New 14u Travel Coach

[_MIA_]

Find the nearest orphanage and recruit from there.

 

[TonyK]

Careful with parent assistant coaches, as it can influence how their DDs are treated. Parents will gripe about that too. I think it's better if no parents are on the assistant coaching staff. Especially if it's just some random dad that doesn't have much connection to softball except his daughter.

I am interested in examples of non-parent AC's. Seems those would be rare unless receiving payment. Older siblings perhaps?

 

[bmakj]

I am interested in examples of non-parent AC's. Seems those would be rare unless receiving payment. Older siblings perhaps?

hard at 14u, at younger ages, you could try to recruit some HS players maybe for some help. maybe local college girls looking to get into coaching when they are done playing (Education majors might be perfect fit)? siblings could be tricky if they're anything like my two.

 

[uncdrew]

I am interested in examples of non-parent AC's. Seems those would be rare unless receiving payment. Older siblings perhaps?

Right?

I have no idea how you find them or where they come from.

On our current team, it's a very good friend (and ex-college teammate) of the HC. We do pay the HC, so some might kick down to the AC.

Some of the younger, ex-college player, assistant coaches do it because they love and miss the game. Some have aspirations of being a HC soon and want to get experience first. Some are highschool coaches and just love it and want to do it more than the short highschool season.

that's my experience, at least. But so many of the "Tryout notices" on facebook and such are listing female assistant coaches and where they played college ball. Seems to be more common this year.

 

[Hawk_]

Ok a few things:
1. Don't even attempt to coach the pitchers. If you want them to throw a little after practice that's fine. But what you need to do is call their pitching coaches and get key words that their Pitching coaches use and reenforce those things.
2. Wrist Coaches are a must. To much going on to signal all of the time.
3. Go watch a high level teams practice.... then steal what they do.
4. It's travel ball..... fair doesn't exist. If the girl has earned the SS spot... then it is what it is.
5. Situations need to be ran through 100's of times. (Girl on first with no outs and a bunt down the 3rd base line..... what's the coverage?)
6. The recruiting process and the scheduling and budgeting..... that's the hard part. Coaching is easy.

 

[NBECoach]

I know this may be a minority opinion but I find the number system somewhat confining and in some cases easy to decipher.
Example 1. Say there is no one on and batter has an 0-2 count. The coach yells out a number. What can he possibly want the hitter to do? Take -no, bunt-unlikely, swing- yes. So the coach has given away his number as swing. Yes I track the numbers. They become very useful late in a game. I know that some teams have multiple cards so they can change, but most do not.
Example 2 - bunt attempt. Unless you get the bunt down the first time you get 2 bunt numbers. Yes they can fake bunt and swing but most don't have that option in numbers.

I know some coaches hand signals are ridiculously easy to decipher too, but I feel that if done right there are more options if you have the players with the ability to use them

 

[Hawk_]

I know this may be a minority opinion but I find the number system somewhat confining and in some cases easy to decipher.
Example 1. Say there is no one on and batter has an 0-2 count. The coach yells out a number. What can he possibly want the hitter to do? Take -no, bunt-unlikely, swing- yes. So the coach has given away his number as swing. Yes I track the numbers. They become very useful late in a game. I know that some teams have multiple cards so they can change, but most do not.
Example 2 - bunt attempt. Unless you get the bunt down the first time you get 2 bunt numbers. Yes they can fake bunt and swing but most don't have that option in numbers.

I know some coaches hand signals are ridiculously easy to decipher too, but I feel that if done right there are more options if you have the players with the ability to use them

I have 75 numbers for offensive calls, and some of them are "repeat."
Another 75 for defense, they live in colored zones they mean different things. So in a 75 min game you are writing down those numbers, and relaying them to your pitcher or defense?
Or.... I could touch my belt and everyone knows a bunt is coming...

 

[NBECoach]

Or.... I could touch my belt and everyone knows a bunt is coming...
[/QUOTE]

Not quite so simple - open the sign box, give the indicator, give the sign, confirm or take it off and indicate another play, close sign box, all the time the players look at the coach which opens up more options.

 

[uncdrew]

I know this may be a minority opinion but I find the number system somewhat confining and in some cases easy to decipher.
Example 1. Say there is no one on and batter has an 0-2 count. The coach yells out a number. What can he possibly want the hitter to do? Take -no, bunt-unlikely, swing- yes. So the coach has given away his number as swing. Yes I track the numbers. They become very useful late in a game. I know that some teams have multiple cards so they can change, but most do not.
Example 2 - bunt attempt. Unless you get the bunt down the first time you get 2 bunt numbers. Yes they can fake bunt and swing but most don't have that option in numbers.

I know some coaches hand signals are ridiculously easy to decipher too, but I feel that if done right there are more options if you have the players with the ability to use them

Well if you have an armband with a number system you usually have 6-7 numbers that mean "bunt" (or anything else). But if it's just numbers with no armband, then yeah, not going to work.

 

[Wildfire]

Try to get three pitchers. 5 game guarantee tournaments are rough on teams with just two pitchers.