And the problem is? The coach should not applaud the player for doing something wrong, no matter what the outcome was.
And, if a player doesn't bunt when given the bunt sign, and hits a homerun, would you congratulate the player?
Why would a coach do this?
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And the problem is? The coach should not applaud the player for doing something wrong, no matter what the outcome was.
And, if a player doesn't bunt when given the bunt sign, and hits a homerun, would you congratulate the player?
One more thought: if I know the "mistake" is something the girl hasn't been taught before, I'll walk her through it. If it's something we've worked on and she should know, I'll ask her what she thinks she did wrong, even if she got the out or the hit. Some girls will know, others will have no idea. That process helps me learn how they absorb and think about new things they are learning, which is very helpful too.
In every case it's with a smile and ends with a nice job, let's learn, do better next time etc.
As I read this thread again, I think part of the OPs concern was a coach that never had a good thing to say about his girls' play -- that can grow old, I agree.
In every case it's with a smile and ends with a nice job, let's learn, do better next time etc.
As I read this thread again, I think part of the OPs concern was a coach that never had a good thing to say about his girls' play -- that can grow old, I agree.
If the player is not using the technique that is taught in practice during a game, that is exactly when they need to be corrected. Given that the coach is giving praise first, then reinforcing a skill, I would say that you are lucky to have a coach like that.
Say for example, the bunt from the OP is successfully handled two-handed by the pitcher in the first inning and she is not corrected because she "got the out". If the same play occurs in the bottom of the 7th of a tied game, and she makes the same play and does not "get the out", and that runner goes on to score the winning run, that is not HER fault, that is the COACHES fault for letting her slide in the first inning. Reinforcing proper technique is exactly what a good coach does, and should expect from his/her players. You can't look the other way when someone is "successful" while making a mistake in how they are making a play, and expect them to be successful in the long term.
Say for example, the bunt from the OP is successfully handled two-handed by the pitcher in the first inning and she is not corrected because she "got the out". If the same play occurs in the bottom of the 7th of a tied game, and she makes the same play and does not "get the out", and that runner goes on to score the winning run, that is not HER fault, that is the COACHES fault for letting her slide in the first inning. Reinforcing proper technique is exactly what a good coach does, and should expect from his/her players. You can't look the other way when someone is "successful" while making a mistake in how they are making a play, and expect them to be successful in the long term.
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I'm with you. I understand that you must not go overboard w/ instruction during a game, and coaches should resist the compulsive desire to comment after each and every play. But the best time to teach is often when it's fresh in the players' minds. I think it's invaluable to go over a key play w/ a player in the dugout after it's over, just to make sure she understands a certain concept.
Examples from last week -
My LF threw to 2b instead of the cutoff girl (the SS) to 3B. I calmly reviewed cutoff scenarios with her after she came to the dugout.
A had a girl swing and miss a 3-0 pitch on a borderline strike. I explained to her in the dugout what kind of pitch she's looking for on 3-0.
Waiting until Monday at practice won't make the same impression, IMO. It's important to note that I'm coaching a first-year 12U team. Development and learning the game are a big part of what the team is about at this age.
In my opinion that is the key, limited coaching while the ball is in play.
maybe I wasn't clear. The girls make the play the right way. And then he nit picks the good plays. But when they boot a ball he tells them nice effort or good try. If a pitcher fields a bunt that is rolling or bouncing and throws the runner out by 2 full steps, didn't she make the play properly? If a third baseman makes a great stop and a catchable throw she made a great play.
The girls who make outs are instructed and the girls who make an error are rewarded with praise. I am sure you can see the problem with this, plus I don't think you can compare it to ignoring a sign.
This is really the gist of my complaint. This particular coach rewards bad plays with praise and nit picks ones that not only have a good result, but were in fact very good plays.
Ahh, yep, I see.
I'll tell you what I did this weekend. We've been having problems with a few girls sliding. One of the girls slowed down going into second and dropped on her butt rather than sliding properly. She was called out. Coming back into the dugout our manager (who does a great job, but I'm always prodding him to be harder on the girls or really: make them more accountable) was applauding her "effort."
I said in front of everyone..."coach, you have to be out of your mind, that was an awful slide and she knows it!"). Everyone laughed because every one of the girls and coaches knew if was an awful slide. Even the girl herself. My DD and a teammate later told me they don't want to be applauded when they screw up...it doesn't ring true.
How you deal with your particular over-rewarding coach probably depends on your relationship with him. I am good friends with my head coach -- we just have a different style, one I think he needs to shelve as our girls get more serious.
Good luck with it. He's probably trying to be encouraging to more limited players and pushing harder on girls who can handle it. Could be worse things....
While I understand the temptation to point out mistakes immediately, the reasoning actually doesn't make sense. If the player's memory is so poor that on Monday she cannot remember what happened on Sunday, so it is pointless to explain to her then how to do it correctly, then why do you think her memory is suddenly good enough to remember the correction all the way till the next Sunday?
I didn't say that she could not remember if I waited until Monday. I just said that it would be more fresh in her mind moments after it happened, and that's when the opportunity for learning is often greatest, IMO. From psychology, these are principles of operant conditioning and immediate feedback. Quoting something I found online: ''In order for learners to receive maximum benefit from feedback, it should be supplied as soon as possible after performance of the activity.''
Having said that, I also believe that providing too much feedback during games is problematic. I also believe that players need to learn to think for themselves during games and not be coached after every pitch or play, especially pitchers.
Anyway, that's just how I see it. Could be wrong.
