My estimations:
Great (knowledgeable, communication skills and inspiring) 10%
Good 20%
Fair 30%
Bad 25%
Absolutely Horrible 15%
Great (knowledgeable, communication skills and inspiring) 10%
Good 20%
Fair 30%
Bad 25%
Absolutely Horrible 15%
What percentage of coaches (Rec, HS, TB, College) are great, good, fair, bad, absolutely horrible
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Great - 1%-2%
Good - 25%
Fair - 50%
Poor - 25%
I think it is extremely rare to find a great coach. I would agree that a great coach is a person who is knowledgeable, can communicate, and is inspiring. In addition to those traits, a great coach should also being able to truly teach all the fundamentals and advanced techniques of softball in a practice atmosphere. Finding a single person that has all those traits is extremely rare IMO. That is where having multiple coaches or a coaching staff comes into play, that way the coaches can focus on the aspects that they are good at. I would also add classiness, or role model to the list.
I believe I have only met one person in my entire sports life that I would consider to have all those traits. I have met a lot more coaches that are good at a couple of those aspects but were lacking in another area.
Good - 25%
Fair - 50%
Poor - 25%
I think it is extremely rare to find a great coach. I would agree that a great coach is a person who is knowledgeable, can communicate, and is inspiring. In addition to those traits, a great coach should also being able to truly teach all the fundamentals and advanced techniques of softball in a practice atmosphere. Finding a single person that has all those traits is extremely rare IMO. That is where having multiple coaches or a coaching staff comes into play, that way the coaches can focus on the aspects that they are good at. I would also add classiness, or role model to the list.
I believe I have only met one person in my entire sports life that I would consider to have all those traits. I have met a lot more coaches that are good at a couple of those aspects but were lacking in another area.
- Apr 14, 2022
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Instructors like hitting and pitching coaches.
Great 5%
Good 35%
Fair 40%
Poor 20%
Team Coaches
Great under 5%
Good 15%
Fair 40%
Poor 40%
I may be overly negative, DD has gone from rec, B/C, B to A in the last 4 years and played in jr high league last 2 years. Lots of poor in the lower level and jr high, much better higher levels.
The top teams/National teams we have played have been well coached, is that they get good players to begin with or are coaching them up cannot tell.
Great coaches I have been have been around have a deeper upstanding what they are good at, what they need to improve or need help from others.
Great 5%
Good 35%
Fair 40%
Poor 20%
Team Coaches
Great under 5%
Good 15%
Fair 40%
Poor 40%
I may be overly negative, DD has gone from rec, B/C, B to A in the last 4 years and played in jr high league last 2 years. Lots of poor in the lower level and jr high, much better higher levels.
The top teams/National teams we have played have been well coached, is that they get good players to begin with or are coaching them up cannot tell.
Great coaches I have been have been around have a deeper upstanding what they are good at, what they need to improve or need help from others.
- May 13, 2023
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- 113
Like each of the percentage guesstimates offered.
In addition to those can support the same in seeing a noticeable Gap between coaching levels.
The unfortunate side is for those families and players that do not know what to look for, or those that do not have better options, it is a dilemma spending time/money when coaches do not have abilities to develop players.
Part of that dilemma is coaches lack of
self-awareness to what it takes to coach and too much ego of coaches in the way to grow their own knowledge.
Then those unaware of what better levels of practice and skills can be.
Aka- they do not know what they do not know.
This is one of the reasons why I posted what is experience worth. However I was speaking to gained experience and knowledge. Not just going through the motions. I think gained experience and knowledge is measurable and does have a value that creates the gap between coaches who can develop. And coaches who themselves are underdeveloped.
in short
The title coach is used too much.
Others are managers.
In addition to those can support the same in seeing a noticeable Gap between coaching levels.
The unfortunate side is for those families and players that do not know what to look for, or those that do not have better options, it is a dilemma spending time/money when coaches do not have abilities to develop players.
Part of that dilemma is coaches lack of
self-awareness to what it takes to coach and too much ego of coaches in the way to grow their own knowledge.
Then those unaware of what better levels of practice and skills can be.
Aka- they do not know what they do not know.
This is one of the reasons why I posted what is experience worth. However I was speaking to gained experience and knowledge. Not just going through the motions. I think gained experience and knowledge is measurable and does have a value that creates the gap between coaches who can develop. And coaches who themselves are underdeveloped.
in short
The title coach is used too much.
Others are managers.
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To be fair. (Especially in rec) Many of your DDs wouldn't have a spot to play if it wasn’t for an over worked and over scheduled “poor” coach who leaves work early and lines the field. He or she does it because no one else signed up.
Stays late to rake the fields.
And makes phone calls into the night making sure the team has a team, a field, an opponent, equipment… takes phone calls All day to solve parent drama…
Instead of taking the time to rate the coach. Spend a minute and rate yourself. Am I doing what I need to do to help my DD and her team. Pick up a rake, or better yet have your kid pick one up. Line a field, volunteer to make phone calls, spend some of your money to buy better practice balls and bownets…
Yes there are poor and fair coaches out there. Want better coaches. Be better parents until you are the coach. Then listen to some guy who shows up at the last minute before games and practices and leaves asap afterwords comment on the lousy job you do.
