Softball Instructors and Unwanted Interference

I fall into a trap sometimes, when the student comes to me and starts telling me what the "12U TB" coach is attempting to teach them. If it is even close to what I teach, I try to give some encouraging comment.

But, if it is totally wrong - such as "you have to turn right, when returning to 1st base," I do correct that. The kid is asking me for advice and I try to give it without stepping on the toes of someone that is taking the time to coach.

the only reason to step in is if the kid is injurying themselves besides that i stay out of it. i know you can't help them all so let them go nothing you can do

I agree 100% in this isolated incident, however, what is your advice when you see a kid, that is trying out for the league, has been struggling just throwing the ball while warming up, clearly everyone can see that he/she has no mechanics whatsoever and all coaches just stand there? I will speculate that the parents certainly haven't dedicated the time to teach their kid or may not know how, and might for embarrasment not even ask one of the coaches to help out, would this be a situation where anyone with proper training and skills, be eligible to just offer their un-requested help?

thats exactly how i feel. if i did not ask for ur help then dont come and help me!

I usually can keep my mouth shut but....... I COULD NOT STAND IT ANY LONGER! I was watching this very good pitcher struggle. She was obviously getting very upset with her performance. I asked her if she had a pitching coach. She said "yes". I asked her this question---"What does he say about the position of your hand at the release point? She smiled and nodded and made the adjustments. She went on to pitch an outstanding game.

In the Sacramento, Ca. area High School pitching and hitting coaches (?) and ASA travel team pitching and hitting coaches (?) engage in this type of activity on an ongoing everyday basis with the threat of reduced playing time or even being cut from the team if the athlete does not conform to their absolute unqualified gibberish or evin requiring them to quit their current instructor of many years and switch to their team pitching and hitting coaches (?) if they want to play. Ethics is not part of their vocabulary. Mike

I hear you. I'm in Elk Grove and see it also. It's pretty outrageous.

Ain't that the truth!!!

It's like golf, if none asks me, I don't offer any suggestions. I just enjoy the day and the company.

I encourage players (including my daughter) to go to different pitching and hitting coaches. The way I see it everyone has something to offer.....well, I would only suggest .......quality people whom I know are fundamentally sound in their teachings. My rule is if someone purports to "know everything about pitching or hitting" or whatever - run away as fast as you can!

The bottom line is, it is bad form to infuse yourself into someones training when uninvited.

AMEN!!! I actually have an assistant who does this constantly and it KILLS me! I've talked to him (hinted actually) about it but he just doesn't get it.

I somewhat agree, however, if I saw a kid diligently practicing incorrectly, I would approach the parent, or ask the kid if she was getting instruction elsewhere. Some people can't AFFORD instruction, and try to do the best they can on their own, or what they may pick up at free or low priced group clinics. In those cases we should help if we can.

good advice - i never give advice unless asked - especially pitching advice. you need to respect the primary instructor.

Marc I agree 100%..I never approach a kid with advice , I even ask my girls ,who go to private hitting coaches ,what they worked on So I dont hamper anything they learned.....But let me pose this question to you.... I coach 14u and alot of the families in my organization value my opinions and training Methods...However on the 12u team in our organization they have a coach who is really hurting the growth of the younger girls with his hitting methods and Ideas... Parents have approached me asking why he doesnt teach the girls the way I do , seeing the success I have with my girls... Now I know they are asking for an opinion( my 2 Cents) but how do you sidestep the land mine of undermining another coach...Especially when I see he is hurting their growth....And worse yet is that the girls that are aging up next year will never be ready for 14u and I have to look these same parents in the face and tell them Im sorry I cant take your Daughter shes not ready

Sorry, but it’s not your team and not your business. If you or they do not support the coach they have no chance anyway! They need to take it to the coach! Not go behind his back to someone else. If they did go to the coach and could not come to an agreement then they must decide. Were staying and I must support this coach 100%, or we talked to him/her and we did not agree and I can not support this then leave and find another team. Should have done your homework ahead of time!!! Hopefully if enough parents go to him/her they will take the hint and keep learning!

What if it is a "part time" high school coach? Do we choose not to play? My daughter plays competable travel ball, we love and respect those coaches. But our high school coach does not know anything about pitching or pitch calling. Don't get me wrong...we have gone to speak with him, invited him to work with us when we are practicing, but he just brushes us off as "know it all parents". He tells my daughter not to worry about any pitches..."just throw it across the middle of the plate for them to hit." My daughter has been working with a pitching coach weekly for three years, has great practice habits, and plays and pitches year round. She is very advanced in her pitching and is now trying to learn how to read batters. She has also played enough softball to know that if she "just throws it up there", that she might would be placing herself in harms way against some of the bigger and stonger batters. She is confused and we have been told that we can't help her. She has school practice everyday for 3 1/2 hours and her coach makes her pitch everyday and expects her to do as he says. How do we "keep the peace" and not ruin her hard work?

Softballmom even though the coach is too ignorant to call pitches or loaction and worse, refuses to learn, your daughter can still throw to different locations. The catcher's mitt might be over the center of the plate but your daughter can focus on the edges of it or the edges of the plate. The coach will never know what she is doing. In addition your daughter can essentially call her own pitches if she works out subtle signals with the catcher to indicate location and pitch she wants to throw. She could cock her glove left or right, up or down to indicate which of the four corners of the zone she wants to target. Then she could indicate changeup or curve by simply opening and closing her glove once or twice. No glove movement would be fastball or rise for a high target and fastball or drop for low target. Hey this is getting to be fun now.

I wouldn't give up on educating the coach either. Since you are more knowledgeable about pitching you should keep initiating discussions about the finer points like changing speeds, what locations to call when a batter is near or far from the plate, what pitches are working that day, communicating with pitcher and catcher between innings, etc. Start your conversation with... "What do you think about...? My daughter was in a similar situation last year and we worked around the coach and he never knew.

There are tons of videos, articles and conversations about pitching on the web which could help him. You can keep sending those to him and maybe he would eventually show an interest and try to learn. You can even do it anonymously if you want to. You can also go to the Athletic Director with your concerns. I coach a successful high school team with another good coach and we would welcome extra help for practice if we could get it. Maybe this coach is overwhelmed, especially if he has no help. You or someone else could volunteer to help at practice which could evolve into working primarily with the pitchers and catchers.

A final option would be for your daughter to play some other positions and not pitch. She could still take her pitching lessons and work on pitching outside the high school season, which only lasts 3 months anyway. Or if she can find a travel team that practices year round she can stick with them and leave the HS team altogether.

If you want to move to San Jose, find a house near our school and she can pitch for me. LOL

Best of luck.

Marc, I couldn't agree with you more! If your not asked, then leave them alone!!!