Youth Sports - Coaching/Winning (1 Viewer)

[Captain Quinoa]

Am I the only one who thinks that keeping stats like OBP for seven-year-olds is a bit over the top?

More than over the top. Pretty freaking ridiculous.

How else are you going to provide a hit chart to the 8U National Team coach?

 

[Spanky267]

BTW my experience may be colored differently from a coaches view because I am in management. I heard a lot of stuff and stopped it before it ever got to a coaches ears. You wouldn't believe some of the idiocy.

Im not trying to come off like a #####, but I think because you deal with so many families, it makes sense that it would seem to you like someone was always causing issues.

Well as I said my view is certainly colored by my experiences. But I can tell you it was a rare season when I didn't get at least one complainer from pretty much every team. Usually something really stupid.

My experience is also colored by the fact that I am an administrator primarily but I am also an assistant coach. I agree with NCC that there is at least one festering complainer on every team. Sometimes you have a good group of coaches and parents than can shut that whining and complaining down before it spreads like cancer through the team. Other times that cancer will spread to nearly every parent and it will decimate the team and the morale of the players. It doesnt help if the coach is incompetent.

I had an experience this spring in flag football that I nipped in the bud early before it became cancerous. Had a "baseball star" come over to play flag with the goal of playing tackle in our fall season. I told the parents that we were going to have two flag teams. One for 11 year olds and 12 year olds who were small or had never played football at all and another team for 12 year olds and 13 year olds with experience. The coaches and I did this because it would allow the boys to practice and play in the spring with the boys they would most likely play with in the fall. I explained this clearly to the parents. Of course that info went in one ear and out the other and they began complaining about how we had a select team and a scrub team. My son was on the older team because he's almost 13 and has played since he was 8. He's not a select level player. He's simply on the team with the guys he'll play with in the fall. After the first game the parents complained some more about why we dont mix the teams up to balance out the "talent." I promptly asked them how they would like me to do it. To which I got stammering and stuttering. Their answer was to pull the kid from the team. What lessons did they teach him? After having coached for 11 years and now in my 3rd as an administrator I have little patience for complainers like this. I will spend considerable time with parents who have constructive criticism that can be helpful and who are trying to improve their childs experience without undermining other kids experience.

 

[NCCommish]

BTW my experience may be colored differently from a coaches view because I am in management. I heard a lot of stuff and stopped it before it ever got to a coaches ears. You wouldn't believe some of the idiocy.

Im not trying to come off like a #####, but I think because you deal with so many families, it makes sense that it would seem to you like someone was always causing issues.

Well as I said my view is certainly colored by my experiences. But I can tell you it was a rare season when I didn't get at least one complainer from pretty much every team. Usually something really stupid.

My experience is also colored by the fact that I am an administrator primarily but I am also an assistant coach. I agree with NCC that there is at least one festering complainer on every team. Sometimes you have a good group of coaches and parents than can shut that whining and complaining down before it spreads like cancer through the team. Other times that cancer will spread to nearly every parent and it will decimate the team and the morale of the players. It doesnt help if the coach is incompetent.

I had an experience this spring in flag football that I nipped in the bud early before it became cancerous. Had a "baseball star" come over to play flag with the goal of playing tackle in our fall season. I told the parents that we were going to have two flag teams. One for 11 year olds and 12 year olds who were small or had never played football at all and another team for 12 year olds and 13 year olds with experience. The coaches and I did this because it would allow the boys to practice and play in the spring with the boys they would most likely play with in the fall. I explained this clearly to the parents. Of course that info went in one ear and out the other and they began complaining about how we had a select team and a scrub team. My son was on the older team because he's almost 13 and has played since he was 8. He's not a select level player. He's simply on the team with the guys he'll play with in the fall. After the first game the parents complained some more about why we dont mix the teams up to balance out the "talent." I promptly asked them how they would like me to do it. To which I got stammering and stuttering. Their answer was to pull the kid from the team. What lessons did they teach him? After having coached for 11 years and now in my 3rd as an administrator I have little patience for complainers like this. I will spend considerable time with parents who have constructive criticism that can be helpful and who are trying to improve their childs experience without undermining other kids experience.

Been there too often.

