HS Coaching Considerations

[metrotheme]

It looks like the other thread went off topic and has become too long. Why don't we start a new thread here about the challenges high school coaches face and find out what we can learn from each other.

[CoachB25]

What I am expected to do/know:

1. Know all of the kids at every level and on every select and rec. team.
2. Know all of the kids I have ever coached and their main achievements including stats etc.
3. Teach pride, dedication, desire, and do so while often being backstabbed at every turn.
4. Modify behaviors! No, Jon Jon, you can’t hit away because you are the greatest hitter this school’s ever had. Bunt the ball in this sacrifice situation.
5. Recognize the “signs of the times and how they are changing.” Well, this week are we rotational or linear? Do we know the difference? Do we care? Are we dropping and driving to pitch or are we standing tall to fall?
6. Document everything. Physical, Code of Conduct. Record any injury. Know what hour each player is in which classroom and when I can get them to therapy.
7. Fight the war on drugs and alcohol. Know that “cool” is in and that in order to be successful I must motivate my players to understand that anyone can pop a top on a can of beer but few can hit the fastball.
8. Raise player’s self esteem while wondering if they care themselves about their self-esteem.
9. Maintain a “safe environment” Safety first. If I fail here, I’m gone instantly!
10. Promote sportsmanship in an era where sportsmanship defies the norm.
11. Continue my education ! This means I have to know the latest trends in weight lifting, plyometrics, speed and agility drills, etc. Then, I have to do the same for the game itself.
12. Know every higher level coach in my area. Know every college coach in my area. Get all of them to know and recognize us. MAKE SURE MY PROGRAM IS RESPECTED BY ALL OF THEM.
13. Know that my presence will place students in awe so I must be a role model. The problem is, I haven’t walked on water and, at time, I am not even a good person. However, one word, one action and one decision can devastate any and every kid I coach.
14. Know all of the web-sites and glean as much as I can off of them.
15. Decide who is potentially dangerous to our success. That might mean cutting a senior that I have had a great relationship with.
16. Decide how to handle medical emergencies. I have to know when a child is hurt and when they are not. I have to decide when the pain I’ve inflicted through drills, running etc. are enough and that it is time to back off some. I have to know every new therapy, every taping scheme for injuries and every kids phone number in case I have to call the parents in an emergency.
17. Make sure all of my students can pass their classes to remain eligible.
18. Make sure all parents are aware of anything lacking in their child’s academic endeavors. Are they meeting CORE Class requirements and what is their score on the ACT?
19. Know who is dating whom and who has had a bad day. Do I need to give that extra pat on the back?
20. Make sure that I closely monitor anything remotely close to prayer !!!

What I know:

1. I can’t do it all.
2. Know that sometimes I feel like the greatest failure I know.
3. Know that there will come a day when my kids hurt and I will be hurt!
4. Know that when our season ends, I will go through deep depression because I’ve gotten so close to these kids and another group of seniors have graduated.
5. I KNOW THAT I AM A MEMBER OF THE GREATEST PROFESSION IN THE WORLD! I DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!! I WOULDN’T CHANGE WITH ANYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD!!!

[wogdoggy]

What I am expected to do/know:

1. Know all of the kids at every level and on every select and rec. team.
2. Know all of the kids I have ever coached and their main achievements including stats etc.
3. Teach pride, dedication, desire, and do so while often being backstabbed at every turn.
4. Modify behaviors! No, Jon Jon, you can’t hit away because you are the greatest hitter this school’s ever had. Bunt the ball in this sacrifice situation.
5. Recognize the “signs of the times and how they are changing.” Well, this week are we rotational or linear? Do we know the difference? Do we care? Are we dropping and driving to pitch or are we standing tall to fall?
6. Document everything. Physical, Code of Conduct. Record any injury. Know what hour each player is in which classroom and when I can get them to therapy.
7. Fight the war on drugs and alcohol. Know that “cool” is in and that in order to be successful I must motivate my players to understand that anyone can pop a top on a can of beer but few can hit the fastball.
8. Raise player’s self esteem while wondering if they care themselves about their self-esteem.
9. Maintain a “safe environment” Safety first. If I fail here, I’m gone instantly!
10. Promote sportsmanship in an era where sportsmanship defies the norm.
11. Continue my education ! This means I have to know the latest trends in weight lifting, plyometrics, speed and agility drills, etc. Then, I have to do the same for the game itself.
12. Know every higher level coach in my area. Know every college coach in my area. Get all of them to know and recognize us. MAKE SURE MY PROGRAM IS RESPECTED BY ALL OF THEM.
13. Know that my presence will place students in awe so I must be a role model. The problem is, I haven’t walked on water and, at time, I am not even a good person. However, one word, one action and one decision can devastate any and every kid I coach.
14. Know all of the web-sites and glean as much as I can off of them.
15. Decide who is potentially dangerous to our success. That might mean cutting a senior that I have had a great relationship with.
16. Decide how to handle medical emergencies. I have to know when a child is hurt and when they are not. I have to decide when the pain I’ve inflicted through drills, running etc. are enough and that it is time to back off some. I have to know every new therapy, every taping scheme for injuries and every kids phone number in case I have to call the parents in an emergency.
17. Make sure all of my students can pass their classes to remain eligible.
18. Make sure all parents are aware of anything lacking in their child’s academic endeavors. Are they meeting CORE Class requirements and what is their score on the ACT?
19. Know who is dating whom and who has had a bad day. Do I need to give that extra pat on the back?
20. Make sure that I closely monitor anything remotely close to prayer !!!

What I know:

1. I can’t do it all.
2. Know that sometimes I feel like the greatest failure I know.
3. Know that there will come a day when my kids hurt and I will be hurt!
4. Know that when our season ends, I will go through deep depression because I’ve gotten so close to these kids and another group of seniors have graduated.
5. I KNOW THAT I AM A MEMBER OF THE GREATEST PROFESSION IN THE WORLD! I DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!! I WOULDN’T CHANGE WITH ANYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD!!!




give every kid a fair chance on how good he is NOW,,not what he projects to in the future,not what is older brother did for you previously.
never pick one kid over another because you know the family.
give every kid a fair chance to tryout every year{dont be dead set in taking the same bunch of kids thru 4 years}
encourage previously cut kids to try out again
go check out the local travel team "feeders" every year
dont forget to go see the IN HOUSE all star game
just be fair,every kid is different..thety dont neccessarily become the ball player their siblings were.

go to some clinics to improve your coaching

[Hardball]

I think to run a successful High School program, (any sport, really), the Head Coach has to do a few basic things. These are aside from the obvious, things like Administration, family, and community support; adequate finances/booster group, etc. Most schools will be comfortable with a team that beats the rival school more often than not and finds it's way into the inter-league playoffs 3 or 4 times a decade. From there:

1. Make certain the players and families understand your personal philosophy before the season begins. Know that 90 per cent of the problems will come from 10 per cent of the kids/moms/dads and have a plan going forward. Make up your mind what your level of tolerance is and try to be consistent. If you intend on being a “tough guy”, plan on the “don't smile until after Easter” approach and stick with it. If you tend the other direction, as most do, watch the temper since it will catch most kids off guard the first time they see it.

2. If you are an off campus coach you need to make certain none of your players surprise you with an academic suspension or worse. Part of your function is a political one and part of that is ensuring your players fulfill their responsibility to be a STUDENT athlete and a good neighbor in his community. We had a star athlete at a local school get himself into a bind last year and he almost brought his whole team down with him. The coaching staff worked with him and his Mom and they got the kid back on track and the team had a successful season. No surprises means you need to find some way to tune into these kid's lives.

