How long till they want her to change

[default]

Well we are in our third day of High School ball, just wondering if any DD's have come home and said " guess what dad, I've been ______ the wrong way all these years" Coach is going to fix me

 

[default]

Sweet Dale I knew you didnt know what you were doing lol :lmao:

 

[default]

That will definitely happen ... but also don't assume that a high school coach can't teach them anything either. A good coach will know which of his/her players go for instruction and where .... and also understand his/her own strengths and weaknesses as as a coach. When I was coaching high school, I would approach some of the better players who I knew were getting other instruction when they were struggling with select things and ask "why not try this?" ... and then spend the majority of my time working with those who I knew weren't getting it elsewhere.

 

[default]

DD's coach actually told us to let him know if any of our daughters were seeing an instructor. He made it very clear, that he would talk to the instructor first, if he saw anything that was a major issue. Good enough for me.

 

[default]

Twins
Sounds like you are one of the lucky ones

 

[default]

I had a High school coach tell one of my girls that what she was doing was wrong. He than asked where did she learn such stupid mechanics, she said from Crystl BUSTOS. He then said that Crystl Did not know what she is doing and to stop going to her for private instruction. Our player then asked the coach if he knew who Bustos was, he said no so she must not be anyone good....

Our player said well go down to Pinacle on RT18 on a Monday and tell her yourself that she does not know what she is doing, and than if you do that she will stop going to her.....

He now knows who CRYSTL BUSTOS is...lolol

 

[default]

coachjwb Thanks for taking a punch for the high school coaches.

You can get a kid that has been taught to bunt by a guy that learned how as a 12 year old in Little League in 1965 and if she pays attention she might learn something in 2011. You can get a kid that can't throw a ball 60' and should where a mask during practice for her own protection. If that kid will work with you and learn basic fundamentals she has a chance. If her response is that my dad taught me this and this is the way I am going to do it; Houston we have a problem. If you have a stud, even she can improve be skill set. She at least owes it to the coach to give it the old college try, he just might be right. (then again he might be all wet, but how would you know?)

Please don't be so quick to dismiss a coach's attempt to improve your daughters game. The better ones attend clinics, coach travel teams and have worked with a large number of kids over the years learning what might work and what doesn't. They will have your dd's for 2 hours a day for 2 to 3 weeks before the game start; a chunk of time that most travel coaches would love to have to devote just to training.

I will let you in on a little secret that if your dd gives them attitude when they make a suggestion for improving their play, it will not endear them to their high school coach and unlike travel-ball jumping teams is not an option but setting the bench is or there is always the JV option. So maybe this would be a really good time to start out supporting your local high school coach and encouraging your dd's to try that new technique with an open mind.

 

[default]

Fairman ... yeah, there's nothing more endearing to a coach than getting the old eyes rolling from a teenage girl. While the Crystl Bustos example from Todd above is a bit extreme and it's hard to believe anyone coaching softball would not know who she is and then stick their foot in their mouth so far if they didn't know, I am going to say most coaches, travel or high school, would not look very favorably on a player telling them they can go talk to their instructors themselves. Parents would all be doing their daughters a favor by giving them some advice about how to tactfully approach the situation when their high school coach asks them to do something different than they have been taught by others.

 

[default]

coachjwb If her response is that my dad taught me this and this is the way I am going to do it; Houston we have a problem.

This isn't always the case either. Many kids are getting lessons from specialty coaches like pitching, batting, catching. They work with these coaches on and off between different seasons, teams, years, etc. The kid builds a rapport and trust with these coaches. These coaches are respected highly by the kids because of the training and help they provide.

When a HS or TB coach just walks up and says I'm going to change this or that, they instantly create a conflict in the kid. The kid has to make an evaluative decision about the credibility of that HS or TB coach. Though that Busto story is humorous, I believe it's more common (and less extreme). But kudos to the DD who stood up for herself and recognized that coach obviously has some serious limitations.

Coaches have to realize they aren't the only one coaching these kids for many of them and need to work with the kids rather than just run gunshot over their training. Can the kid still learn something? Sure, without a doubt. But so can the coach.

Please note I'm not advocating Daddies overrule coaches but higher expertise should take precedence over lower expertise. Actually, my DD's TB coaches have always asked and respected specialty coaches. We have only run into this issue with HS coaches.

Just saying...

 

[default]

Our DD is a pitcher and solid lefty hitter who can also bunt and slap. High school coach has seen her play. He isn't interested in changing anything major but he does help her correct if she begins to show any sloppy technique or new bad habits. He also brings in expert pitching and hitting coaches to eval and instruct as needed. Gotta like that he isn't strutting around pretending to be an expert on all things.

 

[default]

travelinmom,

Your school is the exception. The majority of school coaches will not bring in outside help. Many can-----few will. End of story.

 

[default]

What alot of people are forgetting is what works for one kid will not always work for another.
While Im not a big fan of school ball (because most of the coaches are only in it for the extra money and there skill level is some times questionable at best or are in it for the daddy ball factor) some times you get a coach that actualy might have some thing that will work for your dd and might just improve her game.Or if she feels they are completely wrong push her to try harder to prove them wrong

 

[default]

My dd came home last year stating that the coach wanted her to learn two new pitches. Mind you she was a junior and had been a starting varsity pitcher since she was a freshman and had a season ERA of 1.56 as a sophomore. Okay, no problem it can only give you more weapons was my thought. Never did I imagine that these two pitches would be all he would call after only 10 days of working on them. He did bring in a pitching coach to teach her these pitches, but fired her when she questioned why he was calling these pitches all the time and not using the rest of the arsenal.

