Coach vs Instructor

[Ace]

That was my best Yogi Berra. Sorry, its all I got.

[3Bsnag]

I still think when it comes to her batting, you politely stand your ground. If not, you're in for at least a half a season of poor results while she's learning the new way and you would have to cancel anymore batting lessons. If she tries to listen to both, she's going to be a mess at the plate. And you would still have to change her back eventually.

As for fielding, the instructor may be right (or wrong), but I think this is where you give a little. It won't kill her to learn a different way and maybe change back later.

DD was at a camp this summer with TX A&M and I saw Coach Evans teaching the girls to field a ground ball completely different than what I've seen or been taught. I may not believe it, but it OBVIOUSLY works for her.

What your glove hand does is a minor adjustment to me. Batting is a whole other animal.

[Ace]

I'm positive it matters so little, that I promise you I would have taken one look at Ty Cobb and promptly ruined his career, by "fixing" him. One of the few 400 hitters of our life time would have been lost so I could hang my hat on his 300 batting average, and perfect, (to me) swing. The reality is that some kids have faster quick twitch muscles than others, some have stronger wrists, some have better or worse muscle memory, and some have little or no bat control. Its your job as a coach, to figure out what works for your 6'1" 13yo monster, and what works for your 4'9" pip squeek. If you think hitting comes out of a cookie cutter, your wrong. So there is no "right" and no "wrong.
I'm just sayin

Umm... you must be really old!

Which might explain why you know so much?

Boy, I remember the first time I saw Ty Cobb Play, seems like yesterday. I snuck in under the fence to see shoeless Joe Jackson, but Ty Cobb stole the show. Back then Pa worked in the mines, that is, till the canary died Ma was never the same after that. She would sit on the porch in her rocker shelling pea pods stairing off at the prairy where pa would make the long walk home. He never made that walk home, but Ma kept waiting. She used to keep the cyder jug by the rocker and play songs on the wash board as he came up the porch, sometimes the traps he set on the way to work would offer us a possum. Boy Ty Cobb, and possum, seems like yesterday.......... Oh Hitting! Sorry, Um, just throw your hands at it kid!

[Sam]

I still think when it comes to her batting, you politely stand your ground. If not, you're in for at least a half a season of poor results while she's learning the new way and you would have to cancel anymore batting lessons. If she tries to listen to both, she's going to be a mess at the plate. And you would still have to change her back eventually.

As for fielding, the instructor may be right (or wrong), but I think this is where you give a little. It won't kill her to learn a different way and maybe change back later.

DD was at a camp this summer with TX A&M and I saw Coach Evans teaching the girls to field a ground ball completely different than what I've seen or been taught. I may not believe it, but it OBVIOUSLY works for her.

What your glove hand does is a minor adjustment to me. Batting is a whole other animal.

Travel coaches normally won't mention hitting technique if they know your DD has a paid instructor..unless they know what the instructor teaches and are reinforcing the instruction...or unless your DD isn't hitting worth a crap. Is your DD hitting well in games?

[Tucson]

I love it when a girl comes in that can knock the snot out of the ball. I just say "do it like Jessica."

By the way, from what I can tell, I teach what your TB coach is teaching. What kind of success has your DD had using the private coach's style?

[D-up]

I think the biggest problem here is ego. Some coaches insist on players doing things their way, even though the player may be executing just fine with what they were taught by someone else. My daughter started the high school season hitting well with the style she is being taught (linear-rotation). The HS coached tried to change her swing style to the one he knows and confused her for the rest of the season. We've run across this attitude for years and you just have to try and roll with it. Coaches certainly are entitled to coach players on their team. I just wish they would try to do it with an open mind.

[GIMNEPIWO]

"The HS coached tried to change her"

When my DD made the HS team as an 8th grader, I was very happy ... now, I'm just happy her HS playing days are behind her and saddened that I still have two DD's in that system ... In 5 years of ball there she had 5 different Head Coaches & 5 different losing years ... One Head coach went so far as to tell me that they have to spend half the year correcting everything that the girls were taught by their Travel and Rec Coaches ...

"Coaches certainly are entitled to coach players on their team. I just wish they would try to do it with an open mind."

I agree, if it ain't broke don't fix it. But backing up a few posts, I believe the quote from Yogi Berra is more like " This game is 90% mental and the other half is physical "

[Demonboy]

Specifically, her instructor teaches her to hold the bat at chest level, and to keep her wieght back in her swing. Her coach wants the bat closer to her ear, and to 'push forward' at the end of her swing, shifting her weight to the front foot.
When fielding a backhand, her instructor wants her to bring her glove back and up to her ear, where the coach wants her to bring her glove forward and field through the ball (when possible). Does this stuff matter, or is it just different styles and she should just learn to adapt to different coaches?

Dump the private instructor.

[anonlooker]

I believe the quote from Yogi Berra is more like " This game is 90% mental and the other half is physical "

I prefer... "90% of the game is half mental, and the rest is in your head."

[anonlooker]

Specifically, her instructor teaches her to hold the bat at chest level, and to keep her wieght back in her swing. Her coach wants the bat closer to her ear, and to 'push forward' at the end of her swing, shifting her weight to the front foot.
When fielding a backhand, her instructor wants her to bring her glove back and up to her ear, where the coach wants her to bring her glove forward and field through the ball (when possible). Does this stuff matter, or is it just different styles and she should just learn to adapt to different coaches?

Dump the private instructor.

Yes it matters. It's not different styles - the instructor is wrong. He's stealing your money and more importantly, your DD's time.

Do what DB says - today. And demand your money back.