3. Know everyone in your program and have a fair assessment of their current skills and potential, Freshman forward. If you have a large program, say over 30 or 40 kids out, you'll need help with this in the form of assistants. These folks better be on the same page as you and buy into your program or they will worth less than zero in the long run. A school with 15-20 member Frosh And JV Teams will need at least 3 or 4 Coaches there alone. The Varsity ought to have 2-3 assistants besides the Head Coach. I don't know how it is at your school, but here, there is little money for a coach's salary, most of these guys are volunteers.

4. Use the skills/assessments to plan forward with your underclassmen so you can have a 2 and 3 year plan above and beyond the “well guys, another .500 year; what do we do next season” approach. Your Frosh and JV assistants need to be involved in skill training, (under your direction), so you can plan on filling those holes in the lineup that come with graduation. Very few of the guys out here do very much real coaching of Varsity level players once the season starts. They pretty much expect kids older than 15-16 to already have the skills needed to play if they come out.

5. Give yourself a real time skills assessment too. If you are soft in either “game management” or “team management” find yourself an assistant skilled in that area and listen to his advice. Too often I see a Coach, usually a new guy, fall down because he takes on more than he can handle. This usually happens at the worst of times like an Easter Tourney game or the playoffs.


The other things like helping get schollies and modifying the lifestyles of kids who play for you is swell, but how realistic?

[Jake Patterson]

What I find best about coahcing school ball is the overall affect you can have on a youngster's life. Coaches who coach TB don't seem to have the same opportunity to change lives the way we are able.

The best part of the Job. Walking down the street and having a stranger (?) approach you and say, "Hey Coach! How's it going? Hey I'd like you to meet my son. Johnny this is the coach I was telling you about..."

[TonyK]

I liked CoachB25, wogdoggy and Hardball's points especially knowing all the players in your system, being fair to the players, and annually doing skills assessments on players for the next season. Here are some questions I have for any coach that wants to answer them:

1. You are on record as saying that 16 players are far too many to have on a JV team. Yet the next season you keep 17 players. How would you try to be fair to the 3 or 4 kids who will not see much playing time (5 at bats all season) barring a dramatic improvement in skills?

2. Spring Lacrosse competes actively in your school and even takes away some of your players each year. How would you as the new coach approach this?

3. What is the best way for you to make sure your program has enough funds to maintain itself?

4. If you contact college coaches, what determines which players you want to discuss with them? Only the best seniors...only the best juniors...etc. Do you speak to the players first to discuss what might happen and where they are at?

5. What can parents do to help you and the players the most?

[metrotheme]

These questions sound alot like something you might get on a final interview. Good points to ponder.

I liked CoachB25, wogdoggy and Hardball's points especially knowing all the players in your system, being fair to the players, and annually doing skills assessments on players for the next season. Here are some questions I have for any coach that wants to answer them:

1. You are on record as saying that 16 players are far too many to have on a JV team. Yet the next season you keep 17 players. How would you try to be fair to the 3 or 4 kids who will not see much playing time (5 at bats all season) barring a dramatic improvement in skills?

- On a JV level I have a rotating playing system. Everyone on the team will experience the feeling of starting, sitting on the bench and finishing a close game. The best 9 cannot be the only ones on the JV level starting every game and finishing every game. Sitting on the bench develops humility and perspective for what it feels like to wanting to be out there while someone else is playing. Everyone on the team needs to experience this because varsity is not a guaranteed situation for anyone and I think it helps to build character in all of the players. The same can be said for finishing a game. I think the lesser players need to develop that sense of making plays in the 7th inning with the game on the line. They need to be tested in that situation. It's the only way I'll truly know what I'm dealing with from player 1-17. I don't factor W's and L's into the equation on JV. I wouldn't take a kid on JV and only give them 5 at-bats. Sitting a few innings will not hinder the better player, and might allow me to see something in that kid who is a notch below in skills that I may not see in practice.


2. Spring Lacrosse competes actively in your school and even takes away some of your players each year. How would you as the new coach approach this?

