Priorities

[rhpft]

I am not a frequent poster, but I check out this board once in a while to see what the "experts" are saying. I have pretty much been at softball tournaments as either a coach or parent almost every weekend available for tournaments for the past 9 years as my daughter has been playing select ball since she was 6 years old. I have been at local and national tournaments from ASA to USFA to AFA to USSSA, to NSA, to name a few. I see alot of comments/complaints about yelling coaches, poor umpires, bad parents, girls with bad attitudes, girls with good attitudes, sandbagging, daddy ball, select vs. rec, stealing signs, etc., etc., etc. But I think I can safely say that I have never seen too many topics associated with just bad softball. I see it week in and week out. Girls that are now playing 14U or 16U that have been taught absolutely nothing as it relates to fundamentals. I see girls who don't know the proper way to field a ground ball or fly ball, don't know where to throw the ball in situations, poor baserunning, poor base coverage (if there's not a safety base, these girls don't have a clue how cover 1st base), no do-or-die in the outfield, players standing in the baselines, baserunners running around those players, etc., etc., etc. I could go on, but I'm sure I've bored all of you "experts" at this point. My daughter loves the game, I love watching her play, and she and I will continue to be out there each and every weekend. But thank god, for the sake of the game, that I only have 4 more years to watch this brutality of a great sport! I think the straw that finally broke the camel's back for me was watching the 14U team of this new "elite" fastpitch organization in Central Texas this past weekend. This new organization is supposed to be run by a group of women who once played for that college in Texas' capital city that has the largest athletic budget in the country. Because they played there, these women are supposed to "really know the game", and have all the college contacts a kid or parent could want or need if they want to play at the next level. For all the hype that this organization has created, you would think that at the 14U level, their first baseman could at least be taught how to cover first base, and based on the game situation, that the infield might make some adjustments, or at least be coached to make adjustments. That however, was not the case as I witnessed the coach of this elite organization sitting on the brick wall backstop at the facility where this team was playing and watching the game like a spectator. I feel sorry for those paying parents that got sold that bill of goods. Their kids aren't learning anything! But then again, I see this brualization of this game each and every weekend whether it's an independent or a club team. What a shame and a waste of money! Sorry to interrupt, but now y'all can get back to holding hands and singing Kum Ba Ya!

[Two's Dad]

I started coaching select ball so that I could ensure that the young ladies would get taught good fundamentals and game situations, etc. We weren't out to win trophies, we were giving the ladies a place to get from Rec to Select, because so few teams in select have a place for Rec players wanting to step up. And they don't come from Rec with good fundamentals at all. I figured after a year I'd have them up to select level with good fundamentals and making good decisions in the field. Weeeeeelllllllll, that was a fantasy. The few girls that did improve quickly eventually left for better teams ( I didn't blame them at all, it was the right move for them ). Of course being a development team meant only attracting rec/project players. So it created an endless cycle of staying developmental and never progressing to a top tier team. Some girls never progressed or at least progressed very little over a years time. After 2 years I came to the realization that I don't have the girls enough time each week for them to progress significantly without outside work on their own. So those girls that were motivated and worked hard on there own with good instruction got good and left and those that weren't as motivated and only worked out at practice progressed slowly if at all. I did doubt my coaching some, but many girls came through and progressed greatly and I was teaching the same thing to all my players. So my perspective for judging coaches that have teams that make allot of mistakes and struggle is they are doing the best they can with what they have. Because I don't know any different. They may have inherited this team, ie they didn't select the players themselves. Who knows, but if you want to coach a very good to great team, be a great salesman and recruiter and be backed by a good organization.

[etx bd]

OK,rhpft, I have no problem with your rant. So whats your solution?

I agree there are tons of incompetent and barely competent coaches out there. There are also lots of very good ones. My solution is to educate coaches. Once or twice a year our league offers a coach's clinic - we have one this weekend. I do the ASA certification in the morning and then go outside and teach drills and techniques after lunch. I will have possibly 20 coaches show up and 4 or 5 teaching.
When I invite coaches I get a lot of smug refusals. Like they know all they need to know. I always enjoy playing those coaches
So between choruses of KumBaYa maybe you should get out of the bleachers and go do something about your rant. I guarantee your local league will be tickled pink if you volunteer to help teach a coach's clinic - you are obviously qualified . And a lot of the travel coaches start in Rec so you would be doing future generations untold good.

[SoftballG]

Well said etx and rhpft are you serious, playing select since 6!!!

[artomatic]

Well said etx and rhpft are you serious, playing select since 6!!!

[Joe]

