Coaches need to chill

[ApogeeDemon]

Next time youre at a game, listen to the third base coach. For some reason, many fastpitch coaches feel it necessary to coach batters after every pitch. Do this, do that, watch your stride, watch your load, bla bla bla. After every pitch! If a coach has to coach from third, he/she didn't do it enough in practice. Let them play. Games are for the girls, practices are for the coaches. All these coaches do is make the batter think so much about what she is doing wrong, she cant function. Then she strikes out, the coach says, "Its ok, get em next time." Then the next time, the coach does it all over again. Can a girl ever go up and bat just once without a coach coaching her?!

 

[LADY_KNIGHTS]

I like to talk to my hitters while they step out after each pitch. I may see something in their swing or approach on a certain pitch and will give them a quick one or two word command that hopefully triggers what it felt like when it was practiced. It's really no different then when you are trying to think of a word and someone keeps talking to you till something triggers it to pop back in your head.

 

[Bill S]

I agree that the steady stream of "coaching" can go too far. In moderation I suppose its ok, but my daughters have been on teams where the Coach just never shuts up and it has a negative effect. Hard to focus when someone is yammering about mechanics.

 

[FastBat]

I like to encourage from first, but, I catch myself saying "good eye" alot. That must really get old to the other team!

 

[BretMan2]

This is one of my personal pet peeves. All the "instruction" people throw at batter's while they're at the plate goes overboard sometimes. A lot of it just drivel, with no bearing in real-world hitting mechanics, and most of it isn't going to do anything more than confuse a kid. Practice your mechanics in practice. Execute during the games. Keep your mind clear and focused and keep things as simple as possible!

All I can figure is that a coach wants to let everybody know he's a coach so, by golly, he has to do some some coaching to let everyone know! Then, if the kid does something good, it looks like the coach was the reason, but if the kid does something bad...well, then, the kid just messed up on her own.

There is a flip side of this coin. Some coaches don't speak up when they really need to. I see this all the time and saw it a few times this weekend.

Runner on base and the base coach says absolutely nothing to her about the situation, the number of outs, what to do on a fly ball or line drive, tagging up, etc. Then the runner gets herself doubled up on a line drive, or doesn't tag up and advance on a fly ball and the coach goes ballistic on the runner! Coach, there's a reason we let you guys stand on the field in your special little coaching boxes. It's to instruct the runners! You can't just assume that every runner knows what to do in every possible situation.

All the "coaching" that goes on while kids are batting might just confuse them more, but a little coaching while they're just standing there on the base, with plenty of time before the ball gets put into play, keeps them focused and on the same page.

 

[coachjwb]

I would agree that there tends to be "overcoaching" from the 3B coach, though I think some of this is nervous energy from the coach as opposed to any intent to show everyone he's in charge and is responsible for the team's success. I caught myself many times saying too much, and I think in my later years of coaching I got better with this, and tried to limit most of my comments to encouragement vs. corrections, unless I saw something that was drastically wrong. The coach is out there to try to help their team ... reminders especially to base runners are important particularly at the younger ages are important, but trying to help the batter when she's actually in the box is usually going to do more harm than good in my opinion.

 

[chixdad]

DD filled in for another team this weekend, third base coach talked a lot for me it was a welcome change our coach does not talk much at all.

 

[Hilliarddad3]

The one I loved the most is when he'd say "I can't help you with that"... And that would trigger them because they knew whatever they did was that bad.....

 

[Louuuuu]

This has always been one of the top contenders for getting my knickers in a bind. ApogeeD, you covered it quite well. You don't have to say something after every pitch!

And, when the pitch bounces in the dirt six feet in front of home plate, don't say "Good Eye", Mr. Obvious...

 

[Coach_Dave]

I have never understood 'watch for the change'. Unless it is early in the count, I have never been a big fan of guessing rather than reacting to what is thrown. It is much more difficult to adjust to a fastball than it is to adjust to a changeup.

 

[Vipernation21]

I talk all the time. I get one day a week to work on hitting with my players. Maybe if we practiced hitting every day then I would not need to talk. Every player has a reminder or a key word or phrase to remind them of something. Some players will under cut, others will step out. pull their shoulder, pull their head, dip, buckle their front knee, you name it. I will help remind them what we have worked on, or try to correct that swing after the strike in order to stop it from repeating itself. I also remind them of counts and where the pitcher has been throwing. It's called coaching. The players also need encouragement. A batter is up there all by herself on center stage. She needs to feel confidence. Even if the coach is just spitting encouraging words to the batter it's better than saying nothing, especially at a younger age.

 

[OFFSPEED]

Sometimes this is directed more to the pitch-caller,rather than the batter.
(WATCH FOR THE CHANGE)

 

[Louuuuu]

She needs to feel confidence. ....

You are correct!