 

[Spanky267]

BTW my experience may be colored differently from a coaches view because I am in management. I heard a lot of stuff and stopped it before it ever got to a coaches ears. You wouldn't believe some of the idiocy.

Im not trying to come off like a #####, but I think because you deal with so many families, it makes sense that it would seem to you like someone was always causing issues.

Well as I said my view is certainly colored by my experiences. But I can tell you it was a rare season when I didn't get at least one complainer from pretty much every team. Usually something really stupid.

My experience is also colored by the fact that I am an administrator primarily but I am also an assistant coach. I agree with NCC that there is at least one festering complainer on every team. Sometimes you have a good group of coaches and parents than can shut that whining and complaining down before it spreads like cancer through the team. Other times that cancer will spread to nearly every parent and it will decimate the team and the morale of the players. It doesnt help if the coach is incompetent.

I had an experience this spring in flag football that I nipped in the bud early before it became cancerous. Had a "baseball star" come over to play flag with the goal of playing tackle in our fall season. I told the parents that we were going to have two flag teams. One for 11 year olds and 12 year olds who were small or had never played football at all and another team for 12 year olds and 13 year olds with experience. The coaches and I did this because it would allow the boys to practice and play in the spring with the boys they would most likely play with in the fall. I explained this clearly to the parents. Of course that info went in one ear and out the other and they began complaining about how we had a select team and a scrub team. My son was on the older team because he's almost 13 and has played since he was 8. He's not a select level player. He's simply on the team with the guys he'll play with in the fall. After the first game the parents complained some more about why we dont mix the teams up to balance out the "talent." I promptly asked them how they would like me to do it. To which I got stammering and stuttering. Their answer was to pull the kid from the team. What lessons did they teach him? After having coached for 11 years and now in my 3rd as an administrator I have little patience for complainers like this. I will spend considerable time with parents who have constructive criticism that can be helpful and who are trying to improve their childs experience without undermining other kids experience.

Been there too often.

Its hilarious that these folks complain especially considering that the guy, gal or guys out there busting their hump trying to coach these kids up is doing it as a volunteer. He's spending countless hours coaching, whether he is competent or not. While this whiners sit back and play armchair quarterback. But when you challenge any of them to step up to coach all you hear are excuses or crickets. Losers! I coach not because I am the next coming of Vince Lombardi but because someone has to step up. I am often reminded of something I learned in college, "to do what ought to be done but would not have been done unless I did it, I thought it to be my duty."

 

[CGRdrJoe]

I've coached youth football for the past 10 years, even took a team to Florida and won the whole damn thing for division 2 junior midgets. That said, last year was my last year coaching because the parents and other coaches have just become unbearable. Our whole coaching staff from 2010 realized that the group of kids we took all the way were special and in no way shape or form reflected our coaching from that year. Now, we did play a partial part in grooming those that had played with us the previous years but by far our largest influence was keeping the "game" fun for the kids and having them eager to come back out even if we were having a losing year. After coaching those kids in 2010 in our group of coaches dropped back down to a junior pee wee level and started back at the bottom. 2011 brought more losses than wins and the parents were not happy, I mean after all they were supposed to go to Florida as well. 4 out of the 6 coaches didn't come back in 2012, they had grown tired of all the complaining and questioning of the teams record. Honestly, we may have gone 3-6 but the 6 we lost were somewhat close and we were over performing with the talent that we had. Our society is plagued with complainers and when you add them to the other monday morning quarterbacks with nothing but time to whine (of course they have no time to coach even though they could do it better) they become unbearable.

 

[belljr]

I got one for you.

I have managed 15 year old boys and that was easy..punishment was easy.

now on my 4th year with my daughter. This year we are combined 3rd and 4th graders. Granted I am an assistant this year but there are 3 girls I want to strangle and one parent diva. The problem is the older girls that don't listen cause all the problems.

we have one girl after she bats her mom takes her home. And she is the nicest kid...parents are bleeps. Think she's great and over protective.

I have 4 girls that never played and they are great. So how do you punish 4th graders at practice without being a ####

 

[Spanky267]

Wait the girl bats in the game and then goes home? How is she still part of the team. Is she staying until the end of the game?

