How Strict is Your Travel Ball Team?

Rocketech1 · Sep 29, 2014

Wanted to see how strict the coaches are on your DD's travel ball team? DD's team is '02 and the coaches are pretty strict about the rules and the organization's expectations for each player. For example, if a batter fouls off a pitch and runs to 1st base, her teammate in the on-deck circle must immediately get the bat and hand it to the batter before the next pitch. If not, the whole team runs after the game. Another example, if a player makes a mental error, the coaches keep track and the players have to run sprints for each mental error committed.

What's your experience?

cuzmail · Sep 29, 2014

IMO, A bit extreme for an '02 team.

I've yet to see how the team running after a game improves their play. In my experience with up to 14U is it makes the kids so nervous about making mistakes that they lose true focus and make more mistakes than they would have otherwise.

Do these coaches run after the game when they make a mental mistake or forget something?

SoCalASABlue · Sep 29, 2014

Rocketech1 said:
Wanted to see how strict the coaches are on your DD's travel ball team? DD's team is '02 and the coaches are pretty strict about the rules and the organization's expectations for each player. For example, if a batter fouls off a pitch and runs to 1st base, her teammate in the on-deck circle must immediately get the bat and hand it to the batter before the next pitch. If not, the whole team runs after the game. Another example, if a player makes a mental error, the coaches keep track and the players have to run sprints for each mental error committed.

What's your experience?

Cannot emphasize this enough - I despise

punishment running. It's counterproductive. Conditioning is conditioning and should be positive. If a player makes a couple of mental mistakes, she's instantly a pariah with her teammates.

Classof2020 · Sep 29, 2014

Our team last year had the expectation that you would run over and grab the bat for the batter/runner but there was no punishment for not doing it. They had high expectations for the girls, but the girls respected the coaches and wanted to please them.

Current team is more like what you are experiencing where they are given push-ups and made to run, getting yelled at. It has the opposite effect - like what is said above they are tense and tight trying not to screw up and feel like they are walking on egg shells. Missing the old coaches

KCPRK · Sep 29, 2014

Such archaic coaching when running is punishment for errors in a game where you are a superstar if you fail 6 out of 10 times.............

marriard · Sep 29, 2014

Rocketech1 said:
Wanted to see how strict the coaches are on your DD's travel ball team? DD's team is '02 and the coaches are pretty strict about the rules and the organization's expectations for each player. For example, if a batter fouls off a pitch and runs to 1st base, her teammate in the on-deck circle must immediately get the bat and hand it to the batter before the next pitch. If not, the whole team runs after the game. Another example, if a player makes a mental error, the coaches keep track and the players have to run sprints for each mental error committed.

What's your experience?

I hate 'football' coaches.

I hate seeing teams 'run' or be berated in public after the game. It is humiliating and doesn't do anything but make players fearful and want to leave the team or go play something else.

That is not to say there aren't expectations that our coaches have of our teams. There is even rewards when they meet those expectations... there is not when they don't and there is more work on stuff they are not as enthralled by as the stuff they do enjoy. We also don't punish for errors - but we will work in practice on areas they struggled with. Even if it is just a mental area we need to work on. And we do it all at practices - we don't do it in front of everyone. Game days are for games.

CoachKevin · Sep 29, 2014

Rocketech1 said:
Wanted to see how strict the coaches are on your DD's travel ball team? DD's team is '02 and the coaches are pretty strict about the rules and the organization's expectations for each player. For example, if a batter fouls off a pitch and runs to 1st base, her teammate in the on-deck circle must immediately get the bat and hand it to the batter before the next pitch. If not, the whole team runs after the game. Another example, if a player makes a mental error, the coaches keep track and the players have to run sprints for each mental error committed.

What's your experience?

Sooo the kid that doesn't make any mental mistakes in the game has to run because someone else did? This type of stuff will create the opposite of what they are trying to accomplish.... that is teamwork. Resentment will start and spread like wildfire especially if it's the same kids creating the mental mistakes over and over.

CoachKevin · Sep 29, 2014

cuzmail said:
IMO, A bit extreme for an '02 team.

I've yet to see how the team running after a game improves their play. In my experience with up to 14U is it makes the kids so nervous about making mistakes that they lose true focus and make more mistakes than they would have otherwise.

Do these coaches run after the game when they make a mental mistake or forget something?[/QUOTE]

Even a step farther.... Do they run because they placed the player in the field in the first place!!!

JJsqueeze · Sep 29, 2014

At the end of the day, the game has to be fun and appropriate for the age level and the expectations. RT- I know your kid is about the same age as my older DD, I know my daughter would not flourish in a team environment like this so I avoid it like the plague. I believe in discipline, hard work and avoiding costly mistakes but it should be based on learning and instruction not punishment. The last thing I want is a player so focused on something like picking up a bat in the on deck circle that they lose focus on the fact that they are there to time a pitcher and get ready to hit. At the same time loosey goosey teams kill me. I would prefer it if they got extra reps on the mistake than running.

DDs team makes their share of errors, the coach is a hard rear and has a reputation for it BUT they never run for a mistake. I have seen them practice a scenario for 45 minutes in practice until they get it right but I have never seen a lap run.

this is an evolution for me, as recently as last spring, I thought penalty laps were a good idea but now I think the time can be better used elsewhere.

GOINGDEEP · Sep 29, 2014

That type of military coaching doesn't do well with young kids, maybe college age, but not 02's.

Mental mistakes, much easier managed by pulling them aside between innings and asking "what happened out there". Hear their side and then explain "how and why they should have done ______". Like others have said, "we will work on that next practice".

Running for every little reason the coach can find will cost you a team before you know it. I used running as punishment for disrespecting a player, parent, coach, ump. ( cause I'm the only one that can do that

)

How Strict is Your Travel Ball Team?

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