Players listening to their coaches?

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This is the first year we have put an 8U travel team together, so we are all learning. But all of these girls on the all star team have played rec league ball since April. My point is, our girls do not listen to anything. Especially our base running is very bad. We have instances where the third base coach is yelling at the runner from second to GO GO GO home and they stop on third!? Not all of our girls but still a few. We have been over and over these situations and this is just one example out of MANY! What do you do as a coach to fix this problem? I know they are young and learning but how do you teach if they won't listen? Seems other teams are more disciplined. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

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Yelling at runners is very unproductive. They are doing their best (usually). There are parents yelling from the crowd, umpires yelling, coaches yelling - and nervous kids.

We are in 12u and base running is still an issue. We recently had a player running to first on a bunt. Would have beet the throw by a mile, but decided to stop running a step and a half short of the base. Just stopped and stood, allowing time for the throw to get there. She thought the 1st base coach said foul, when he actually said get hear.

Bottom line... not the kids fault. I spent time after the tournament trying to put myself in her shoes and thinking about how to "simplify" the experience for them. We decided to teach them which base coach to watch and to no longer listen to anyone. Not the umpires, crowd, or coaches. Instead they now watch (sight is quicker than sound anyway) the coach who will either point at the base we want them to run to, or motion for them to round it. Both hands up palms facing runner means go back. Then we practiced over and over.

Keep it simple. Indecision usually means something hasn't been made simple enough yet.

Great teachers and coaches keep everything simple.

 

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We have actually tried using signals also but then can't get them to look. When I say "yelling", I don't mean we are yelling at them. We understand these are 8-9 year olds. The base coach is pointing home saying go go go. We have definitely tried every simple approach I can think of

 

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I would be teaching them to keep their eye on the ball and make their own decisions. At 8 years old, I would consider completely eliminating the base coaches and I would tell the parents to keep their mouths shut. They will make mistakes, but they will learn to run the bases much, much better and much, much faster.

When us guys who are in our 40s and older grew up playing pick-up ball, we didn't have any base coaches. As a result, we learned instincts and we learned to keep our eye on the ball when running bases. As the girls get older you want them to watch the third base coach only when they would otherwise have to look over their shoulder to see the ball. Those include only two situations; one, where they are running to second and the ball is in right field, and two, when they are running to third and the ball is in the outfield. Otherwise, the third base coach should stay quiet and the first base coach should almost never be giving directions on when to take an extra base.

 

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At this age the girls aren't as "in love" with the sport as 12U on up. The coaches need to help them buy in to the love for this sport.

Keeping the parents quiet (or educated with their cheering) will also help. How many times do you hear a parents yell one thing, girls yelling another thing, and a coach saying something completely different. They may get confused and remember at 8 and 9 they have been taught to listen to their parents. When they get older, they learn to only hear their coach.

Just an idea. Not sure if this happens during your games.

 

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Aww, 8U.....what a fun age I remember those days. Hope it helps to know that so many of us have been in your shoes. Just keep communicating with them, sooner or later they will get it, Remember that they are just 7 & 8 year olds.....some 6yr. Their attention span isn't great yet. It will get better

 

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I would be teaching them to keep their eye on the ball and make their own decisions. At 8 years old, I would consider completely eliminating the base coaches and I would tell the parents to keep their mouths shut. They will make mistakes, but they will learn to run the bases much, much better and much, much faster.

This is great advice. My 13 year old has been playing travel ball for 4 years and she has been so conditioned to watch the coach that she rarely makes base running decisions on her own with the exception of obvious things like stealing on a passed ball. My 7 year on the other hand is totally the opposite she runs until someone begs her to stop.

 

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The loudest sound ever know to man ( or woman) is the sound of eight 8u teams playing at one time in a quad of fields. Ever been there? My goodness, it is so loud that the coach pitching to his girls has to yell from 35 feet away.....

In one game , an 8u girl starting crying because she "thought" the coach was yelling at her... poor girl... the coach was having to yell because it was so loud. He called "time" and hugged that poor little girl so hard I thought he was going to crush her...:lmao:

He called time and gathered his team and told them he was not yelling at them.. but too them and asked if they all understood...

It was so cute....

OHSoftball: the advice these people are giving you in great... from 10u on up.... but 8u .......... I think from past experiences at last year's 8u Rec World Series.... you have to figure out a way to communicate with them.. whether yelling or hand signals.

Now, in the 8u.. they can steal on the pitch (coach pitch).. There are safeguards for any coach trying to pull off the weak stuff and pitch a loop.. so his runner can get there easy. It's a strike on the batter and the runner goes back.

Not talking about you of course.. but we seen it last year only a couple times until it was called by the umpire.

Teach the girls to steal and only one base at a time. Can't steal home.

When the fans are loaded up with people from grandparents to siblings... that has the team's colors and shirts on...LOL.. with " Bobby Sue's Grandpa or grandma" or "Bobby Sue's sister or brother"..... the one thing ... they are there to cheer on the kids and not yell at the umpires and they are LOUD !!!!

Have any questions on the rules, OHSoftball... let me know.


And as for the rest of you... :lmao: .... come watch an 8u event. Bring the ear plugs "Y complex" in Zanesville on Saturday August 6th and Sunday the 7th. Is the place to be.. if you are bored.

 

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They are 8 . Cut them some slack and make it fun for them or you are going to loose them.

When I coached 8 and 9 year olds, my biggest concern was that they didn't swing the bat. They waited for the walk as pitchers at that age are iffy. I had a rule that if you didnt' swing the bat then you owed me a push pop. Once I got them swinging and they started making contact, I made a rule that if they got out swinging on a bad pitch, they owed me a push pop. By the end of the summer, all batters batted and the amount of push pops I was getting went down to nil.

 

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Coaches and Parents:

Go back and read Joe's post again. Please. For the future of the sport, do it his way. Do not raise another generation of kids who depend upon coaches to tell them everything! Teach them instead to watch the ball and to pay attention to things like whether or not the outfielder handling the ball has a good arm; whether or not the grass is wet and could cause the ball to slip out of the outfielder's hand; whether or not the fielder is running fast away from the base to which she'll have to make a throw; whether she should not risk trying to take an extra base after hitting the ball when she knows she can steal the next base on the next pitch. Teach them through repetition how to read the ball off the bat-- so they don't have to be told to run when a ball is obviously going to drop between fielders. These things will help them to become excellent baserunners when they reach the higher levels. They will have instincts on the bases. Do not create dependents. Teach them to think on their own. Please!

 

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I agree.. have fun with them....

Daylight Kate... here in Ohio it is mostly coach pitch.. some pitchers pitch games in WV and KY.

These 8u girls are "smacking" the ball all over the place. Action everywhere.

 

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Thanks everyone for the advice!! We just want our kids to have a good time and learn the game