So we are playing in our first 10u tournament this weeekend. Got done with the games for today and heading back tomorrow. Thing is in pool play they have to bat everyone and now that we are in bracket play the head coach only has to bat 9. My dd is probably going to be one of the ones not batting.. I was wanted to know some of your coaching opinion on that. I understand about winning but the word of our hc mouth was "I really want to beat this team tomorrow". I already see how some don't even get to play out in the field and now they don't even get to bat now either.. I think some of the younger girls are going to lose love for the game and thing is I will be the one to lose those girls next year if they don't enjoy it any more. We do play in league games as well and that will be there time to play.. just seems like they will never learn anything if they don't get to play on weekends. It's not like the 3 that don't get to bat are any worse than the other girls.. sorry for the rant..
1st real 10 U tournament this weekend already an issue??
- Thread starter bpeck
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She has to make certain that there is no way a coach can sit her on the bench again. Teach her to hit and the coaches will play her. She needs a hitting coach.
It depends on the goals of the team. If they are wanting to go to nationals, then they are going to need to win. At 10, girls will figure out if the want to play or not. They really have to give up a lot, if they do. I feel like every 10 yo can improve and get ahead. But, they have to want to.
Is the hitting coach a dad, that is helping the team? If so, I would get her to a real hitting coach. Also, how much is she hitting on her own? Do you have a place set up that she can hit off a tee, at home?
Is the hitting coach a dad, that is helping the team? If so, I would get her to a real hitting coach. Also, how much is she hitting on her own? Do you have a place set up that she can hit off a tee, at home?
I agree w/ you.
While I understand that there are 10U teams that exist to win and attain lofty goals like qualifying for nationals, I will contend that these kinds of 10U teams are the invention of adults, not 10-year-old kids. This is not why 10U kids sign up for travel ball. At that age, they want to play first and foremost. They don't want to sacrifice their playing time to win. And there is nothing selfish about that. It's age appropriate. They will learn to be more competitive and embrace those kids of teams as they get older. That's not their biggest need right now. They need to play, and they need coaches who care more about them than winning. They need a coach who is more interested in those bottom three girls getting better than he does about winning now.
- Nov 15, 2013
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Be thankful your team isn't playing ASA. In those tournaments, the rules dictate that the coach can only bat 9.
- Jan 24, 2011
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You know what happens to that coach/ team that has this idealistic view? They are looking for about a half of team to replace the kids that have left to find a team that is winning. Like it or not , this is how it goes in TB
- Jan 25, 2011
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but how are these coaches going to get the chance at coaching a div. 1 Team if they don't win at this level? Amy did ask the question to the OP. Your dd needs to work harder then the other girls, this game calls for sacrifices. If it means you are late for a pool party or what ever, because she needs to go hit 100 or more balls of the tee and live pitching then that is what it takes. These girls you see on TV gave up a lot of things to be there, proms, dates and hanging out with friends off the diamond. I can't tell you how many balls my dd has hit all year round. I can tell you we have buckets and I mean buckets of balls that are mush and buy dozens of new ones every year. It comes down to how hard do you want it? Take that question out of the coaches head and she will play.
JJsqueeze
Dad, Husband....legend
Once a team is playing in tournaments then competition is part of the equation. All stars is optional, presumably, If a girl is good enough to be on the team then she is good enough to compete for time. I like the idea of everyone playing an batting in pool play and then the best 9 playing brackets.
One thing that gets lost in rec is how to reward the girls that put in the time to get better. We have 13 girls on the team. My DD has made every practice, works with me outside of practice and has to put up with me giving feedback on subtle things like why she hit an inside pitch to right field. She is 9. Put aside my insanity for a minute though. The point is that she knows a lot more and is a far more complete player than most of the girls on the team because she has put in the work.
Should my daughter have to share time with girls that are far less dedicated based on anything other than performance? Hell no, she just endured an entire season of that to get to all stars. Now it is her turn. I am sure there are many many girls on teams across the country that are the same, they tolerate the regular season to play all stars. Don't punish them for the sake of "everybody plays"
One thing that gets lost in rec is how to reward the girls that put in the time to get better. We have 13 girls on the team. My DD has made every practice, works with me outside of practice and has to put up with me giving feedback on subtle things like why she hit an inside pitch to right field. She is 9. Put aside my insanity for a minute though. The point is that she knows a lot more and is a far more complete player than most of the girls on the team because she has put in the work.
Should my daughter have to share time with girls that are far less dedicated based on anything other than performance? Hell no, she just endured an entire season of that to get to all stars. Now it is her turn. I am sure there are many many girls on teams across the country that are the same, they tolerate the regular season to play all stars. Don't punish them for the sake of "everybody plays"
Respectfully disagree.
I was head coach for four years from 10U through 12U. Gave the team up when I moved out of state. I batted the full lineup every game for four years. Kept roster small. Had only 10 players on year. NEVER lost a player because the team wasn't winning enough or because we weren't trying harder to win. And we were just a .500 team every year. Always played the hardest schedule possible that would keep us middle of the pack. Never had the talent to do more than that, but we steadily progressed from playing .500 at entry level 10U to playing .500 at the top tournaments in the state. Several of those players, now age 14-15, will play in college if they choose that route, a couple of whom might've not batted as much at age 9-10 if we'd batted 9.
Important to remember that this is 10U. Winning is fine, but caring about your players and giving every one of them the best chance to succeed is more important at that age.
btw, I'm not saying that I was such a great coach. I sucked at a lot of things and made some stupid mistakes. But I think that's the best thing that I did - I tried to see things from the kids' perspective. I've not seen many 10U kids make significant strides because they sat the bench and became motivated by it. But I've seen kids who used to bat 10th who steadily got better and are playing at a level now that many would not have predicted. Kids are more motivated by "I believe in you'' than "We might lose if you bat.''
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