Advice to college coaches

[CoogansBluff]

I'm always eager to hear college softball coaches giving advice to prospects and parents about the recruiting process.

But what advice would prospects and parents have for college coaches?

My daughter is just beginning the process of trying to be recruited, so my experience is limited, and I don’t mean to be pretentious in telling coaches how to do their jobs. Most of them do just fine without me.

But I do have some opinions. Would be curious to get similar opinions from those who’ve gone the distance with it.

Here are a few from me ...

- Don't be too quick to judge players based on the travel team they play on.

- Be up to date on the latest trends in instruction, from hitting to pitching to throwing to catching, so that you don't teach things in camps that make DFP-educated players and parents cringe.

- Realize that your camps are expensive in time and money, and that many players attending are coming in hopes you'll evaluate them. If they have been emailing and putting in time to get on your radar and they finally make it to your camp, and they let you know they're coming, respect that process and know who they are and watch them. Even if only for the brief number of seconds it might take to decide, ‘You can’t play here,’ give them their shot. Most of them have come a long way to see you.

 

[CoogansBluff]

I don't think they should be beholden to DFP for anything.

Reference to DFP was mostly in jest, to make a point. Although I might respect the opinions here more than you might.

re: lesser-known travel teams ... I went to a D-I camp yesterday, and the best swing/hitter I saw played for a team that most coaches have never heard of. Declined one TB offer because it was too much out-of-state travel. This college coaching staff knew her because she's been at their camp for years, but I'd bet her emails to coaching strangers sometimes get deleted on team lack-of-recognition alone. I've seen her play. No question in my mind she'd make every name team within 500 miles. Don't know if she'd be a star on all those teams, but I haven't seen many teams that wouldn't take her. I don't think college coaches are looking hard enough for that kind of player. I was at another camp where the hitters seemed to be segregated based on team organization, as if it were, 'These are the ones we're scouting, and these are the ones whose jerseys we don't recognize.'

 

[SBmom8992]

I would make them beholden to softball players who are teaching things that are up to date, not dads, for whom softball, no offense but in reality, never was and never will be their sport. What dad learned to throw a softball at 10? or to pitch? Or to hit a 55 mph softball at 12? To get recruited or not as a sophomore in HS? Or to face college softball practice and competition?

Please stop saying that softball is not their sport (meaning dads) because it is a passive aggressive way of saying that softball is not a man's sport. Mike Candrea didn't do any of those things you mentioned above like throwing a softball at 10. Are you saying he's unqualified to coach a female sport?

This routine of yours is getting old. By your logic, you are less qualified to coach/judge talent since you are a HS coach vs. a travel coach who provides instruction year round to his student athletes - many of which are DAD's here on DFP.

 

[javasource]

... not dads, for whom softball, no offense but in reality, never was and never will be their sport. What dad learned to throw a softball at 10? or to pitch? Or to hit a 55 mph softball at 12? To get recruited or not as a sophomore in HS? Or to face college softball practice and competition?

Holy smokes, OILF... this takes the cake.

Two words: Bill Hillhouse.

This is where a Moderator should ban you.

Stick to what you know... like the following:












[empty space intentional]

 

[SoCal_Dad]

re: lesser-known travel teams ... I went to a D-I camp yesterday, and the best swing/hitter I saw played for a team that most coaches have never heard of. Declined one TB offer because it was too much out-of-state travel. This college coaching staff knew her because she's been at their camp for years, but I'd bet her emails to coaching strangers sometimes get deleted on team lack-of-recognition alone. I've seen her play. No question in my mind she'd make every name team within 500 miles. Don't know if she'd be a star on all those teams, but I haven't seen many teams that wouldn't take her. I don't think college coaches are looking hard enough for that kind of player.

A couple thoughts:

- Major D1 colleges rely heavily on the 'known' TB teams to find talent for them. The national-level TB teams/orgs recruit impact players and will make it feasible to play for them. Early on, the smaller and/or lower-level schools shy away from those teams because the players/parents aren't interested in them - at least not until reality sets in.

- Lesser-known teams' schedule says a lot about them. Colleges want to see them playing against their other prospects for comparison purposes.

I was at another camp where the hitters seemed to be segregated based on team organization, as if it were, 'These are the ones we're scouting, and these are the ones whose jerseys we don't recognize.'

I know schools will segregate players they know about and in whom they're interested. This is why it is important to contact coaches in advance of the camp. If you're going to a camp for exposure, gauge interest before enrolling.