Now you take a successful HS & travel ball pitcher who has had 10 days to work on new pitches and they are not exactly working reliably, call them all the time and guess what the outcome is going to be. You got it, severe tendinitis in the forearm from overthrowing trying to make these pitches work in games. Out for over half the season, PT 3 days a week, tons of pain and the agony of watching her team lose to teams that they should easily beat.

 

[default]

The famous well I pay this person for instruction, therefore they are automatically correct. I know there are some great instructors and specialty coaches, there are also some not so good ones. There are kids that go and see specialty coaches that are not executing what those specialty coaches are teaching them properly.

One of my favorite complaints I've heard, have never been involved in though is this. Girl is struggling at the plate, coach tries to help, girls response is "I go see___, for hitting lessons and this how ___ has me hit" coach leaves players hitting alone, girl still struggles, finds herself out of the line-up, parents blame coach for not helping DD.

Can't have it both ways, I haven't met to many coaches in my time the change what a kid is doing in any sport for the sake of making a change. Generally they make a change because they see a weakness or a problem that they feel needs to be corrected.

I guess my DD has been lucky, her high school coaches along with her travel coaches worked on her weaknesses, and in my mind if they are a weakness then either the way she's been shown how to do it, doesn't work for her or she's not doing it right. I've always told her to keep an open mind. You can learn SOMETHING good and bad from every coach your around.

I strongly suggest to any freshman players and parents, when a high school coach tries to teach you something different, don't be defensive, listen to what coach has to say process the information and communicate in a positive manner what you've been taught. Don't have the first words out of your mouth be...this how my travel coach has me do it or this is how my hitting coach has me do it.

 

[default]

Fairman ... yeah, there's nothing more endearing to a coach than getting the old eyes rolling from a teenage girl. While the Crystl Bustos example from Todd above is a bit extreme and it's hard to believe anyone coaching softball would not know who she is and then stick their foot in their mouth so far if they didn't know, I am going to say most coaches, travel or high school, would not look very favorably on a player telling them they can go talk to their instructors themselves. Parents would all be doing their daughters a favor by giving them some advice about how to tactfully approach the situation when their high school coach asks them to do something different than they have been taught by others.

I wouldn't call it a bit extreme. There are girls who play for our high school team who don't know who Crystl Bustos is. The expression of my youngest's when she heard that--. Her next question, how can you play softball and not know who she is.

I have to admit is was funny. We are turning the program around. We had the best CSU ball we have ever had.

 

[default]

I think most of us can agree that if a coach, whether it be the HS or TB, sees something that our DD's are struggling with, they have the duty to help make changes that would improve the problem. The problem arises when any coach says, you will do it my way or else! We are talking mainly about freshmen girls that need to understand where they are and what they need to do to get to the next level. They need to have confidence in what they are doing and what they have done in the past. They need to speak for themselves and have the moxie to stand up and tell whoever, I understand where you are coming from but let me prove myself before you make any changes. If done in correctly, no coach should have a problem with this. However, if the first words out of her mouth is " but my dad or mom says" you as a coach have lost this DD. IMHO

 

[default]

Have to say that I'm with IntheCrowd on this one. There definitely IS a difference between saying "this is how Daddy taught me" and "I'm having trouble with your advice because I've been seeing [insert respected hitting, pitching fielding, or catching coach's name] for a long time and he/she has taught me differently".

As with everything, however, it is a matter of the specific facts. By the time a young lady gets to high school, her parents should know whether she has had quality instruction from a coach who is getting paid and who is respected, not just from some travel ball coach like me or some paid coach who doesn't have much experience or much success. If the paid coaching has been from a highly respected and successful coach, I think it is hard to tell the young lady to do anything but nod and continue to do what she has been previously taught.

As I said, it is a matter of the facts. There are some tremendous high school coaches out there who really know what they are doing and who, in some instances, may even be the highly respected and successful paid instructors (real pay, not hs pay) that I referred to earlier. That would be the exception to my general rule that a player with a private coach should nod but continue to develop the mechanics that she was taught by the private coach.


PS: SemperFi posted while I was drafting this and made me pretty much redundant since he and I are on the same page.

 

[default]

Politics, play the game or you may never get any field time. Just like a job, adapt to what your boss at the moment wants regardless of the outcome. Just don't do anything that might physically injure yourself and try to keep an open mind about things. As mentioned before, you might find a better way of doing something. The coaches won't be wrong all the time. Everyone needs to check their ego's at the door and exercise good people skills.

 

[default]

As a coach, at the beginning of each season I tell my players that there are many different coaches with different philosophies. Just because something is different doesn't necessarily mean it is wrong. I also tell them that if they are being successful with how they are hitting/pitching then I am NOT going to try and change anything. I also let them know what coaches and players were my influence and what my philosophy is. I tell them that if they are struggling I may ask them to try something, and if that helps them great, if not, we can go back to the "old" way. I guess my point is that I find my athletes much more receptive when they are allowed to do things "the way they've been taught (if succeeding) and I make suggestions AND EXPLAIN the reason I am having them do something a specific way. I also will have them ask their private instructors why they are doing something if I'm not sure and get back to me. It's all about communication. JHMO

 

[default]

Parents would all be doing their daughters a favor by giving them some advice about how to tactfully approach the situation when their high school coach asks them to do something different than they have been taught by others.

What??? Parents actually teach their kids on how to deal with life's situations? Isn't that what the school is for?

Just sarcasm but an excellent point made by coachjwb.