Coaching and Youth Sports

I agree. I can see why that would be annoying. He knows at worst I’ll have an opinion I’d guess

 

I was watching my other nephew’s game and the 3rd base coach must have left at least 3 runs on the table by not being aggressive enough and that team needs any runs they can get. Make em make the play

 

I had two thrown out last night. 1 got greedy and tried to steal second, and their catcher actually made a good throw and nailed him. Other deliberately set up a pickle thinking they'd throw it away and they ran it to perfection. I got the run home, which was my ultimate goal.

Won 8-3. Did not play well. Can finish anywhere from 2-5 in regular season standings. We've got 6 good teams and 4 terrible ones at this point. We royally screwed up and didn't show up against worst team in league and tied them. Might cost us in seeding.

 

I am a BIG advocate of sending players. Next guy up may ground out to 2nd base or strike out.

 

My nephew is 10 and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a catcher throw a runner out. If they can make that play good for them. My brother in law says there’s a couple of kids who he won’t run on, but that’s it.

 

Exactly. My coach who subs sometimes for my normal 3rd base coach has an older kid who has almost aged out and i have to keep telling him to be more aggressive. Maybe they can make that play when their 12, but not at the lower divisions. Most annoying thing that guy does is apologize profusely every time I say something. He’s a great guy, but I think his wife must put the fear of god into him or something.

 

This was more of a blind squirrel finding a nut. We'd ran on him all night.

There are about 4 kids in the league who are legit good catchers.

 

And I bet they are also the best pitchers and therefore aren’t playing catcher much anyway

 

I always picture the catcher like being the keeper in soccer. When you have a bad one, you notice it. When you have a great one, everything else just plays so smooth you don't even notice him save when he makes a great play.

 

They pitch, but catch a lot.

 

I had a manager in our second game (a couple of his parents too) who basically complained I was running up the score on his team because I was running my kids when his kids were sitting on the ball. I told him I’m preparing his kids for the higher division, not trying to be a [penis]. Next time we played them those kids didn’t sit on the ball.

 

Our 10U league is very strong. There are a lot of strong players and some very good coaches. 8U is the same, albeit not as high of percentage of strong coaches. Now, our 12U is really down this year. REALLY down, but this is the age group that is down across the board in all sports.

 

So you basically helped both squads in the long run. I don't understand "holding" and "sitting" on anything. Bizarre mentality.

 

I’m very worried about our lower divisions. 8 and under I’d say at least half the coaches don’t know what they are doing. The worst team in our division wouldn’t beat my tball team. It’s made the division very unbalanced. Same for the 8 year olds. And I know the worst coach in that division and told the board they shouldn’t let him coach, but they needed coaches so what are you going to do?

 

I think it was more it was completely obvious half our team would have been their best player and they were in tball mentality. But it’s not my fault their coach drafted like an idiot. By the 4th round I could have told him he was in deep shit given the kids he was drafting.

 

Make it 155. Almost got a whole saturday in.

 

Just to jump in the thread, even if it's high school track, not rec league ball. Our girls team is aiming for its third straight state title, which they probably should get. Last year we had as dominant a team as I've seen in my 9 years of coaching and they're about at the same level this year. Still, you never know what will happen; a dropped baton, tripping on a hurdle (happened last week at Sectionals to our 2nd best hurdler who was third in state last year) or injuries. Plus, it will be hot as balls next Friday in Murfreesboro and TSSAA, in all their brilliance, starts the state meet at 3 in the afternoon.

The boys, though, should be an interesting deal. I work with them more than the girls (and, technically, I'm a coach for the boys). We're the underdog on this side, but with an outside shot at winning, which will make it intriguing in a different way. The problem with the boys has always been football and basketball siphoning off the talent with convincing the kids to go to AAU tournaments, 7 on 7 tournaments, spring practice, etc.

The job is fun, but I'm ready to be done after starting with off season workouts in December. Shit is exhausting.

 

Dead period is the best two weeks of the year.

 

Parent email - Coach is unfair, only plays daughter at certain position, doesn't rotate, only cares about 2 girls, blah blah blah

Tell coach - *laughter* - She hasn't been to a practice in a month and I won't put her on infield for safety reasons because she's so bad.

 

i've never had a kid who didn't show up regularly to practice be on of my better players. and it's not just because they aren't at practice, it's deeper than that. the good players and families give a shit.

one of my coaches wives complained her husband and i were too tough on her son. kid won't be facing the batter and yeah my coach and i scream at him to pay attention. kid is going to get his head taken off one of these days. she also pointed out he's going to get the game ball last in back to back seasons. well, yeah he hit two doubles last game, but then the next inning he refused to go out onto the field because he didn't want to play 3rd base (of all positions). tonight i have him at pitcher, 1st base, and 3rd base and have him hitting in the top half of the lineup. he better perform because i ain't doing that in our last game against the second best team in the division.