Travel ball start-up

marriard said:

- Get rid of a disruptive players/parent on the team no matter how talented they are or what you think the risk is of other players leaving if you cut them. Zero tolerance/one chance only and they are gone.
- There is always another player out there if you need them.

There is a huge temptation to keep a player who is talented even though they are disruptive or the parents are nut jobs or whatever. It isn't worth it - the team environment and attitude will improve without the cancer.

I wont coach travel without absolute authority now and when I am not head coach I 100% defer to the person who is. It isn't a democracy - it is a dictatorship - and while you should be willing to listen to advise from others it must be your decision.

You don't even have to win 1/2 your games - if you are winning 1/3 of your games and are competitive in most of the others and the team is getting better and having a good time then this can be enough.

Click to expand...

Could not agree more! Well put

02 Crush, Would you be willing to share your paperwork with me?

It would be much appreciated.

12U Newbie, Sent you a PM

Great advise!!!

02Crush said:

I started a team last summer and here are some things I would be prepared for.
1- Put everything in writing. (Code of Ethics, Rules, Expectations, Injury Waivers, etc). This is the stuff that can trip you up.
2- Be prepared that this will be a 2nd job! (There will be Awesome Days...But there will be as many if not more that are Very Tough!)
3- Decide what you want for the team and STICK TO IT! You are the coach. If someone else does not agree then they can move on.
4- Be patient with the players & push them. Do not let them off the hook for bad attitude or lack of effort. These are the only two things you cannot coach.
5- You will loose players so recruit constantly. Finding good players (work ethic, good families, good attitude, fair amount of teachable talent) can take 2-6 months of talking and gaining trust.
6- Expect the unexpected. Some of the families you know best will turn on you. Loose sight of what the original goals were and come after you harder as they "Know" you and feel more comfortable around you.
7- In going with #6....Do not tell people as much as you would like. Find a person you trust outside of the organization and vent on them. Come to DiscussFastpitch.com to vent....But be careful of letting feelings about players, parents or other "opinions" within your team (Family and Players) get out. It will eventually bite you.
8- Be prepared to learn at every turn. The moment you think you do know it all....Retire and become a fan.
9- As a 1st year team you need to Factor a budget that covers playing costs in the case of loosing a player or two for a payment or two....Overestimate by 25% until you better understand your costs at the end of year one.
10- LOVE THE GAME!!!!! If you do not this will become old very quickly.
Good Luck! I look forward to hearing from you as you grow.
PM me and I will be glad to share my "paperwork" that you can adjust and use.

Click to expand...

02Crush said:

I started a team last summer and here are some things I would be prepared for.
1- Put everything in writing. (Code of Ethics, Rules, Expectations, Injury Waivers, etc). This is the stuff that can trip you up.
2- Be prepared that this will be a 2nd job! (There will be Awesome Days...But there will be as many if not more that are Very Tough!)
3- Decide what you want for the team and STICK TO IT! You are the coach. If someone else does not agree then they can move on.
4- Be patient with the players & push them. Do not let them off the hook for bad attitude or lack of effort. These are the only two things you cannot coach.
5- You will loose players so recruit constantly. Finding good players (work ethic, good families, good attitude, fair amount of teachable talent) can take 2-6 months of talking and gaining trust.
6- Expect the unexpected. Some of the families you know best will turn on you. Loose sight of what the original goals were and come after you harder as they "Know" you and feel more comfortable around you.
7- In going with #6....Do not tell people as much as you would like. Find a person you trust outside of the organization and vent on them. Come to DiscussFastpitch.com to vent....But be careful of letting feelings about players, parents or other "opinions" within your team (Family and Players) get out. It will eventually bite you.
8- Be prepared to learn at every turn. The moment you think you do know it all....Retire and become a fan.
9- As a 1st year team you need to Factor a budget that covers playing costs in the case of loosing a player or two for a payment or two....Overestimate by 25% until you better understand your costs at the end of year one.
10- LOVE THE GAME!!!!! If you do not this will become old very quickly.
Good Luck! I look forward to hearing from you as you grow.
PM me and I will be glad to share my "paperwork" that you can adjust and use.

Click to expand...

Best advice, EVER!
#5-#7 need to be highlighted.
I found my self going down the same path, except I have a dd playing, 2 years ago. We are going into our 3rd year and these 3 things cannot be overstated.

