Coaching and Youth Sports

Football wise we're doing much better, but I've still got a few kids that I don't think realized signing up to play football also meant running 40 yard sprints at the end of practice every day and if everyone on the team didn't run as hard as they could, then that sprint didn't count.

 

My dad was always my basketball coach when I was younger. To this day, I still remember a parent pulling him to the side as we were leaving after a practice where we ran suicides at the end and told him "I signed my son up to play a game, not run." He told her to look into golf and the kid never came back.

 

You practice so hard that the games are easy is my motto.

 

Not for us; it's a compressed season. 10 practices in two weeks, then an 8 game season plus tourney that all happens between 9/1 and whenever fall break starts. So we've got 180# 13 yos pitching to 55# 9yos and kids that play middle school ball hitting liners back to the mound that's 45' away.

America's passtime.

 

Y'all trying to make kids hate baseball?

 

Someone is going to die.

 

Really, I think most of them like it better than the spring season which is drawn out and overlaps with all the travel ball in the summer. It's 6 weeks if baseball and then it's over.

 

Shit, I have kids on my track team who groan when I tell them to step to the line. At the beginning of practice. Like, nearly every practice. It's track, you dumbass. What did you think was going to happen today?

 

I don't get it.

 

Card as you know many of these kids have been sitting around most of the time since march and no home workout they do at a young age can compare to helmet, pads and heat.
My 13 yr old was in great shape in march and as a lacrosse middie and was running a ton without being gassed. Fall first game is next saturday and he can hardly get up and down the field without coming out. Gonna take longer than usual for many kids to get back after missing so much time. I see a lot of kids who seem zapped of energy more than usual as well.

 

Oh, I know. And I've been telling the parents for the better part of 3 months to get their kids outside and used to the heat. And you can tell the ones who did.

 

now i remember why i hated playing basketball.

 

Crazy how each coach is different.

my middle school coach was a WWII vet and won 400+ high school games and 100+ middle school games.

he started coaching in the late 40’s early 50’s and and transitioned to middle school for “retirement”.

I played for him 99-01.

We never ran sprints besides after games We ran one gasser for every point scored against us.

needless to say we took it very personal when someone scored on us.

 

We run at the end of every practice for 4 reasons.

1. To teach full effort 100% of the time.
2. We use our sprints to help them them learn snap count. (We use this to our advantage a lot.)
3. If there are questions about who to play, we use this as a way to decide
4. Teach them mental toughness.

And we are more or less [Richards] about it too. Best player or worst player, you jump early or don't go full speed and it doesn't count. I've gotten to the point I'll tell a couple of players that if they don't finish in top 5 or top 10 that one doesn't count.

I've half expected parents to question me about it but they haven't. Apparently the line to cross is up downs. And that only comes out in the worst of the worst days.

 

Tennessee drill is the one our kids hate the most.

I only use it for PIE after practice.

if you miss practice you do three up downs on every line on the field down and back.

 

I always hated a loose ball drill my dad would run in practice. He'd pick two players and line them up side by side. He'd throw the basketball into the bleachers or down a hallway next to the gym, into equipment in the corner, etc. and then blow a whistle. At that point, it was an anything goes brawl between the two players to get the ball and get it back to him. Loser ran and winner went again.

Couldn't tell you the number of bloody noses and busted lips came from that, but it definitely made us not afraid to go after any loose ball during a game.

 

I do that with a football in the spring to get players use to hitting and fighting.

we call it whose ball. It can get a little wild.

 

Sounds glorious.

 

My 6 year old son is playing fall baseball. Everyone seemed really level headed and easy going.

Then, we had our first game last night. The superstar of our team hit one to the warning track (a damn bomb) and ran the bases. This kid plays on 3 teams, he's been taught to hit the inside of the bag while running.

Anyways, the other team claims he missed third. The umps called him out, he didn't miss third, it was a bad call.

One coach of our team, who bragged about his create a player on MLB the show, keeps mouthing. First base ump throws him out after several warnings. He proceeds to kick dirt on the umpire, full on Bobby Cox.

Ump then says leave the entire park and don't come back. He kicks dirt again. I'm laughing and also slightly embarrassed for him.

He finally leaves and now I'm an assistant fall baseball coach

 

Please tell me you have this entire incident on video.

And this story may or may not have just been sent to the other members of the MLL board.