 

[belljr]

Wait the girl bats in the game and then goes home? How is she still part of the team. Is she staying until the end of the game?

sorry practice. .... and I'm not the head coach so I don't say too much. He's a nice guy but no control

 

[General Malaise]

Every time I read horror stories about parents, I want to gather and embrace all my soccer parents. Never once have I had an issue with any of them.

 

[Spanky267]

Wait the girl bats in the game and then goes home? How is she still part of the team. Is she staying until the end of the game?

sorry practice. .... and I'm not the head coach so I don't say too much. He's a nice guy but no control

Oh no that wouldnt fly. What is the reason for her leaving practice before its over?

 

[belljr]

Wait the girl bats in the game and then goes home? How is she still part of the team. Is she staying until the end of the game?

sorry practice. .... and I'm not the head coach so I don't say too much. He's a nice guy but no control

Oh no that wouldnt fly. What is the reason for her leaving practice before its over?

diva parenting...best friend with coaches kid...no idea if they have a real reason

 

[belljr]

Next year I am volunteering for hc I think I have the time now

 

[The Commish]

Wait the girl bats in the game and then goes home? How is she still part of the team. Is she staying until the end of the game?

sorry practice. .... and I'm not the head coach so I don't say too much. He's a nice guy but no control

Oh no that wouldnt fly. What is the reason for her leaving practice before its over?

Pretty simple to remedy. Run through all your fielding and save the batting for the end of practice and make sure she's the last to bat. Problem solved

 

[belljr]

Wait the girl bats in the game and then goes home? How is she still part of the team. Is she staying until the end of the game?

sorry practice. .... and I'm not the head coach so I don't say too much. He's a nice guy but no control

Oh no that wouldnt fly. What is the reason for her leaving practice before its over?

Pretty simple to remedy. Run through all your fielding and save the batting for the end of practice and make sure she's the last to bat. Problem solved

its been done

 

[The Commish]

Wait the girl bats in the game and then goes home? How is she still part of the team. Is she staying until the end of the game?

sorry practice. .... and I'm not the head coach so I don't say too much. He's a nice guy but no control

Oh no that wouldnt fly. What is the reason for her leaving practice before its over?

Pretty simple to remedy. Run through all your fielding and save the batting for the end of practice and make sure she's the last to bat. Problem solved

its been done

Make sure to drive the point home by telling them if they don't participate fully in practice, they don't play and that "showing up" does not constitute "participate fully"

 

[Grady Wilson]

Hey, Ty Cobb...these kids are 7 years old. Let them have fun and learn how to play the game. Including learning how to play each position.

Settle down.

Well, this is wrong. Kids are starting to learn roles at this age. This doesn't mean if a kid is playing in the outfield he's never going to play in the infield. Our team had kids playing the same positions pretty much all year long. My son is 6 and he started playing in the outfield, but the coach saw that he was more valuable on 2nd base, so moved him there. That was really the only switch that the coach made all year long. Now, we would switch kids around at the end of the game if we were up by a lot so that the other kids could gain experience. I'm glad he left my son at second base and didn't try to move him to another position. Normally, it's fairly easy to tell which of the kids are able to play in the infield at that age compared to the kids that aren't quite ready to handle those positions. Maybe those kids will develop into being able to play other positions the next season. I still prefer letting certain kids improve at a certain position if they've proven they are the best one on the team at that position. Could be wrong, but our infield, and the infields of the other teams we watched all year long, had the same kids at the same positions for every game and you could see they were playing well together. Good luck...

This is just silly. They're first and second graders.

Well, we only lost 4 games all year long and the infield was good, so I don't see how it's :"silly", but whatev....During practices, like others have mentioned, we let kids play different positions during the batting practices and some other drills that we did. The kids that ended up playing in the outfield during the games were the ones that weren't ready to play in the infield. They just didn't have the fundamentals down and fully understand how to play those positions. My son was in the same boat last year...he wasn't ready to play an infield position, but we worked on it during the off season and he showed early on in the season that he was ready.

