Originally published 6/9/18

Yeah, we’ve been there.   Hip Daddy has a storied career of youth sports coaching, but the one that always blows our mind is Tee Ball.  It’s so frustrating that we don’t even know if it is spelled as tee-ball or t ball or tee ball?!  So here is the Hip Daddy Top 8 Reasons Why Tee Ball is So Stressful to Coach:

1.) If you are a great athlete, baseball player, hitter…it’s still difficult to hit the damn ball off the tee.  Seeing your best player swing and miss, or hit the tee underneath the ball is embarrassing and makes you just want to throw the tee to the side and let the kid hit.  So the whole concept is actually not designed for good players, sort of.  Huh.

2.) And even if you do hit it, we all know what happens.  Grounders.  Maybe you get some air underneath it and hit it a fair distance, but home runs are kinda impossible.  Wonder what Aaron Judge did in tee ball?  By the way, where has the tee innovation been? Still feel like we have the same old beat up rubber thing that slants to the side and never really holds the ball as it should…just us?

3.) Speaking of ground balls, having every player in the field swarm the ball and fight for it is really awesome 🙁  Not so much.  The idea of “stay in your lane” just doesn’t resonate in tee ball so you are left with swarming and players fighting for the ball…while…

4.)  …The batter is rounding the bases!  Inside the infield homeruns are possible in Tee ball.  Once the ‘swarm’ figures out they need to do something with the ball, they will inherently throw it somewhere where there is ‘nowhere’ to be had.

5.)  Speaking of coaching fielding.  Good luck.  Maybe they will listen to the good ole ‘aligator’ technique but often the playing with dirt or picking the dandelions is the key hurdle here.

6.) How about those Dads that are really into it and come out to try and help their kid bat? Bring the iphone too, this is gonna be good.  Oh parents, gotta love us.

7.)  Then there is running the bases.  Always curious to see some kids hit and head up the third base line, or don’t touch any of the bases as they round the infield, or head straight to second base from homeplate.  Hmm.  Have you ever watched a baseball game?  Why are you here?   Did you miss piano practice for this?  LOL.  Now now…

8.) Alas, coaching Tee ball is a beautiful thing.  The innocence and the shear fun of enjoying the sport of baseball at a young age is worth the stress, especially when you can coach the kids and help them learn the game…and maybe even get better.

But f&ck, it can tire you out 🙂  Little League…a different story.  Happy coaching Hip Daddy Nation.