How to deal with softball parents that think they know everything? and kids scared of the ball?
I help coach a local softball team. They are a 10 and under kid pitch team in a local little league. There are 16 kids on the team ranging from 4 to 11 year olds. We switched them all around during the regular season but now it is the playoffs and we have stopped the everyone gets a chance to play every position an are playing the kids that are the best in every position. We have to play everyone every game and even if we didn't we still would, but where everyone plays is for the best of the team.
Recently, we had parents of a 9 year old complain that their daughter was in the outfield and had to sit the bench every couple of innings. The girl is a really good outfielder and backs up third a lot and helps the little one next to her if need be. I have done everything to make them see that outfield is an important position but they don't and believe their daughter is better than some of the infielders. We don't sit her every game but some games she has to. She only has one more year on this team and with the way she backs up third and catches fly balls, she will probably be an outfielder on the older team. I don't want her to get discouraged because her parents are saying she has to be in the infield. The head coach doesn't even want to put her on the tournament team and is going to take both of the 5 year olds instead because their parents don't complain when they play outfield. So what do I or any of the other coaches do to make her parents see that the outfield is an important position?
Also we have two kids who are older 9 and 8, but are terrified of the ball. I have worked with them so much but they won't even step in front of the ball when it is rolling trough the grass to them. The other coaches and I haven't figured out why these two girls are scared of the ball and I don't think we will, but is there anything anyone knows of that could help them?
Recently, we had parents of a 9 year old complain that their daughter was in the outfield and had to sit the bench every couple of innings. The girl is a really good outfielder and backs up third a lot and helps the little one next to her if need be. I have done everything to make them see that outfield is an important position but they don't and believe their daughter is better than some of the infielders. We don't sit her every game but some games she has to. She only has one more year on this team and with the way she backs up third and catches fly balls, she will probably be an outfielder on the older team. I don't want her to get discouraged because her parents are saying she has to be in the infield. The head coach doesn't even want to put her on the tournament team and is going to take both of the 5 year olds instead because their parents don't complain when they play outfield. So what do I or any of the other coaches do to make her parents see that the outfield is an important position?
Also we have two kids who are older 9 and 8, but are terrified of the ball. I have worked with them so much but they won't even step in front of the ball when it is rolling trough the grass to them. The other coaches and I haven't figured out why these two girls are scared of the ball and I don't think we will, but is there anything anyone knows of that could help them?
