Big fish in small pond

[_MIA_]

You pump your ego on this website.

So would that be a no…?

 

[Rolling Hard]

Well, this thread went to hell in a handbasket.

"We heavily research teams before we join them. Before handing over a check we will watch at least two weekends of softball the coach has entered the team in"

I agree with this ^^^^^. I will take it farther and say my DD will practice and guest play multiple weeks before I write a check. If the coach gives you the "I need to know by noon tomorrow" business you call him at noon and say we haven't yet decided. Put it back on him/her.

But I have a hard time following the rest of thoughts. Small ponds and oceans... rivers???
Not sure where you're from but So Cal is huge ocean filled with big and little fish. Medium sized fish too! And its OK. Yes, you will probably have to leave your rec all-star team/coach and join a better team if you aspire to play college ball. Thats OK too. But its also OK just to play the game with friends and have no plans for college ball. Maybe making the HS team is the goal. BUT parents should not be deceived into which path (pond) they are on. That being said, parent have a responsibility to be realistic about DDs talent and development. We all have a pair of rose-colored glasses. If your team plays in a Showcase and goes 0 and 5 and gives up 52 runs and only scores 4 runs that should open your eyes. You didnt have a rough weekend. Your team sucks. If your DD is the best player on this type of team you probably need to go to tryouts.

 

[Shiloh]

Alluded to this the other day.
This is problematic to travel ball where anybody can call themself a coach.
Our family has stayed away from these type of coaches and it is helped our three daughters. We heavily research teams before we join them. Before handing over a check we will watch at least two weekends of softball the coach has entered the team in. After doing this repeatedly we learned the social status totem pole in our area and created a list of who to stay away from.
This is how we would describe one of the pitfalls to stay away from in travel ball.

Big fish who coach in a small pond is a social status trap. Small pond coach develops a reputation where it is limited to that small amount of people who may know that coach in a community.
Little do they know he has no experience beyond his small pond. The coach really doesn't have a reputation in the nationally competitive teams in travel. They may get invited to local Friendly's but those are small pond teams.
These small-minded coaches will discourage anything they are unaware is actually part of the sport because they have limited mind sets. They cannot see beyond their nose. They tend to repeat the same rhetoric trying to abolish what is happening in the big ocean. The big fish coach is the king of his small pond. Creating a false stigmata of self-importance and creating big ego.
When faced with answering to parents questioning things they to try to discourage others by trying to disqualify factual knowledge. They will even say someone else doesn't know what they're talking about even though they may be a D1 coach like a professional coach. They become so full of themselves they become clueless to
what is happening in the big bigger picture because it is not something they are familiar with. If they agreed with it would mean they have been wrong themselves. They do not try to grow out of their small pond because they are the king of their small pond.
And create false sense of self-importance. What becomes of this coach they stay small worse the players on the team stay small.
They cannot get out of their level of play because they have never grown their own coaching ability staying so small-minded.
It becomes a social status trap. Heres the damage it causes, it can fool parents looking for a developmental place for their children. Unknowingly joining small minded coached teams.
This ends up holding players back in their development. Most players on these type of Coach teams won't get beyond average the ones who figure it out leave quickly.
Don't pick a team because your friends are on it only to find out everyone else wants the same social status trap. Sometimes getting out of your own social group will be the best thing to see the bigger picture.

So, to recap:

- TB attracts some unqualified, self-important coaches.
- Therefore, you should go watch a team for yourself, at least two weekends, before you commit to a team

- Still, unqualified coaches attract families who don't know that the coach is unqualified, and they don't know that his teams aren't nationally competitive.
- When asked questions, the unqualified coach will dispute the facts and question the authority on which it's premised. They will also discourage trying or doing anything outside of what they know.
- All of this is done so the coach can feel important and in control, and it hurts players development.
- Players and their families must recognize this quickly and leave right away to play for a team that does not have their friends on it.


Self-important
Limited range of knowledge
Someone not to take advice from
Move on quickly from any interactions with this person, because it will hurt you in the long-run



Got it.
Thanks.

 

[Rolling Hard]

So, to recap:

- TB attracts some unqualified, self-important coaches.
- Therefore, you should go watch a team for yourself, at least two weekends, before you commit to a team

- Still, unqualified coaches attract families who don't know that the coach is unqualified, and they don't know that his teams aren't nationally competitive.
- When asked questions, the unqualified coach will dispute the facts and question the authority on which it's premised. They will also discourage trying or doing anything outside of what they know.
- All of this is done so the coach can feel important and in control, and it hurts players development.
- Players and their families must recognize this quickly and leave right away to play for a team that does not have their friends on it.


Self-important
Limited range of knowledge
Someone not to take advice from
Move on quickly from any interactions with this person, because it will hurt you in the long-run



Got it.
Thanks.

You pump your ego on this website.

Bullseye, I dont think pattar has too much of an ego. Not much to pump. Guy played college ball. He is due some respect. I don't know him personally but I would bet dimes to doughnuts he is a pretty normal guy. He is really smart in mathematics but he doesn't come off as condescending. Just real smart. I like smart people. Maybe sometimes his attempts at humor might fail. Oh, how I can relate to that.

 

[_MIA_]

Guy played college ball.

Eh.. more proud of my intramural bball prowness..dropped 40 on a team with a 5’10” center…

 

[Lobster Birch]

I would bet dimes to doughnuts he [pattar] is a pretty normal guy.

Let's not get carried away.

 

[Westwind]

Eh.. more proud of my intramural bball prowness..dropped 40 on a team with a 5’10” center…

I played hs basketball, I didn’t even drop 40 on anyone in warmups, lol!

My wife and I have been going to some boys hs bb games with our newly found empty nest time. It’s been fun.

 

[_MIA_]

Let's not get carried away.

Yeah that was a stretch for sure..

 

[_MIA_]

I played hs basketball, I didn’t even drop 40 on anyone in warmups, lol!

My wife and I have been going to some boys hs bb games with our newly found empty nest time. It’s been fun.

The competition in the layup line was probably better than intramurals at Tufts..

 

[_MIA_]

Getting back on topic (sorry..), when I watch a game, (outside of how they manage game strategy) I like to watch how the coach interacts with people..umpires, opposing coaches/fans and most importantly his/her own players. Best to try and find a game where everything isn't going the team's way...Of course that is only one piece of it as you would preferably like to be able to watch a few practices as well. The other important things (at the older ages in particular) competition level, college placement, etc can easily be determined on the internet..