Wanting to play travel ball instead of high school season

[Ksphenom]

Level of play isn't consistent throughout the country. Most can agree on that point. The statement "You may have 3 teams out of 20 that are competitive" rings true for our area. Do I believe that good HS programs exist? Yes they exist just like the 80% to 90% of the bad teams.

Anyone that's been around softball for a minute has witnessed great team's start to mimic a terrible play and see great players, and teams snowball out of control just being on the same field.

Playing down to the majority of these terrible teams during the season and struggle when playing up and facing the 3 great teams you've been waiting to play.

What's great about the digital age we can access past history in your respective areas and see the scores from each season going back several years. Paints the picture of the competitive nature of these HS teams/games.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[CoachJD]

When the girls finally get to TB for the season, coaches have to reprogram their player back to basics because of the high school set back.

Funny you say that. When a couple of my incoming Freshmen start up with us in the spring, I have to reprogram them because of some of the things their travel coach is teaching them.

How do I explain to them that no, the first baseman being in the circle with the ball doesn't actually activate the Look Back Rule without undermining their travel coach?

EDIT: I should add that I know this coach and I like him. We're on very good terms, and the reason these girls are on the team is because he was looking to pick up a couple players and I recommended them for a tryout.

 

[MNDad]

So why bother playing ANY HS sports? Not all Volleyball players on Varsity play club ball. Not all Varsity Basketball players play AAU. Not all Varsity baseball players play TB. Softball players that choose not to play for their HS is very minute. This is not about college coaches recruiting at the HS, because that is rare as well. College coaches don't ask about TB stats either. In fact, I have never had a college coach ask me about any stats EVER. You say that many girls play HS ball to help their resume for college. I seriously doubt that.

So I live in Houston and guess what? We are a Hot bed for Softball. Not every school will have a high caliber pitcher, not every TB team have high caliber pitchers either. There is a lot of great HS softball being played around the country. It's no longer just California and Texas. It's EVERYWHERE! During my DD HS playing career

I agree and that’s an interesting point about other sports. I would think that varies widely by region or metro vs rural. Here in the Twin Cities, not exactly a softball hotbed, most teams are about 50/50 travel and rec players. Not surprisingly the travel players are mostly starters. The others that see a lot of playing time may not play travel, but they’re still pretty athletic because they play other sports.

Looking at other sports. Hockey: If you don’t play travel hockey forget about making a varsity or even a JV team. Volleyball or basketball: Odds are long of playing varsity without playing travel, but it’s possible. DD for example was only non travel player on the varsity basketball program. She’s also 6’3”, but even at that height she only saw mop up minutes at the end of games.

It can be extremely difficult in large metro areas to make a HS varsity team. That’s why it so laughable to say things about HS ball being so bad. Sure, it’s not elite travel ball. That doesn’t make it rec ball.

 

[quincy]

Around here a lot of TB teams shutdown during the HS Season, spring. There is a leaque close to us that non HS players can signup to play. TB, rec or whatever.

DD never played so I am not sure how it all works but from comments it seemed to go OK. They were not going after players that wanted to play HS just the ones that did not want to play HS for whatever reason.

 

[L.J.]

My advice is play when you get a chace to. My DDs senior year HS was cancelled now her Freshman year of College is cancelled.

https://fresh-news-now.com/2020/12/04/ccaa-cancels-all-sports-for-2020-21-school-year-because-of-covid-19-issues/

 

[CoachYodaD]

You are actually right don't play. Guess what? A lot are not because like everyone else has said the talent level is not good at all. You may have 3 teams out of 20 that are competitive. How many college coaches really look at their HS team? They always ask what is the name of your TB team. I don't know where you live but it is not that many high caliber pitchers in high school, so that's false. Yes, you get the practice everyday, but how many bad habits are they developing from coaches that have no clue on how to coach? Many girls play softball in high school to help their resume when they apply for colleges because it's easy to make the team. I agree with the recharge and the cost but high school softball is waaaay on the back burner in sports. When the girls finally get to TB for the season, coaches have to reprogram their player back to basics because of the high school set back.