 

[Grady Wilson]

I've coached youth football for the past 10 years, even took a team to Florida and won the whole damn thing for division 2 junior midgets. That said, last year was my last year coaching because the parents and other coaches have just become unbearable. Our whole coaching staff from 2010 realized that the group of kids we took all the way were special and in no way shape or form reflected our coaching from that year. Now, we did play a partial part in grooming those that had played with us the previous years but by far our largest influence was keeping the "game" fun for the kids and having them eager to come back out even if we were having a losing year. After coaching those kids in 2010 in our group of coaches dropped back down to a junior pee wee level and started back at the bottom. 2011 brought more losses than wins and the parents were not happy, I mean after all they were supposed to go to Florida as well. 4 out of the 6 coaches didn't come back in 2012, they had grown tired of all the complaining and questioning of the teams record. Honestly, we may have gone 3-6 but the 6 we lost were somewhat close and we were over performing with the talent that we had. Our society is plagued with complainers and when you add them to the other monday morning quarterbacks with nothing but time to whine (of course they have no time to coach even though they could do it better) they become unbearable.

Well said. Our team this year really overachieved. Our team was made up of 4, 5, and 6 year old kids. The other team in our small town was pretty stacked with older kids and many of them had played on the "All-Star" team from the previous year. That being said, I had a blast helping coach this team because each of them got better throughout the year. Fortunately, we had a good set of parents that didn't complain about our choices we made on the field. My wife is always saying she wishes I wouldn't coach because she hears what is said in the stands by parents on previous teams. I don't let it bother me because if they think they can do it better, then why don't they take the time to coach. It's easier to gripe from the stands than to actually have a hand in helping the team improve. I'm sure one of these days I'll get tired of coaching, but right now I honestly couldn't care less what parents have to say if it's nothing but negative and not of value for the team.

 

[Patriotsfatboy1]

I think that we are mixing and matching two separate topics in here - Coaching little kids to win and parent issues. I have been coaching several sports for a long time and I have heard from lots of coaches on these issues.

Coaching little kids to win - Simply put, skip the winning portion for Rec ball at all ages. Those kids are there to have some fun and avoid the video games. Coach 'em, teach 'em, but temper your expectations. That does not mean that you just sit there like a bump on a log, but have the kids play different positions and, if they screw up, they screw up. No big deal.

For tournament teams, don't get serious until at least 10. The kids that you see as the dominant 8 year old is likely going to be passed by some other kid along the line for a variety of reasons, but probably because kids mature at different rates and it all catches up at puberty.

Parent - If you have the right perspective (see above), then I have found that it works very well if you communicate with all parents and explain what your goals are and what the kids can expect during the season. I have had so few issues because we have set expectations at the beginning of the season. The people that I see with parent issues are because there is a mismatched set of expectations.

If you want to add a third item to the list of things that coaches struggle with - coaching your own kids.

 

[Spanky267]

I think that we are mixing and matching two separate topics in here - Coaching little kids to win and parent issues. I have been coaching several sports for a long time and I have heard from lots of coaches on these issues.

Coaching little kids to win - Simply put, skip the winning portion for Rec ball at all ages. Those kids are there to have some fun and avoid the video games. Coach 'em, teach 'em, but temper your expectations. That does not mean that you just sit there like a bump on a log, but have the kids play different positions and, if they screw up, they screw up. No big deal.

For tournament teams, don't get serious until at least 10. The kids that you see as the dominant 8 year old is likely going to be passed by some other kid along the line for a variety of reasons, but probably because kids mature at different rates and it all catches up at puberty.

Parent - If you have the right perspective (see above), then I have found that it works very well if you communicate with all parents and explain what your goals are and what the kids can expect during the season. I have had so few issues because we have set expectations at the beginning of the season. The people that I see with parent issues are because there is a mismatched set of expectations.

If you want to add a third item to the list of things that coaches struggle with - coaching your own kids.

Agree with all of your points.

If its truly Rec ball. Coach to develop skills and to allow the kids to have fun.

Set and make clear your expectations as a coach early, preferrably before practice/season begins. You cant over communicate your expectations.

Coaching your own kids is sometimes inevitable. But try not to be their position coach and be sure to treat him/her no different than any other kid on the team. Dont go easier or hard on them than you would any other kid on the team. Also disarm perceptions by making it clear to parents that while your child may be on the team he/she will be treated like any other child on the team. Require your child to address you at practice and games in the same manner the other kids do. You arent dad at practices or games. You are Coach.

