Any suggestions on how to stop team hoppers

[DLyle]

Sneakeysnake sounds like you have traveled the road that i have traveled. There is a very fine line of loyalty and it is driven by communication. Coaches are always trying to get better and players are always trying to find the best team. When coaches can commit to developing players, parents can commit to developing without being afraid to make a mistake. I have been on both sides of the fence and it is very difficult on either side. When my DD was 8 and playing with 9's her coach told me that you will run across two types, DD is not very good and dad coaches to allow her to play or dad that knows the game and DD is very good. It has held to that statment since she has played. We have had coaches willing to take pick ups to win and have had coaches willing to drop out of tournaments so they didn't have to rely on pick ups. All in all communication of philosipies prior to commitment will prevent disagreenments best.

[nsidethelines]

Great question, you see the root of the problem is the parents. Imagine that! You know, parents that think they know more than the coach(s). You know the parent I'm talking about, the parent that always criticizes but has no answers himself.

[2fatoverdaplate]

Let me ask you all something. What are you going to do when one of these coaches, that only thinks of winning, sits your daughter on the bench because she is not good enough to be a starter after he promises that he is all about developing the girls and you find out, after you join the team, that he is one that is really all about winning and at the same time you realize that he is also one that became a coach so his daughter gets to play because she wasn't good enough to start on the prior team that she was on while your daughter sits? What are you gonna do now? Now you are stuck and at the mercy of the lying coach.

[Seven's Mom]

Let me ask you all something. What are you going to do when one of these coaches, that only thinks of winning, sits your daughter on the bench because she is not good enough to be a starter after he promises that he is all about developing the girls and you find out, after you join the team, that he is one that is really all about winning and at the same time you realize that he is also one that became a coach so his daughter gets to play because she wasn't good enough to start on the prior team that she was on while your daughter sits? What are you gonna do now? Now you are stuck and at the mercy of the lying coach.

Honor your commitment and finish the season (spring/fall - not the year) then look for a better situation for your dd when tryouts start up again. If it's really bad, pickup when you can to see if you find a better fit. Be honest with any potential coaches about your current situation, and hopefully you can find a better fit for your dd.....Seems pretty cut and dry to me.

[SnocatzDad]

In response to the original subject of how to stop team hoppers my recommendation is for the associations (ASA, USSSA, VTD, IFA, or whoever) to change the CULTURE of Fastpitch softball. The root of the problem of team hoppers is due to players being allowed to change teams from one day to the next per the rules of the associations. Doesn't happen in boys baseball, you sign on and you are there for the duration of the season. The CULTURE has evolved due to the rules in place allowing the movement of players from one team to another from one day to the next. Change the rules and you change the culture.

We've gone round and round in MN trying to come up with roster rules that would prevent situations where a player (or three) leaving a team midseason would disrupt that team such that they would essentially leave 7 or 8 kids unable to finish out the season. The problem is trying to balance out player and team safeguards. IMO you should be able to set a roster date where a kid is on the team through the balance of the year or can't play anywhere else. Most however seem to want to err on the side of allowing a kid to leave a bad situation for another team same season without penalty.

I do think the one benefit we have without rules is a detante. Similar to living in a town where everyone owns a gun, people are more polite. You cannot get away with abusing a player verbally, emotionally, daddy ball, whatever. If you do, the kid will leave. I think the fact that kids can leave at any time encourages coaches to remember that they are developing an entire team

[tex]

So how many times do players switch teams in a fall or spring/summer session to get the RIGHT fit. 2-3-4-10 times. In other words until the parents find a team that will recognize their dd as the "star"!! Give us all a break parents. Get the dd on a a team that has been around and has a good base and good coaches and if dd is a "star" it will show.

A comment that was made earlier is very true, Most parents over rate the abilities of their dd and will not admit that they do not have the skills to be a great player at this moment in time. If you continue to hop teams instead of getting the lessons and practise to help them become good ball players eventually coaches will not want your dd on the team because they know you will not stick long.

[cornerpainter]

So how many times do players switch teams in a fall or spring/summer session to get the RIGHT fit. 2-3-4-10 times. In other words until the parents find a team that will recognize their dd as the "star"!! Give us all a break parents. Get the dd on a a team that has been around and has a good base and good coaches and if dd is a "star" it will show.

A comment that was made earlier is very true, Most parents over rate the abilities of their dd and will not admit that they do not have the skills to be a great player at this moment in time. If you continue to hop teams instead of getting the lessons and practise to help them become good ball players eventually coaches will not want your dd on the team because they know you will not stick long.

Tex Change your name so you can quit shaming our State!!!!

By your post it sounds like you are the Ultimate Softball Coach and are the authority on all things Softball. You must be an A Club Coach that deals with this deranged Parent issue all the time. Where is your team so can send my future Star to you!!!! YOU would have to be twice as good as the other idiots my kid has played for. They never saw her talents and you seem to be the best. Where did you say you coach? We all want to be on your team

Idiot!

[Seven's Mom]

So how many times do players switch teams in a fall or spring/summer session to get the RIGHT fit. 2-3-4-10 times. In other words until the parents find a team that will recognize their dd as the "star"!! Give us all a break parents. Get the dd on a a team that has been around and has a good base and good coaches and if dd is a "star" it will show.

A comment that was made earlier is very true, Most parents over rate the abilities of their dd and will not admit that they do not have the skills to be a great player at this moment in time. If you continue to hop teams instead of getting the lessons and practise to help them become good ball players eventually coaches will not want your dd on the team because they know you will not stick long.

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I don't think anyone on here would advocate leaving in the middle of a season unless it's an extreme circumstance. Frankly, I haven't see that happening very much. I've seen girls leave between fall/winter and spring/summer, but rarely during the height of a season unless the team is seriously dysfunctional.

You can turn the looking glass around as well. Build a team where your word is your honor, where you constantly strive to learn more about how to be a better teacher of the game, where communication is key, and where ego and trophies are less important than player development, and you won't have many girls hop from your team.

[6th Sense]

Well said Seven's Mom, very well said!

[NUTJOBFASTPITCHDAD]

I would love to see USFA/ASA go to a better web based program (ie Nations-Baseball). This type of website provides a detailed history of players as well as teams. If manager/coaches had a chronicled history on the player they could save themselves the future aggravation.

Having said that coaches will ALWAYS pick up top players until rosters get frozen as they do in some baseball sanctions.