Let me tell you what I have to reprogram when the TB players come back to me after last summer and fall travel ball.

1. I have to remind 'Sally' that her Uber Elite Platinum Gold Showcase team is not here and she needs to play with her team, not just worry about her stats.
2. I have to reprogram 'Sally', the D1 prospect that it is going to be okay. This usually happens after she failed to watch the on-deck circle, and 'Jill', the Cheerleader who can back-hand spring down the line faster than 3/4 of my team, who is a left handed slapper, just laced one through Sally's legs and TB-Mom is tearing her a new one through the fence. This usually takes the next three innings of the current game and two practices.
3. I have to reprogram 'Sally', the ball-vacuum second baseman, that it is going to be okay. This usually happens on a first and third situation, where the batter hits a grounder to second. Sally fields, tags the runner, then fires home for the glorious two-out play. What really happens is, 'Jill', the FBLA and Student Council President, who also does band during the fall and winter, didn't run home, so we now have one out instead of two, where it would have been simple to tag and throw to one.
4. I have to reprogram 'Sally', the TB Hitting Goddess who had 22 homeruns this fall, that it is going to be okay, after she strikes out from 'Jill', the Pre-Med Valedictorian, who throws slower than you can walk, with an arc like a rainbow. 'Sally' is in near tears as she walks back to the dugout, partly because TB Hitting Guru Dad is chirping at her as he shadows her down the fence line, talking about her poor launch angle.

Spare me the TB coaches are God sends. You want to know what good coaching is, find a 1A, 2A, or 3A HS Coach that can consistently make it to post season with his/her mix-mashed team of GPA school leaders. They are the ones who ensure your 'Sally' will be academically eligible to play at that school you -worked so hard- to get her into. They are the ones who manage the HS drama, TB parents who snub their noses, ADs, Principals, District Personnel, NFHS and District mandates, transfer paperwork, medical alerts, eligibility requirements, Senior nights, All team meetings and selections, and finally, travel of the entire team and gear to and from venues.

What do you do, TB savior? You plan a practice, make a schedule, run a practice, tell them what uniform to wear to a game, coach a game, and send them home. From the bottom of my heart, Thank you for all your help. I appreciate your efforts, even though you don't appreciate mine.

-end of rant-

 

[ANNASDAD]

Let me tell you what I have to reprogram when the TB players come back to me after last summer and fall travel ball.

1. I have to remind 'Sally' that her Uber Elite Platinum Gold Showcase team is not here and she needs to play with her team, not just worry about her stats.
2. I have to reprogram 'Sally', the D1 prospect that it is going to be okay. This usually happens after she failed to watch the on-deck circle, and 'Jill', the Cheerleader who can back-hand spring down the line faster than 3/4 of my team, who is a left handed slapper, just laced one through Sally's legs and TB-Mom is tearing her a new one through the fence. This usually takes the next three innings of the current game and two practices.
3. I have to reprogram 'Sally', the ball-vacuum second baseman, that it is going to be okay. This usually happens on a first and third situation, where the batter hits a grounder to second. Sally fields, tags the runner, then fires home for the glorious two-out play. What really happens is, 'Jill', the FBLA and Student Council President, who also does band during the fall and winter, didn't run home, so we now have one out instead of two, where it would have been simple to tag and throw to one.
4. I have to reprogram 'Sally', the TB Hitting Goddess who had 22 homeruns this fall, that it is going to be okay, after she strikes out from 'Jill', the Pre-Med Valedictorian, who throws slower than you can walk, with an arc like a rainbow. 'Sally' is in near tears as she walks back to the dugout, partly because TB Hitting Guru Dad is chirping at her as he shadows her down the fence line, talking about her poor launch angle.

