Do/Dont~ Coach is moving team...

[Sparky Guy]

Brings this question
~ WHAT IS A GOOD BEMCHMARK FOR A COACH TO DETERMINE IF A TEAM CAN PLAY UP -skipping their 2nd year in 14's???

If the team is winning most of the games by a large margin and they are close to the stronger teams in losses. Move them up.

If they are getting beat regularly, have a hard time hanging with average teams and if they get run-ruled by stronger teams. Keep them down and let them finish learning.

 

[radness]

If the team is winning most of the games by a large margin and they are close to the stronger teams in losses. Move them up.

If they are getting beat regularly, have a hard time hanging with average teams and if they get run-ruled by stronger teams. Keep them down and let them finish learning.

Theres somthing measurable!

Then would also need to look at what level teams that applys to playing against.

Which maybe part of the assesment delema,
That small fish from a small pond not knowing how big the fish are in the ocean type thing.

 

[Eric F]

Is it possible that 1 player is 16U eligible which forces the entire team to move up?

That would most likely be a situation where that older player is perceived as being critical for the success of the team (#1 P, probably) along with a strong team chemistry.

My DD's team has 3 players that are older than allowed for 16U. Because of this, the coaches made the decision to play 18U events this spring/summer, despite a large majority of the team being 16U eligible, and some of those being younger 16U players. However, from my observation, there is generally very little - if any - difference in level of competition between 16U and 18U. I don't feel the same way about 14U vs. 16U.

 

[bmakj]

DDs coach is moving the team from 14u to 16u in fall.

most girls were first year, and we even had at least one still 12u eligible. but several are second year, and team won a good bit (including a 16u tournament last fall they entered just becuase the org needed another team in the 16u division). and all girls with the one exception will be in HS in fall so they will be competing with 18u and 16u girls anyway.

 

[Eric F]

Theres somthing measurable!

Then would also need to look at what level teams that applys to playing against.

Which maybe part of the assesment delema,
That small fish from a small pond not knowing how big the fish are in the ocean type thing.

A few months ago, the HC of my DD's team and I were talking about the team, as we frequently do. He was excited by some of the recent success the team had been having, and how good the team was. I commented that we really haven't seen top-level 18U teams yet, and how they're a completely different animal than what we had been playing against - decent teams, but definitely not top-level. I don't think he really understood what I was talking about.

Last week, our team played in the 18U TC Nationals that included the best of the best teams in So Cal, as well as other top teams from western states. I'm not sure how we got invited (bracket filler, maybe). We got wrecked in 5 straight games, with the closest being a 8-3 loss. HC now understands what I was talking about.

 

[Rolling Hard]

Part of the coach's job is to seek and find friendlies and tourneys that are competitive at their appropriate age level. It not hard, call me. LOL. In So Cal we do not have A and B teams labeled as such. And there are plenty of top notch teams to play at 14u level every weekend. And playing up to 16u every once in a while is ok. But if an average 14u team plays up to 16u and gets slaughtered then the 16u coaches complain, "why did you have us play a 14u team." For the most part, stay in your lane. Lanes are very wide in So Cal. Again, coach's job is to know how to schedule their team.

 

[jsoftballcoach]

Playing up is a tough one. Any team in their second year should be playing up in the fall, but beyond that play up in select tourneys when you think you can compete.

Sometimes there are watered down tournaments when the good teams are at a National or invite event and the local ones are weak that weekend…good time to play up, but to do that all season doesn’t really make sense.

As far as players go, almost every good player I know skips second year 16s (or first year ) to play 18s. This is one reason why the 16s teams should stay at 16s, they aren’t good enough to play up. Not sure how often this happens at the younger ages.

Playing up to compete with lower teams in the higher age group is not a good idea, I think a team would be better off playing really good teams their same age.

 

[JumboJack]

The very best TB teams are really, really good top to bottom. It’s as simple as that.

There are D1 teams. Then there are P5 teams. Then there are the best P5 teams.

The very best 16U/18U TB teams are a different animal than most other TB teams.

That doesn’t mean that teams or players that don’t play at the absolute top, top level are not relevant. Not by a long shot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[radness]

A few months ago, the HC of my DD's team and I were talking about the team, as we frequently do. He was excited by some of the recent success the team had been having, and how good the team was. I commented that we really haven't seen top-level 18U teams yet, and how they're a completely different animal than what we had been playing against - decent teams, but definitely not top-level. I don't think he really understood what I was talking about.

Last week, our team played in the 18U TC Nationals that included the best of the best teams in So Cal, as well as other top teams from western states. I'm not sure how we got invited (bracket filler, maybe). We got wrecked in 5 straight games, with the closest being a 8-3 loss. HC now understands what I was talking about.

People sharing stories like this ☝helps others have needed perspective.

 

[_MIA_]

That doesn’t mean that teams or players that don’t play at the absolute top, top level are not relevant. Not by a long shot.

Did I miss the post where this was said or implied?