Making Rec teams better

[wild man]

As I have said before all we have here is Little league. And I have been accused of "Coaching like a travel ball coach". Now because of LL's rules we are limited to a smaller gographic local than travel ball. So we dont get as many upper level players as the ASA teams BUT that does not mean the LL and rec teams have to be coddled. I have heard this "OH we shouldnt do this or that because its just LL or Rec ball".
Baloney!! Teach the girls to PLAY HARD. Make them go after it like it is the last game they will ever play.
I take my girls to a LL special games tournament in a completley different area where At least half of the oppisition is made up of travel ball teams.

No we dont win alot at these but we GO AFTER IT like we are going to win every game and it makes us MUCH better.

For those of you who have had terrible luck with rec ball but your DD may not be up to the local travel team, Get involved if you can. remember alot of it is ATTITUDE. Dont allow some wishy washy coach tell them that it doesent matter cause its rec ball.

Ever watch minor league baseball in a small town? Those guys play like their hair is on fire. Rec ball is the minor leagues for what ever is above them.
They may not have the talent but they will never know if they dont play hard.

I have had lots of girls become 3-4 times better by pushing them as far as they can.
And they will be better people for it.

NO MATTER THE LEVEL GO FOR IT!!

 

[softballphreak]

You are right on, wild man!

There should be no reason to treat rec teams like they can't be good. They can be as good as they are coached. Expecting anything less is disrespecting their ability to work and improve.

One way to help a team or league get better quicker is to train the parents/coaches first and then with the players. The more the parents understand about the game the more involved they will become.

If you teach the game to a kid, you'll help a player. If you teach the game to a coach, you'll help many players. And many of those players will become coaches.

 

[Hollyrockartist]

Y'all are both SO right!!! My DDs rec ball coach from last year (played with him for 3) called after their All-Star tournament. He said he'd met up with a man at the Dizzy Dean World Series who lives not far from here. Said he'd been looking for a team and has a good little pitcher as a daughter. Coach wanted to know if DD would be interested in playing with them. I didn't have to think twice - he is a GREAT man and a wonderful coach. He knows a lot about the game and is good to the girls when he needs to be and scolds them when they need that, too. He has realized after years of coaching the same girls who has the heart and dedication and who does not. Coaching rec has made him grow. I'll have to say that I was thrilled when he called! Was looking into tb teams for DD to tryout for in the coming weeks and have decided not to do it. She said she loved this coach and would rather play for him than anyone (not to mention she responds so well to him).

DD played on a 16u rec team in a neighboring town. There was some discussion during one of the games and the umpire said "It's just rec ball". Well that may be true for him, but to those girls and those of us who tote them religiously to practices and games, it's more than that. TB requires fairly deep pockets in these parts...add private school tuition on top of that and you are looking at college tuition! I cannot wait for this "new team" to start their practicing in September! Glorified rec, "C" tb team, whatever it is will be phenomenal!!

 

[chapelhillbilly]

I agree. My oldest daugher played rec ball and travel ball this year. It helped her tremendously to be on the field playing during the week and on weekends, but I was very disappointed in the attitude of her rec ball coach. He had absolutely no drive to win at all. He just kept saying "I'm doing this for the girls. It's about having fun not winning." Do you think those girls had fun getting stomped twice a week? I doubt it. And so many of them had so much potential and he did nothing but hold them back. I so badly wanted to just take over and say do you see how much these girls want to play some real competitive softball? They wanted to throw a girl out stealing 2B. But he would tell them to hold it everytime. I was so thankful that we had travel ball as well, but I felt bad for the other discouraged players and parents who felt like they had just wasted a year of their daughters softball playing career. So yes I agree wildman, no matter what level of playing you are involved in you should play like it is the championship game of the world series. Do what you love, and love what you're doing!

 

[amanda_cake]

Right, because ultimately it about the girls--playing the BEST ball they possibly can.

 

[wild man]

I agree. My oldest daugher played rec ball and travel ball this year. It helped her tremendously to be on the field playing during the week and on weekends, but I was very disappointed in the attitude of her rec ball coach. He had absolutely no drive to win at all. He just kept saying "I'm doing this for the girls. It's about having fun not winning." Do you think those girls had fun getting stomped twice a week? I doubt it. And so many of them had so much potential and he did nothing but hold them back. I so badly wanted to just take over and say do you see how much these girls want to play some real competitive softball? They wanted to throw a girl out stealing 2B. But he would tell them to hold it everytime. I was so thankful that we had travel ball as well, but I felt bad for the other discouraged players and parents who felt like they had just wasted a year of their daughters softball playing career. So yes I agree wildman, no matter what level of playing you are involved in you should play like it is the championship game of the world series. Do what you love, and love what you're doing!

OH I JUST HATE THAT ATTIUDE in a coach. I would say this to him "If you are in it for the girls Then help them get better".
Cause I got news for ya I ONLY do it for the girls And I want them to be as good as they are capable of and to win if possible. If it done any other way they will not have any fun at all.
If any one doubts this just ask girls that have played for both types of coach.

Saying your for the girls but dont care about winning is like baking a cake and not caring if any body eats it.
Impressing this on a coach can be hard but if they cant make them at least try hard they haddnt outta be there. REC BALL TRAVEL BALL it dont matter PLAY HARD!!!!

 

[CoachJB]

What Rec ball really needs in my opinion is much more focus put into coach development. it's great when you have a Rec DD who is really into the art of coaching, but for the most part, many are not whether it's thru lack of commitment, want, or just experience.

If Rec programs would run really good coaching clinics all the time than they could expose the volunteer coaches to the possibilities---then I believe you would have more "wild man" style coaching.

 

[PEPPERS]

What Rec ball really needs in my opinion is much more focus put into coach development. it's great when you have a Rec DD who is really into the art of coaching, but for the most part, many are not whether it's thru lack of commitment, want, or just experience.

If Rec programs would run really good coaching clinics all the time than they could expose the volunteer coaches to the possibilities---then I believe you would have more "wild man" style coaching.

So true if HS or College coaches would give clinics for Rec coaches it would improve the quality of players these coaches see in the future and maybe give them a larger group of good players to choose from. A player with better skills is going to play longer and be happier playing SB.

 

[Wookie]

Typically in my area, rec coaches are parents who can bring the equipment to most of the practices and games. The girls end up suffering in the end. I eventually got into coaching because I was tired of having to tell DD "go ahead and throw the ball - if it hits her in the face she'll either learn to catch, or quit" Obviously, there were some parents there that didn't like that comment, but I asked them how often do they practice with their DD, do they play catch, throw grounders, take her to the cages, since that's what I do with my DD. I also told them that my DD shouldn't have her development slowed down because they couldn't, or wouldn', do the same for their kid.

I like to use the college algebra analogy - do you think Down the Street Junior College waters down their algebra 101 course because they are a JC, or do you think Large University with Reputation teaches "extra special secret" algebra 101 so their students know more? Neither is correct - they most likely teach from the same TEXT BOOK! and so should we when we are talking about softball - rec or travel.

 

[Dragoncoach]

Keep them engaged

Agreed, what some of the people in these leagues dont understand is that being engaged is fun. when you dummby down the game (dont allow aggresive baserunning, steeling, leadoffs, etc) you make them disengaged, they get bored and quit.