- You have to try to make your sport the place to be. And that starts with the gatekeeper. Be lively and personable. Be approachable to the kids. Alot of time, the kids pick the sport based upon who the coach is. Be that person. I can't control who lacrosse takes and a child's desire to play either sport. Both of those are out of my control. I can only control what I do and how I promote myself. There shouldn't be this either / or ... love / hate dichotomy between lacrosse and baseball.

3. What is the best way for you to make sure your program has enough funds to maintain itself?

- Stay within the budget given by the school. Any funds raised through bake sales, car washes, dances, raffles, etc etc are to build a fund for incidental expenses (broken equipment, extra baseballs, etc etc.). I've been teaching in two poor school districts (NYC and Philly). You learn to be creative and recycle. The game is still about hitting, throwing and catching. Balls, gloves and bats. As long as the school has allocated enough funds for umpires, balls, and travel, we can make it happen. If necessary I will come out of pocket to cover minor expenses.

4. If you contact college coaches, what determines which players you want to discuss with them? Only the best seniors...only the best juniors...etc. Do you speak to the players first to discuss what might happen and where they are at?

- The recruiting process is something that is discussed at the beginning of each year. I give out forms to my players asking their goals / schools they're thinking of applying to / SAT scores, etc. I also have a packet that is given to new players each year with basic guidelines about recruiting and contacting colleges. If a student asks me to contact a college coach, I will make the call / e-mail as long as I don't feel it is a reach (i.e. Miami, Texas, etc.). Even kids with walk-on ability need that push from their coach as well.

5. What can parents do to help you and the players the most?

- Deliver a prepared student. One who is eager to learn and is willing to accept instruction. Work with them on their social graces and talk to them about accepting responsibility and dealing with failure. Be supportive of their efforts and look to praise the effort they are giving. (Not a great answer, but I really think this is crucial for all facets of school.)

[TonyK]

1. You are on record as saying that 16 players are far too many to have on a JV team. Yet the next season you keep 17 players. How would you try to be fair to the 3 or 4 kids who will not see much playing time (5 at bats all season) barring a dramatic improvement in skills?

- On a JV level I have a rotating playing system. Everyone on the team will experience the feeling of starting, sitting on the bench and finishing a close game. The best 9 cannot be the only ones on the JV level starting every game and finishing every game. Sitting on the bench develops humility and perspective for what it feels like to wanting to be out there while someone else is playing. Everyone on the team needs to experience this because varsity is not a guaranteed situation for anyone and I think it helps to build character in all of the players. The same can be said for finishing a game. I think the lesser players need to develop that sense of making plays in the 7th inning with the game on the line. They need to be tested in that situation. It's the only way I'll truly know what I'm dealing with from player 1-17. I don't factor W's and L's into the equation on JV. I wouldn't take a kid on JV and only give them 5 at-bats. Sitting a few innings will not hinder the better player, and might allow me to see something in that kid who is a notch below in skills that I may not see in practice.

Terrific response! Some coaches preach playing time fairness yet fall back on having the best 9 players out there in almost every late game situation. Or they give up on a player halfway through the season because of a mistake or two, and he rides the bench from then on.

One player's JV position was "designated runner" and he was only sent in once a game to pinch run for someone. No at bats and no time in the field. The following season it took him 10 games before he could get comfortable at the plate and stop striking out nearly every time up.

[scorekeeper]

It looks like the other thread went off topic and has become too long. Why don't we start a new thread here about the challenges high school coaches face and find out what we can learn from each other.

