sometimes its better to be the most feared pitcher to face than the best pitcher to face
This made me laugh thank you! I gotta remember this!
Worst inning of her life!
- Thread starter mothgirl
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This made me laugh thank you! I gotta remember this!
I do agree that expectations need to be laid down by coaches, to players. I don't have to like his way of doing it and I don't feel bad for hating him in that moment. Now that I've had time to think I'm actually glad that he is how he is because my dd will need a thicker skin to deal with him and that will make her stronger
JJsqueeze
Dad, Husband....legend
yes- the old "beatings will continue until morale improves" coaching style. Works wonders for young women. Plenty of ways to establish expectations without resorting to what he did.
FiveFrameSwing
Banned
I do agree that expectations need to be laid down by coaches, to players. I don't have to like his way of doing it and I don't feel bad for hating him in that moment. Now that I've had time to think I'm actually glad that he is how he is because my dd will need a thicker skin to deal with him and that will make her stronger
Let me share part of the training that the HS coaches receive in my area.
We are instructed that sending such a message is more important than winning games. Few of these girls will go on to make softball a significant portion of their adult life, and yet the lessons of real life can begin to be learned ... and some of that has to do with dealing with difficult people, which is a valuable skill to acquire.
This is a valuable time in the growing process. In a few short years these girls will be attending college and away from parent supervision. Mistakes made now, that can later in life have them fired from a valued job, are simply considered a learning experience and something to rebound from. At the HS level this is understood ... players will often receive 2nd chances, 3rd chances, 4th chances and 5th chances ... if the kid keeps working on improving, then more often than not we are there to support them. We understand that parents are in the final stretch of letting go ... of cutting the cord ... knowing that in a few years that their loved ones will be making decisions outside of their supervision. It's a time for mistakes to be made, to recover, and to move on in a positive manner. It's a valuable learning time for these young ladies. Few ... very very very few, will go on to be professional ball players ... and fewer still can make softball the basis of their life as adults.
HS coaches also recognize that the experience is challenging on parents. Your job as a parent is much tougher than that of the coach. You have only a few short years left to truly help your daughter prepare for the next phase of her life. With that success, will come the sadness of seeing your daughter move on .... but the more you've instilled a hard working ethic, the happier you will be as she takes on life's challenges.
Wish you well!
- Aug 21, 2008
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I may be a novice here but, what does learning "the whip" have to do with missing inside and hitting batters? Sorry, I just don't see a correlation.
Mothgirl, trust me, if THAT was the worst inning of her softball career then she got off light!! What you described happens to EVERYONE. The real bad innings are the 0-2 Homeruns with a tie score in the bottom of the 7th. Yes, it was one pitch but that one pitch turns into the worst inning of one's life. Trust me.
And I would politely ask this fantastic head coach to find a men's FP league (I'd be happy to help him find a game or 2 in Florida) and have him try it.
I admit, I have my issues with HS ball. #1, despite what coaches tell you, it is MEANINGLESS when it comes to college recruiting. 90% of the girls playing HS dream of playing in college. They try changing swings or pitching mechanics they know nothing about. And while I think the moment gets to the best of this coach, hence the nasty remarks, his job is to win. He doesn't win, he gets fired. It's that simple. And for some, it's an ego thing. They didn't make it at baseball, couldn't get the baseball job so they taken the "next best thing". This is not encompassing all HS coaches!!!! Don't send hate mail. But it does describe quite a few. If your DD wants to play college ball then this coach needs her, not the other way around. HS ball does NOTHING for a player's resume. The first question a college coach asks you (after your ACT and SAT scores!!) is what nationals do you go to? What tournaments are you in? Not a single coach I know (and i know a lot!!!) ask about HS stats! Why? Because it's political in so many cases. The principal's daughter has to be the catcher, the superintendent's kid is the shortstop, etc. Girls hit .800 in HS because many of the leagues and teams are so imbalanced that the stats hold no integrity. For sure, your HS coach knows college coaches. That doesn't mean he/she decides your kid's fate. How she plays where it matters and how she reacts to the good and bad matters on the big stage. HS is not the big stage. The only time I now of a college using their recruiting $$ for a high school kid is when that kid is from the same town as them or close enough to drive. Arizona is not going to fly to Florida to look at a high school kid when they can see 300 kids at the Colorado tournament in July. But if that kid lived in Tuscon, you can bet UofA would be watching whenever possible.
