coach disagrees with hitting instructor

[pafan]

My daughter has been learning rotational hitting over the past year. We started with an Epstein clinic, moved on to Englishbey DVDs and forums, and she has really been getting it down. She's always been a strong hitter, but she wanted to learn more rigorous techniques.

Problem is that her current team teaches an entirely different (not even linear) approach. Things like "swing down at the ball" and "bring the handle to the ball." The coach told the girls that it didn't matter what size or weight bat they used and he told them that they didn't need to worry about the follow through because once the bat hits the ball, it doesn't matter. My DD tried this in the fall and she grounded out every time (having usually been a line drive hitter). Hence the move to Englishbey (which she discovered is more like what she was doing anyway).

But the coach doesn't like her doing something than what he is teaching. She tells me that she can see the anger in his eyes in pre-game warm-ups as she does the other style. She's hitting well, but he has decided to drop her down or just take her out of lineup altogether. The other girls on the team, particularly the ones who had great swings, are hitting ground outs. We are an "A" team, but lost to a "B" team this past weekend, primarily due to our hitting problems (and primarily due to 8 errors on the field--my daughter rode the bench the game).

We've discussed with him that she wants to learn this other style, and while he seemed receptive on the surface, he still seems to read her hitting as a refusal to accept his authority as coach. Advice? Thanks in advance.

[Joe]

Advice? How's this?

"Softball player looking for new team!"

[wrenchhead]

If your not agreeing with what the coach is teaching.
It's time to move on.

[pafan]

I like the way you put that, i.e., it's just a matter of "agreeing to disagree." Civil.

[GIMNEPIWO]

I like the way you put that, i.e., it's just a matter of "agreeing to disagree." Civil.

Nah ! .... BS ...the Coach is a hose head ...

[wgman21]

I say ride it out for the rest of the season and then join a new team that either has a similar philosophy or lets you go with yours. How many tourneys are left? What age?

[Comets16]

Tick tock tick tock, want be long until your on another team...

[pafan]

I say ride it out for the rest of the season and then join a new team that either has a similar philosophy or lets you go with yours. How many tourneys are left? What age?

There are 5 tourneys left. It's 14U. (In theory, there are 5 tourneys left; one girl said she cannot make it this weekend because she has to study for finals and the coach has said publicly that he thinks it's because she doesn't like what he's doing and so she'll see the results of her skipping this tournament in her playing time for the next tournament. So, I suppose, if things keep up at this rate, there may not be.)

[fastpitch fool]

I would have a conversation with him about staying through the ball, at the very least. The best comparison I use with our players is line hitting a tennis ball. If you hit to contact of the tennis ball and roll over on it, you will put topspin on the ball. Good in tennis, not so good softball if you are looking to drive the ball. If you hit to contact of the tennis ball and stay through 5 imagionary tennis balls after contact, you will create a lifting spin. Again, not so good in tennis, but very good if you are looking to drive a softball.

I would also ask him how many hitters he saw at the WCWS hitting down on the ball, that weren't slappers.

[General Lee]

8 errors in one game. Sounds like the team should consider going back to B ball, hitting is NOT the problem!