02Crush said:

I started a team last summer and here are some things I would be prepared for.
1- Put everything in writing. (Code of Ethics, Rules, Expectations, Injury Waivers, etc). This is the stuff that can trip you up.
2- Be prepared that this will be a 2nd job! (There will be Awesome Days...But there will be as many if not more that are Very Tough!)
3- Decide what you want for the team and STICK TO IT! You are the coach. If someone else does not agree then they can move on.
4- Be patient with the players & push them. Do not let them off the hook for bad attitude or lack of effort. These are the only two things you cannot coach.
5- You will loose players so recruit constantly. Finding good players (work ethic, good families, good attitude, fair amount of teachable talent) can take 2-6 months of talking and gaining trust.
6- Expect the unexpected. Some of the families you know best will turn on you. Loose sight of what the original goals were and come after you harder as they "Know" you and feel more comfortable around you.
7- In going with #6....Do not tell people as much as you would like. Find a person you trust outside of the organization and vent on them. Come to DiscussFastpitch.com to vent....But be careful of letting feelings about players, parents or other "opinions" within your team (Family and Players) get out. It will eventually bite you.
8- Be prepared to learn at every turn. The moment you think you do know it all....Retire and become a fan.
9- As a 1st year team you need to Factor a budget that covers playing costs in the case of loosing a player or two for a payment or two....Overestimate by 25% until you better understand your costs at the end of year one.
10- LOVE THE GAME!!!!! If you do not this will become old very quickly.
Good Luck! I look forward to hearing from you as you grow.
PM me and I will be glad to share my "paperwork" that you can adjust and use.

Click to expand...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02Crush said:

I started a team last summer and here are some things I would be prepared for.
1- Put everything in writing. (Code of Ethics, Rules, Expectations, Injury Waivers, etc). This is the stuff that can trip you up.
2- Be prepared that this will be a 2nd job! (There will be Awesome Days...But there will be as many if not more that are Very Tough!)
3- Decide what you want for the team and STICK TO IT! You are the coach. If someone else does not agree then they can move on.
4- Be patient with the players & push them. Do not let them off the hook for bad attitude or lack of effort. These are the only two things you cannot coach.
5- You will loose players so recruit constantly. Finding good players (work ethic, good families, good attitude, fair amount of teachable talent) can take 2-6 months of talking and gaining trust.
6- Expect the unexpected. Some of the families you know best will turn on you. Loose sight of what the original goals were and come after you harder as they "Know" you and feel more comfortable around you.
7- In going with #6....Do not tell people as much as you would like. Find a person you trust outside of the organization and vent on them. Come to DiscussFastpitch.com to vent....But be careful of letting feelings about players, parents or other "opinions" within your team (Family and Players) get out. It will eventually bite you.
8- Be prepared to learn at every turn. The moment you think you do know it all....Retire and become a fan.
9- As a 1st year team you need to Factor a budget that covers playing costs in the case of loosing a player or two for a payment or two....Overestimate by 25% until you better understand your costs at the end of year one.
10- LOVE THE GAME!!!!! If you do not this will become old very quickly.
Good Luck! I look forward to hearing from you as you grow.
PM me and I will be glad to share my "paperwork" that you can adjust and use.

Click to expand...

02Crush, I would love to have that verbiage as well. I tried sending you a pm but couldn't figure it out, lol. This is my first day on this forum.


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There isn't much I would add to 02Crush and marriard's posts .... they about cover all the things you need to be cognizant of every single day that you're running a travel team. However, there is one thing you might want to remember:

No mater what happens, the team is for the girls. It is for their development as both softball players and people. You cannot ever lose sight of that.

When a parent is in your face about something, please remember that it is about the girls. Any response you give a problem parent needs to be considered carefully in how it will effect the team. I sometimes give one more chance, but most times I do not. Simply showing that parent the gate is usually the best thing for the team.

When you're losing, and the ship starts listing, remember it is about the girls. It will be up to you to rescue them.

When you're winning and everything is rosy and you're being talked up as the best coach to ever lace up a pair of cleats, remember it is about the girls, not you. If they're winning, it is because they are wonderful girls and are playing great and working hard. When they lose, it is your fault.

It isn't for the parents, although many will think it is because they are either crazy or they believe their signature on the check makes it so. It is about the girls. Parental issues cannot be tolerated.

If you have a cancer on the team, it must be cut out. This can be difficult because you start thinking, "Hey, it's about the girls. I have to do something to keep this one." It is about the girls. The needs of the many always outweigh the needs of the one. Dig down and ask yourself if the team is better off without the problem child/parent. If you even think one time that it would be, then do what must be done right away.

Always scout, screen parents, ask questions about potential players and find out if their families are ones you might like to have some day. Having a cadre of several girls/families who fit in well and know you're interested in them will come in handy more than once. Girls will leave your team and others will be dismissed ... you need to have replacements already in the pipeline when it happens or else your team will nosedive and you'll have to settle for replacements who haven't been vetted and who may have less talent than the girls already on the team. It is about the girls. Additions to the team should always help it improve. Don't let the rest of the girls down when others leave.

Say it to yourself every time you're thinking about the team. "It's about the girls." Don't ever let adults take the fun out of it, and don't ever lose sight of the fact that these are children that must be taken care of.