Let's Start a New Team!!!!!

You are right.

To me, Daddy Ball is an adjective to describe a certain kind of team dynamic.

There are a lot of teams coached by dads and they dont follow under the category of "Daddy Ball". Two of the best teams that my daughter played on were Dad coached and their daughters bared the brunt of fair-playing time more than any other kid and those girls were the first to be yelled at(in a good way of course). Their daughters were also the top players on the team.

 

Some of the comments in these posts are really depressing.

The very foundation of any team is a positive mental attitude. That is also true in the workplace.

You cannot criticize your DD's coach to the point of making her believe he is incompetent and expect her to learn anything from that coach. If she doesn't have confidence in his ability to coach she should not be on that team. A negative attitude will affect the whole team negatively!

I'm not saying coaches are perfect or that they know everything. Most coaches do not know everything and most coaches will tell you that.

I've been studying and practicing coaching well over 10 years. I've got close to a thousand dollars worth of softball/baseball-related books which I refer to regularly. I'm not the sharpest person in the world but I'm also not the dumbest and I can tell you it takes much more than two years just to know hitting and that's not even considering all the other aspects of the game.

If you want your DD to have a better experience with any sport it is mandatory that you support her teachers--the coaches. If you can't do that then you should not be in that program.

We will all benefit from a positive attitude. If you look for negatives, you will find negatives. If you look for positives you will find positives.

Help your DD have a good memory of her playing years. She will be passing what she learned on to someone else's DD some day.

 

.....excellent post by phreak!
"If you look for negatives, you will find negatives" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Confidence is SOOOOO important.
Thanks E.!
Marlin

 

ding ding ding we have a winner!!!!!!!! you are 100% correct......thank you for your thoughts and comments...........

 

Boy you hit the nail on the head. Confidence is so important. But you failed to mention that that confidence starts with good coaching. And that good coaching goes for all the players on the team. I guess when we got into travel ball we expected too much. Good thing we stayed positive and did not get discouraged and found a great instructor/coach.

 

Our experience, with our son in baseball... rec., fall, travel, showcase and now college, has taught us many things that help us with our DD.
First, if you coach your own kid, it is a very fine line you walk. You will either be too hard or too lenient on them. It's almost impossible to be perfect with this.
Next, a dad/coach has to be honest with themselves about what they really know about the sport, and coaching it. At some point they have to get out of the way and defer to people that are more knowledgeable and experienced. Two things keep dads coaching their kids too long, ego and being overly protective. If it's ego, then he needs to stuff his pride in his back pocket and get his selfish butt into the bleachers. If it's being over protective, like the "helicopter parents" you hear about, then he needs to get out of his DD's way so she can become her own person... there's room in the bleachers next to the guy with his pride in his pocket!
A dad's (or mom's) first goal as far as softball goes, should be to get their DD prepared to make the high school team. Once that is accomplished, and the talent and work ethic is there, it's time to help towards her reaching the next level. The fact is, that at both the high school and college level, DD ain't gonna be playing for daddy anymore. The sooner she gets comfortable with that the better.
Too many parents want a "perfect" situation for their DD's. That's a pipe dream! You should strive for the best you can find certainly, but don't expect perfect, it ain't out there! We have a saying with our kids, "It's not where you are, It's where you are going". Think about that the next time a "bump in the softball road" comes along for your DD.
When it comes to self confidence, you better not be depending on a coach, at any level, to "teach" that. They can certainly encourage it, but self confidence comes, well, from yourSELF. Family has more to do with it than anything but I also believe that some kids are just born with it. What can be taught is "comfort", as in being "comfortable" in pressure situations. This is done through repetitions, and travel ball really helps with this in exposing a player to more reps in competitive situations.
Really the best thing parents can do is be a good "fan" of their daughter and her team. Give her opportunities to improve and to grow, as a player and as a person. She won't play forever, enjoy it while it lasts!

 

This has got to be the POST OF THE YEAR even if it is only January.
Thanks
Phreak

 

.......you're so right about your kids growing up fast and their softball/baseball playing years won't last forever.
Dads who coach are very special for sure.

If you were a college coach, wouldn't you like to see a kid play for someone other than their Dad, atleast for a little while.
Not only can you, as the college coach see how the player adjusts to new coaches, but you can also see how Pops acts in the stands. I mean does Dad question every play call, does he call pitches from the backstop. etc.

Never forget, parents are being "recruited" too.

Fishman, ............................usually standing way down the leftfield line, lol

 

Coach dad step aside early!

It was very clear to me when both my DD's got to the point where it was time for someone else to coach them...

1) I could tell them something 100 times but they wouldn't listen and would give you the 'I know' response and/or roll their eyes (was a bonus if you got both at the same time!). Another coach would tell them the same thing once and they started doing it!

2) They are almost as stubborn as I am so someone had to go! LOL!

3) It wasn't worth the the chaos it was causing in the household. We all know when mama aint happy, nobody is!

Bottom line, it is their sport of choice and only lasts so long. Let them enjoy the ride. I promise you that you will enjoy watching them play and have fun from the bleachers more than coaching so let someone else coach them. It is not worth the tension, aggrevation, and issues it could cause for your family.

If you love the game and love coaching the girls, find another team that needs your help and have at it. There are plenty of teams (rec/middle school/high school/travel) that need and could certainly use coaches who know and love the game.

And for those of you who haven't been at a game where fishman's DD is playing, it is a sight to see but don't be fooled. Ever wonder why there always seemed to be birds chirping from the left field line the whole game??? hahahaha

JavCat - usually sitting close enough that he can see the game but far enough away that nobody (especially his DD's) can hear him rumbling under his breath...