Your story reminds me of something I heard about a large combined tryout for the lesser teams of a major org here. Apparently, they separated the girls by height and the taller group(s) got most of the attention.

 

[JAD]

Holy smokes, OILF... this takes the cake.

Two words: Bill Hillhouse.

This is where a Moderator should ban you.

Stick to what you know... like the following:












[empty space intentional]

I am really trying to steer clear of the OILF bashing, but THAT was funny!!!

 

[guero_gordo]

Holy smokes, OILF... this takes the cake.

Two words: Bill Hillhouse.

This is where a Moderator should ban you.

Stick to what you know... like the following:












[empty space intentional]

Two words: "Ignore List" ;-)

 

[Lenski]

I'm always eager to hear college softball coaches giving advice to prospects and parents about the recruiting process.

But what advice would prospects and parents have for college coaches?

My daughter is just beginning the process of trying to be recruited, so my experience is limited, and I don’t mean to be pretentious in telling coaches how to do their jobs. Most of them do just fine without me.

But I do have some opinions. Would be curious to get similar opinions from those who’ve gone the distance with it.

Here are a few from me ...

- Don't be too quick to judge players based on the travel team they play on.

- Be up to date on the latest trends in instruction, from hitting to pitching to throwing to catching, so that you don't teach things in camps that make DFP-educated players and parents cringe.

- Realize that your camps are expensive in time and money, and that many players attending are coming in hopes you'll evaluate them. If they have been emailing and putting in time to get on your radar and they finally make it to your camp, and they let you know they're coming, respect that process and know who they are and watch them. Even if only for the brief number of seconds it might take to decide, ‘You can’t play here,’ give them their shot. Most of them have come a long way to see you.

A few things:

1. The TB team a kid is on tells the college coaches the level of competition the kid has seen. Also, pipelines are created when a college has had good luck with players from certain organizations.

2. Pitching, hitting, throwing, defense, and catching instruction are like opinions: Everybody has one. Just because it's on DFP certainly does not make it gospel. Coaches are going to use what has worked for them.

3. I've been to quite a few camps and clinics and my experience has been that the college coaches are paying attention. They filter information quickly, looking at size and build, throwing action, the swing, and the way they carry themselves. If they see something they don't like the coaches quickly move on. If a kid stands out the coaches will spend more time looking at that kid, taking away time from the other kids in the camp. If a kid who's not on a major TB team wants to get noticed at a college camp or clinc, they need to stand out over the other kids.

 

[CoogansBluff]

1. The TB team a kid is on tells the college coaches the level of competition the kid has seen. Also, pipelines are created when a college has had good luck with players from certain organizations.

Of course. I understand that. I didn't say to ignore what team the recruit plays on. It's valuable information. I just said not to dismiss players too quickly based on that. The best player that I saw among some 40 hitters at a D-I school last weekend plays for an obscure team. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just sense that coaches might be biased against that and it could cost her. Some then would say that it's the player's responsibility to 'market' herself in the best way possible, and that's true. But these aren't tips for players. It's for coaches.

2. Pitching, hitting, throwing, defense, and catching instruction are like opinions: Everybody has one. Just because it's on DFP certainly does not make it gospel. Coaches are going to use what has worked for them.

So would you disagree with my advice, that coaches should be ''up to date on the latest trends in instruction''? Are you saying you have never heard a coach teach something that made you question whether this coach really understands the subject? It doesn't matter to you what they teach?

3. I've been to quite a few camps and clinics and my experience has been that the college coaches are paying attention. They filter information quickly, looking at size and build, throwing action, the swing, and the way they carry themselves. If they see something they don't like the coaches quickly move on. If a kid stands out the coaches will spend more time looking at that kid, taking away time from the other kids in the camp. If a kid who's not on a major TB team wants to get noticed at a college camp or clinc, they need to stand out over the other kids.

I hope you are correct.

 

[Lenski]

If the kid stood out she got noticed. Any decent college coach would not stay away from a kid because she plays on an obscure team. The coaches go to clinics, usually annually, for the latest and greatest in instruction, teachings, debate, and rules. When you talk about latest and greatest instruction, chances are you have chosen a side and are adamant about your beliefs. They are as well. Latest and greatest instruction for a task could still be technically different. Take stride vs. no stride. Some elite, up to date programs teach stride, other elite, up to date programs do not.

The school my dd decided to sign with does not do everything like I would. However, when she gets there, she better follow their instruction.