That’s great, but before everyone starts guessing or hit and missing, why not go to your particular state to see if there isn’t some kind of existing educational things for coaches already in existence, then see if its possible to improve on what’s required?

http://www.nfhs.org/custom/member_associations/states.aspx

If one wants to spend a ton of time looking to see what Ca requires and offers, they can take an in depth look at the following.

http://www.cifstate.org/education_programs/coaching/coaches/index.html
http://www.cifstate.org/education_programs/coaching/instructors/index.html

Pursuing Victory With Honor in Ca seems to incorporate many of the things already mentioned. I don’t know what other states call it, but I’ll wager they have something like it.

http://www.cifstate.org/education_programs/pvh/implementation-tools.html

There is a much used coach’s educational course coming from NFHS. Several states incorporate it along with their own education. If one wants to see an example of a state working in conjunction with NFHS, thay can look at Fl below.

http://www.fhsaa.org/eclassroom/coaches/

So, in the end, although everyone listing what they think is great, why not take a look at what’s already been figured out and is part of some kind of course curriculum?

[TG Coach]

What I find best about coahcing school ball is the overall affect you can have on a youngster's life. Coaches who coach TB don't seem to have the same opportunity to change lives the way we are able.

Why do you think this? We spend nine months with our players. For sixteen weekends we're with them all day Saturday and Sunday. I had a kid I coached Babe Ruth ball for only three months invite me to his football NLI signing. He wanted me there. He said I was the coach most responsible for getting him there. He said I taught him how to deal with the stuff going on his life and how to focus on what mattered.

Ironically, had our relationship happened now and not in the early 80's someone would have called Social Services or the police. A guy in his early 20's (me) was letting a 15yo hang out at his apartment.

[Jake Patterson]

Here's a list of those items in which we are trained.
http://www.casciac.org/coachcert.shtml#1

[TG Coach]

.... 16 players are far too many to have on a JV team. Yet the next season you keep 17 players. How would you try to be fair to the 3 or 4 kids who will not see much playing time (5 at bats all season) barring a dramatic improvement in skills?

Our high school keeps seventeen on JV. From watching some JV games, four or five of these players don't play much and aren't are not going any further. They are sophs who were on the freshman team the year before. The freshman who are varsity prospects go straight to JV. It's been so long since a freshman team player made either baseball or softball varsity the school is thinking of dropping the freshman teams. Those kids aren't going past soph year anyway. They still have rec ball in the summer. The top twelve JV players rotate for the most part.

[Jake Patterson]

Why do you think this? We spend nine months with our players. For sixteen weekends we're with them all day Saturday and Sunday. I had a kid I coached Babe Ruth ball for only three months invite me to his football NLI signing. He wanted me there. He said I was the coach most responsible for getting him there. He said I taught him how to deal with the stuff going on his life and how to focus on what mattered.

Ironically, had our relationship happened now and not in the early 80's someone would have called Social Services or the police. A guy in his early 20's (me) was letting a 15yo hang out at his apartment.

Maybe your right...
I do however feel that a community based environment as opposed to a pay for play environment has an edge in this area, especially if there is some consistancy in the coaching staff. I've coached a whole families of children, something you don't see as often in the pay for play environment as the pay for play environment usually always takes only the very best.

[TG Coach]

Maybe your right...
I do however feel that a community based environment as opposed to a pay for play environment has an edge in this area, especially if there is some consistancy in the coaching staff. I've coached a whole families of children, something you don't see as often in the pay for play environment as the pay for play environment usually always takes only the very best.

Most of the 14U team my son played for has been together for four seasons so far. We plan to go right through 17U showcase tournaments in high school on the side when they're not playing Legion. Had I not folded my team so my son could join this team, I would have taken it from 12U to 17U.

[CoachB25]

1. You are on record as saying that 16 players are far too many to have on a JV team. Yet the next season you keep 17 players. How would you try to be fair to the 3 or 4 kids who will not see much playing time (5 at bats all season) barring a dramatic improvement in skills?

You go to these players and be honest with them about their skill level as well as playing time. Then, you let their parents know your opinion. You then let them made the decision. You let them know that while they won't get many game at bats, they will be treated with respect in practice and will get repetitions in the cage etc. and they will be afforded an equal opportunity to work on their defense. In other words, they won't be the shaggers all of the time. Some of these kids will improve and by the end of the year, you might have some hard decisions to make about who plays.

