GOOD PLAYER ~~ bad person

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sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,133
113
Dallas, Texas
Seems every season this topic
GOOD PLAYER/bad person happens on some team or age bracket. When a coach or people brings it up to talk.
After describing over and over the complications from it...
My reply now is not a discussion.
Its an answer!

GET RID OF THEM

Perhaps ya'all here would like to discuss it.

Or maybe you just have answer too! ;)

ENJOY A HEALTHY TEAM EXPERIENCE !

Honestly, in 30+ years of coaching, I've never had any trouble with a player. The players knew I controlled playing time, and they wanted to play. My expectations as to playing and conduct were always very clear and they knew what I expected to get to play. I tried very hard to be fair.

Now, *parents* are another story. Fixing crazy softball parents is almost impossible.

(When asked who made the best softball players, Ed Serdar would always answer, "Orphans.")
 
Last edited:
Feb 3, 2016
502
43
Same team:

"The Nellie"
Had a girl on a team that was just bad.
Talked crap, wouldn't pickup after drills and just was a miserable and mean kid. Didn't want my DD to hang with her at all. Of course my kid seemed to like her. She likes everyone.

"The Drama Queen"
I think my DD received over 1500 text's over the course of the season. I was tired of hearing about it and was going to block her on my DD phone but just would've created more grief for her.

Combine those issues with some basic fundamentals that weren't being instilled or reinforced for a year. It was easy for me to pull her. It did hurt her and took time to recover from that.
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Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Mar 6, 2018
33
18
Honestly, in 30+ years of coaching, I've never had any trouble with a player. The players knew I controlled playing time, and they wanted to play. My expectations as to playing and conduct were always very clear and they knew what I expected to get to play. I tried very hard to be fair.

Now, *parents* are another story. Fixing crazy softball parents is almost impossible.

(When asked who made the best softball players, Ed Serdar would always answer, "Orphans.")

I only had one player that has caused any issues and she really never caused problems just had a bad attitude, very negative.

You’re 100% correct parents are another story. Some parents flat out delusional and also have no concept of team.

What about cliques? I try very hard to keep our players from forming cliques. I see this most often with our school teams.
 
Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
I do think coaches have a lot to do with kids getting away with stuff and become a drag on the team. I did have a couple girls through the years I would consider problem kids but by about half way through the season they were all 100% on board why....because I always quickly identified what was going on a simply don't tolerate not doing their part on the team. That girl that won't help pick up a station or equipment, next practice I specifically tell other girls to go do something else and call girl out by name to pick up. You have a bad attitude with teammates or umpires or other team, your next inning is spent sitting down next to me and we talk (not yell, not berate...really talk) maybe sometimes I don't even have to say anything, as a coach you know you are doing it right when they are disappointed they let you down (again attitude wise not performance). I think a lot of coaches just figure some girls "are just that way" but I am a super believer in high expectations, I also usually have a core group of girls who let said girl know they won't put up with it either. You don't have to be best of friends of the field and sure some cliques develop depending on schools they attend or things they like but on the field we all get along and we all pull our weight. I'm with @sluggers never really had a girl that I couldn't bring around or was a cancer all year....but let me tell you one "bad" parent can just suck the life out of a team faster than anything a girl does on the field.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Coach controls the dynamic on the field. Coaches who have structure exhibit active authority. Unfortunately not all coaches run a program like that. When they don't players can tell.
What structure works for you?
Something like....?
1st offense talk with player.
2nd offense suspended from playing.
3rd offense done.

What are your list of
Bad things:
Taunting
Spitting at teammate
Fighting
Purposefully being cruel
Stealing
add
-
-
-
What might be a one time offense to kick a player off immediatly?

Standards are in place so we dont have to tolerate bad behavior!

*Reading posts seems there are several coaches here who runs teams with standards.
And expressed no issue's or a few that got handled.

*Seems also, there is a fine line where parenting is lacking and coaches have to then hold a standard.
If thats talking with both parent and player...maybe that needs to be done. Think age of player plays a role.
However the standard on the team is for everyone.

Everyone may have a bad day.
No-one can be bad everyday! ;)
 
Last edited:
Nov 11, 2019
105
28
I really think we need a definition of "bad person". As I posted in the college sub forum, my DD is not a great "teammate". She's on the more definite side of being an introvert and this is just who she is. We've never gone to "team functions" as those are an exercise in "How awkward can you make us feel?". Performance wise though, she rocked it. Best batter on any team she's ever been on since she picked up a bat. Would she be a "good player ~~ bad person"? By some extroverts, yes. No chanting, no loud clapping, no hanging out with the girls or caring about who had sex with who...
I don’t consider this a bad teammate. She’s who she is. Bad apples do their own thing at practice, on our team we have one who slacks at practice, and doesn’t listen to anyone but head coach. He doesn’t call her out but the other coaches do. So she won’t go to stations that some coaches are working. As she gets older, it gets worse and her play on the field shows this. It’s tough to say she’s a bad person cuz she is just a kid. Has good parents except for the fact that they always make excuses for her actions. Usually”she’s not doing certain drills because she’s hurt”.
 
Nov 11, 2019
105
28
Coach controls the dynamic on the field. Coaches who have structure exhibit active authority. Unfortunately not all coaches run a program like that. When they don't players can tell.

1st offense talk with player.
2nd offense suspended from playing.
3rd offense done.

What are your list of
Bad things:
Taunting
Spitting at teammate
Fighting
Purposefully being cruel
Stealing
add
-
-
-
What might be a one time offense to kick a player off immediatly?

Standards are in place so we dont have to tolerate bad behavior!

Reading posts seems there are several coaches here who runs teams with standards.
And expressed no issue's or a few that got handled.
Have not had issue's while coaching either.
Seems there is a fine line where parenting is lacking and coaches have to then hold a standard.
If thats talking with both parent and player...maybe that needs to be done. Think age of player plays a role.
However the standard on the team is for everyone.

Everyone may have a bad day.
No-one can be bad everyday! ;)
Nailed it again, Turbo. Great discussion
 
Nov 11, 2019
105
28
To all....Why allow this?
To the part about bad apples do there own thing.....
HC has coached said Apple since she was 8. She’s 14 now. He “doesn’t see it”. Bad part is it seems as though the team goes as her mood is. If she’s having a bad day, the team goes that way.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
HC has coached said Apple since she was 8. She’s 14 now. He “doesn’t see it”. Bad part is it seems as though the team goes as her mood is. If she’s having a bad day, the team goes that way.
Yikes!!
 

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