travel team rules

[InsidePitch]

Nanotech14, I would have to look at each situation before making a decision to sit a kid. If I determine it is the kids fault I'd ok to sit them. Something unavoidable (auto mechanical related, unexpected really bad traffic) I say get your arm warm and lets go play.

Were I managing adults I would feel ok setting rules that don't deviate. FWIW, I don't think professional teams bench for tardiness. FINES are what they get.

 

[Momo'sDad]

I agree with the 9 best getting the most innings. I don't make kids run or put them in time out, but my assistant coaches will often have a kid run. It doesn't bother me when they do it, though. I'm mainly interested in keeping the kids' attention in order to keep them safe out there.

I think the real key is to create an environment such that kids don't want to miss a single moment of practice. Then just handle any tardiness or misses as they come.

 

[nanotech14]

I think the real key is to create an environment such that kids don't want to miss a single moment of practice. Then just handle any tardiness or misses as they come.

Well,thats a good tought,but coach a few more years.Then come back and tell us how it is done.

 

[Momo'sDad]

Well,thats a good tought,but coach a few more years.Then come back and tell us how it is done.

I am a 10u coach, so being completely honest, I've only got 2 more years left of this. I won't have that much experience by the time my ride is over, but I do feel that my approach is completely age-appropriate for 10u. My better players are generally the kids who hustle the most and I've got a couple of less talented players who've earned starting jobs because they get after it, while other kids choose not to. While I think I'd be able to coach t-ball, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt I could not coach 8u. My hat's off to the men and women who take on that challenge.

Once the 10u years are over, I'll be moving back to my lawn chair in left field.

 

[PEPPERS]

This is a handout I gave the kids that played for me the parents and kids were aware of what was expected of them. I made some of it up and borrowed from others.

PLAYER CONTRACT

PLAYING TIME
The amount of playing time each girl receives will be determined by her softball skills, attitude, commitment to the team, participation in team activities and game/tournament situations.

EFFORT for PRACTICE and GAMES
Team members are expected to give 100%, you may not feel good on certain days or you may not be in the best of spirits on a given day, but give 100% of your self that you bring to the ballpark. Losers give 90% winners give 100%. Players are to be alert and ready to react on every play your safety depends on it.

PRACTICE and WARM-UPS
Team members are required to participate in all practice drills directed by coaches, refusal to participate, or arguing about any drill is prohibited. Games may last for more that an hour in very hot and humid conditions, for player safety they must be in shape and accustom to conditions. Any drill a player can not participate in due to a medical problem, a parent or guardian must advise a coach.

BE A TEAM PLAYER
When a coach makes a decision in a game team members are to follow coaches instructions. Decisions are made by coaches to give players playing time or to give the team the best chance to be competitive in a game. Coaches must look at the good of the entire team and not the individual player. When a coach makes a decision he or she needs to be thinking about the next play and not explaining his or her reason behind the decision.

ATTITUDE and RESPECT
Team members will show respect for, be considerate of, and display a positive attitude towards teammates, coaches, umpires, opposing players and parents. Negative comments or rudeness will not be tolerated.

CONDUCT
Players will conduct themselves in a proper and well-behaved manner during practice, games and all team functions.

EMOTIONS
Always control your emotions and display good sportsmanship. No profanity; no throwing equipment; no arguing with teammates, coaches, opponents or umpires.

PARTICIPATION
Participate in all practices, games and team functions unless you have prior approval from a coach to be absent. You are to advise a coach when you can not attend a game or practice.

TIMELINESS
Be on time for all practices, games and team functions. If you are early you are on time, if you are on time you are late, if you are late you will run.

PREPARATION & RESPONCIBILITY
Always be prepared for a game or practice: have your uniform and equipment with you. Players are required to keep up with equipment, Do not leave any equipment on the field or at the ballpark.

I understand violation of rules may mean disciplinary action that may include running, extra drills, or reduced playing time. Continued violation may mean expulsion from games or the team. Players who do not follow rules maybe excluded from after season activities.

_______________________ _______ ________________________ _______
Player Date Parent or Guardian Date

 

[PEPPERS]

This is some more of it.

PRACTICE GUIDELINES

A key ingredient for any successful team is practice. A successful team will have productive practices, with everyone working hard all the time. While working hard it is imperative to concentrate on doing whatever you are doing correctly. Remember, practice does not make perfect, practice makes permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect

Learning to perform a skill such as a new swing or new throwing motion is obtained by a process called muscle memory training. This process is completed by practicing this skill over and over again utilizing the correct motion. Example to teach yourself to spell a word, you spell the word over and over again until you brain learns the correct spelling, same thing with muscle memory training. You must spell the word correctly to learn it; you must practice correctly to teach your muscles the correct swing or throwing motion. To burn the correct motion into your muscle memory you must practice this motion 3,000 times correctly to perfect the motion.
Further, it has been shown that for every time you do something wrong, you have to do it right seventeen (17) times to get your brain oriented to doing it right. Let's do it right the first time!

