Coaches -- Please Communicate with Your Players

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Dec 2, 2013
3,410
113
Texas
Depends on the subject matter, the age division and level of play.

The older your DD gets the less parental communication. The team has a team captain that uses group text to coordinate unis, arrival time, practice details, etc. It seems that information is disseminated through a player who tells a parent who then tells another parents and so goes the chain.

I find that HS coaches don't share ANY information with the parents.
 
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
Context is important, in my opinion. As a travel ball coach (currently 18u) and a former high school assistant coach, I have always made it a point to communicate with the players concerning items that I deemed important. Of course my definition of important and someone else's definition of important may not agree. As an example, I had DD at a college clinic on Saturday. I was sitting in the bleachers watching when the person sitting next to me started complaining about his DD's travel ball coach. Apparently the previous weekend they were at a tournament and after batting 5th on Saturday, the coach dropped her to 6th on Sunday. He was bragging to me about how he demanded an explanation from the coach and informed the coach that she will be batting 5th from now on. I would love to hear the coaches side to that story.... Lol!
 
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
In some situations that is a big deal, in others it is not. If the team uses a different batting order each tournament, and sometimes from game to game in the tournament, then 5 or 6 doesn't require an explanation.
OTOH, if the team has had a set batting order for tournament after tournament after tournament, and suddenly a player is in a different spot, then I think a wise coach would have a talk with the player who was "demoted". My DD 3 has played 2 tournaments with this team. In the first tournament, she batted first. In the second, she batted last. That is not what I am concerned about. DD 3 was in a slump, but is the fastest and possibly most savvy base runner. I understand why a coach would put a girl with wheels in a hitting slump in the last position. When she DID get on base, she was deadly with the top of the order behind her.

I won't go into any detail what the complaint was. It was a situation that left the family wondering if we are on the right team.

Understood. There are definitely things that should be communicated. And I think 'most' people would be in agreement with what they are. But there are also 'those' people that won't be satisfied no matter what happens. As an assistant coach at the high school level, I often found myself fielding complaints about the head coach. I either did what I could to answer the questions or in some cases would suggest they speak with the head coach directly. But in many of those cases I found myself wondering; 'seriously, you are complaining about that!?!?!'
 

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