Stays late to rake the fields.
And makes phone calls into the night making sure the team has a team, a field, an opponent, equipment… takes phone calls All day to solve parent drama…
Instead of taking the time to rate the coach. Spend a minute and rate yourself. Am I doing what I need to do to help my DD and her team. Pick up a rake, or better yet have your kid pick one up. Line a field, volunteer to make phone calls, spend some of your money to buy better practice balls and bownets…
Yes there are poor and fair coaches out there. Want better coaches. Be better parents until you are the coach. Then listen to some guy who shows up at the last minute before games and practices and leaves asap afterwords comment on the lousy job you do.
- May 13, 2023
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The community I moved to has City leagues that players stay in until they're 16 years old and only recently has developed a few travel teams locally.
A couple of the city League's have contacted me regarding doing clinics for the players. In discussing this and learning the local community my feedback was this.
(This was to the league administrators. Their titles president, vice president, coaches manager and softball coordinator.)
me- While I can offer player clinics.
Ask you to evaluate the people you have stepping up to take on coaching responsibilities. Since the league offers a game schedule and fields they don't have to manage figuring out building schedule, but they do have to be able to run practices and develop players.
So I ask, do you think the coaches/ parents stepping up, do you think they would be willing to attend softball clinics?
Because I can host coaching and parent clinics that can help them learn how to then Coach teams on the field.
Each of the administrators I shared this approach with...Said that is a really good idea.
And then...
they each commented they do not know whether or not the adults would be willing to do so. A couple of them told me they know that some would and some would not.
Using the story as an example, Here is the dilemma,... that even with an opportunity provided for those in a league, not paid out of pocket by the people attending, something that would be provided for free for the coaches/ adults,
if you have people not willing to put in time to potentially learn then there will have to be some people that are called coaches that have a low rating score.
A couple of the city League's have contacted me regarding doing clinics for the players. In discussing this and learning the local community my feedback was this.
(This was to the league administrators. Their titles president, vice president, coaches manager and softball coordinator.)
me- While I can offer player clinics.
Ask you to evaluate the people you have stepping up to take on coaching responsibilities. Since the league offers a game schedule and fields they don't have to manage figuring out building schedule, but they do have to be able to run practices and develop players.
So I ask, do you think the coaches/ parents stepping up, do you think they would be willing to attend softball clinics?
Because I can host coaching and parent clinics that can help them learn how to then Coach teams on the field.
Each of the administrators I shared this approach with...Said that is a really good idea.
And then...
they each commented they do not know whether or not the adults would be willing to do so. A couple of them told me they know that some would and some would not.
Using the story as an example, Here is the dilemma,... that even with an opportunity provided for those in a league, not paid out of pocket by the people attending, something that would be provided for free for the coaches/ adults,
if you have people not willing to put in time to potentially learn then there will have to be some people that are called coaches that have a low rating score.
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The league should have offered the clinic up to any parent who wanted to attend. From that group recruit coaches.
All things being equal, I would assume a standard bell curve distribution, with most coaches being a little better or a little worse than average or decent. A smaller share (maybe 15% in either direction) being good or bad. And the truly great or truly terrible being in the single digit percentages.
Have had some experience with truly good—though not great—coaches and a lot more with coaches who were just OK. But not really any with those who were actually bad or terrible. Definitely agree that a learning mindset is key.
As suggested above, a lot would depend on how you define a great or terrible coach.
Have had some experience with truly good—though not great—coaches and a lot more with coaches who were just OK. But not really any with those who were actually bad or terrible. Definitely agree that a learning mindset is key.
As suggested above, a lot would depend on how you define a great or terrible coach.
- May 13, 2023
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Wow- I’m much more positive. We had a terrible coach and a bad one- but we’re had a lot of great ones.
When my daughter was in rec she had a bunch of high school kids assistant coach- one who went on to pitch D1 and an ex-NFL player - all who were amazing. Most importantly - when she went to the high school meeting- most of the kids she played rec with are still playing. Mixed on C, JV and V- and all said- you have to do softball it’s so much fun! That’s what having supper enthusiastic coaches gave them. So I guess it depends on how you define success- but three teams of high school girls loving playing is a successful rec program in my mind especially for a small town.
When my daughter was in rec she had a bunch of high school kids assistant coach- one who went on to pitch D1 and an ex-NFL player - all who were amazing. Most importantly - when she went to the high school meeting- most of the kids she played rec with are still playing. Mixed on C, JV and V- and all said- you have to do softball it’s so much fun! That’s what having supper enthusiastic coaches gave them. So I guess it depends on how you define success- but three teams of high school girls loving playing is a successful rec program in my mind especially for a small town.
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