at the right moment. How do you address that issue? Remember... as the 12YO pitcher sees it, she is the one standing in the middle of the infield with all eyes on her as the low-inside fastball the catcher called is hit to the fence. She is the one that is yanked from the rubber and deposited on the bench because she is "getting hit" too much. I don't know if I have ever seen a catcher pulled for calling a bad game.

Yes catchers could (should) eventually be calling the game, but in my opinion the coaches of the 12U team should be relaying the pitch calls into the catcher to give to the pitcher. The coaches have the "book" and know what the batter did in their last at bat. They may even know the batter's weaknesses if they have seen her hit before. I personally doubt that the average 11 YO could keep all of this info in her head. Maybe some do... but I just haven't seen it.

By relaying in the pitches through the catcher, it gives the catcher the opportunity to learn how to call the pitches so that as she gets older she can effectively call pitches on her own. Not at 12U. If she wants to learn she needs to be active when on the bench between innings and review the book with the pitcher as far as which batters are due up next? What did they do last time they were up? How should they attack each batter?, etc. At younger ages they should also (in my opinion) review their plan with their coaches to see if they are on the right track.

When another catcher is catching the game, the other catcher(s) should be sitting right next to whoever is calling pitches and asking "why did you call that pitch?" Or the coach could ask them "What would you call here?" and use it as an educational opportunity. Heck, the coach could even have the catcher that is not in the game relaying in the calls to the "in-game" catcher. That is how they will learn. We don't hand our keys to our kids when they turn 15 and say "Go Drive! You'll figure it out eventually!" We teach them.

If the pitcher is an active part of the learning process with the catcher she should be able to quickly develop the confidence to take the rubber and be part of a successful battery with her catcher calling the game and not fear that she is being hung out to dry.

As far as you as the parent / pitching coach calling the pitches, my opinion is that unless you are a member of the coaching staff for the team you should not be calling pitches during the game. As a parent, cheer your daughter on from the stands. As the pitching coach, make notes of thing you want to discuss at your next pitching lesson (not on the drive home from the game). Let her pitch and the coaches coach the game. Be a fan!

 

[fastpitch]

Nice perspective goobie.

As a pitcher's crazy dad I definitely feel the original poster's pain about wanting to call DD's pitches as I tend to feel like I know what she throws best in certain situations...even though I really probably don't have a clue. My DD likes it when I call them also. But I absolutely believe the head coach has the final say in who calls pitches and the pitcher's crazy dad (or mom) should not be the one calling it unless he/she is one of the coaches and the head coach appoints that job to him/her. Its better for DD to learn how to get comfortable with someone else calling pitches since crazy dad or mom can't be there all the time anyway.

IMHO the pitcher should learn to know what to throw, when and be given the permission to shake off the signal if that's not what they feel comfortable throwing.

 

[SoCalDad]

Rec ball I call the pitches. Why? I may have 2 or 3 different girls catching and teaching them how to call a game is not possible with the limited practice time available. On my travel ball team my catcher calls the game. My DD and her catcher have been together for 4 years and have a weekly hour long joint practice with their pitching and catching coaches. First half of the practice is individual with their respective coaches than a joint session where they work on dual drills including calling a game. Unless you have the time to have your pitcher and catcher practice together consistently and have experienced coaches who can teach your catcher how to call a game I recommend going with the coach calling the game.

 

[eddie35]

Sluggers, Your response is of no value. Goobie i apperciate your insight into this situation. I should have said my daughter has more confidence in me calling her pitches. A big part of the reason the Head coach wants the catcher to call the pitches is because the catcher is his daughter. I am also part of the coaching staff and the Head Coach of the organazations 16U team where my other daughter plays for. On the 16u team i call the pitches my daughter is not a pitcher on this team she plays second base. I dont have a problem with one of the other coaches call my daughters pitches on the 12u team. I believe a coach can be more effective than a 12 year old catcher who has never called a game. When i call pitches i am not only calling pitches to get the batter out but to also pitch to the current batter by seeing whos up next and where i want the pitch thrown depending on whos on what base and how i set the defense. I dont believe a 12 u catcher can do this.

 

[Cannonball]

For this scenerio, there is not a "right" answer. We simply don't know all of the variables. For example, my dd pitches and I have called all of her select pitches since she was very young. This year, I have turned it over to others. However, when I say "I have called all of her pitches," I need to clarify that in doing so, I also attempted to teach her catcher what goes in to the decision making process. My dd has had the same catcher since she was 10. I have a signal that means for the catcher to call the pitch. This is predicated by a verbal to the pitcher so that she knows she can shake. By the time my dd was entering 16U, I might really call half of the game but by then, knew exactly what was going to be called because of the training of the catcher. My dd had little need to shake since they grew up on the same page on how to call a game. I'd suggest that this process needs to begin early and now, at 12U, it isn't too late. It helps develop a pitcher who knows what they want to throw, a catcher who knows what should be called and a coaching staff that knows it is really developing and allowing them to know the game. JMHO!

 

[sluggers]

Eddie, OK...here is some real advice:

During practice for 10U one year, the Dads were backing up the infielders during practice. One of the Dads kept creeping in until he was actually playing 3B. Surprisingly, he could play 3B better than any kid on the team. However, the point of the practice, the team and the games was not to make the Daddies better players or to show how good the Daddies were at playing softball. I ended up asking the Daddy to leave the field.

Eddie, let's face it...it is not your DD that is having problems, it is you. You don't want to give up "playing" the game and controlling your DD's actions on the field.

The point was for the kids to LEARN THE GAME. You see, kids softball is for kids, not the adults. Whenever a Daddy interferes with the kids becoming better players, Daddy has to go.

If you wanted to help the catcher learn how to call the game, that would be great. But, you would have to give up control over your DD in order to do that.

The point of my prior comment was pretty straight forward: Whether a kid is unhappy (or lacks confidence or whatever) is irrelevant. Either the child wants to become a better player or she doesn't. If she does, then she will be continuously pushed out of her comfort zone.

 

[Sparky Guy]

Nice perspective goobie.

I tend to feel like I know what she throws best in certain situations...even though I really probably don't have a clue. .

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!! A parent who actually knows how much he doesn't know!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a glorious day!!!!!

Every year on my teams I have one daddy who thinks he knows more than me. My daughter payed her way through college pitching. Played with and against several girls who've played and/or won the WCWS. I have coached for 6 years without a kid on the team. I've seen ocean and know how big it is.

I still have a smile on my face.