Softball-do kids really do private coaching?

[Anonymous]

When is there time for private lessons? DD plays softball 3x a week, plus games on the weekend. She does a second sport that also has multiple practices/games a week. Do most of these kids JUST play softball? Or do you double-up with lessons and practice on the same day? It just seems like...a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When is there time for private lessons? DD plays softball 3x a week, plus games on the weekend. She does a second sport that also has multiple practices/games a week. Do most of these kids JUST play softball? Or do you double-up with lessons and practice on the same day? It just seems like...a lot.

My kids take more lessons in the off-season or during slower times. They also try to squeeze in lessons during the season when they can. My DS’s baseball coach is ok with being late to practice here and there if coming from a lesson- stated upfront and applies to all (but not all coaches would be). It helps to choose a private instructor either near home or practice field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the end game here? I played in the ACC and outside of a couple of pitchers, no one took private lessons. While I understand things have changed in the past ten years, I still do not believe that doing all of this extra stuff is going to make you stand out. The best athletes stood out, were recruited and played. The majority of student athletes in college played two and three sports growing up. This seems really over the top.

I can understand a few lessons on a weakness but if the student is doing well why bother?

Things have really changed in the last 30 years. Back then most students started playing sports in middle school or high school. The talented ones played in college and some went pro.
Now parents think they can create an athlete like Tiger Woods.

Sometimes doing well (with mechanical flaws) today might not translate to doing well later. For example, my young teen DS has a kid on his baseball team who is HUGE and has some success in games for now with his size being a big help. But both his hitting and pitching mechanics are rough and he will start to struggle more in the future if not corrected- it isn’t surprising that he takes hitting and pitching lessons. The coaches don’t have time to work with him at this age, and most parents don’t have the knowledge to help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the end game here? I played in the ACC and outside of a couple of pitchers, no one took private lessons. While I understand things have changed in the past ten years, I still do not believe that doing all of this extra stuff is going to make you stand out. The best athletes stood out, were recruited and played. The majority of student athletes in college played two and three sports growing up. This seems really over the top.

Sports (of all kinds, levels, etc) have changed a ton in the 20 years since you probably were recruited. No matter the sport, kids are playing travel and getting private coaching earlier. It's crazy, but it's what it takes to stay at the top of the game if that's important to you.

Talent, self motivation, practice or work out on their own will win out over the private coaches and travel at 7 years old.

My daughter and her friend started basketball at 12 years old. They are both invested in it and play on the middle school team. Her friend is a natural. She is one of the best players on the team. My daughter improves all the time because she’s motivated but she doesn’t compare to her friend who looks like she started playing as a two year old. Talent beats all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All the players who aspire to play Varsity at a competitive high school or in college see a batting coach. Plus a pitching coach if that is your position.

My niece has a boyfriend who is serious at baseball and his brother plays professional. I’ll have to ask her how often they played as kids.

I know my niece played basketball starting in 4th grade because my sister didn’t want her lying around in high school. She played varsity all four years but was never really into it. She doesn’t play in college even recreationally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the end game here? I played in the ACC and outside of a couple of pitchers, no one took private lessons. While I understand things have changed in the past ten years, I still do not believe that doing all of this extra stuff is going to make you stand out. The best athletes stood out, were recruited and played. The majority of student athletes in college played two and three sports growing up. This seems really over the top.

I can understand a few lessons on a weakness but if the student is doing well why bother?

Things have really changed in the last 30 years. Back then most students started playing sports in middle school or high school. The talented ones played in college and some went pro.
Now parents think they can create an athlete like Tiger Woods.

Sometimes doing well (with mechanical flaws) today might not translate to doing well later. For example, my young teen DS has a kid on his baseball team who is HUGE and has some success in games for now with his size being a big help. But both his hitting and pitching mechanics are rough and he will start to struggle more in the future if not corrected- it isn’t surprising that he takes hitting and pitching lessons. The coaches don’t have time to work with him at this age, and most parents don’t have the knowledge to help.

So it is about weaknesses. That makes sense. When you say HUGE do you mean like way over 6 ft or hefty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the end game here? I played in the ACC and outside of a couple of pitchers, no one took private lessons. While I understand things have changed in the past ten years, I still do not believe that doing all of this extra stuff is going to make you stand out. The best athletes stood out, were recruited and played. The majority of student athletes in college played two and three sports growing up. This seems really over the top.

I can understand a few lessons on a weakness but if the student is doing well why bother?

Things have really changed in the last 30 years. Back then most students started playing sports in middle school or high school. The talented ones played in college and some went pro.
Now parents think they can create an athlete like Tiger Woods.

Sometimes doing well (with mechanical flaws) today might not translate to doing well later. For example, my young teen DS has a kid on his baseball team who is HUGE and has some success in games for now with his size being a big help. But both his hitting and pitching mechanics are rough and he will start to struggle more in the future if not corrected- it isn’t surprising that he takes hitting and pitching lessons. The coaches don’t have time to work with him at this age, and most parents don’t have the knowledge to help.

