Who's Coaching Your Kids??

[Roonev]

Disagree 100%. This is how the team I coach got started, kinda. The team I currently coach, and have coached now for 3 years began as a rec team. The parents got together, didn't want to see their girls thrown back into the rec league draft and scattered the following year and asked me if I would continue coaching. I was honored that they would ask me.

I had never coached travel ball. I had some high school experience and rec league, but travel ball is a whole different animal. I've done a ton of learning, and continue to learn every day how to be a better coach.

I feel like posts like this really stink of elitism. Are my girls A level players? Nope. On a good day they can compete with A and can beat many B teams in any given game, but they are a group of girls who likely wouldn't have joined a travel team and wouldn't have grown to where they are today. I get that there are coaches who suck, I've seen them, but I feel like those are the exception, not the rule. At least in my area.

Love this, Frost! My situation is identical to yours . . . same scenario where I got asked to start a travel team so we could keep all the girls together. I've been coaching now for about 8 seasons and initially got into it so I could spend more time with my daughter. I played baseball in high school but nothing beyond that. I keep trying to get a little better every day and am always watching how other coaches run their rec/travel/high school programs. I would say the majority of coaches I've run into are competent and everyone has their own unique style.

I'm so glad I ran into this forum after seeing someone mention it on a completely non-softball page I happened to be on. Thank you to all for posting/contributing. I've been lurking behind the scenes now for a few days reading all I can to help better myself as a coach.

 

[Sweet Lou]

With the internet, there is no reason that a coach cannot educate him or herself enough to become an adequate coach. No, they will not become Casey Stengel overnight but there is no reason for a coach at any age group not to be able to run an effective and efficient practice. Main problem is most people are either lazy or are afraid to challenge themselves/go outside their comfort zone.

IDK, Casey lost 120 games one year. I think I could do that.

 

[Rolling Hard]

"One org here "

Wonder who that is????

 

[Rolling Hard]

IDK, Casey lost 120 games one year. I think I could do that.

Google two hour softball practice. Bam!

 

[_MIA_]

IDK, Casey lost 120 games one year. I think I could do that.

Google two hour softball practice. Bam!

You guys are full of jokes...

 

[Rolling Hard]

You guys are full of jokes...

No I was serious! Some tb coaches don't know how to run a practice. Show up with no plan. Wing it. Practice should have multiple stations and limited standing around time.

 

[Frost033]

I apologize if I misread or misunderstood what you wrote. In the last year or so I feel that our sport is being flooded with a great deal of elitist attitudes by coaches and people involved with the sport that do not feel that anything less than an elite level player or coach belongs in tournaments and competitive play in general. That softball is being flooded with sub-par players and coaches that are ruining the sport.

While that may not have been your intention here, I just wanted to explain why I initially reacted the way I did.

 

[marriard]

Just to share....
I am involved at multiple age levels with students + following there team experiences. As well knowing the parents who take on coaching and in too many cases the "figure it out on your own" that happens as the organizations do nothing for the coaches.

Example ( one of many)
One org here charges $100 per player mandatory must go to org workout.
X 20 teams
With 12 players per team thats
$24000 dollars.
The coaches have to run stations at the clininic only a few seasoned coaches get paid.

Some of the coaches dont even know how to teach proper or basic skills and just either throw balls or hit grounders. Cant teach correct footwork on fly balls things like that.

Honestly, I have given up fighting with people/parents who are still blinded with this level of stupidity and frankly, if a parent doesn't do their research at this point - i.e. well into the travel experience or is blinded by the 'huge' name despite the cost - I don't care. We have a 'big' name associated with our teams as well (and no huge cost to go with it) - the smarter families will probably end up with us at some point (or they won't - no big deal). Who coaches non-grass roots teams... Whatever. Fools will be separated from their money.

Also, for the most part, the sport is transitionary - while you may be around the sport long term, most families are not going to be. Their kid ages out (or quits) and there is no longer the motivation to stay within the game locally. Years of player, coach, admin, umpire and parent experience from 8u-18U-college leave the game every season. It is a massive time commitment and without a kid in the game, it is a huge ask to ask people to stay around.

As the 'committed' family goes from rec-travel, the really good committed dad coach is no longer available to coach rec, And with travel year round, the travel coach isn't coaching rec any more.

The bigger concern is entry-level players and how they enter the game and first experiences of the game. Rec is slowly coming back in our area as more of the programs have realized they have no idea where their next players are coming from anymore. But it will be at least a generation of committed admins and orgs and players for it to recover or reinvent itself. It is never going to be what it was; but it will something new and hopefully provide a better gate into the game.

 

[radness]

I apologize if I misread or misunderstood what you wrote. In the last year or so I feel that our sport is being flooded with a great deal of elitist attitudes by coaches and people involved with the sport that do not feel that anything less than an elite level player or coach belongs in tournaments and competitive play in general. That softball is being flooded with sub-par players and coaches that are ruining the sport.

While that may not have been your intention here, I just wanted to explain why I initially reacted the way I did.

Thank you Frost for taking this moment!
As well not my intention to come off as an elitist.

Every level in sports can experience the thrill of accomplishment!

LETS GROW SOFTBALL

 

[The Man In Blue]

... I got asked to start a travel team so we could keep all the girls together.

Bare with me, I not trying to offend and I’ll explain in a second, but in my definition that is not a competitive team. It’s a rec team that pays too much money. Things like that are watering down the level of competition.

I apologize if I misread or misunderstood what you wrote. In the last year or so I feel that our sport is being flooded with a great deal of elitist attitudes by coaches and people involved with the sport that do not feel that anything less than an elite level player or coach belongs in tournaments and competitive play in general. That softball is being flooded with sub-par players and coaches that are ruining the sport.

While that may not have been your intention here, I just wanted to explain why I initially reacted the way I did.

I said before, I think we are on the same page more than you think. Different approaches possibly ...

Which is my point. One thing we lack is a common definition of what is rec, travel, select, elite, competitive, etc. both in structure and in purpose. It can mean very different things in different areas (or to different people).

That lack of commonality leads back to @RADcatcher ’s point: anybody can call themselves anything (and start collecting checks).