But if it's Pitch - "Do this", Pitch "Do that", Pitch "You're Pulling Your Head", etc... She's going to be thinking "Gee Coach, am I doing anything right?"

 

[wvanalmsick]

The most advantageous coaching set-up for a team of any age......

A coach on 3rd base to coach the base-runner on that side, a coach on 1st base to coach the base-runner on that side, and most important, a coach in the dugout.

The dugout coach is the most important coach. This coach gives batters instructions prior to getting to the plate, encouragement during the at-bat, then debrief the batter after the at-bat or the runner when they come into the dugout after a play. A good dugout coach could then provide timely instruction, not an hour after the play behind the outfield fence when the 10-12 year-old has forgotten what happened. This is vital at the younger ages and actually quite rewarding at the older ages when the player comes into the dugout and tells the coach just what she did right and wrong.

Coaches, you gotta throw them into the water and let them think for themselves, but have the rope handy to help them back to shore.

 

[chixdad]

The most advantageous coaching set-up for a team of any age......

A coach on 3rd base to coach the base-runner on that side, a coach on 1st base to coach the base-runner on that side, and most important, a coach in the dugout.

The dugout coach is the most important coach. This coach gives batters instructions prior to getting to the plate, encouragement during the at-bat, then debrief the batter after the at-bat or the runner when they come into the dugout after a play. A good dugout coach could then provide timely instruction, not an hour after the play behind the outfield fence when the 10-12 year-old has forgotten what happened. This is vital at the younger ages and actually quite rewarding at the older ages when the player comes into the dugout and tells the coach just what she did right and wrong.

Coaches, you gotta throw them into the water and let them think for themselves, but have the rope handy to help them back to shore.

Good point, the coach I was talking about is normally in the dugout but yesterday was coaching third. I still think it was great.

 

[Vipernation21]

You are correct!

But if it's Pitch - "Do this", Pitch "Do that", Pitch "You're Pulling Your Head", etc... She's going to be thinking "Gee Coach, am I doing anything right?"

Hey Louuuu, I appreciate the dialogue. Interesting topic. I guess I would say that if a player swings the bat and misses because she is staring down at me from pulling her head then I'm going to tell her that she pulled her head. If this gets her rattled or brings down her confidence then we are probably already in trouble. I work extensively with my daughter in hitting. We put a lot of time in. Yet, she still has difficulty at times with her stance, especially her hand placement. She is still a young player. I am consistently reminding her during her at bats about her hand placement. If not, in the heat of the moment, she will revert back to her old habits. Sometimes I think people assume too much and think players get a concept because you talked about it once. I agree there is a fine line, but I would still rather have a coach helping my daughter at the plate then just being a cheerleader on the side. Maybe when players get older they don't need this instruction as much. Time will tell.

A side story, I know this is about hitting, but I wanted to add this example. Every time a player is on third I go through all the scenarios about when to run home or not, watch for line drives, stay in foul territory, be ready to tag, and so forth. One would think after saying it a thousand times to all the players that a coach wouldn't have to say it anymore. Yet, the one stinking time I didn't this weekend we had a player thrown out at home when she should not have run ( a bunt to the pitcher that wasn't a force). Young players are learning the game and need constant reminders throughout the game in various aspects, hitting included. I blame myself not the player. I should have reminded her and helped her, and not assume that she understood that you wait for the pitcher to throw to first before going home. Even if you say it 999 times, it may take a thousand to avoid the above scenario.

 

[Coach_Dave]

Sometimes this is directed more to the pitch-caller,rather than the batter.
(WATCH FOR THE CHANGE)

That is true, but in many cases what they are really telling the pitch-caller is this Girl can't hit a change. If the only way she can hit a changeup is to look for a changeup, she is going to have a hard time with a good fastball if she guesses incorrectly.

 

[spartansd]

During a game you should be coaching energy and attitude not mechanics.

Yes if there is some crazy glaring issue then by all means point it out. But I have found a smile and encouragement works a lot better than screaming instructions.

 

[Louuuuu]

I work extensively with my daughter in hitting. We put a lot of time in. ...

A-ha !!! There it is - you are making the assumption, as we all did at some point, that your daughter will actually do what you tell her to do. Daughters, by design, tune out Coach Dad and Coach Mom. Let someone else give the hitting advice, and she'll pick it up instantly.

 

[grandpaviper]

"Overboard" is the key word. That being said, if a coach is working on a specific swing component and He/She observes during a game that the girl has reverted to a bad habit, that is a good time to her. Good swings are about habit and muscle memory. Changes don't just happen because the hitting coach pointed out a flaw in the swing. Granted the ideal circumstance is when the girl goes home and practices the new swing until the flaw is gone. That doesn't always happen so the coach tries to correct it whenever possible. Don't see a problem here provided the coach doesn't go overboard.