The worst Place to Coach?

[wild man]

I was Talking with a Travel ball coach yesterday and when he realized I was a JV coach He said he felt for me. He said Travel and LL were easier to Coach than JV.

He was a JV coach for a while and said it was the worst Place to coach. In Travel and LL there is no HC to deal with and lots less politics. I have done LL but not Travel.
But I dont Know You think its the Worst?

 

[CoachKevin]

Hmmm I was gonna say 3rd base coach will a dead pull hitter up and getting a nice fat inside pitch!!!

 

[sluggers]

The most fun to coach is rec ball. If you have the right attitude, you will laugh a lot and have a great time with the kids.

Coaching 18U TB is probably the closest you can get to playing softball. The pitching is great, the kids know what they are doing, they understand the game...but, of course, the players are 17 and 18 YOA teenagers. So, between games, you are looking around saying, "What have I got myself into?"

For me, 14U TB was the worst. The parents think their DDs are destined for UCLA and Alabama. And, the parents know almost nothing about the game.

 

[jacketsfan]

This summer, we are doing what is likely to be our last team. It will have about 6 girls who are 2011's, who are all committed to colleges. The others will be current college players, coming back for a last summer.

With the recruiting pressure off, and none of them (ok, us coaches too) feeling like we have anything to prove to anyone, we are saying this will be just for fun. I think this will be the most fun ever in SB. I plan to do almost no coaching - just giving them all a place to play. My DD and I have promised each other that we will spend more time laughing this summer than we ever have at SB. Unlike the last few summers, where we were trying to get them all signed, and dealing with the pressure of that, I think this will be the most fun ever and the best place to be.

Other than this summer, I agree completely with Slugger's analysis.

 

[druer]

For me, 14U TB was the worst.

Not sure I've ever agreed with any statement I've ever read more than this one. For me the problem is that you just can't logically reason with a girl just starting this phase of her life. But it is fun to see girls you've worked with for years get that burst of size/strength/speed and be able to play real softball.

My favorite is 12U. They are getting physical and mentail strength, don't think they know everything and are open to learning and I love instructing. Most still love their parents and adults in general and you can't beat the innocence in their smiles when they make a great play or get that game winning hit.

As Sluggers said 18U travel is amazing because if they are still playing, they are playing for themselves. They know it takes hard work in order to win and will do it. They've generally learned how to get along even when they don't agree with everything and between the lines the play is amazing. If you are coaching HS ball you know it's just better not to hear the talk off the field because it makes your head hurt because you realize that while they are athletes on the field, many are hurting deeply and are still normal teenage girls.

 

[BB875]

I coach 12U TB and love it. I loved 10U TB, too. rec ball is fun, but not the same intensity, or desire to win. I have never really had any parent problems, ever. So, many of you have bad experiences I have never faced. I personally would start another 10U TB team in a few years if mama would do it all over again. You see, she is a very good coach & we do this thing together. Women can connect to the girls in a way no man ever could. She keeps the kids having fun.

AS 12 year olds, we just won our first 14U tourney last weekend...The kids are on fire and it makes my job very easy. TB provides more satisfaction than rec, by far.

 

[Lozza]

It is not the first post I have posted this same comment about.

Screwball, there are lots of comments made here. It gets very frustrating reading how 'bad' girls are.

For me the best place to coach is the littlies. It's where the improvement is obvious and the joy they get out of improving is wonderful to watch.

 

[coachtucc]

each level has its bad points and good points...12u can be both rewarding and frustrating at the same time and if you do not have a patient coach who loves to teach fundamentals and instead just focuses on winning, it can be a bad time! My asst coach on my former travel team (12U) hated working on fundamentals and threw a water bottle against the fence during a game because the girls made three errors in an inning and were losing! Patience is a must at that level!!

 

[SnocatzDad]

For me the low point was first year 16U. Pressure to win was intense, no longer good enough to play well and consistantly finish near the top every weekend. 15-16 year old girls that start the year nearly on the same page as far as goals end the year heading in 12 different directions. Parents who were along for the ride all suddenly feel the pressure that this is the make it or break it year for their kid and suddenly want a say in steering the ship. I have been coaching sports 12 years and that is the only year I look back on with regret and wish I could have a big do over

 

[Sparky Guy]

I have to say there is no one year that is worse than the others when dealing with the players. It's dealing with the parents. I've worked with primarily young girls over the last seven years. What I've found is the parents are the biggest problem to deal with. The progression I usually see is this. At first year 10U the parents are usually quiet. They are seeing things they've never see before in rec. Second year 10's there will be one parent on the team who has an epiphany and knows everything the coach does. At 12's the "smart" parent will start voicing their opinion. This "smart" parent will try to educate the other parents to the coaches "mistakes" and shortcomings. The "Smart" parent will try to start their own team and steal as many players as they can off of the current team.

Had girl on a 10U team who bounced through six different teams through 12's and 1st year 14U after she left me. Dad was always "smarter" than everyone else. Dad finally weaseled his way into coaching in an organization that folded and is now 45 minutes away because all the local teams knew him.

14's is the transitional age. It's at that age is when the players make the decision to quit or move forward with their softball careers. They will usually be the ones who make the decision about where they want to play. There tends to be fewer "trouble" parents as they realize the game belongs to their daughter.

At 16's the "crazy" parent can show up with all the recruiting pressure at that age. They usually settle down once the school situation is settled.

18's run themselves. The girls have decided if they are playing in college or not. The parents are less involved. The girls will drive themselves to practice. The biggest challenge for the coach is more "life" type issues with the girls off of the field that every young adult wrestles with.

There is a caveat. At EVERY level you're bound to have an idiot parent. The chances become less as the parents mature along with the girls.

HS is a whole different animal and it ALL depends on the coach. If the coach is there for the team the best players will play regardless of age. The coaches who submerse themselves in the school politics and let off the field situations influence their coaching are the ones who make life miserable for everyone except for a select few.

Rec can run the gamut. Most parents understand the recreation. You'll have the few who've never ventured out of their small pond who lack a balanced perspective of things.

The softball community is really a reflection of general life. There are crazies involved in almost everything we do from work, to play, to socializing and church. It's something we can't avoid.