High School coach

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Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
I saw what other schools did to be successful and in one competing schools case it was so clear how they went about building a competitive program that I met with the athletic directors numerous times and even created a PowerPoint presentation that I presented to the school board detailing what the other schools did and how we could implement a similar plan. They politely ignored me and kept doing what they wanted. More mediocrity ensued.

One private school around here is successful because they just give families money (I'm sorry, "scholarships") so the kids go there.

In Illinois (as I'm sure you know), you're technically not even allowed to tell an 8th grader "Hey, you should come play for me." And we have schools essentially paying families to play softball at the school.

Of course, I can't prove it. But it's one of those known things, and there doesn't seem to be any real desire to stop that sort of behavior.
 
Jul 13, 2019
54
8
I'm glad I played ball when I played (1960's) High School ball was a big thing for me. I played with my buddies and had a good time, worked hard and for the most part enjoyed the experience. I get the feeling that a lot of the people that read this website feel that HS ball is not important. I couldn't disagree more ask any kid that didn't get to play softball/baseball this spring and I'm pretty sure that they will tell you that they missed that time and wished that they could get it back. I was a head coach at a HS and most of the other coaches that I knew were teachers that taught all day and then coached in the afternoon. I used to get to school at 6:15 am and on game day I might get back to school at about 10:00 pm for an away game and then I would have to call the papers so that the kids who had a good game could have a chance of getting their names in the paper. I used to go 4-5 clinics every year and belonged to 2 coaches organizations. Most of the guys that I coached against had the same schedule as I did. By the way if you think these guys are getting paid huge sums of money I can tell you that at least in Michigan that isn't the case. I had to split my salary with 2 other guys, so I wasn't doing it for the money, but rather because I loved the game and loved working with kids.
enom, post: 590126, member: 14117"][QUOTE="Ksph
HS ball - P.U.N.C.H., Don't drink that kool-aid.

Politics
Un-earned spots
Not playing the best nine players
Clicks
HC's who don't know the game

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[/QUOTE]
 
Jul 16, 2020
6
3
I too have exit meetings. As a Coach I ask them to have 3 skills they feel they need to work on for the next season to get on the field and or more playing time. Have her have those things in mind so they can develop a better plan to reach the goals she wishes to achieve. Makes for a better overall team plan imo. Good luck, play hard, practice harder!


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radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Why do some High School coaches think they should
re-invent a long term travel ball players goals including mechanics and position they should play?

Not talking about building there own high school squad for 3 months, asking a player to play somewhere other than there t.b. position's.
Rather the high school coach thinks their h.s. coaching role
should be the most influential words on the planet? 💁

Sorry high school programs,
but the obvious mixture of talent attending h.s. sports
*does not equal
(for majority of h.s. programs)
the participation experience long term softball players have in travel.
Just saying,
Its nice there are folks willing to coach h.s. sports!
Thanku you for that effort!
But please recognize, educate yourself, there is a lot more going on in softball outside of school programs.

This is a perspective based on observations in calif. Commented toward calif. H.s.
 
May 17, 2012
2,804
113
Why do some High School coaches think they should
re-invent a long term travel ball players goals including mechanics and position they should play?

It's ego. That's part of the deal though. I have yet to meet a coach that doesn't have an ego of some sort. The smart coaches are the ones that are self-aware about it.

I would add that playing for your High School is a privilege and that you fill whatever role your team needs. If you don't like it don't play...

However a smart High School coach would be self-aware (see above) about what positions the players do and don't play in travel.
 
Aug 10, 2016
686
63
Georgia
DD had her exit interview - it was kind of what we expected. But the one thing I thought was odd is he said she's isn't accepting of coaching? She's never been told that from any of her coaches. She is a player who is super quiet, does what she is told but she just usually has a blank expression all the time - if he paid attention to her more, he'd see that. She's hesitant to ask too many questions since he seems to expect them to already know everything. Anyway, if you find someone isn't doing well with how you are coaching them, they may need a different approach but unfortunately coaches only know one way.
She did actually ask him about how the players who don't play as much are supposed to know what they are doing to not be playing.

DD was put down as a COF and the coach did ask what she plays on her TB team and right now she's been at SS, 3B and CF. But her hs coach already has those positions locked up with his favorites. He does ask for their TB schedules to go watch but I doubt he'd ever go see DD's team play :/

Edited to add: He also listed her as DP which is so funny to me because we really think DD's weakest spot is her hitting - but she ended up with one of the highest BA and OPS on the team somehow.

Hoping for a good TB season and she has stuff she can work on - and hoping for improvement for next season :)
 

NBECoach

Learning everyday
Aug 9, 2018
408
63
It's ego. That's part of the deal though. I have yet to meet a coach that doesn't have an ego of some sort. The smart coaches are the ones that are self-aware about it.

I would add that playing for your High School is a privilege and that you fill whatever role your team needs. If you don't like it don't play...

However a smart High School coach would be self-aware (see above) about what positions the players do and don't play in travel.


When I am suggesting a change I ALWAYS preface it by explaining/showing why and how I believe it can help them. That I cannot make them hit or throw this way. It's their choice. And I encourage questions. that way everything is out in the open.

For those who choose to continue with their current style, performance is the key to continued field time, while continuing to offer them support. For those who choose to change, it is done with the complete understanding that one size does not fit all and that it takes hundreds of repetitions to change. Once again continue to offer support.

Let me say it's really hard to see something fixable in a throwing motion not change and eventually cause a sore arm because we throw enough.
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
Why do some High School coaches think they should
re-invent a long term travel ball players goals including mechanics and position they should play?

Not talking about building there own high school squad for 3 months, asking a player to play somewhere other than there t.b. position's.
Rather the high school coach thinks their h.s. coaching role
should be the most influential words on the planet? 💁

Sorry high school programs,
but the obvious mixture of talent attending h.s. sports
*does not equal
(for majority of h.s. programs)
the participation experience long term softball players have in travel.
Just saying,
Its nice there are folks willing to coach h.s. sports!
Thanku you for that effort!
But please recognize, educate yourself, there is a lot more going on in softball outside of school programs.

This is a perspective based on observations in calif. Commented toward calif. H.s.
It is good to know that at least I might qualify as nice folks. Heck, I now have 36 years of being nice. LOL
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
Why do some High School coaches think they should
re-invent a long term travel ball players goals including mechanics and position they should play?

Because sometimes those players are being taught terrible mechanics and they're playing a position for which they're poorly suited?

Not talking about building there own high school squad for 3 months, asking a player to play somewhere other than there t.b. position's.
Rather the high school coach thinks their h.s. coaching role should be the most influential words on the planet? 💁

Or, again, maybe they want to help a kid they see being led astray by bad coaches and, maybe, parents who don't know any better.

My experience around travel ball is incredibly limited -- and it's not the highest level of travel, either -- but I've mostly seen coaching that is no better than a lot of the high school coaching I've seen.

It wasn't a high school coach (well, technically it is, but this was with a travel team) I saw instruct his players that anybody, not just the pitcher, could activate the Look Back Rule by standing in the circle with the ball.

I guess a high school coach shouldn't correct that mistake when he has a first baseman running the ball to the circle because she thinks that'll do something. After all, travel coach said different.
 

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