So I guess for HS ball...

[maksoftball]

You just have to...

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LOL!

 

[Ken Krause]

Yeah, pretty much. Unless you're willing to uproot your whole family to find a coach you like you're pretty much stuck with whoever is at your local HS and however they want to approach it. It's not like travel ball.

In travel ball you basically have a capitalist system. They provide a service, and if you don't like the service you go to a competitor. HS ball is essentially a communist system, where the state supplies the service and you either take it or leave it.

Not making value judgments here. There are good and bad travel coaches, and good and bad HS coaches. There are plenty of travel coaches who are "my way or the highway" and plenty of HS coaches who know to let the high performers do their thing and stay out of the way. It's just that if you get a bad HS coach your options are limited.

Best thing you can do in most cases is smile, say "ok" or "I'm trying" and then do your best to ignore the advice. In your case, based on the other thread, that will be tougher to do. So I'd say figure out what you can do within the parameters of a specific drill to work on what you want to work on, and what matches with what you're being taught. For example, you can probably figure out how to work with the three hops drill without messing everything else up. A little tougher with the riseball bucket drill, although if your foot is up but your posture is the same as always you can probably get around that too.

There will always be someone who's more focused on the cover sheets for the TPS reports than whether the information is any good. Need to learn how to live with it.

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[Cannonball]

This is my 30 year of coaching HS and my 29th year of teaching. I've coached at a very high level and have coached internationally for our country. I've been the HC in 4 different sports and have outstanding records in each sport. I don't know the number of HS athletes I've helped into college but it is significant. I am not alone. There are thousands and thousands out there like me but better.

So, I'm going to take that knowledge and coach. What do parents expect? Do you really want a supervisor? I will coach a softball team from February 29th to the beginning of June. I will hold more practices in those 3 months than most of the TB programs will have all summer and fall. We will play 30 to 34 games in that time if not more. (As an FYI, Spring here is wet and cold.) Why is it that what HS Coaches are going to do is viewed in a poor light? HS Softball is not a chore. It can be an outstanding experience. No, it is not TB BUT TB is not HS. Enjoy each for what they are.

 

[Doug Romrell]

Great post, Ken. In particular, I liked...

In travel ball you basically have a capitalist system. They provide a service, and if you don't like the service you go to a competitor. HS ball is essentially a communist system, where the state supplies the service and you either take it or leave it.

However, I think of the HS off-season (i.e., travel-ball season) as generally more like a "free" society with its associated individual liberty, where if you don't like what you are getting, you can go elsewhere. HS ball is often, as you say, a communist system with all its tendency toward abuses of power. Sadly, it is sometimes the case that the communist mindset of HS ball doesn't go away once their season is over (or during open gyms). Something that can and does evolve from some HS programs is the communist mindset is that you don't own yourself anytime of the year once you decide you want to play HS ball.

Cannonball, You said, "No, it is not TB BUT TB is not HS. Enjoy each for what they are."
As you know, it's when the "communist" mindset of some HS programs goes too far demanding that TB and HS be exactly the same thing in terms of who controls whom. Some girls love to play high school ball because it IS different from travel-ball, and vice-versa. It's the control abuse I speak of that can adversely affect the "enjoy" aspect of both TB and HS.

 

[Sweet Lou]

This is my 30 year of coaching HS and my 29th year of teaching. I've coached at a very high level and have coached internationally for our country. I've been the HC in 4 different sports and have outstanding records in each sport. I don't know the number of HS athletes I've helped into college but it is significant. I am not alone. There are thousands and thousands out there like me but better.

So, I'm going to take that knowledge and coach. What do parents expect? Do you really want a supervisor? I will coach a softball team from February 29th to the beginning of June. I will hold more practices in those 3 months than most of the TB programs will have all summer and fall. We will play 30 to 34 games in that time if not more. (As an FYI, Spring here is wet and cold.) Why is it that what HS Coaches are going to do is viewed in a poor light? HS Softball is not a chore. It can be an outstanding experience. No, it is not TB BUT TB is not HS. Enjoy each for what they are.

Cannonball, coaches are just like teachers in the school system - there are good ones and bad ones.

You sound like a very good one and kids would be lucky to have you. That's not the case with all coaches.

I don't want you to think I believe all coaches are bad and that HS softball is "glorfied rec ball" as some on this site would have us believe but I am quite sure the level of play at HS varies wildly from school to school.

 

[YOCOACH]

^^^^AGREED!^^^^^
I would have no problem with my DD playing for CB. However, I DO have a problem when the supposed hitting coach of her HS team says to DD that she really needs to practice "hands to the ball" or some other such BS. DD told her him very respectfully but in no uncertain terms that she has several hitting coaches and none of them teach that particular swing. She also went so far as to say, again very respectfully, to please leave her swing to who her parents pay and she will take care of the rest.

I also agree that many schools, even in the same area, differ wildly as far as HS rec ball goes. DD's HS starting V team are all Tber's while not more than 9 miles away, that HS has 1 Tber and the rest are either rec ballers or first timers for V HS ball.

 

[packhand]

I guess we are lucky.... All the local high schools have a number of TB players that play on the HS team, which makes the games fun and competitive.

The varsity team has 5 girls from the top local TB teams and a number of girls from other competitive TB teams. Our #1 pitcher has already committed to a D1 school and the #2 has verbaled to a D1 school.

DD is 15 and she plays on a competitive TB team... The opportunity to play and practice with 17-18 yo girls from good TB organizations is exciting for her and will push her. We work all winter just to make varsity.

 

[sbmom19]

We are also lucky in our area. We have very well trained, knowlegable, committed coaches not only at DD's HS but also in the surrounding HS programs in our district. Very thankful for those coaches!

 

[Rambler34]

My DD is lucky enough to have a coach who also coaches high level TB. She gets the best of both worlds.

Coaches at the high school level have so many other responsibilities people do not always look at. They do not get to live and breath softball or take off to clinics like some TB coaches. They help coach other sports and also have a class to teach in most cases. Once they finish practice or games they still have papers to grade and lesson plans to get together. My daughter is lucky to be in the situation she is in with her coaches in volleyball, basketball, and softball and I have much respect for the work it takes for them to be successful coaching and in the classroom.

 

[Acatchersmom]

My dd's HS coach chooses his team by grade not by skill. Also add in parental input (he lives in town and has coached the team for years) We had a JR last year finally get her turn to start and she had one of top records for HRs in the county. The year before she sat on the bench while she watched her team lose states because a lot of the girls couldn't hit. This scenario is played out every year where he will move a girl up to varsity and not let them contribute when they clearly have so much to offer. Last year his poor management of team and players had them make an early exit in playoffs - one would think he finally would "get it" but from what I've seen so far nope! It's a shame the girls were beyond crushed last year


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