So it is about weaknesses. That makes sense. When you say HUGE do you mean like way over 6 ft or hefty.

I’d say it is about weaknesses yes. Kid is 13U, 6’1” 180ish? Might be still growing too. Makes sense for his parents to get him some lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the end game here? I played in the ACC and outside of a couple of pitchers, no one took private lessons. While I understand things have changed in the past ten years, I still do not believe that doing all of this extra stuff is going to make you stand out. The best athletes stood out, were recruited and played. The majority of student athletes in college played two and three sports growing up. This seems really over the top.

I can understand a few lessons on a weakness but if the student is doing well why bother?

Things have really changed in the last 30 years. Back then most students started playing sports in middle school or high school. The talented ones played in college and some went pro.
Now parents think they can create an athlete like Tiger Woods.

Sometimes doing well (with mechanical flaws) today might not translate to doing well later. For example, my young teen DS has a kid on his baseball team who is HUGE and has some success in games for now with his size being a big help. But both his hitting and pitching mechanics are rough and he will start to struggle more in the future if not corrected- it isn’t surprising that he takes hitting and pitching lessons. The coaches don’t have time to work with him at this age, and most parents don’t have the knowledge to help.

So it is about weaknesses. That makes sense. When you say HUGE do you mean like way over 6 ft or hefty.

Yeah, some of it is about weakness. But some of it is about taking your strength and making it even strong.

For example, Tom Brady didn't spend his offseasons trying to get his 40 time lower. Max Scherzer didn't spend his offseason working on his two-strike batting approach (back when pitchers hit)

My daughter is a very good softball catcher. It's the best part of her game. But we have opted to still get catching practices in addition to her regular team practices. We want to take her strength and make it even stronger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the end game here? I played in the ACC and outside of a couple of pitchers, no one took private lessons. While I understand things have changed in the past ten years, I still do not believe that doing all of this extra stuff is going to make you stand out. The best athletes stood out, were recruited and played. The majority of student athletes in college played two and three sports growing up. This seems really over the top.

Get with the times. It's all about reps and practice. You wouldn't stand out today doing it the same way, the kids are that much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the end game here? I played in the ACC and outside of a couple of pitchers, no one took private lessons. While I understand things have changed in the past ten years, I still do not believe that doing all of this extra stuff is going to make you stand out. The best athletes stood out, were recruited and played. The majority of student athletes in college played two and three sports growing up. This seems really over the top.

In short, it’s all a race to nowhere.

It’s up to the parents and DC to decide early on if being recruited is the ultimate goal. If so, great. Plan accordingly and realistically; is DC even physically capable/recruitable? We knew fairly quickly that DC’s height/build would already made being recruited highly unlikely.

Consider DC course of study and degree re: college. If DC wants to pursue STEM field, how would this work if recruited to play on a team out of state, SLAC? Is the scholarship helpful then? Would DC attend that school without a scholarship?

Consider that being a college student is tough enough - but add to that the obligations and physical and mental load of being on a team. It can be grueling and not all professors are flexible and/or understanding. Is your student highly organized and strong academically?

Does your student truly love the sport?

Been there with 3DC and DH was a D1 athlete.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the end game here? I played in the ACC and outside of a couple of pitchers, no one took private lessons. While I understand things have changed in the past ten years, I still do not believe that doing all of this extra stuff is going to make you stand out. The best athletes stood out, were recruited and played. The majority of student athletes in college played two and three sports growing up. This seems really over the top.

In short, it’s all a race to nowhere.

It’s up to the parents and DC to decide early on if being recruited is the ultimate goal. If so, great. Plan accordingly and realistically; is DC even physically capable/recruitable? We knew fairly quickly that DC’s height/build would already made being recruited highly unlikely.

Consider DC course of study and degree re: college. If DC wants to pursue STEM field, how would this work if recruited to play on a team out of state, SLAC? Is the scholarship helpful then? Would DC attend that school without a scholarship?

Consider that being a college student is tough enough - but add to that the obligations and physical and mental load of being on a team. It can be grueling and not all professors are flexible and/or understanding. Is your student highly organized and strong academically?

Does your student truly love the sport?

Been there with 3DC and DH was a D1 athlete.

What if your kid just wants to be as good as they can at something they love, with no aspirations for where they end up, and the family has time and resources to pay for lessons? Why does everything have to be about college? It isn't for my DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the end game here? I played in the ACC and outside of a couple of pitchers, no one took private lessons. While I understand things have changed in the past ten years, I still do not believe that doing all of this extra stuff is going to make you stand out. The best athletes stood out, were recruited and played. The majority of student athletes in college played two and three sports growing up. This seems really over the top.

I can understand a few lessons on a weakness but if the student is doing well why bother?

Things have really changed in the last 30 years. Back then most students started playing sports in middle school or high school. The talented ones played in college and some went pro.
Now parents think they can create an athlete like Tiger Woods.

