Chanting and yelling!!! The integrity of the game..........

[FastBat]

My dd was a 9 year old pitcher this year, in travel, she actually never minded it. Last year, when she pitched in rec, she would stare at the opponents dugout. Oh, my, lol! Rough on both of us. We worked on her focus over last winter, no problems this year! I always ask her, how old were you the last time you actually, "ate dirt"? Usually gets a smile from her!

 

[Fowler]

My dd was a 9 year old pitcher this year, in travel, she actually never minded it. Last year, when she pitched in rec, she would stare at the opponents dugout. Oh, my, lol! Rough on both of us. We worked on her focus over last winter, no problems this year! I always ask her, how old were you the last time you actually, "ate dirt"? Usually gets a smile from her!

Thats funny because the first and favorite memory of my now "fastpitch pitcher" is her sitting at short stop eating dirt I never thought she would be where she is now back then.

 

[FastBat]

Funny! That's why I love softball, the growth the kids make. I used to think, "what's the bucket for, certainly not to sit and catch pitches?"

 

[cobb_of_fury]

That's the worst!

No the worst is the parents in the stands taunting the opposing girls - Had that happen to our girls once - It was a rather classless group of parents

 

[Pioneer01]

I agree that chants directed towards anyone is wrong, but it is part of the game all the way to college ball. I encourage our girls to cheer our batter, and most chants are for our kids. As a stated college girls bang and yell and do what ever to get in the heads of pitchers. I'm all for it as long as it stays clean, just lets me know our girls are paying attention and trying to rally their team on.

 

[snoman76]

As said before, the girls (younger ones) don't really know what they are saying. All they know is that a cheer is started and they are following suit. I won't allow the banging on the fences or dugouts or the obnoxious screaming. You know, when you have no idea what the girls are saying. I encourage cheering but there is a line.
I'm curious to know how many pitchers block that out. I know several of my girls have said that after an at bat if they were asked what cheer was coming from the bench they couldn't answer because they blocked it out and was focusing on the pitch.

 

[SonicMojo]

No the worst is the parents in the stands taunting the opposing girls - Had that happen to our girls once - It was a rather classless group of parents

I've seen that more than once. Some parents simply are not capable of perspective.

 

[cobb_of_fury]

As said before, the girls (younger ones) don't really know what they are saying. All they know is that a cheer is started and they are following suit. I won't allow the banging on the fences or dugouts or the obnoxious screaming. You know, when you have no idea what the girls are saying. I encourage cheering but there is a line.
I'm curious to know how many pitchers block that out. I know several of my girls have said that after an at bat if they were asked what cheer was coming from the bench they couldn't answer because they blocked it out and was focusing on the pitch.

I hope No batter or Pitcher could tell you the cheers - I want them focusing on the task at hand

 

[Westler33]

I think it is even worse when the kids are beating on the fence and bench or whatever else makes a lot of noise right when the pitcher is about to pitch. Cheer by all means but respect players and the game.

 

[SoftballMom1]

As a woman, I don't understand why this is considered "a part of the game"?? Boys are never expected to be cheerleaders in addition to ballplayers. There's a reason my daughter plays softball instead of cheerleading. I'm all for paying attention and rooting on your team, but the chants and cheers are just annoying. And a lot of times, in bad taste. Not to mention it's insulting to insinuate girls need this gimmick to keep their interest in the game.

 

[FastBat]

I grew up in the "Hey- Batter Batter Swing" era of little league and no one thought twice about it except the kids who couldn't hit.

So did I and very true!

 

[frenchy101010]

As a woman, I don't understand why this is considered "a part of the game"?? Boys are never expected to be cheerleaders in addition to ballplayers. There's a reason my daughter plays softball instead of cheerleading. I'm all for paying attention and rooting on your team, but the chants and cheers are just annoying. And a lot of times, in bad taste. Not to mention it's insulting to insinuate girls need this gimmick to keep their interest in the game.

+1, my DD absolutely hates cheerleading and has had a problem getting it going, she getting better though, LOL.

 

[Westler33]

Some of the cheers that are directed toward your own team I think are ok but when directed toward the other teams hitters or pitchers not cool.

 

[Longtoss1]

My daughter had this happen to her a couple of times this last season on the mound in 10u, once from a team that is notorious for doing this sort of thing. While I do not agree with the concept of yelling directly at a player, which is what was happening even going so far as to scream right as she was throwing the pitch. It can be handled by the player as my daughter eats that stuff up....During the game my daughter struck out their big hitter on a called third when they were screaming and it got a little quieter...then she glared at them in the dugout...then after striking out the next 2 batter also glaring at the dugout all of the screaming stopped. But I agree there is no place for that in the game of softball.

 

[wow]

My daughter had this happen to her a couple of times this last season on the mound in 10u, once from a team that is notorious for doing this sort of thing. While I do not agree with the concept of yelling directly at a player, which is what was happening even going so far as to scream right as she was throwing the pitch. It can be handled by the player as my daughter eats that stuff up....During the game my daughter struck out their big hitter on a called third when they were screaming and it got a little quieter...then she glared at them in the dugout...then after striking out the next 2 batter also glaring at the dugout all of the screaming stopped. But I agree there is no place for that in the game of softball.

This is why the mental part of the game is so important. Too many kids, especially at the younger ages, cant deal mentally. If I were to do it all over again I would teach mental fortitude and toughness FIRST, then pitching strategy, then mechanics. Pitching is like chess, its not the pitch you are throwing right NOW but the pitch you are setting the batter up for later in the count. A pitcher has to be able to deal with the chanting, being hit, and working through a rough inning. Emotions on the mound are NEVER a good thing. Teach a kid how to play the poker circuit and hold AA's in the hole, without even the smallest amount of gitty, and I will show you a pitcher with ICE WATER in their veins. The louder the cheers the more the pitcher need to, as OUTLAWS1 states, "Eat that stuff up"!

 

[Longtoss1]

This is why the mental part of the game is so important. Too many kids, especially at the younger ages, cant deal mentally. If I were to do it all over again I would teach mental fortitude and toughness FIRST, then pitching strategy, then mechanics. Pitching is like chess, its not the pitch you are throwing right NOW but the pitch you are setting the batter up for later in the count. A pitcher has to be able to deal with the chanting, being hit, and working through a rough inning. Emotions on the mound are NEVER a good thing. Teach a kid how to play the poker circuit and hold AA's in the hole, without even the smallest amount of gitty, and I will show you a pitcher with ICE WATER in their veins. The louder the cheers the more the pitcher need to, as OUTLAWS1 states, "Eat that stuff up"!

Thanks for the backup...I have been saying this a lot that the mental game is just as important if not more then the physical ability especially at a young age when so many girls have yet to have their growth spurts or are growing so fast that their bodies don't have time to catch up.

 

[ballersmom]

I don't believe you can single out girls in this conversation. I have attended several 14U & up baseball games this past year & I think the boys are worse than the girls. They absolutely do direct their chants, blurps or whatever other sounds they make directly at a pitcher or other player & they are way more cocky about it.

As far as softball girls chanting...the chanting does slow down after 12U it seems. However, I would hope our coach never asks our girls to stop cheering on their team or banging on the fence, bench, dugout or anything else. I love to see our girls have passion for the game and want to win. I will say, or coach will not tolerate anything to be said that is inappropriate or that puts down the other team, there's no class in that, but cheering on your own team loudly while at bat with the intent to distract the pitcher, that's just part of the game. I think at the 10U-12U levels part of the game is who has the cooler chants, but when you get into 14U & up, it's more about helping out your team & being into the game & I think that the original poster of this forum will see that as his/her daughter progresses in the age groups.