Discussing practice plan with HC

[grmerrill]

Yeah, DD2 had a HC that got upset that I as an AC grabbed some of the girls that were standing around and did some front toss with them. It wasn't part of his program.

My only wish is that I had understood it as the red flag it was. Its the team that we walked away from mid season and had no regrets on breaking our commitment.

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[JLF]

Not sure when you've made suggestions to the HC, but if you are doing it at practice that may be the wrong time.

I'd call or email between practices and make suggestions when HC has time to think about them. Or take the HC out for a beer and discuss.

Keeping track of a dozen 7yo girls is hard enough! Then have someone tell you that you suck at coaching.

 

[MikeP]

Not sure when you've made suggestions to the HC, but if you are doing it at practice that may be the wrong time.

I'd call or email between practices and make suggestions when HC has time to think about them. Or take the HC out for a beer and discuss.

Keeping track of a dozen 7yo girls is hard enough! Then have someone tell you that you suck at coaching.

We meet up pretty regularly after practice and talk about things. We actually just met up last Sunday for beer and pizza. Talked about a few things but mostly our practice schedule for the upcoming months. I bring up things that I and the other coaches think we need to work on but I'm always careful not to sound like I'm criticizing.

 

[CoachJD]

What do you (and any other ACs) normally do during these practices? It sounds like you just kind of stand there. I think you even said that at one point.

So maybe it will be more effective if you approach this topic by asking what you can do to be more useful in practice. Come with suggestions, but don't offer them immediately. If you do that, you're not criticizing what he's doing with the girls. You're just trying to be more helpful. Guide him toward splitting the girls into groups so you can work with some while he works with others.

And don't tell him what you'll do with them unless he leaves it up to you. Once you get him on board with getting you more involved, ask him what he wants them to work on. Just what. Not how. So he's doing his bad, boring batting practice? Fine. He gives you 3-4 girls and wants them to work on fielding? Great. Teach them the right way, away from the HC.

It's not ideal, but you're in a tough spot, and you have to make the most of it if you're going to stick around.

 

[Joseph Sciara]

Really, rather than discuss some issues you would tell me to leave. Good for you, I was asking for thoughts on how to tactfully approach him. I would like to see these girls succeed now that we are back on the team, not go to tournaments and get their butts kicked. We went through that last season and it wasn't fun. Yes I did know that some of the girls needed a lot of work, we came back to this team aware of what we were getting in to. So are suggesting I just standby and watch while girls waste their time standing around for 3 hours a week instead of receiving needed instruction?

These girls are 8U. There is plenty of time to run a Mike Candrea practice in years to come. Can't you just let the girls sit back and enjoy the experience of a team and the game? HC's daughter getting a couple more pitches at batting practice is not going to hinder your daughters development at 16U.

I'm sorry, but the vast majority of the players playing travel ball at 8 will be out of the game by 14.

My buddies and I forced our daughters to only play Rec and then low select ball until 11U. They got the chance to be little girls, go to dance recitals, play other sports, learn what it means to be a team mate. Some of my daughters best friends today were below average softball players that were on those teams of innocence. You know what? By taking it slow, the girls that stayed in softball are still hungry for it almost 9 years later. We slowly became more and more intense with practices and scheduling. By 13U we were playing in showcases.

8U and even 10 u should really be "Introduction To Softball".

Even if the coach a horrible 8U coach, he isn't going to make or break your daughter in softball. More than likely her helicopter parent moving her from team to team and constantly complaining about coaches will burn her out of the game before any coach does.


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[Sparky Guy]

These girls are 8U. There is plenty of time to run a Mike Candrea practice in years to come. Can't you just let the girls sit back and enjoy the experience of a team and the game? HC's daughter getting a couple more pitches at batting practice is not going to hinder your daughters development at 16U.

I'm sorry, but the vast majority of the players playing travel ball at 8 will be out of the game by 14.

My buddies and I forced our daughters to only play Rec and then low select ball until 11U. They got the chance to be little girls, go to dance recitals, play other sports, learn what it means to be a team mate. Some of my daughters best friends today were below average softball players that were on those teams of innocence. You know what? By taking it slow, the girls that stayed in softball are still hungry for it almost 9 years later. We slowly became more and more intense with practices and scheduling. By 13U we were playing in showcases.

8U and even 10 u should really be "Introduction To Softball".

Even if the coach a horrible 8U coach, he isn't going to make or break your daughter in softball. More than likely her helicopter parent moving her from team to team and constantly complaining about coaches will burn her out of the game before any coach does.


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Ever wonder why so many kids head to soccer? Because they are out there doing something during a match. They are out there running around, even if they never touch the ball. They still feel involved.

There is nothing wrong with keeping kids moving during a practice. It doesn't have to be 18U level intense. But if you keep them moving and learning the basic fundamentals of the game they will have more fun. Lotsa reps.

I've been coaching 10 - 14U girls for the last 15 years without a kid on the team. One of the things I hear that makes me know I'm doing it right is when a player will say "Practice is over already?" Or they walk off the field sweaty, tired with a smile on their face.

 

[MikeP]

What do you (and any other ACs) normally do during these practices? It sounds like you just kind of stand there. I think you even said that at one point.

So maybe it will be more effective if you approach this topic by asking what you can do to be more useful in practice. Come with suggestions, but don't offer them immediately. If you do that, you're not criticizing what he's doing with the girls. You're just trying to be more helpful. Guide him toward splitting the girls into groups so you can work with some while he works with others.

And don't tell him what you'll do with them unless he leaves it up to you. Once you get him on board with getting you more involved, ask him what he wants them to work on. Just what. Not how. So he's doing his bad, boring batting practice? Fine. He gives you 3-4 girls and wants them to work on fielding? Great. Teach them the right way, away from the HC.