2. Spring Lacrosse competes actively in your school and even takes away some of your players each year. How would you as the new coach approach this?

To be the man, you have to beat the man. Make your program the best. I have worked very hard at this. It means that you will have to get T-shirts out promoting your program. You will have to be visiable in your community well, it goes on and on. Oh, and you have to win. When your team is the most successful program, it will feed itself. Until then, you can not rest. Coaching wise, a few suggestions would include kicking them in the butt and giving them a hug. I know in our times that is scary. It works. Make sure that your program gets media attention and PICTURES IN THE PAPER. GET YOUR KIDS NOMINATED FOR EVERY AWARD THAT THEY CAN RECEIVE. ...

3. What is the best way for you to make sure your program has enough funds to maintain itself?

This is neverending. I know of programs in my area that have upwards of $20,000 and they are still raising money. Hold clinics and have your kids help develope those clinics and your program. Start your own "feeder program" where those kids pay for instruction over the winter and put ALL OF THAT MONEY into your program. Be creative with fundraisers that no one else has thought of. Come on you can do that.

4. If you contact college coaches, what determines which players you want to discuss with them? Only the best seniors...only the best juniors...etc. Do you speak to the players first to discuss what might happen and where they are at?

NEVER TELL A LIE TO A COLLEGE COACH. They all talk and your reputation, once soiled, will never be the same. You address that college coach's needs and then you fill it with one of your kids. Find out what they will need in the future. Let them know what programs your kids play in so that they can see them. You have the kids let you know where they want to go and then you give them your honest opinion about that program, coach, etc. Be careful that you don't impose your opinons of their abilities on their selection. Let them make the college contact and let that coach then see for himself.

5. What can parents do to help you and the players the most?

I've been blessed with the best parents in the world. They have built buildings for me with offices, restrooms storage ... Over night, I had a $75,000 building standing. All I did was state a need, give a presentation, and get out of the way. Not one parent mentioned their kids during the entire building process. Yes, they built the building themselves. They put in a warning track, they helped get us supplies, ... Have a parent's meeting and let them know about rules, regulations, what you think is appropriate contacts with the coaching staff etc. Believe it or not, if they have some type of direction, they'll abide by it.

Good Luck!

[scorekeeper]

Here's a list of those items in which we are trained.
http://www.casciac.org/coachcert.shtml#1

I guess you feel cheated because club coaches are all trained in more varied subjects, in a very much better manner, and more equally across the state. Gawrsh, I don’t know how HS coaches can even manage to get teams on the playing fields. ;)

[metrotheme]

How / why would you take kids that you have already made your mind up at the beginning of the season aren't going to play? Doesn't the pygmalion effect come into play here? I understand the need for depth in case of injuries, but how can you make that decision at the beginning of the season? What would be my motivation to come out and work hard knowing you already have this steadfast allegiance to the starters?

I can see this situation if you are coaching at a school where there is only a varsity team (which is prevalent in NYC and Philly), you are forced to have only one team of players and the roster is so volatile due to grades, truancy, drop outs, etc.

I guess it's a difference in philosophy. Nobody is safe on my team. That's not to say that I pull a kid after an error or a bad game, I'm just not afraid to sit a "starter".



You go to these players and be honest with them about their skill level as well as playing time. Then, you let their parents know your opinion. You then let them made the decision. You let them know that while they won't get many game at bats, they will be treated with respect in practice and will get repetitions in the cage etc. and they will be afforded an equal opportunity to work on their defense. In other words, they won't be the shaggers all of the time. Some of these kids will improve and by the end of the year, you might have some hard decisions to make about who plays.

[metrotheme]

How do you handle the meddling parents? The ones that want to be all around practice, talk to you right after a game or get on you right after the game if a move you made didn't sit well with them? Do you automatically table issues for the next practice / school day?

