Question/Plea to Coaches of Younger Teams

[MsDinosaur]

As a 10U coach, I'd love to spend more time on getting the lead runners (about five of thirteen girls apply the concept in games,) but there's only so much time in each practice. I spend a lot more time and focus on throwing mechanics, as the majority of kids on our team this season struggle with consistently throwing the ball straight and hard. It all starts with throwing and catching.

It's a progression. Now that DD is at the 12U level, they practice double-play attempts, getting the lead runner and making the play where their momentum is taking them. On a good day, it's really exciting. On a bad day, it looks like 10U redux.

 

[starsnuffer]

I'm sorry, but not knowing where the play is for a HS aged kid is not the problem of their youth coaches. It's the fault of their current coach. Sounds like a game of "pass the buck" to me.

-W

 

[quincy]

I think our Team might have too many games. 3 softball days a week is the most we are willing to ask a 10YOA Players to play softball. We are currently in 7 game stretch without any practices between games. We are going to have a similar stretch a little latter in the season.

There is a long list of things to work on once we have a practice again and some things are not gotten too.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

That is all the individual states. Ours has no limit on games.

Are you saying your state honors no dead periods?

'Exposer' makes it sound nasty, so that term cannot really be used by kids and college staff? That's you? Please refrain...

My typo, should have been "exposure". CSE Home

I would prefer 5 tourneys but that won't cut it here.

We play our HS tourneys during the year, which are larger and better than most TB in a single age group. ( 30-50 schools ) Exception of a National Event of coarse.

After HS we all jump on our TB teams and ride off into the sunset.

The stupid asterisks get placed on there when I use a notepad on my iphone to post, drives me nuts too.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

I am lost. Thought you said HS coaches can coach travel but are limited to 5 outside TRAVEL tourneys max, using HS players as a team. Since the parents here want 9 or 10, that limit would not work.

In TN, after playoffs the HS coach can only be involved in the choice of 10 "game" days. So around here you can do 10 double headers, or 5 tourneys ( that count as 2 game days a piece ). And must stop June 24, the dead period.

I looked up TENN, and can only find TRAVEL tourneys with 50 teams.

Not sure what you mean here?

HS coach can coach a travel team.

We have the 50% rule in TN.

50 % Rule: Applies to basketball, baseball, and softball. Participation (includes practice) during the school year on a
non-school team prior to the school season by students that will play the following season on the high school team is
limited to 50% of the number of players required to play the game (5). Only the specified number of students
participating on a non-school team prior to the school season may be placed on the same high school roster the
following season. Those students cannot be interchanged on the school team roster.

What is "during the year"? HS games outside of spring?

We play HS tourneys during the HS spring season. Limit of 5.



GIRLS’ SOFTBALL
Aug. 1, 2011 – Aug. 21, 2011 Dead Period
Aug. 22, 2011 – Dec. 31, 2011 Weight training and conditioning permitted. No open
facilities and no practice.
Jan. 1, 2012 – Feb. 12, 2012 Weight training, conditioning, open facilities permitted. No
practice
February 13, 2012 Practice begins – Must practice 3 days before preseason
scrimmages. After team is eliminated from tournament
series, coaches may be involved in a coaching capacity
with students in their school in summer programs or on
non-school teams.
March 12, 2012 Date of First Contest & Deadline to file Eligibility &
Schedule online.
End of school until June 23, 2012 No practice regulations
June 24, 2012 – July 7, 2012 Dead Period
July 8, 2012 – July 29, 2012 No practice regulations

 

[Coach Dad 01]

Speaking for my own experience... Most 10U teams have first time players that need to be taught the basics. throwing, catching, batting. Hopefully, you get the girls again for the next year, so you can start catching pop ups and actually throwing to a person. 12U try to get a core of kids that can be on a travel team that can go a little more advanced but then they are all on different rec teams. and so on and so on.....

 

[Rambler34]

I guess some of the lack of teaching comes from the area kids are in. The younger they start learning "real" softball the better off they are. I have heard too many times to count how 8U travel is dumb and 8U parents are crazy because it's too much for the girls. Our organization just brought in a full time coach who couldn't believe we started in 8U. My feeling is that 8U travel is bigger in the southeast than in other parts of the country. My DD plays in the circle ( coach pitch ) and has been taught to check runners before throwing to first with less than two outs. We have gotten the lead runner out three or four times by making them committ coming off third. Our team has gotten two or three outs on run downs because the girls know where to go and how to execute it. If a girl comes off the bag to far after reaching base they will throw behind her.

My point after that rant is kids can learn and for the most part want to learn if they are having fun. Her coaches have done a fantastic job teaching them how to play softball not just being satisfied they could throw and catch. Nothing used to make me madder when I was coaching her in rec than seeing a team either try and run down girls to tag them or just catch a ball and get in front of the lead runner so they couldn't advance and then hope for a ground ball an a force out at a base. From day one in my DD's first year of 6U coach pitch/t-ball her team has thrown to first or gone after the lead runner. I was lucky that most of the coaches I have coached with or been around were more concerned about what happened 3 or 4 years down the road than being the best 6U team.

 

[NVfishing]

I guess some of the lack of teaching comes from the area kids are in. The younger they start learning "real" softball the better off they are. I have heard too many times to count how 8U travel is dumb and 8U parents are crazy because it's too much for the girls. Our organization just brought in a full time coach who couldn't believe we started in 8U. My feeling is that 8U travel is bigger in the southeast than in other parts of the country. My DD plays in the circle ( coach pitch ) and has been taught to check runners before throwing to first with less than two outs. We have gotten the lead runner out three or four times by making them committ coming off third. Our team has gotten two or three outs on run downs because the girls know where to go and how to execute it. If a girl comes off the bag to far after reaching base they will throw behind her.

My point after that rant is kids can learn and for the most part want to learn if they are having fun. Her coaches have done a fantastic job teaching them how to play softball not just being satisfied they could throw and catch. Nothing used to make me madder when I was coaching her in rec than seeing a team either try and run down girls to tag them or just catch a ball and get in front of the lead runner so they couldn't advance and then hope for a ground ball an a force out at a base. From day one in my DD's first year of 6U coach pitch/t-ball her team has thrown to first or gone after the lead runner. I was lucky that most of the coaches I have coached with or been around were more concerned about what happened 3 or 4 years down the road than being the best 6U team.

Unfortunately league teams have a different mentality than TB teams. I've seen good league coaches. Both my daughters were blessed in getting the best league coaches when they started. People that care about the game. What I've found is that some coaches and fans get upset if your league coach actually teaches the game. My youngest DD's coach in U8 has taught the girls how to slide. It is practiced repeatedly. In the games the girls slide. Other parents get angry as this league is just for "fun."