What are your biggest pains with coaching?

[Sam]

Coach,

I think we would all love our parents to be normal people. The problem is that anybody who has their kid doing anything that takes up to 5-6 hours during the workweek and nearly the entire weekend, every weekend is, by definition, not normal. These people are certifiable. Nobody knows more about their kid than them and any feedback you provide to these people is summarily disregarded.

We would love to have our parents (not all of them) lobotomized after they give us the PIIN number for their ATM card. You will see some chatter on this board about coaches recruiting players at orphanages.

If I had a magic wand, I would outlaw Fall Ball in its entirety. I would limit the recruiting period to the summer. I would outlaw any contact by either side until the player began their junior season in HS. These children are being abused by a system designed BY adults FOR adults. The kids get nothing out of the current system except for injuries.

Sorry....I kind of went off on a tangent there.

[Cereal Kid]

First we all need to understand that this is a buinesse and money is exchanging hands. A coach or manager need to make sure that the player and parents are in the best interest of the team. Seen way too many teams with to many players knowing that a few are there to just help pay expenses. The coach or manager can get away with this because they know player and parents will leave the team and new suckers will take their spots.

[access2]

1. What area do you feel is the most important to coaching?

Based on mission statements I read...in summary...I've gather these are the expectations...

Knowledge of and effective training of the players in the basic fundamentals in hitting, fielding, running the bases, etc. Recognizing and respecting the fact that they are dealing with young athletes,
Model respect, passion and love for the game, with a push and drive for team success on and off the field - win or lose.

2. In this area, what is the biggest pain/problem you face?

Very few, if any read their mission statements.

[Hinky]

Pains coaching a team:
flaky families and players
who are not really in 100%

Pains on a team:
Poor scheduling
Bad practices

[shortslappy]

One of the better coaches who my daughter had made it known that during tryouts, both individual and org, that he spent part of the time talking and watching the parents. He noted the kinds of things that the parents would tell him about their daughters, how they interacted with the other parents, and how intently they were watching the girls on the field.

He said that he veered away from the parents who marketed their daughters too heavily, and the ones who looked like they were "sizing up the competition" (apparently, that has a look). He said that he would pass on a player with a seemingly difficult parent, regardless of her talent, because that parent had the likelihood of sucking the energy from him and the team. He's done a great job recruiting quality players who are loyal to him, and the girls continue to improve because he's allowed to coach without too many meddling parents.

[onlooker]

You asked:

The biggest pain with coaching is the glamorization of the sport by Sanctions, Tournament Directors, and folks like FLO for nothing but personal profit from the sport. Which has turned coaching into the launching pad for revenue, at the sake of girls and young ladies aged 6-22, First they coach, then they start an org, then they host tournaments. Vicious Cycle all for the girls.

Don't for one second tell me you all/they do it for the girls. That list of special humans, sadly, is very short.

The playing field that is left is 1000's of coaches CHASING the glamorized dream, forcing tens (or so) of 1000's of families follow this CHASE all for what in reality is a less than 1% prize.

Quit glamorizing the sport as D1 schollys are the ultimate reward. I'd rather tip my hat to the girl who chooses education over the perceived "prize" you spew out. because when they are 23,,, they wont be scratching their head wondering what the F they are going to do with this physical ed degree.

so, do a video on what life is like when you go 4 years to a school, play or not play (meaningless to this statement), and the hunt for a job to create a succesful living with the degree that can be expected for playing at that particular school. Reality Check Time.

Between now and 2028 there will be approx 12000 softball players that will have graduated tot he work force. Are there 12000 jobs waiting for them in that degree they "could" choose and this will set them up for life?

I mean really, you come to Heybucket for Flo Material? THAT SAYS IT ALL.

[Hinky]

[quote="onlooker"]You said:
The biggest pain with coaching is the glamorization of the sport by Sanctions, Tournament Directors, and folks like FLO for nothing but personal profit from the sport. Which has turned coaching into the launching pad for revenue, [quote="onlooker"]

YES! add softball to the list of all the other sports that have been promoted throughout the years! include being on TV ! absolutely softball has grown and people like it!

the vast majority of travel ball coaches (add rec ball) do not make any money coaching teams. Actually in most cases the coaches are spending far more time than any family trying to handle managing and facilitating the teams and have out-of-pocket expenses themselves that go beyond hundreds of dollars.

it's time for reality check to
all students who graduate high school! To the ones who have gone to college to get a degree 'reality check' you either got a
scholarship or you're in debt!
and have a better chance of getting a job, front of the line versus back of the line!
Better reality!

as for the business end of people who are using softball as a means to run a business... welcome to the
USA = CA.pitalism

[curveballerguy124]

1.) Keeping them focused for multiple games and keeping their energy up!!

2.) They lose focus and energy keeping them engaged is difficult at times, problem it creates its hard to sometimes finish a game we were winning from the start. Like they let off on the throttle....

3.) Seeing the ball well out of the pitchers hands and making adjustments 

4.) The inability of batters to make adjustments after an at-bat especially when they have an 0-2 count on them... Ive watched them stay in the same place in the box pitch after pitch. Mostly because their hitting instructor told them too, frustrating!!