*POLL~14u~whats your opinion on mandatory...

Bpolly2004 · Mar 13, 2021

My dd tb team doesn't require lessons. But it's up to the kids and parents that they are getting the additional swings in. 100 swings in each practice 2 times a week. And about another 200 on their own time. As far as pitching coaches goes it isnt mandatory but it's more highly thought upon. Some girls have pitching coaches and some dont. Most of the pitchers pitch 10 months out of the year. Here in Missouri winters get cold and dark at 5pm. It's hard to get outside for pitching practice especially with travel basketball practice twice a week and most weekends are full of basketball tournaments.

MNDad · Mar 13, 2021

Gtrips07 said:
So all talented players are rich?? When did travel ball become elitists? Shouldn't the goal of an organization be to help those with work ethic and desire but no necessarily the financial ability?

DD old organization was founded yo help girls who wanted to play travel but could not afford to.

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Having finances dictate what type of travel team our kids play on doesn’t mean rich or elitist. Theres teams with fees or travel expenses that put them out of reach for a lot of families. Many orgs have fundraising or even grants for families in need, but that only goes so far. Expenses still have to be covered.

chinamigarden · Mar 13, 2021

So if my dd is raking, leading the team in multiple categories and is the teams #1 pitcher. She has to take 2 lessons and do 4 workouts more then she already does. because the coach is unhappy with the performances of other players? I guess we are finding another team.
This is a lazy response on the coach’s part.

Bullseye · Mar 13, 2021

chinamigarden said:
So if my dd is raking, leading the team in multiple categories and is the teams #1 pitcher. She has to take 2 lessons and do 4 workouts more then she already does. because the coach is unhappy with the performances of other players? I guess we are finding another team.
This is a lazy response on the coach’s part.

Pffft call the coach lazy.
No way! If player parents werent lazy raising their children coaches wouldnt have to make things mandatory! Its not a slap in the face to the players who are putting in the work.
Its a slap in the face to the parents who are not fully on board. All my hard earned money. All my daughters hard work. Would never play on a team with slackers.

Bullseye · Mar 13, 2021

ang2bmd said:
Pretty standard expectations for higher level teams. Highest level teams are doing it anyway.

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Bullseye · Mar 13, 2021

FP26 said:
I believe people are capable of making their own decisions without it being forced from above (team, employer, government, etc.). Each person has the responsibility to understand their current position and be able to make choices/decisions to better themselves.

They can also choose not to. But then the coach has the right to make the choice to find you a spot on the bench. I just don't think these things need to be governed by our teams, employers, or governments.

Everyone has choices to make and each of those choices has consequences.

Sports, just like many corporate jobs, are based on results. Those that do not perform make themselves expendable. Sorry, but that is just the truth as I see it. I am a firm believer that private lessons are a good thing, but I would not force someone to do it. In my opinion people excel because they want to do something. Not because they are forced to do it.

The problem with that thinking is exposed on this forum.
Not everyone agrees on the same thinking. Most have no clue how mitigate team sports. Hell of a lot are not evaluating how what a player does now is going to impact the team later.
Coaches cannot let families do whatever they think.
Its a group effort. Everyone has to be on board.
In agreement with your comment people excel because they want to.
Why not find out immediatly who wants to. Instead of spending thousands of dollars and our dd's effort to find out the other families actually do need to be forced to step off the team because they do not have the same intensions.

FP26 · Mar 13, 2021

Bullseye said:
The problem with that thinking is exposed on this forum.
Not everyone agrees on the same thinking. Most have no clue how mitigate team sports. Hell of a lot are not evaluating how what a player does now is going to impact the team later.
Coaches cannot let families do whatever they think.
Its a group effort. Everyone has to be on board.
In agreement with your comment people excel because they want to.
Why not find out immediatly who wants to. Instead of spending thousands of dollars and our dd's effort to find out the other families actually do need to be forced to step off the team because they do not have the same intensions.

I guess it all depends on your situation. I have been lucky. When she joined her very first TB team, we were somewhat blind and naive. We knew one family from rec all starts. We knew of several other players from rec ball but didn't know them personally. Each and every year after that first year, we knew what we were getting ourselves into. Whether that was staying on the same team or moving to a different team.

DD's biggest change was moving to a more aggressive team at 16u. Instead of playing in local tournaments, she wanted to play in regional tournaments with more travel involved. She narrowed it down to two teams. We played against both teams many times so we had decent knowledge of their players, coaches, and parents. She guested for both teams to gain more knowledge. She was offered by both and chose the one that had the better "feel" to her. I really cannot complain about our travel ball experience.

Even the transition to college was relatively simple. We attended games as a family for her top 3 choices. She had several conversations with each coach either on campus or at clinics. She got to meet players from each team and talk to them away from organized team activities (to get the real picture

), and we were able to sit in the stands with the parents to see what that environment was like. Can't really complain about that experience either.

I realize not everyone has the opportunity to investigate, analyze, and experience their opportunities ahead of time, but the process worked well for us.

Keep in mind.... I do not begrudge anyone that is in favor of these mandatory policies. And if they are all explained before DD joins the team, we have to agree to them as well. If that's what is required and DD wants to be on the team, then we will follow what we need to follow. All I am saying is that as a coach, it isn't something I would require. Playing time is based on results. If someone isn't producing, they will play less than all the rest. If something happens and we need to part ways, a replacement will be brought in. YMMV...

chinamigarden · Mar 13, 2021

Bullseye said:
Pffft call the coach lazy.
No way! If player parents werent lazy raising their children coaches wouldnt have to make things mandatory! Its not a slap in the face to the players who are putting in the work.
Its a slap in the face to the parents who are not fully on board. All my hard earned money. All my daughters hard work. Would never play on a team with slackers.

It’s lazy because a one solution fits all is always lazy. It shows they don’t know who needs the extra work or they are afraid of telling individuals that their effort isn’t enough.

Punish my dd or my wallet because some other kid can’t Perform is coach being a slacker and not able to do the hard thing, which is to have a one on one conversation with the kid/family who needs the work.

whiporee · Mar 13, 2021

If a team thinks that outside lessons are crucial to development, then they should provide those lessons with coaches who teach what the team wants taught. Increase the fees, schedule the time, hire the coaches, whatever it takes. Don't make it a required add-on to the projected cost -- put it in up front.

The question disregards the reality that private coaches are hard to find, and scheduling three private coaches during the week, in addition to three team practices and games/tournaments is damn near impossible. Girls still have school, friends, hobbies and so forth. Parens have jobs and other children to take care of. If an organization thinks these kids of measures are necessary, then the team ought to be the ones setting it up.

Also, if a team required anything like this, they better have a roster of 11.

radness · Mar 13, 2021

Gtrips07 said:
So all talented players are rich?? When did travel ball become elitists? Shouldn't the goal of an organization be to help those with work ethic and desire but no necessarily the financial ability?

DD old organization was founded yo help girls who wanted to play travel but could not afford to.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

Every one has to find what can work.
Make no mistake there are many families who chose debt to have their kids play.
While other families say we cant afford that while paying for their cadilac denali and iphones. They made there own choice.
That said, Know of many families who take on another job while still being a taxi for s.b. player.
Myself as a player worked at our teams snackbar for years to help carry my weight.

Best thing there are choices!!!

*POLL~14u~whats your opinion on mandatory...

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mandatory lessons response

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Bpolly2004

MNDad

chinamigarden

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FP26

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