Despite the long layoff between posts, I'm still blogging (and hope to blog a lot more) about being a coach and parent. The new blog location is here, as part of a new blog called "Life is Hard TV." Please do join us over there.
Warning Signs and Dangers of Coaching U12s
This all-star season has been interesting for sure and this blog post is a reality and ego check for all of us volunteer/parent coaches out there.
I'm a good coach, I really enjoy being with the girls helping them improve their game. But there is a limit and I fear I've reached it.
Just this year, I am seeing a huge amount of girls leave little league or augment their season by playing on travel teams. These travel teams typically have paid coaches (but not always) and in pretty much every case, a parent who is pushing their kid for a chance to eventually play high school softball or beyond. This blog post isn't about pushy parents as much as it is about my own ability to coach kids who are getting private lessons and play on multiple teams with multiple coaches.
I can't keep up and don't always agree on things with these different parties. Because I'm a voulnteer coach (i.e. not paid and not travel), I believe that some parents would prefer that I not give their girls additional tips or make any major changes to the way they play.
For example, I teach that the 1B take the cut off on plays to the plate and not the 2B or SS except on very deeply hit balls, which are extremely rare. I had a parent question my strategy the other day at practice and was simply stunned to be in that conversation.
Another example are some alternative hitting and tee drills that promote weight shift during the swing. Parents watch and think I'm teaching a radical new batting stance when in fact, I'm simply trying to get the girl to move her hips a bit.
I'm frustrated and I believe I know why... this youth softball coach has almost outlived his usefulness and is about to become one of those doting, challenging and annyoing parents... assuming I continue to push my own kid to keep playing. Hopefully not in both cases, but we shall see.
Passion and Drive
I just read that "Michael Jordan's son retires from college basketball" and it got me thinking about motivation, drive, passion and commitment to your sport, craft and life. I think all too often as a parent of an athlete, we can't see clearly through the haze at our own children who have their own passions and that those passions may not match our parental expectations.
I remember reading something Cal Ripken wrote about how as a child his father never asked him to practice - that he was motivated from somewhere deep inside himself. It's hard as a parent to lay off, and I'm as guity as the next person in perhaps pushing my kids too far too fast in certain areas, but this story is a good reminder that talent and genes aren't enough. The opportunities Jeff Jordan refers to in the article are I'm sure related to his own passions and desires - and it's those very passions that will drive his commitment towards success in his life.
Outside of that, can you imagine being MJ's kid and trying to live up to that hype?
Intensity and Defense
I'm thrilled to blog today that yesterday, my U12 team won the town championship by beating a really great team 11-4 in the finals.
We almost didn't make it, barely beating our semi-final opponents by scoring 3 runs on passed balls in the bottom of the 6th. Last night though, we played stellar defense and kept up an insane amount of intensity to simply overwhelm the other team.
After jumping out to a 4-2 lead, we got a huge hit from my daughter (Happy Father's Day!) to put us up for good 6-2. Even missing our best player and 3rd basemen, we locked down on defense overcoming a few silly errors (catch first, then tag!) and ran away with the trophy.
I learned (and was reminded of) a few lessons this year:
- Some kids respond to pressure, while others just lock up
- Practice, practice, practice - but enjoy it and play lots of games and competitions
- Girls are WOW, different than boys. Don't forget to adjust your expectations (i.e. don't expect a lot of diving after balls)
- Pick one or two kids as a special project and watch them bloom. One kid I've coached for 2 years now came alive in the final getting 2 hits and reaching a 3rd time on an error. She had previously had 1 hit through 11 games!
- Team chemistry really matters, especially for girls. Find ways to foster it by creating situations where they simply have to respond as a team, together.
- Intensity and focus are 2 terrific skills to develop on a softball field that will translate into life
It felt great to see these girls come together after so much hard work all season. I couldn't be happier or more proud of these kids.
Time to Turn It Up
I put this photo of the amazing Danielle Lawrie at the top of this post because she represents "turning it up" in a big, big way. Her performance at the Women's College World Series was nothing short of spectacular.
We're more than halfway through our U12 softball season and the team has progressed nicely in many ways - we're 7-1 and clearly the best team in the league when we're able to throw strikes and stay awake on defense.
At this point, I'm starting to lock in players to give them specific improvement at certain positions - the girls have earned their spots in the lineup and on the field by their performance, attendance and attitudes.
I'll start backing off quite a bit during games from here on out, minimizing my in-game coaching as much as possible to give them a chance to put what they have been learning into practice.
That said, there are 2 specific messages I'm delivering from here to the end of the season:
- Errors... there is not much we can do at this point to avoid physical errors, but mental errors are not acceptable. This means girls need to pay attention to signals, be alert at the plate, work the count and know where they are going on defense both with the ball and with their bodies!
- Of our 3 season goals (have fun, learn the game and compete), now's the time to compete their hardest. This does not mean that our focus is on winning, but that our effort in trying to be the best is important - more important than winning.
Here's hoping!
Keeping Track of Stats?
A few years ago, when my daughter was in U10, I started keep track of very basic stats for each game and compiling them in a spreadsheet. I kept just a few key things like walks, strikeouts, hits (real hits) and at bats. I calculated specific stats for strikeouts/ab and on base percentage to get a feel for how the girls were improving.
This year, at the U12 level, I've moved keeping a full set of stats and it's giving me great insights into how my players are growing and learning. While it's obvious who is always striking out, it's interesting to see how they are trending, and who is simply hiding behind drawing a walk.
I've also added pitcher stats that include ERA (recalculated for 6 innings!), hits, walks, IP, starts, wins, losses and saves. Again, it's been really helpful to look back at each game, along with my notes.
I never show the girls the raw numbers, but I do use them to configure practices, batting orders and to help girls one on one to improve.
Do you keep stats?
Local Girl Goes Bigtime
Rachele Fico, a pitcher from a nearby town is practically a legend around CT. She's dominated at every level of softball since she was a kid and is now on her way to play college softball at recently defeated LSU who lost 2 in a row to Arizona State to advance to the College World Series. I was shocked and thrilled seeing her photo in the NY Times this weekend - way cool.
Something tells me Fico has the ability to turn that around for her new team... we'll all be watching and cheering her on from here in CT!
A few things jumped out me in the article including:
- Her career record for Masuk, from Monroe, is 97-2, and she has not lost a game in two years. Her earned run average is 0.06. She has struck out 1,723 batters. And she has pitched a national high school record 25 perfect games.
- Her quote speaks to her obvious passion for the game: “Softball’s a part of me, a part of who I am,” Fico said. “When I get time off from playing, after like a week or two, I start getting antsy. I can’t just sit back and watch anymore.”
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