Spare me the TB coaches are God sends. You want to know what good coaching is, find a 1A, 2A, or 3A HS Coach that can consistently make it to post season with his/her mix-mashed team of GPA school leaders. They are the ones who ensure your 'Sally' will be academically eligible to play at that school you -worked so hard- to get her into. They are the ones who manage the HS drama, TB parents who snub their noses, ADs, Principals, District Personnel, NFHS and District mandates, transfer paperwork, medical alerts, eligibility requirements, Senior nights, All team meetings and selections, and finally, travel of the entire team and gear to and from venues.

What do you do, TB savior? You plan a practice, make a schedule, run a practice, tell them what uniform to wear to a game, coach a game, and send them home. From the bottom of my heart, Thank you for all your help. I appreciate your efforts, even though you don't appreciate mine.

-end of rant-

Great post YodaD, man how many girls named Sally do you have? The TB hitting Goddess one cracked me up, "throws slower than you can walk"

 

[radness]

Let me tell you what I have to reprogram when the TB players come back to me after last summer and fall travel ball.

1. I have to remind 'Sally' that her Uber Elite Platinum Gold Showcase team is not here and she needs to play with her team, not just worry about her stats.
2. I have to reprogram 'Sally', the D1 prospect that it is going to be okay. This usually happens after she failed to watch the on-deck circle, and 'Jill', the Cheerleader who can back-hand spring down the line faster than 3/4 of my team, who is a left handed slapper, just laced one through Sally's legs and TB-Mom is tearing her a new one through the fence. This usually takes the next three innings of the current game and two practices.
3. I have to reprogram 'Sally', the ball-vacuum second baseman, that it is going to be okay. This usually happens on a first and third situation, where the batter hits a grounder to second. Sally fields, tags the runner, then fires home for the glorious two-out play. What really happens is, 'Jill', the FBLA and Student Council President, who also does band during the fall and winter, didn't run home, so we now have one out instead of two, where it would have been simple to tag and throw to one.
4. I have to reprogram 'Sally', the TB Hitting Goddess who had 22 homeruns this fall, that it is going to be okay, after she strikes out from 'Jill', the Pre-Med Valedictorian, who throws slower than you can walk, with an arc like a rainbow. 'Sally' is in near tears as she walks back to the dugout, partly because TB Hitting Guru Dad is chirping at her as he shadows her down the fence line, talking about her poor launch angle.

Spare me the TB coaches are God sends. You want to know what good coaching is, find a 1A, 2A, or 3A HS Coach that can consistently make it to post season with his/her mix-mashed team of GPA school leaders. They are the ones who ensure your 'Sally' will be academically eligible to play at that school you -worked so hard- to get her into. They are the ones who manage the HS drama, TB parents who snub their noses, ADs, Principals, District Personnel, NFHS and District mandates, transfer paperwork, medical alerts, eligibility requirements, Senior nights, All team meetings and selections, and finally, travel of the entire team and gear to and from venues.

What do you do, TB savior? You plan a practice, make a schedule, run a practice, tell them what uniform to wear to a game, coach a game, and send them home. From the bottom of my heart, Thank you for all your help. I appreciate your efforts, even though you don't appreciate mine.

-end of rant-

Is the journey about the coach or the player?

Following this entire post its interesting to read people defending high school ball coaches...and then others travel ball.
Never read this topic being about tb or hs ball coaches being better or worse.

What i see... topic is
Within high schools the different situations.
Some (perhaps few?) are lousy.

To the point of CoachYoda post
Why the heck have to go through reprogramming that can cause added unnecessary conflict?

 

[texasheat]

How do I explain to them that no, the first baseman being in the circle with the ball doesn't actually activate the Look Back Rule without undermining their travel coach?

Interesting observation since the look back rule is essentially forgotten once you get past 10 or 12u and the baserunning shenanigans are put on the shelf. Not sure why HS age travel ball coaches would care.

 

[bmakj]

You say that many girls play HS ball to help their resume for college. I seriously doubt that.

I think the intent was to say many play softball (or other sports as well), not to help their resume as a recruited player, but to help their overall resume for general admission. admissions (and non athletic scholarships as well) like to see extra curricular activities. playing on your HS varsity whatever team shows interest in promoting/representing the school community, commitment, time management, etc.