High School Coach vs. Team Captains

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Aug 30, 2015
286
28
How does it generally work on your H.S. team?

In my view, Captains generally organize the girls before and after practices. Put girls on group messaging for team communication. Organize any extra-curricular events the team has. Captains should be seniors.

What I don't like: Head Coach asks the Captains who should play what positions. . . ?

How much do your Captains cross the line in to "Coaching" territory?
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
Never but she has been asked her opinion so a fine line I guess.

I would guess other players were asked thier opinion too but not sure.

Going to get in trouble here, it gets really personal sometimes with players they can be a poor judge of another player's SB ability.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
I don't know much of anything about HS ball but I am pretty familiar with teenage girls and this seems like a bad idea to me.
 
Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
A team captian is a leader. A leader should lead by example. Such as controlling the controllables. Attitude, effort, coachability, attention to detail, focus, or work ethic just to name a few... outside of those things, having "captians" is pointless.
The goal is to have EVERY SINGLE PLAYER act as if she's a captian.
 
Jul 25, 2015
148
0
Some of my concern would be with how the team Captains are chosen... Are they "elected" by the team or just given the slot by the HC because they happen to be the upperclassmen? Either way has edges that cut but some of the most successful Captain systems I have seen have been those that are elected by the team - yes we are dealing with teenage girls and sometimes it turns into a popularity contest - but if the coach handles it right the Captains should have the respect as leaders of the rest of the team... In that case, the Captains can take a lot of issues away from the Coach...

However, I am not certain I would ever be comfortable with a Coach asking a Captain who should start and who should sit... That is a disservice to the kid and puts them in a bad spot that many are not equipped to handle yet...
 

ian

Jun 11, 2015
1,175
48
Seems like the captains should be natural leaders and not assigned the position. What age they are should have nothing to do with it.

I spoke with someone the other day and during team stretches two of the upperclassmen said they didn't want underclassmen to call the team together for cheers or lead breaks. They said thats the job of upperclassmen. They also said they didn't want this discussed with the coach. Lol. Kids!
 
May 13, 2012
599
18
A team captian is a leader. A leader should lead by example. Such as controlling the controllables. Attitude, effort, coachability, attention to detail, focus, or work ethic just to name a few... outside of those things, having "captians" is pointless.
The goal is to have EVERY SINGLE PLAYER act as if she's a captian.

This. Let them vote for a leader and most of the time they will focus in on the one who hustles, encourage others and in general bring out the best in others thru example and effort. Captions should not be team messaging, deciding uniform for game, practice outfits that's the coaches job., if asked by coach for opion on players it should limited to " I'm between tina and gail at 3rd what do you see as strengths and weaknesses between the two". The captain may have insight to something the coach doesnt, like the "the team respects gail more because she is always Postive in the locker room and on the bus while all tina does is gossip about others." Then the coach can make a more informed decesion on who to put there that will help put W's on the board.
 

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