Bone Head High School Coaches - New CIF Rule

[OCTravelCoach]

Don't know if anyone else is experiencing this but my 16U team looks like a roster full of MASH patients.

These are not game injuries but injuries that are a result of overuse. The new CIF rules have allowed high school coaches to have a "fall/winter" season and now the players are paying the price.

One of my players has been practicing with her H.S. four days a week since late September and playing games. This combined with twice-a-week batting lessons, our team practices and games and our strength/agility training.

No wonder the poor girl's body has finally broken down.

I've got several others in identical situations. Many of these H.S. coaches don't realize the burden they're adding on these kids who play on highly active/competitive travel teams.

What are you experiences with this? How is it working out?

[blackwidow]

Our high school coaches are definitely boneheaded but not because of excess playing.
They had the team out practicing in the wet muddy field after the rain on Monday.
I'm surprised that none were injured there.

[Sftbll4ever]

Our coach has been pretty good. We have practiced (lightly) 3 days a week with weight room with the personal trainer after. Now that the varsity team has been picked, they will continue with the 3 days a week. Only difference, no JV players in weight room for now.

[Goldball4]

Maybe it was her twice a week hitting , along with your two days of practice and conditioning program you have them doing in December! Maybe you should wait until spring time to do all your stuff. They will be playing everyday in high school, and that's more than enough until late spring! Otherwise , have them quit high school ball. But I think that playing for their school, community, and friends they have grown up with from childhood over shadows your comments. I'm a travel ball coach myself, and we won't be starting 2 to 3 days a week until May! Crazy!

[hotwheels]

I agree with GoldBall4,

I have eliminated my weeknight practices except for weeks that we have a tournament. We won't start weeknights until May either!! It gets to be just too much for their bodies....Not all, but a large majority!

[OCTravelCoach]

Maybe it was her twice a week hitting , along with your two days of practice and conditioning program you have them doing in December! Maybe you should wait until spring time to do all your stuff. They will be playing everyday in high school, and that's more than enough until late spring! Otherwise , have them quit high school ball. But I think that playing for their school, community, and friends they have grown up with from childhood over shadows your comments. I'm a travel ball coach myself, and we won't be starting 2 to 3 days a week until May! Crazy!

We have never practiced on weeknights except once a month Howard Kobata Clinics. Our conditioning program is twice-a-month on Fridays. My point is that prior to this insane rule, well rounded travel programs were fine. Now we're at the mercy of some high school coaches who run their practices from October to December, break for Xmas and resume in January.

[Intel]

Central Section CIF coaches have always ran a fall schedule. Some play games, but ours just goes with a light workout on Tuesday and Thursday for six weeks. Pitchers and Catchers go an additiona 3 weeks. Our softball players lift with the baseball players in a special PE class every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the school year. Class is run by the strength coach who is good to work them on specific training for their sport and position.

The HS coaches come and watch the travel teams play in the fall with some doing duty as a travel ball coach and a HS coach. And no, we do not have a problem with HS coaches recruiting players for their travel team.

[DodgerBlue's]

Majority of my girls will be going to one school, so far they have been doing light workouts with wieght room and track work mixed during the week he has an understanding of the game and knows that these girls along with others on his team play travel and are getting the proper workout.

I am worried about a few of my others who are being told once they get back from winter break they are expected to be working out a little more after tryouts and when the team is selected, one has even told me that high school coach wants her to shut down travel ball mid-January

any others in this boat?

[OCTravelCoach]

Majority of my girls will be going to one school, so far they have been doing light workouts with wieght room and track work mixed during the week he has an understanding of the game and knows that these girls along with others on his team play travel and are getting the proper workout.

I am worried about a few of my others who are being told once they get back from winter break they are expected to be working out a little more after tryouts and when the team is selected, one has even told me that high school coach wants her to shut down travel ball mid-January

any others in this boat?

We have half & half. One h.s. coach runs the Victory organization and understands all of his players are in travel ball. They're not starting until the official CIF date of Feb. 16. Others don't get it or understand -- like the two Gold qualifying tournaments in Jan./Feb. -- and are planning like travel ball doesn't exist. This was my point to begin with.

[Goldball4]

The unfortunate thing about starting in Feb. or mid Feb., most schools have games starting at the end of Feb. That is definitely not enough time to get your kids together for the season. Most travel teams aren't doing much right now, and if the schools don't start up before Feb. then it will horrible softball for the first month of the season. Most kids do not work on their own, they don't workout etc. There will be more of these fall leagues popping up, because of these start dates being so close to the season starting. If they would leave the start date at the beginning of Jan. there would not be too much of a problem. But these rules sort of force you to do this.