travel team rules
- Thread starter coachtucc
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
- Jan 25, 2011
- 2,278
- 38
Sorry,you missed the point here,the question was should your best player sit,for breaking a rule,I say yes,teach your superstars now before they end up like some of these pampered superstars in pro sports.
Religious commitments, school events, family milestones (immediate family or someone very close) are legitimate reasons to miss a practice or a game. I don't hold that against anyone, but respect them for having their priorities straight. In terms of lateness, that drives me crazy as well, but there is no use punishing the kid that is depending on someone else to get them there. We let them know that every time they miss practice or are late, they have missed something important, and everyone else on the team has a step up on them in terms of what they are expected to know and perform. The good kids get that and make up for it with outside work, and the not so good ones don't and don't make the effort.
We once had a player frequently miss winter batting practice due to commitments with travel basketball (when we were 1st year 12U). The expectation was among the parents that this player would not be a starter because of all the missed practices. By the second tournament she was our lead off hitter. There was some hard feelings and grumbling about this, but the fact of the matter was that despite missing all of those hitting sessions, and the opportunities the other players had to prove themselves, no one stepped up and outperformed her come tournament time. Bottom line was that she made the effort outside of team practices to catch up once basketball was over. In TB, if you believe the best players play, then hold to it. If you believe team rules are for everyone, then be consistent about sitting out every player for every infraction as you see fit. Each coach has their own set of rules and style on how they conduct the team. You will know at the end of the year how successfully you navigated your application of the team rules, whether it was seen as fair or over the top, by how many players come back to your team the following year.
We once had a player frequently miss winter batting practice due to commitments with travel basketball (when we were 1st year 12U). The expectation was among the parents that this player would not be a starter because of all the missed practices. By the second tournament she was our lead off hitter. There was some hard feelings and grumbling about this, but the fact of the matter was that despite missing all of those hitting sessions, and the opportunities the other players had to prove themselves, no one stepped up and outperformed her come tournament time. Bottom line was that she made the effort outside of team practices to catch up once basketball was over. In TB, if you believe the best players play, then hold to it. If you believe team rules are for everyone, then be consistent about sitting out every player for every infraction as you see fit. Each coach has their own set of rules and style on how they conduct the team. You will know at the end of the year how successfully you navigated your application of the team rules, whether it was seen as fair or over the top, by how many players come back to your team the following year.
- Jan 25, 2011
- 2,278
- 38
Insidepitch,I have to ask you these,would you sit your best pitcher,lets say on saturday at a tourament,one of your starting outfielder is late for warm ups,you sit her out for the first game,because they know the rules.Now on Sunday,you are going to be in the champonship game,you have break before the next game.Parents and players leave for lunch or something,now #1 pitcher is late and misses warm ups,This is a very important a game you win here you go on to nationals.Do you sit #1 after all rules are rules,you sat the right fielder.If you play your #1 then you are showing them,that it is all right for her, because she is your superstar.
- Jan 25, 2011
- 2,278
- 38
Amen,thats the answer that I want to see.
- Feb 3, 2011
- 1,880
- 48
15 is a huge roster, Coach.
This is fall ball you're talking about. We do town travel here as well for fall, but it's just competitive rec, meaning that all the players come from our local rec league and are not regular TB players. Being competitive on game day is important, but fall coaches have to recognize that softball is not top priority during this season. I've got soccer players and players who want to dance, etc. Our starting catcher has to be an hour late to practice, but she's our team's 2nd-best player. Prior to joining the team, player's mom told me player's situation and asked whether it was acceptable. No problem at all. I appreciated that courtesy. Any player (except DD) who wants to challenge for that starting job is welcome to do so, however.
What are the main goals for your team?
I don't view running as a punishment. Getting called out for not paying attention or doing something else that 8u players do (had a couple girls actually throwing dirt yesterday, *groan*) is punishment. Running is not, as that gives a player a minute or 2 to think.
In spring/summer, softball has priority over other sports or activities. Illness and death in the family will not cost anyone a start and I am sensitive to other things as well. A player this past spring missed a game for her First Communion. No penalty.
This is fall ball you're talking about. We do town travel here as well for fall, but it's just competitive rec, meaning that all the players come from our local rec league and are not regular TB players. Being competitive on game day is important, but fall coaches have to recognize that softball is not top priority during this season. I've got soccer players and players who want to dance, etc. Our starting catcher has to be an hour late to practice, but she's our team's 2nd-best player. Prior to joining the team, player's mom told me player's situation and asked whether it was acceptable. No problem at all. I appreciated that courtesy. Any player (except DD) who wants to challenge for that starting job is welcome to do so, however.
What are the main goals for your team?
I don't view running as a punishment. Getting called out for not paying attention or doing something else that 8u players do (had a couple girls actually throwing dirt yesterday, *groan*) is punishment. Running is not, as that gives a player a minute or 2 to think.
In spring/summer, softball has priority over other sports or activities. Illness and death in the family will not cost anyone a start and I am sensitive to other things as well. A player this past spring missed a game for her First Communion. No penalty.
sluggers nailed it. Practices are opportunities for players to learn and improve. If they are not there, and are not working outside of practice, they are hurting themselves. The punishment of not being at the same level as the rest of the team is enough. More bench time because of a lack of knowing team plays, making mistakes that were worked on at practice, or anything else that shows the coach that a player is not on the same level as the rest of the team, is justified without regard to how many practices were missed, or how many minutes late the player was. At the same time, a girl who never comes to practice but has a .500 BA and .990 fielding percentage, can probably be told once about a new play, and be able to perform it without having to practice it 50 times at practice. Should she sit on the bench because she missed, or was late for practice?
Some of the best teams around here, including 12U and up, do not have regularly scheduled practices. The players are expected to work on their own. Players are shown different plays during pool games, and if they have trouble with them, they work on it before the next tournament, by themselves, with their parents, or even with other players on the team.
Be carefull when making rules, there are always circumstances that come up and make it impossible to be fair to everyone. One of the teams that I mentioned above, has one rule... the best 9 play. If one of the starters misses a game or tournament, a sub gets a chance to prove that they should be a starter, so the player that missed may find when they come back that they are now a sub. No penalty for breaking some irrelevant rule, no excuesed absence, no unexcuesed absence ... fairness.
Some of the best teams around here, including 12U and up, do not have regularly scheduled practices. The players are expected to work on their own. Players are shown different plays during pool games, and if they have trouble with them, they work on it before the next tournament, by themselves, with their parents, or even with other players on the team.
Be carefull when making rules, there are always circumstances that come up and make it impossible to be fair to everyone. One of the teams that I mentioned above, has one rule... the best 9 play. If one of the starters misses a game or tournament, a sub gets a chance to prove that they should be a starter, so the player that missed may find when they come back that they are now a sub. No penalty for breaking some irrelevant rule, no excuesed absence, no unexcuesed absence ... fairness.
- Jan 25, 2011
- 2,278
- 38
Momo,at that age instead of having them run,make them go sit down away from the team and think about what they did.
The good ole' time out bucket!!!
Sluggers I get where your coming from but the other kids see this and then they do not come to practice and then you are at practice with 6-7 kids. I have found that being very upfront with both the players and their parents about what your expectations are will keep much of this from happening(I am talking the 14U and under level now, where kids are still learning and not the 18U level). A phone call is needed if they are going to be out or late so I know what is going on.
John
John
