Team Rules~No player/parent interaction at the ballpark

[23and9]

Do you think all parents are following the unwritten guidelines of appropriate?


It may not be an environment you would like to be in but other people waited in line in hopes to be on that team, and coached by that coach.

I get it. When there’s a demand for a certain team or coach, parents will allow things and buy into what they probably wouldn’t elsewhere.

 

[radness]

I get it. When there’s a demand for a certain team or coach, parents will allow things and buy into what they probably wouldn’t elsewhere.

Ohhhh just started a new post that is a great Segway into... good discussion everybody.

 

[wdleggett]

Wholeheartedly, parents suck and ruin it for the kid/team. Culture and standard has to be created and established so there is no grey area. As mine got older and she formed into the player she is today, I had less interaction and more if she wants to talk about it. What did me talking after the fact do to help a 10U-12U kid? Nothing, she grew and learned from it. She became a better player and I enjoyed watching her grow when and I just enjoyed the time and what she is accomplishing on the field.

I agree with you. Mine is 14u and is a catcher and even on teams I’ve coached as an assistant I would try to take a step back so she could be “coachable”. I’ll admit I probably wouldn’t have her on a team like they’re describing because I see things other coaches wouldn’t notice because I’ve coached her so long and I can tell if she’s hurt by watching her stance. On the flip side she’s at the point where she tells me what’s she’s doing wrong and my response is cool then you know how to fix it

 

[PDM]

Know of a very successful travel ball coach who had this policy for the players on his team.
(When he started tb many years ago)
12u and older.

There would be no player to parent interaction at the Ballpark at all.
Players are to arrive ready to go for the day including a lunch box and all water Gatorade and such for the day.
No players going over to their parents after the game, nor talking to them during the game. There were no parents coming over and chatting with their kid during or after games or in between games.
Coach wanted players Full Focus and working on doing everything as one unit. Other than if there was an extreme injury, No breaking of this rule was obliged at all.

Any comments about this?
Does anybody have a team that is ran like this currently?


The travel ball team am speaking about had about 12 national championships through 18u in their first 15 years. The coach had more success following years and continues in softball to this day.

It's a really stupid policy. There is no good reason for it. I would never want to do that as a coach and I would never want my child on a team that had this policy. I don't care how many championships the coach has won. What would happen if one of the players broke a leg during a game (to make an extreme example)? Is the coach taking full responsibility and keeping the parents away until the player gets to the hospital?

 

[PDM]

We had something similar at one point and frankly I like it. There has to be some flexibility at times though and that's where it gets tricky for some people.

If you think that there has to be flexibility at times, then you don't like what this coach is doing. There was no flexibility that I saw in the original post.

 

[radness]

I get it. When there’s a demand for a certain team or coach, parents will allow things and buy into what they probably wouldn’t elsewhere.

There is much truth to your post!

 

[PDM]

PDM Not sure if you read the whole thread it's been a lot of pages? There's some good reasons for the policy that have been expressed within. Unfortunately there's just so many little details that could not be added to the original post to express all of these concerns people have liked do they players get enough water. Yes they get enough water and they get treated the same as if there were an injury and the parent is available to attend to their child's need off the field

Ok your opinion.


But this is one of those going off the deep end comments thinking that good Common Sense would be abandoned simply because of a coaching standard.

That's absolutely silly at that point to think that a parent who is attending the game would not be involved with their child. Come on now. However there are situations where there is no parent available and a coach will stand up for players in those type of situations. Going to the hospital *have seen coaches do that.

No, it's a serious question. The coach wants to totally control the players while at a tournament. Is this included? If not, where is the line drawn? If the player is dizzy or feeling nauseous because the parents weren't allowed to remind their child to take in enough fluids, who handles that? Does the coach have the player sit on the bench? Does he bother to bring the parents over and inform them that there might be a problem? Does he take responsibility if the player has to go to the hospital because he was too busy with strategy to ensure that the players were hydrated? Probably not. Here's how I look at dealing with parents as a coach: I am in charge of the game, but if parents can contribute in a positive way, they are welcome to do so as long as it doesn't interfere with the game. I am just a coach. They have the ultimate responsibility for the child and I won't cut off their access. If the parents are negatively affecting the player's performance and/or development, I will speak to them and let them know that. From there, it's up to them to make the decision on whether they want their child to be successful or not. These kids did not join the US Marine Corps. They play youth sports.

 

[radness]

No, it's a serious question. The coach wants to totally control the players while at a tournament. Is this included? If not, where is the line drawn? If the player is dizzy or feeling nauseous because the parents weren't allowed to remind their child to take in enough fluids, who handles that? Does the coach have the player sit on the bench? Does he bother to bring the parents over and inform them that there might be a problem? Does he take responsibility if the player has to go to the hospital because he was too busy with strategy to ensure that the players were hydrated? Probably not. Here's how I look at dealing with parents as a coach: I am in charge of the game, but if parents can contribute in a positive way, they are welcome to do so as long as it doesn't interfere with the game. I am just a coach. They have the ultimate responsibility for the child and I won't cut off their access.
If parents are negatively affecting the player's performance and/or development, I will speak to them and let them know that. From there, it's up to them to make the decision on whether they want their child to be successful or not.

It would be difficult to add every detail to the original post. Definitely understand the questions that go along with it.

Point of the topic is basically a coach that wanted to separate the influences the parents add into the team Dynamic at games at the field. Also make team unity important.

As to situations like injury and sickness all coaches have to facilitate those situations regardless of having this coaching standard. They have to determine when the player comes off the field and sits on the bench or determine when they need to come off the field and go with their parent... or even a coach themself take them to the hospital. or another parent take the kid to a hospital.

 

[BrianTx01]

There are sometimes hours between games and this makes no sense. The other factor is this is time between game completion and warm up is time I spend with my DD. Sometimes she spends it with her teammates or other friends....but sometimes we go out to a family lunch or dinner. Sometimes we sit in the car and talk and get some A/C. I can't imagine giving up that valuable time with her. She will be in College soon enough and this will all be over.

 

[_MIA_]

Outside of safety concerns (I assume the coach in question wasn’t a Barbarian and would allow interaction for extenuating circumstances), this thread is being addressed by the wrong constituency…