- Feb 3, 2011
- 1,880
- 48
(10u rec)
Sluggers' thread inspired me to write this.
I'm a first-time coach and I'm very laid-back, by nature. My assistant is also a first-timer, but has 10 years playing experience. Having talked at length about our individual coaching philosophies, what we hope to get from the experience, what we hope the girls and their parents will gain from the experience, and what our expectations are for everyone in the 'family', I am confident that we'll make a great pair.
Some parents are not going to like the fact that I don't want them talking to their players in the dugout during games. That's their problem. Softball has the potential to be a very dangerous sport and if a player isn't fully focused from the time she steps on the field until the end of the game or practice, she could get hurt. I want them to be in the habit of blocking out anything that isn't relevant to the game.
I will never criticize a 10u rec player for making a mistake. That's a personal rule. I do, however, reserve the right to criticize a player if she is not giving 100% effort in my opinion. If Sally has been depressed lately because Grandma is sick or because of a bad grade in school, that's different. If the player cannot or does not wish to share that with me, then in cases like this, I would hope the parents would give us a heads-up. Some kids aren't able to compartmentalize things very well, and we don't want to put a player in a position where she's going to get hurt or be a detriment to her team. But assuming nothing's really wrong, lack of hustle will not be acceptable.
Some parents aren't going to like that, but again, that's their problem. I will inform each parent of this at our preseason team meeting. They will know what we coaches will and won't do, and they will know what we expect from the players and the parents. If we do not establish verbally and in writing what our expectations are, it's not reasonable for us to expect players and parents to just know these things, nor can we hold them responsible for something they were never told.
No 2 consecutive practices will ever be the same and we'll work games into the drills that we're doing. Early in the season, we're planning to break down the team into groups based on where they're at in terms of experience, ability, and knowledge of the game. For example, our current starting infielders can all throw the ball on a rope. There's no need to stick them in the beginner throwing drills.
There may be a parent or 2 who want their kid to get out of the beginner section, and while learning the fundamentals is vitally important to being successful out there, we fully understand the parent's point-of-view. So, if a parent emails me and requests that Suzy be moved to the intermediates (or orange group, whatever), then I'll politely ask them to tell me about Suzy's at-home practices.
I want to be able to spend as much time teaching girls the game - and as little time managing the parents - as possible.
Am I being overly optimistic and inflexible here??
Sluggers' thread inspired me to write this.
I'm a first-time coach and I'm very laid-back, by nature. My assistant is also a first-timer, but has 10 years playing experience. Having talked at length about our individual coaching philosophies, what we hope to get from the experience, what we hope the girls and their parents will gain from the experience, and what our expectations are for everyone in the 'family', I am confident that we'll make a great pair.
Some parents are not going to like the fact that I don't want them talking to their players in the dugout during games. That's their problem. Softball has the potential to be a very dangerous sport and if a player isn't fully focused from the time she steps on the field until the end of the game or practice, she could get hurt. I want them to be in the habit of blocking out anything that isn't relevant to the game.
I will never criticize a 10u rec player for making a mistake. That's a personal rule. I do, however, reserve the right to criticize a player if she is not giving 100% effort in my opinion. If Sally has been depressed lately because Grandma is sick or because of a bad grade in school, that's different. If the player cannot or does not wish to share that with me, then in cases like this, I would hope the parents would give us a heads-up. Some kids aren't able to compartmentalize things very well, and we don't want to put a player in a position where she's going to get hurt or be a detriment to her team. But assuming nothing's really wrong, lack of hustle will not be acceptable.
Some parents aren't going to like that, but again, that's their problem. I will inform each parent of this at our preseason team meeting. They will know what we coaches will and won't do, and they will know what we expect from the players and the parents. If we do not establish verbally and in writing what our expectations are, it's not reasonable for us to expect players and parents to just know these things, nor can we hold them responsible for something they were never told.
No 2 consecutive practices will ever be the same and we'll work games into the drills that we're doing. Early in the season, we're planning to break down the team into groups based on where they're at in terms of experience, ability, and knowledge of the game. For example, our current starting infielders can all throw the ball on a rope. There's no need to stick them in the beginner throwing drills.
There may be a parent or 2 who want their kid to get out of the beginner section, and while learning the fundamentals is vitally important to being successful out there, we fully understand the parent's point-of-view. So, if a parent emails me and requests that Suzy be moved to the intermediates (or orange group, whatever), then I'll politely ask them to tell me about Suzy's at-home practices.
I want to be able to spend as much time teaching girls the game - and as little time managing the parents - as possible.
Am I being overly optimistic and inflexible here??