I am not a frequent poster, but I check out this board once in a while to see what the "experts" are saying. I have pretty much been at softball tournaments as either a coach or parent almost every weekend available for tournaments for the past 9 years as my daughter has been playing select ball since she was 6 years old. I have been at local and national tournaments from ASA to USFA to AFA to USSSA, to NSA, to name a few. I see alot of comments/complaints about yelling coaches, poor umpires, bad parents, girls with bad attitudes, girls with good attitudes, sandbagging, daddy ball, select vs. rec, stealing signs, etc., etc., etc. But I think I can safely say that I have never seen too many topics associated with just bad softball. I see it week in and week out. Girls that are now playing 14U or 16U that have been taught absolutely nothing as it relates to fundamentals. I see girls who don't know the proper way to field a ground ball or fly ball, don't know where to throw the ball in situations, poor baserunning, poor base coverage (if there's not a safety base, these girls don't have a clue how cover 1st base), no do-or-die in the outfield, players standing in the baselines, baserunners running around those players, etc., etc., etc. I could go on, but I'm sure I've bored all of you "experts" at this point. My daughter loves the game, I love watching her play, and she and I will continue to be out there each and every weekend. But thank god, for the sake of the game, that I only have 4 more years to watch this brutality of a great sport! I think the straw that finally broke the camel's back for me was watching the 14U team of this new "elite" fastpitch organization in Central Texas this past weekend. This new organization is supposed to be run by a group of women who once played for that college in Texas' capital city that has the largest athletic budget in the country. Because they played there, these women are supposed to "really know the game", and have all the college contacts a kid or parent could want or need if they want to play at the next level. For all the hype that this organization has created, you would think that at the 14U level, their first baseman could at least be taught how to cover first base, and based on the game situation, that the infield might make some adjustments, or at least be coached to make adjustments. That however, was not the case as I witnessed the coach of this elite organization sitting on the brick wall backstop at the facility where this team was playing and watching the game like a spectator. I feel sorry for those paying parents that got sold that bill of goods. Their kids aren't learning anything! But then again, I see this brualization of this game each and every weekend whether it's an independent or a club team. What a shame and a waste of money! Sorry to interrupt, but now y'all can get back to holding hands and singing Kum Ba Ya!

It's my "expert" opinion that you might be FOS.

[Bleacher Creature]

I am not a frequent poster, but I check out this board once in a while to see what the "experts" are saying. I have pretty much been at softball tournaments as either a coach or parent almost every weekend available for tournaments for the past 9 years as my daughter has been playing select ball since she was 6 years old. I have been at local and national tournaments from ASA to USFA to AFA to USSSA, to NSA, to name a few. I see alot of comments/complaints about yelling coaches, poor umpires, bad parents, girls with bad attitudes, girls with good attitudes, sandbagging, daddy ball, select vs. rec, stealing signs, etc., etc., etc. But I think I can safely say that I have never seen too many topics associated with just bad softball. I see it week in and week out. Girls that are now playing 14U or 16U that have been taught absolutely nothing as it relates to fundamentals. I see girls who don't know the proper way to field a ground ball or fly ball, don't know where to throw the ball in situations, poor baserunning, poor base coverage (if there's not a safety base, these girls don't have a clue how cover 1st base), no do-or-die in the outfield, players standing in the baselines, baserunners running around those players, etc., etc., etc. I could go on, but I'm sure I've bored all of you "experts" at this point. My daughter loves the game, I love watching her play, and she and I will continue to be out there each and every weekend. But thank god, for the sake of the game, that I only have 4 more years to watch this brutality of a great sport! I think the straw that finally broke the camel's back for me was watching the 14U team of this new "elite" fastpitch organization in Central Texas this past weekend. This new organization is supposed to be run by a group of women who once played for that college in Texas' capital city that has the largest athletic budget in the country. Because they played there, these women are supposed to "really know the game", and have all the college contacts a kid or parent could want or need if they want to play at the next level. For all the hype that this organization has created, you would think that at the 14U level, their first baseman could at least be taught how to cover first base, and based on the game situation, that the infield might make some adjustments, or at least be coached to make adjustments. That however, was not the case as I witnessed the coach of this elite organization sitting on the brick wall backstop at the facility where this team was playing and watching the game like a spectator. I feel sorry for those paying parents that got sold that bill of goods. Their kids aren't learning anything! But then again, I see this brualization of this game each and every weekend whether it's an independent or a club team. What a shame and a waste of money! Sorry to interrupt, but now y'all can get back to holding hands and singing Kum Ba Ya!

It's my "expert" opinion that you might be FOS.

I saw the team he speaks of at Ronnie Mac. Not that far off base.They were pretty bad. But was the first yr for the org. and she just got them. Not everyone playing is that bad. so does that mean they should not play? i think there is a place for all who want to participate.
thats why we got USFA!
Now all the other ranting he is own his own!

[Trixsie]

put some of the onus on the parents. if you let your kid sit around on her butt eating bon bons during the off season as well as when your team is not practicing then you are part of the problem, not the solution. you've got to build a sense of committment to the game within your DD for her to be successful, and that goes for everything, not just softball

[rhpft]

Thanks for your opinions on my rant. To begin with and digress, Joe, you can KMA and GFY. As far as getting out of the stands, I'm done with that. I did it for 5 years, and I've had it with the whining from parents and organization directors on how strict I was for the fundamentals vs. winning a piece of gold plastic. Furthermore, yes, select since 6. In states other than Texas, like Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Kentucky, there are 8U select coach pitch teams and tournaments. If you didn't know it, there is even an 8U ASA National Coach Pitch tournament. My daughter played in it in 2003 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. And since it matters to enough to artomatic to find a smile to post concerning it, yes, she started playing 10U Select when she was 8 years old for one of the the 3 large softball organizations from the Austin area when they had one 10U team, versus now where they have now of watered the talent down with as many as three 10U teams.

[artomatic]

well, i guess when you go fishing, you never know what you will catch...
why are you so angry?
"experts", "kum ba ya"...I mean, what did you expect?
not everyone is lucky enough to have a 6 yr old select playing stud, or an 8 yr old 10u division playing phenom kid, and you get to spend alot of time with yours...
I'm sure your kid really looks foward to the rides home with her pissed off dad "each and every weekend"...