 

[Cjw_55106]

I disagree with your last paragraph Spanky. Inevitably, you will be harder on your kid than others. That isn't a bad thing if you are constructive about it. While there are exceptions, the coaches kids are usually better then most other players at this age and it's natural to expect more from them. Probably due to the fact the parent obviously is involved or he wouldn't be coaching.

I have never felt the need to point out my kid is on the team and he won't be treated different to other parents and it's never been an issue. I think even mentioning it puts a light on it. Secondly, it simply isn't true. Finally, I don't buy into the "military attitude." I am my kids dad and I don't expect him to act as if that isn't true simply because we are on a baseball field.

I know many will disagree with me, but it's served me well while coaching my son.

 

[NCCommish]

I've coached youth football for the past 10 years, even took a team to Florida and won the whole damn thing for division 2 junior midgets. That said, last year was my last year coaching because the parents and other coaches have just become unbearable. Our whole coaching staff from 2010 realized that the group of kids we took all the way were special and in no way shape or form reflected our coaching from that year. Now, we did play a partial part in grooming those that had played with us the previous years but by far our largest influence was keeping the "game" fun for the kids and having them eager to come back out even if we were having a losing year. After coaching those kids in 2010 in our group of coaches dropped back down to a junior pee wee level and started back at the bottom. 2011 brought more losses than wins and the parents were not happy, I mean after all they were supposed to go to Florida as well. 4 out of the 6 coaches didn't come back in 2012, they had grown tired of all the complaining and questioning of the teams record. Honestly, we may have gone 3-6 but the 6 we lost were somewhat close and we were over performing with the talent that we had. Our society is plagued with complainers and when you add them to the other monday morning quarterbacks with nothing but time to whine (of course they have no time to coach even though they could do it better) they become unbearable.

We no longer send teams to Florida. We found that by dropping that we cut out a lot of bs and for the most part that cleaned out the win at all cost people. Not completely but the most vocal for sure.

 

[acarey50]

Our league was machine pitch at 38 mph. I much prefer this to kid pitch at this age. As a former professional pitcher I am trying to keep my son from pitching too early to protect his arm. Also, the game flows much better with the machine and there is much more action for the fielders.

I'm almost positive we used a machine up until U10 (the summer before 5th grade maybe).

At what age do they typically start live pitch nowadays?

For our local little league -

T-Ball for 4-5 year olds, maybe some young inexperienced 6 year olds. Entire teams can be pretty much frozen so friends are with friends. No outs, no score kept

Coach Pitch for 5-6 year olds (maybe some young inexperienced 7 year olds) Entire teams can be pretty much frozen so friends are with friends. We played with no outs at beginning of season and progressed to calling kids out and pulling them off the bases towards second half of season, but still allowed to bat the order.

Machine pitch for 6-8 year olds (a few inexperienced 9 year olds that weren't drafted by a double AA team). Coach can usually freeze 5-7 players, roster is 11-12 kids. Play 3 outs or 9 batters. No official score kept, but many coaches do track stats.

Double AA - 8-10 year olds - first year of kid pitch (our league limited the number of 8 year olds that were allowed to be drafted, as if you were 10, you were guaranteed a spot. This meant some talented 8 year olds that could have played were sent back to machine pitch) First year of draft - coach freezes their own kid plus 1-2 others. 3 outs or 5 runs IIRC.

My oldest (now 9) played through machine pitch and did not play this year. He said he was bored with baseball and wanted to stick with soccer, basketball and football.

My middle son (just turned 7) was the youngest kid in the machine pitch division. Far from one of the better players in the league, definitely not the worst. He will repeat in machine pitch next season.

My youngest is 3, will be 4 at end of year and may do T-Ball next year as he gets mad that he doesn't have games of his own. He'll come to practice and get out there with the older kids for just about all of the sports.

I coach (either head or assistant) most of these sports (assist with current soccerteam which is a "Signature" level team, head coach the various basketball teams and flag football teams, was not able to do baseball this season). I've been lucky so far parentwise with most of these teams, but a large part of that is that I usually was able to get teams with kids/families I already know from school via freezes and/or buddy requests. Saves the parent issues, but can be tougher when the kids are all very familiar with each other. The main reason I coach so many of the teams is not just because I am a glutton for punishment, but because it also gives me some control over the schedule so that I minimize the overlapping practice schedules, etc.