Sometimes doing well (with mechanical flaws) today might not translate to doing well later. For example, my young teen DS has a kid on his baseball team who is HUGE and has some success in games for now with his size being a big help. But both his hitting and pitching mechanics are rough and he will start to struggle more in the future if not corrected- it isn’t surprising that he takes hitting and pitching lessons. The coaches don’t have time to work with him at this age, and most parents don’t have the knowledge to help.

So it is about weaknesses. That makes sense. When you say HUGE do you mean like way over 6 ft or hefty.

Yeah, some of it is about weakness. But some of it is about taking your strength and making it even strong.

For example, Tom Brady didn't spend his offseasons trying to get his 40 time lower. Max Scherzer didn't spend his offseason working on his two-strike batting approach (back when pitchers hit)

My daughter is a very good softball catcher. It's the best part of her game. But we have opted to still get catching practices in addition to her regular team practices. We want to take her strength and make it even stronger.

Agree. My daughter is a far better pitcher than anything else. We invest in pitching lessons to continue to develop what is already the strongest aspect of her game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the end game here? I played in the ACC and outside of a couple of pitchers, no one took private lessons. While I understand things have changed in the past ten years, I still do not believe that doing all of this extra stuff is going to make you stand out. The best athletes stood out, were recruited and played. The majority of student athletes in college played two and three sports growing up. This seems really over the top.

In short, it’s all a race to nowhere.

It’s up to the parents and DC to decide early on if being recruited is the ultimate goal. If so, great. Plan accordingly and realistically; is DC even physically capable/recruitable? We knew fairly quickly that DC’s height/build would already made being recruited highly unlikely.

Consider DC course of study and degree re: college. If DC wants to pursue STEM field, how would this work if recruited to play on a team out of state, SLAC? Is the scholarship helpful then? Would DC attend that school without a scholarship?

Consider that being a college student is tough enough - but add to that the obligations and physical and mental load of being on a team. It can be grueling and not all professors are flexible and/or understanding. Is your student highly organized and strong academically?

Does your student truly love the sport?

Been there with 3DC and DH was a D1 athlete.

What if your kid just wants to be as good as they can at something they love, with no aspirations for where they end up, and the family has time and resources to pay for lessons? Why does everything have to be about college? It isn't for my DC.

I guess if they learn that they can only be as good at something with all resources thrown in, I guess that’s a good life lesson.

Throwing all the money in the world to make a kid be as good as they can be which is still not objectively great is questionable.

But hey, if the family has time and resources and that’s consistent with their values, that’s really no one else’s business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the end game here? I played in the ACC and outside of a couple of pitchers, no one took private lessons. While I understand things have changed in the past ten years, I still do not believe that doing all of this extra stuff is going to make you stand out. The best athletes stood out, were recruited and played. The majority of student athletes in college played two and three sports growing up. This seems really over the top.

In short, it’s all a race to nowhere.

It’s up to the parents and DC to decide early on if being recruited is the ultimate goal. If so, great. Plan accordingly and realistically; is DC even physically capable/recruitable? We knew fairly quickly that DC’s height/build would already made being recruited highly unlikely.

Consider DC course of study and degree re: college. If DC wants to pursue STEM field, how would this work if recruited to play on a team out of state, SLAC? Is the scholarship helpful then? Would DC attend that school without a scholarship?

Consider that being a college student is tough enough - but add to that the obligations and physical and mental load of being on a team. It can be grueling and not all professors are flexible and/or understanding. Is your student highly organized and strong academically?

Does your student truly love the sport?

Been there with 3DC and DH was a D1 athlete.

What if your kid just wants to be as good as they can at something they love, with no aspirations for where they end up, and the family has time and resources to pay for lessons? Why does everything have to be about college? It isn't for my DC.

I guess if they learn that they can only be as good at something with all resources thrown in, I guess that’s a good life lesson.

Throwing all the money in the world to make a kid be as good as they can be which is still not objectively great is questionable.

But hey, if the family has time and resources and that’s consistent with their values, that’s really no one else’s business.

PP here, and I think you are vastly overestimating the level at which my kid takes lessons. Having a college pitcher teach her every other week or so how to be a better pitcher is not exactly "all the resources thrown in" or even spending tons of money. It's vastly cheaper than a membership at SF3, for example. It's still cheaper than her weekly instrument lesson.

[Anonymous]

Yes. My kid is going to play in college next year (a NESCAC so d3 but lots of great offers from top d3 schools). Started travel in 9th grade so kind of late but did hitting privates weekly over 10th grade winter (big leap) and occasionally in 11th (just a few) and a few catching privates (only about 5 lessons but with a top coach and really useful but far drive and expensive). Even though not many lessons the tips from the coach were really useful. Every pitcher I know had privates (even those that were not so strong and not going to play college). Worth doing the lessons but at the end of the day a lot can be done by a kid on their own. My kid hit in the backyard all time and really studied catching and techniques on her own. Analyzed her hits and catching techniques and adjusted. Sometimes we just did soft toss or catching drills.