Neglected or just poor coaching?!?

In fast-pitch softball practices vary by the coach right? Well should they? Let's assume the head coach has a daughter on the team (rare I know lol) and his daughter is a pitcher (even more rare). Let's also assume that his or her assistants also have daughters on the team and their positions are....you guessed it somewhere in the infield. Now lets give an age group to our made up team...12u maybe 1st year 14u.

What does the practice consist of defensively? Warm up, stretching and Infield drills,infield drills,infield drills! How to field a ball, run down drills,box drills etc.
What is missing here? What positions are lacking true practice time? You may think of 2 positions while infield drills are being done that really are not getting the attention they deserve the Pitcher and the Catcher. Yes they may take turns in rotational drills but really is this productive for them? A pitcher normally has a private instructor for her position so she needs to learn to be defensive after the ball is pitched. Nothing is worse than a Pitcher who thinks her only job is to pitch. I call this pitcher the princess pitcher she looks at the ball go to her left or right she doesn't move out of the circle etc. So yes she should be a part of infield defensive drills.

 As for the catcher for bunting or a run down drill she should be part of infield drills but realistically how much time is dedicated to the bunt and 3rd base rundown while working with the infield. I recently read an article from The New England Catching Camp LLC called the most wasted 20 minutes in a catchers life. Here is the link if you are a coach I highly recommend you read it click here Most wasted 20 minutes in a catchers life basically one of the best coaches and teachers of the catching position the late Dave Weaver explains what I have seen over and over. And after you read it you will agree or you should agree. Times are starting to change and in some states we are seeing more private catching coaches but compared to pitching coaches and hitting coaches they are so so behind and this position is such an important position. I know you Pitcher moms and Dads feel like it's your daughters who make or break a game and it's true but put a incompetent catcher behind the plate receiving your pitching princess's drops,rise-balls and change-ups and it just isn't the same. Any pitcher will tell you how important it is to have a great catcher and having good relationship with their catcher is.Most pitchers prefer one catcher over another because the fit is right. It makes no sense at all for a catcher to be handing the coach balls while the team does their infield drills! You cannot just expect a catcher to put on her equipment and go on the field and not make any mistakes, or know how to frame a ball properly or throw down quickly and efficiently or call the game for her pitcher. And by the way pitchers dad you may think you know what your little princess throws the best but it is her catcher who can tell you what the umpire is giving her or after the first time through the lineup if that pitch is going to work on the 4 batter. Better yet your daughters catcher can tell you whether you want to hear it or not if little princess's rise ball is rising to the occasion during the game. Listen to her ask her questions just because you catch for your daughter at the pitching class does not mean you can call real time games. But that is a whole other blog my friends times for bucket pitching dads after 10 to step back and let your daughter develop a relationship with her catcher!

Now what about our OF's when they were younger in town ball or little league most coaches would put the not so skilled girls in the OF wrong yes but true HELL yes. What a horrible mistake! Now we have 12/14/16 sometimes even 18 yr old girls who don't know the meaning of drop step or where their cut off is. Is it these young ladies fault absolutely not! They are not given the proper instruction or attention. Here is something interesting go onto you-tube and type in youth fast-pitch outfield drills you will find maybe 5to 10! The rest are for baseball which we could use but it is laughable people.
As these girls get older the pitching gets faster,the hitting gets harder and the outfielders if not coached properly are set up for failure. Our outfielders are so important and yet so forgotten what is wrong with some of these coaches?

Iin 12 years in the fast pitch arena and seeing countless coaches I have only seen one assistant coach dedicate sufficient amount of time for just the outfielders. Taking them separately and working with them on drop steps cut offs etc. Guess what that year my daughter was on the team we were one of the best defensive teams in the state and won the state championship. Did we have stud pitching well our pitchers were good, did we have ringer hitters no the team could hit from top to bottom not homeruns all the time but contact hits, sacrifices when needed. IT WAS A TRUE TEAM FROM THE OUTFIELD TO THE CATCHER! Since then I have yet to see a team so evenly coached sad really!

We have forgotten such key players, they have gotten lost to the "pretty positions" of the IF and the P
when mistakes key mistakes game changing mistakes are made by under coached Catchers and OF's and we hear the crowd sigh or worse "how could she drop that?", "how did that ball get past her uggh!". Look to your coaches parents and if you are the parent of a catcher or OF who has a coach who thinks that he can just throw anyone in the OF or behind the plate because they can stop a ball or they have a strong arm, and doesn't take the time to spend with them or have his asst coaches spend the time with them then stand up and say something or find a coach (and they are out there) just look at the successful teams, who know the game isn't won by great hitting,great pitching and showy IF's This is why it is a team sport TEAM!.

Don't forget these young ladies our OF'S our Catchers!! We are not in Townball or Little League anymore gives these positions the time and respect they deserve. I promise you your team will improve by leaps and bounds!!!

As a side not if you know of a coach who does it the right way who drills these key positions with the time they deserve and doesn't lump them into IF drills and BS ball hitting to the OF drill what is that anyway if the outfielder cannot drop step or properly run to (full speed) without giving up why are you repeating the drill with the whole team no less?!? Give these proper coaches a shout out here because they deserve it! And if you disagree with me let me know if I deserve it!

Happy Fastpitch!!