07/22/2021
The post below was shared with us in a community forum, and a lot of it resonates!
We LOVE our Pitbulls Fastpitch family & friends, and believe it is important to reflect on some of things mentioned below as a club.
We believe alot of these comments ring especially true in our club; where our coaching staff is non-parental of the athletes on the teams.
While we're gaining more athletes in our game of fastpitch softball than ever before, at the very same time we're losing more and more coaches and umpires.
We love our PFP Parents, and as former athletes ourselves, we know FIRST HAND how impactful parents are in our journey as competitive athletes!
Parents play a vital and integral role in the growth of an athlete. There's no question about that...
..but there are a lot of us, who are incredibly passionate about the game we all love, that want to see less qualified coaches & umpires calling it quits. 🖤💛🖤💛
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" This may ruffle a few feathers, but parents, please please please take off your rose-colored glasses and see what is really going on and where your daughter truly stands on her team. Winning is not the number one priority and your daughter is not always the MVP of the team!
1. If you are in anything above rec ball, your daughter is NOT entitled playing time for just being on the team. The players who play their position best, work the hardest, and have the best attitude will play.
2. The coach is not out to get you or your daughter.
3. Don’t yell at players from the stands, you are not the coach.
4. Don’t talk to your kid through the dugout. Don’t even go near the dugout.
5. Stop talking bad about coaches and players around your daughter.
6. Your daughter is NOT the best softball player in the world.
7. If your daughter hits one time out of 10 at bats, then please don’t ask the coach why they are not in the lineup anymore.
8. You are not at practices, you do not see your daughter’s attitude or efforts. Both of these things determine playing time.
9. Stop yelling in the stands. Once again, you are not the coach. Your child has a designated coach to tell them what to do.
10. Playing time is earned, not given.
11. If your daughter gets punished for a bad attitude, lack of hustle, etc, I promise it will be okay. The coach’s job is to make players better athletes/people.
12. Your daughter does not have to play every inning of every game.
13. If there is someone better than your daughter, they will probably play over her.
14. A negative group of parents kills the whole team vibe. 100% of the time
15. Players cannot hear their coaches if you are yelling at them or telling them what to do the whole game.
16. If you have a problem, the time to discuss it with the coach is not during a practice or game.
17. If you ask a coach why your daughter isn’t playing, be prepared to hear the answer. I promise it is never going to be, “because I don’t like her.”
18. If your daughter wants more playing time, then she needs to work for it.
19. Practicing during scheduled team practice times only is not enough to improve your daughter’s skills in order to become the best.
20. Make your kids responsible for their own things. They are big girls now. They can carry their bags and grab a water before the game.
21. The coach’s goal is to win. He/she is going to put the players in the best positions in order to do so. If your child is a shortstop and gets moved to a new position, there is probably another shortstop that is better than them. In this case, your child should work hard at that position and play their best because that is where the team needs them.
22. Teach your daughter to respect authority. This is so important in softball and something that we are lacking today.
23. If you complain, your daughter will complain.
24. Softball is a thinking game. Your daughter may have all of the athletic ability in the world, but if they are unable to think ahead and learn the game, they will not make it far.
25. Some umpires are not great, others are awesome. They are human and have bad days, make bad calls. Do not argue with them. Teach your child not to argue with them. The only person that should converse with the umpires about any play is the coach.
26. Your daughter should not automatically look at you after each swing. Big problem.
27. Competition=growth. Your team will not win every game. It’s actually good to lose every once in a while.
28. Let your daughter experience things with her team... without you right there beside her.
29. Your daughter playing softball is not about you! Sit down and take a little breather.
30. If your daughter doesn’t want to play softball, don’t force her.
31. If your daughter didn’t play well and is upset with herself, let her be upset. You don’t have to baby her and tell her she did great. Let her feel the emotions and grow from that moment.
32. LET HER FAIL! If she sits the bench because she isn’t where she needs to be, let her use that time to soak everything in. To learn from the players on the field. And to work harder so that she can earn a spot on the field.
I could go on and on, but I will stop here. The game that used to be the best thing in the world is slowly getting the fun sucked right out of it because of parents’ behavior.
Your job is to get your children to games/practices on time, remain positive, and sit back and enjoy watching 🙂"