FOR OUR TEAM PLEASE WORK WITHIN THESE GUIDELINES.

1. Be at the field, mentally and physically ready to practice, at the scheduled start time. There will be a small time slot to stretch, jog and warm up, so you should do whatever extra personal stretching or warming up you need prior to the beginning of team practice. Keep in mind .......................
If you're early, you're on time ..........
If you're on time, you're late .........
If you're late, you're probably running .........
Great athletes come early and leave late.

2. Bring your gear (bat, glove, sliders, etc) to every practice. Get used to the idea that whenever you practice you need your gear and you need to give 100%. This makes you a better player and makes other players better.

3. Dress warmly, or bring plenty of warm clothes. It can, and frequently does, get cold during practice. Make sure you have the proper clothes and do not get cold.

4. Always hustle. One thing we will work towards is this: if a ball rolls to a stop on the field because no one hustled after it, then everyone should expect to participate in some sort of physical activity.

6. Even in practice always back-up you teammates, you play like you practice so practice to be a winner and to improve you softball skills.
5. Please let a coach know in advance if you will miss a practice.






KEYS TO IMPROVING SOFTBALL SKILLS



Remember hitting 200 balls of a tee will not improve your hitting. What will make you a better hitter is to practice with a goal in mind, observing the results, make appropriate adjustments for hours at a time to meet your goal. Example, if the low outside pitch gives you a problem set the tee for the low out side pitch, make adjustments to your swing so you can hit that pitch to the opposite field and practice, practice, practice until you can meet the goal you set.

As with any task you need to set a goal and then you practice until you get better at it.

Success is reached when you have a mind set that practice does make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.

Success is when preparation meets opportunity.

Ball players play ball to have fun, GOOD BALL PLAYERS PLAY BALL TO GET BETTER THAN THE LAST TIME THEY PLAYED.

Never judge you skills against weak players, to know how good you really are and where you need to improve, you must play against the best and judge your skills against the best players and teams.

You must benchmark you skills against the best players to know how good you are.

If you don’t know how good you are and where you need to improve two things happen,
1) You don’t get any better
2) You quit trying.






























WHAT MAKES A "CLASS" TEAM?

◄ PRIDE ►

Pride in your team and teammates. The way you play, look and act, on and off the field.
Everyone is part of the "family". Do things to make the team proud. Don't embarrass the team or yourself.
Older girls encourage and help younger girls as they represent the future of the team.
Everyone is together as a team mixing with everyone else, don't divide the team into small groups.
Whatever team you play on and wherever you go
..... you represent YOUR TEAM.

◄ ATTITUDE ►

Teammates encourage each other, even if it is the girl playing in front of you, and especially if someone makes a mistake. The team comes first, before the individual.
Treat opposing players with respect. Don't bad mouth them. If you run over someone, help them back up.
Treat the umpires with respect, realize that they do a difficult job the best they can and that it's better to be on their good side rather than their bad side.
Players play, spectators watch - the two should not mix.
Everyone on the team is equally important with a job to do the best she can. This goes for each starter and each girl on the bench who all work together trying to help the team in whatever way they can.
Girls play the game the same at all times, regardless of the score, situation or opponent. Don't allow the opposition to deter you from your goals or to lower your standards.
Girls play hard and play to win, but win or lose with class. Don't try to embarrass the other team when you beat them or give them extra incentive for the next time.
If you give 100%, and still come up short on the scoreboard, there is nothing to be ashamed of, learn from it and don't make excuses.
Girls will sacrifice themselves for the team - break up double plays, dive for balls, bunt runners over, etc.
No "clubhouse lawyers" - if there are problems they go back to the team captains or coaches but are not discussed behind girls backs which spreads dissension.

◄ PRESENTATION ►

Appearance - Team is neatly dressed and looks sharp.
Warm Up - well organized, everything is done together with a purpose.
Infield/Outfield - quick and sharp and snappy.
Hustle - Run on and off the field, whenever a girl is on the field she is running.
Bench - Well organized, equipment arranged neatly and everyone has a job to do. All talk and activity is centered around the game and trying to help out in some way.



DO IT WITH CLASS !












WHAT KIND OF PLAYERS ARE WE LOOKING FOR ???

1. Players who understand from the beginning that hard work is the minimum expected of them, and not the maximum. Players who understand that there are few guarantees in life, and that two are:

A. Success will not be easily achieved.
B. Players who are unwilling to give a total effort in practices are unlikely to give a greater effort once the games begin.