All of that said, HS coaches only have what the feeder systems in your area give them. If you have a crappy little league, or travel teams afraid to move up and play big time, then that HS coach is only going to get THOSE players. Colleges recruit who they want and who they can get. HS gets who they get, sometimes it's a "like it or not situation".
Bottom line, I know your DD doesn't know me or and probably thinks that was the worst game of her life but, if she sticks pitching she will have a ton more heartbreaks. And a ton of moments to shine. There's always the next pitch she should focus on and the next game to replace the last. That's probably hard for her to grasp right now, feeling down in the dumps but it's true. One way I use an analogy for my student's father's is this: Imagine a horrible game of golf. Every shot was sliced or hooked. You 5 putted every hole. But, on the 18th tee, you hit it 300+ yards and straight as an arrow. THAT shot brings you back the next time, because you KNOW you can do it. If she thinks she is going to be "on" every game, she's in the wrong sport. The best hitters in the game FAIL 7 of 10 times. Pitchers need that similiar mindset. The odds are in her favor.
As an older pitcher on my team when I was a teenager told me (after I had a game like your DD's)... "Some days you get the bear, some days the bear gets you, and some days you don't belong in the f**king woods!"
Bill
My experience is as someone learns to pull the ball down and lead with the pinky, they'll typically develop a low and inside miss, often right at the batters thigh, especially when converting from pushing the ball. Of course I'll defer to your experience, but I've seen it happen enough times to believe it's part of the learning process.
^^^This right here! Bill, you beat me to it. That's exactly what I was thinking.
When I do pitching clinics for a group of girls, one of the things I like to do during the break of the first session is to get a parent "volunteer." Usually I will select a dad who looks at least somewhat athletic, and like the type who might have high expectations for his daughter. I will show him a few basics of pitching a softball - usually just a couple of side drills. At first I will be pleasant and helpful. Then, as he has trouble, I will become more "agitated" and tell him to "just throw strikes." As he continues (and usually gets worse, as I'm just having him pitch with no corrections) I will use the usual cliches - we can't defend a walk; you need to concentrate; come on, we really need a strike here. In other words, acting like parents and coaches often do, saying things and getting louder without actually offering anything helpful.
Everyone gets a good laugh out of it, because they all know what I'm doing. Especially the newbie pitchers. Then I will stop the dad and tell everyone "It's not as easy as it looks sometimes. It takes a lot of work and effort to even become competent. Your daughters aren't trying to walk people, or hit batters, or throw the ball over the backstop or into the dugout. It just happens. Be patient with them and it will pay dividends."
It's one thing to criticize from the sidelines. It's another to actually try it yourself. If it was easy, everyone would be a pitcher because that's where the glory is (when it works).
Thanks BH Lol, you made me laugh. The woods quote Especially and the part about him trying to pitch!
She got over it, she actually wanted to be put back in that night!the second game we played, she thought he was going to pitch her again (only have 4 pitchers total for JV and V and the 4th is questionable) but she didn't get to try again that night.
She's got tourneys every weekend till middle of December with her travel teams and she's working hard during the week to fix what's broke.
Missing to the right- I know missing to the right is not a bad thing when working into the whip I'm not sure how to explain why?
She got over it, she actually wanted to be put back in that night!the second game we played, she thought he was going to pitch her again (only have 4 pitchers total for JV and V and the 4th is questionable) but she didn't get to try again that night.
She's got tourneys every weekend till middle of December with her travel teams and she's working hard during the week to fix what's broke.
Missing to the right- I know missing to the right is not a bad thing when working into the whip I'm not sure how to explain why?
This is great! Man I would love to see that! I take video of myself pitching a couple times a month to see if I'm even demoing to the kids right, lots of time I'm not
- Aug 21, 2008
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Well, in MY experience it boils down to this (and this is all on my video so now sales will go down 100%!!) High/Low pitches is timing issues. Inside and out are mechanics. Outside pitches (RH pitcher to RH hitter) means she pulled her shoulder offline at delivery (typically), inside pitches means she's either already closed the hips forcing the ball to go AROUND the hips giving it an inside trajectory OR her arm is a long ways from her body and not tight (or what some call brushing past). She she gets the ball through the hips, not around them LITERALLY forcing her arm to "brush" her stomach, the ball will NOT go inside... it will go where the shoulder is pointed.
I've seen COUNTLESS girls with whip but, no sense of body direction or body awareness. Which leads to the old saying, what good is throwing 100 mph if you can't control it?
Best tool for fixing that inside pitch is the WINDMILL TRAINER. It can be bought in stores or through my website store. Google the name and you'll see the video of how it helps correct inside pitches.
Bill
