Noob question for coaches

[softball_mom1999]

Hi everyone! Been reading the forum for awhile-great stuff. So I thought I would register so I could ask a few questions. I apologize in advance for rambling.

My DD just went to her first travel ball 'try out'. She is in the midst of her second of two seasons for middle school and played two seasons of rec ball prior to that. She's 14 and relatively inexperienced in softball compared to a lot of girls. They already had open tryouts a couple of weeks ago but invited us to come out for a practice so they (and we) could take a look.

Well, their roster is enormous. With my DD, there are 15 girls.

The coach said he liked her. Thought she was athletic. But needed to quicken up getting the ball out of the glove and work on hitting. These are things we are not surprised by. She's a good, solid player and a hard worker who loves playing ball but she is not a star (at this point anyways). Most of the girls were pretty similar but there were a few girls who looked like they had it going on so I know competition would be fierce.

They invited us back to their next practice.

My question is this: would you as a coach be open to a player coming in simply to practice with the team and act as a walk on if needed (with parents willing to pay a reduced fee for the practice time and also their part of of the tournament fees their child went to)? My thinking is that I know my kid needs improvement to be competitive with the girls on the field right now, particularly at the bat, and honestly, I'm not willing to spend big dollars and weekends traveling to watch her ride the bench. I was thinking this might be a solution for us to get her practice and for them to have a girl they know will do it the way they want it done if they ever needed someone.

Would you laugh a parent off the field if they came up to you and asked this? Would it be too disruptive to the team dynamics?

 

[James Smith]

It never hurts to ask.

One thing though if they say yes she needs to be committed to being at the practices and not come and go.

 

[Ajaywill]

Hi everyone! Been reading the forum for awhile-great stuff. So I thought I would register so I could ask a few questions. I apologize in advance for rambling.

My DD just went to her first travel ball 'try out'. She is in the midst of her second of two seasons for middle school and played two seasons of rec ball prior to that. She's 14 and relatively inexperienced in softball compared to a lot of girls. They already had open tryouts a couple of weeks ago but invited us to come out for a practice so they (and we) could take a look.

Well, their roster is enormous. With my DD, there are 15 girls.

The coach said he liked her. Thought she was athletic. But needed to quicken up getting the ball out of the glove and work on hitting. These are things we are not surprised by. She's a good, solid player and a hard worker who loves playing ball but she is not a star (at this point anyways). Most of the girls were pretty similar but there were a few girls who looked like they had it going on so I know competition would be fierce.

They invited us back to their next practice.

My question is this: would you as a coach be open to a player coming in simply to practice with the team and act as a walk on if needed (with parents willing to pay a reduced fee for the practice time and also their part of of the tournament fees their child went to)? My thinking is that I know my kid needs improvement to be competitive with the girls on the field right now, particularly at the bat, and honestly, I'm not willing to spend big dollars and weekends traveling to watch her ride the bench. I was thinking this might be a solution for us to get her practice and for them to have a girl they know will do it the way they want it done if they ever needed someone.

Would you laugh a parent off the field if they came up to you and asked this? Would it be too disruptive to the team dynamics?

I'm not a coach, but I think your answer will vary greatly depending on the goals of the individual coaches and their teams.

I think you should just ask the question to the coach of this team just like you put it here and see what the answer is. If it is positive, great...hope it works out for you. If not, move on and find another team that is a fit with your situation.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

Having 15 on the roster isn't a big deal, having 15 at every game is. Try and figure out how many girls will be active for Fall, Spring and Summer.

 

[Coach Fastpitch]

As a coach of an A level team, I have open practices for the most part. That means kids not on my team can come to our practice provided I know in advance of their attendance. I do this for a few reasons that are obvious. But the biggest is I turn down probably 20 kids a year that tryout for our team. Part of my speech is be patient looking for a team that fits, guest play, and if you need a place to practice you are welcome to work in with us.

 

[CoogansBluff]

As others said, you just have to ask. Personally, I would not want to coach at team w/ 15 players. I prefer 11. I've never wanted to have a practice-only player. I want to maximize the attention and repetition for the playing-members of the team. I don't mind a guest every now and then. That's just the teams I've coached. Others may do it differently.

 

[YOCOACH]

I have to agree with Coogan on this one. I was asked this question last year by a parent and honestly felt that it wasn't fair to take time away from the players that committed to a full-time position on the team. As other posters have said, many of them would so you should definitely ask the HC. The worst that can happen is he says no.

 

[marriard]

If she is good enough to practice and the coach be comfortable she isn't effecting how he runs his practice, then she is probably good enough to play regularly on a different team.

I'd keep practicing on this team until I found the right fit elsewhere where she can be on the field and play.

 

[softball_mom1999]

Thanks so much for everyone's input! It's so hard in this area. This team is the only game in town. Other options are over an hour away. I completely understand about taking away from other kids on the team, that was one of my main concerns.
I might ask if I can work up the courage but I think we will probably just get her some private batting lessons over the winter and work at home and then see what the spring brings.

 

[Coach JV]

we will probably just get her some private batting lessons over the winter and work at home and then see what the spring brings.

this is your best bet. If she is willing to work hard all winter and can flat out hit come spring,
she will have no problem finding a team. Her skills will only improve through getting practice/game reps,
good luck finding the right avenue