2. Players with a favorable attention span and the ability to listen and concentrate.

3. Players who can take criticism and acknowledge their mistakes without alibis, excuses, or blaming others.

4. Players who love the game.

5. Players who work hard.

6. Players who enjoy competing - and winning.

7. Players who like - and more important, respect - their teammates and coaches.

8. Players who are loyal to their team, teammates and coaches.

9. Players who understand that good players show up for big games, but great players show up for every game.

10. Players who exhibit leadership qualities.


























SUCCESS FACTORS


THE MENTAL ASPECT IS THE KEY TO WINNING SOFTBALL

CONCENTRATION - NO MENTAL MISTAKES
BE IN THE RIGHT SPOT AT THE RIGHT TIME

YOU CAN'T CONTROL
THE UMPIRES
LUCK

YOU CAN CONTROL
YOUR EFFORT - HOW HARD YOU TRY - DO YOU GIVE 110% EVERY MINUTE?
YOUR DEDICATION - DO YOU MAKE EVERY PRACTICE?
YOUR CONCENTRATION - IS YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME AT ALL TIMES?
YOUR ENTHUSIASM - ARE YOU CONSTANTLY CHEERING FOR YOUR TEAMMATES?

WINNING OR LOSING IS #2

EFFORT IS #1 - THIS HAS TO DO WITH LIFE

IF YOU ONLY GIVE 90% - YOU FAIL, YOU'RE A LOSER
IF YOU ALWAYS GIVE 110% - YOU SUCCEED, YOU'RE A WINNER

YOU ONLY PLAY IN A GAME LIKE YOU PRACTICE

KEY PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES: INTENSITY, COMPOSURE, ENTHUSIASM, EFFORT


COACHES PLAY "FAVORITES"

THEIR "FAVORITES" ARE THE GIRLS THAT:
PLAY THEIR HARDEST
GIVE THEIR BEST
MAKE THE MOST EFFORT
ARE THE MOST ENTHUSIASTIC

 

[sluggers]

Well,thats a good tought,but coach a few more years.Then come back and tell us how it is done.

Nano, it really isn't that hard.

(1) You tell the kids that the best players get the most time.
(2) You actually give the best players the most time. You reward kids with playing time if they play well. You take it away when they don't.
(3) You design your practices to make the kids better.

Kids aren't stupid, although adults treat them that way. They know which way the wind blows. You put together a meaningful practice where you are helping the kids get better, and then give playing time to the kids to the players on the team, they will show up for practice.

If you do what 99.5% of the coaches do--espouse tripe about "giving 100%" and then refuse to change their starting lineup--the kids won't show up.

THE MENTAL ASPECT IS THE KEY TO WINNING SOFTBALL

No, it isn't. The key to winning softball is the physical aspect. If it were mental, it would be called chess.

 

[Greenmonsters]

No, it isn't. The key to winning softball is the physical aspect. If it were mental, it would be called chess.

Two words - AJ Burnett

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I can't think of a time, when any of my 3 kids did not want to go to practice. I didn't start them in sports too early. I practiced with them from the time they could throw and then, put them in rec leagues at age 10. They were in a lot of activities, which included church, scouts and piano - but baseball/softball came first. They wouldn't have considered going to a sleep over or a family wedding, if they had to miss sports.

So, I always thought that maybe the kids that missed practices didn't take sports as seriously as we did - or maybe their parents actually had a life. I always hated it when my husband would insist that we leave on a vacation in August. Sometimes, All Stars wasn't over yet. Maybe the difference is the year around practice/games, now. But, if kids are 10 or so, and aren't wanting to go to practice, I think that they should find a different activity and not waste the coach's time.

 

[MsDinosaur]

I can't think of a time, when any of my 3 kids did not want to go to practice. I didn't start them in sports too early. I practiced with them from the time they could throw and then, put them in rec leagues at age 10. They were in a lot of activities, which included church, scouts and piano - but baseball/softball came first. They wouldn't have considered going to a sleep over or a family wedding, if they had to miss sports.

So, I always thought that maybe the kids that missed practices didn't take sports as seriously as we did - or maybe their parents actually had a life. I always hated it when my husband would insist that we leave on a vacation in August. Sometimes, All Stars wasn't over yet. Maybe the difference is the year around practice/games, now. But, if kids are 10 or so, and aren't wanting to go to practice, I think that they should find a different activity and not waste the coach's time.

My daughter would almost always rather have stayed home to read or watch tv rather than go to swimming, soccer, basketball, gymnastics or volleyball, but whenever it's a softball practice or game day, she's happy and raring to go. In fact, she's usually yelling at me to hurry so that she won't be late.

I'm glad she tried a lot of sports and has a rudimentary knowledge and skill base that will probably get her through her future gym classes and/or friendly games on the playground successfully. However, although the team needed her in order to have enough players, she was basically wasting her soccer coach's time last year (at age 10, just as Amy mentioned!); it was high time to quit and devote her time to the activities she loves. She seems much happier and more dedicated this year.

TB takes so much time and effort; I think any kid who didn't love softball would be miserable.