It's not ideal, but you're in a tough spot, and you have to make the most of it if you're going to stick around.

On days that we have hitting practice we do break up into stations and get some things accomplished. Even on those days we spend too much time at each station waiting to get each girls turn hitting off the sling, yes we are unfortunately sling pitch due to being a Baberuth affiliated rec league. The bigger issue is the other days when girls get put in position and just stand there being bored watching other girls hit. If each girl was hitting well and rotating on regular intervals it wouldn’t be bad but a lot of our girls struggle at the plate. When we do have fielding practice it’s so basic it’s boring to the girls with almost zero attention to the outfield or game situations. Our core group can field grounders with their eyes closed, they need to be challenged more, work on footwork and game situations.

 

[MikeP]

These girls are 8U. There is plenty of time to run a Mike Candrea practice in years to come. Can't you just let the girls sit back and enjoy the experience of a team and the game? HC's daughter getting a couple more pitches at batting practice is not going to hinder your daughters development at 16U.

I'm sorry, but the vast majority of the players playing travel ball at 8 will be out of the game by 14.

My buddies and I forced our daughters to only play Rec and then low select ball until 11U. They got the chance to be little girls, go to dance recitals, play other sports, learn what it means to be a team mate. Some of my daughters best friends today were below average softball players that were on those teams of innocence. You know what? By taking it slow, the girls that stayed in softball are still hungry for it almost 9 years later. We slowly became more and more intense with practices and scheduling. By 13U we were playing in showcases.

8U and even 10 u should really be "Introduction To Softball".

Even if the coach a horrible 8U coach, he isn't going to make or break your daughter in softball. More than likely her helicopter parent moving her from team to team and constantly complaining about coaches will burn her out of the game before any coach does.


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I’m Glad you are so smart and enlightened that you laid out the perfect path for your dd. You make a lot of assumptions about me with your condensending post. For starters my dd plays basketball and will be running track this spring. We are currently on a winter break since the beginning of November and won’t start back with team practices probably until February. She chooses what sports or activities to participate in, not me. I ask her on a pretty regular basis if the travel ball is getting to be too much, her response is always an emphatic no and that she loves it. How is being asked to coach and accepting being a helicopter parent? Might want to look up the definition. We haven’t constantly jumped teams, it happened once but thanks for playing. Oh yeah, I don’t ever talk poorly about any coach she has had in front of her, I’m not an idiot. To you point about being 8 and enjoying it-when she tells me practice is boring and she liked our rec ball practice better, I think that says it all .

 

[Gambler Bob]

You are in a difficult position. You are not going to find a local travel ball team that is as committed as you and your daughter are at this age level. I was in the same position myself. You are going to have to go to a bigger city or organization to find the kind of commitment you are looking for from other families. There are not a lot of families that are interested in 8u travel softball, and even less families that are willing to spend money on softball camps or private lessons for an 8u player.

My daughter played her first year on a part time travel softball team as a 7u player on a 8u team. That team played in 3 tournaments in addition to some Sunday double headers, and rec league. About 20 part time travel games and 14 rec games so about 35 games 2 years ago. Last year she played for a 10u B level team and played in 5 tournaments and a local travel league that played games during the weekdays. Total of about 40-45 games last year. We were the family that went to softball camps, practiced a lot on our own time, and she had a pitching instructor that she would pitch with one time per week. She pitched about 40% of the innings, played SS the rest of the time and batted leadoff. Both of those teams won about 50% of their games.

Last year she had the opportunity to pickup with one of the better organizations in the Chicagoland area at the 10u level for a couple tournaments. The first tournament she subbed in, the team won the tournament. That really changed her mind about playing with girls all from the same town, she wanted to do more than just play in softball tournaments, now she actually wanted to play on a team that wins tournaments. She did not play SS or pitch with the team that she picked up with, she played 2nd base and outfield, and sat the bench 1 inning per game. That is why I do not regret not having her play on a A level 10u team as an 8u player, she just wasn't good enough to pitch at that level, and play her preferred position.

This year she is playing with arguably the top organization in the country, girls are coming from 3 hours away to play on this team. We are fortunate enough to live within a 1/2 hour. What I am getting at is if you want to continue to challenge your daughter and have her play with like minded families and teammates you are going to have to take her to a better organization at some point. Not saying you have to drive 3 hours but you may have travel a little bit to find the type of teammates it sounds like you are looking for. Stick with the team you are on now and figure out a way to communicate with the H.C. in a respectful way to run the practices more efficiently. Continue to practice on your own with your daughter, that is where she will learn the most. The following year take her to a bigger organization for 10u softball. This year she be able to play her preferred positions and improve.

 

[Joseph Sciara]

I’m Glad you are so smart and enlightened that you laid out the perfect path for your dd. You make a lot of assumptions about me with your condensending post. For starters my dd plays basketball and will be running track this spring. We are currently on a winter break since the beginning of November and won’t start back with team practices probably until February. She chooses what sports or activities to participate in, not me. I ask her on a pretty regular basis if the travel ball is getting to be too much, her response is always an emphatic no and that she loves it. How is being asked to coach and accepting being a helicopter parent? Might want to look up the definition. We haven’t constantly jumped teams, it happened once but thanks for playing. Oh yeah, I don’t ever talk poorly about any coach she has had in front of her, I’m not an idiot. To you point about being 8 and enjoying it-when she tells me practice is boring and she liked our rec ball practice better, I think that says it all .

My point was not that I had some type of great plan. It was that my buddies and I recognized early on not to get overly crazy at an early age. Looking back we make such a big deal about the small stuff. At 8U, 10u and even 12u it is all small stuff.


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