[CoachB25]

How / why would you take kids that you have already made your mind up at the beginning of the season aren't going to play? Doesn't the pygmalion effect come into play here? I understand the need for depth in case of injuries, but how can you make that decision at the beginning of the season? What would be my motivation to come out and work hard knowing you already have this steadfast allegiance to the starters?

I can see this situation if you are coaching at a school where there is only a varsity team (which is prevalent in NYC and Philly), you are forced to have only one team of players and the roster is so volatile due to grades, truancy, drop outs, etc.

I guess it's a difference in philosophy. Nobody is safe on my team. That's not to say that I pull a kid after an error or a bad game, I'm just not afraid to sit a "starter".

Huh? We keep 18 on the Freshman and 16 on the JV. We dress 18 on the varsity but some of them go back and forth between JV and Varsity. We have a school of 1,300 and get about 70-80 kids tryout each year. We don't promise anyone anything but honesty. After tryouts, you have an idea of which kids can play and which kids are borderline and which kids can't play. The borderline kids might develop due to any number of circumstances but not the least of which is maturity. You go to those borderline kids and be honest with them about your impressions DURING TRYOUTS. Once tryouts are over, everyone has to earn everything. In saying that, I believe that if Jon Jon is the last kid you kept, he deserves to know it. He also will be told he will have a chance to prove me wrong. I didn't say anything about having a set lineup, naming starters etc. Where did you come up with that? Where did I suggest, hint or even remotely mention that I'm afraid to sit a starter?

TonyK asked these questions and so, I told him how we've done it. It works for us. He wanted to know how to make his program "the program." Been there and done that and so, wanted to give him some advice on how we did it. It isn't the only way and so, anyone else can chime in and give their 2 cents. It's all good.

[CoachB25]

How do you handle the meddling parents? The ones that want to be all around practice, talk to you right after a game or get on you right after the game if a move you made didn't sit well with them? Do you automatically table issues for the next practice / school day?

You take care of that through a parent's meeting before the baseball season begins or your first game. We do ours during a scrimmage. I do so both verbally and through a handout. In no uncertain terms are any of them to talk to me about anything relating to playing time etc. without their child present. We will not talk after a game. I always mention that they are the parent. Should they not like the baseball program, coaching staff etc. then as parents they should remove their child. Do what you think is right as parents for your child. I set up "lines of communication" during that meeting and it is also outlined in our handout. I understand this sounds harsh and so many of you are going to suggest that I'm clueless. Imagine a set of parents that knows that no matter what, no parent has the coach's ear. No parent can circumvent another. No parent is going to have dinner with the coach or go to a pro ball game together. In our program, they not only attend that meeting, I'd say that a vast majority leave it relieved. I will say that having a winning program makes this more duable. The instant we start to lose, I'm sure that someone will attempt to get the AD's ear. :crazy :waving :laugh

[Jake Patterson]

I guess you feel cheated because club coaches are all trained in more varied subjects, in a very much better manner, and more equally across the state. Gawrsh, I don’t know how HS coaches can even manage to get teams on the playing fields. ;)

Not getting it? Are you being facetious?

[Three A's baseball]

Do you have to be a college graduate/teacher to be a high school baseball coach?

[Jake Patterson]

Recieved this from Texas:

Here (in Texas) you have to be a teacher to be a coach but no coaching license. For teaching certification - contact the State Board of Educator Certification -
http://www.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECOnline/default.asp

Kimberly Terry
Executive Assistant
TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL COACHES ASSN.

[scorekeeper]

Not getting it? Are you being facetious?

Very facetious!

It’s a funny thing how you and most other coaches simply state things as a matter of fact, while other seem to incessantly say things to make themselves appear to be the authority, constantly referring to their own success.

You show everyone a list of thing all HS coaches are required to do, and immediately someone else is there patting himself on the back in a way to suggest that all club coaches are exactly like him, and just as successful. That’s a bunch of hooey!

I have nothing at all against club teams and club coaches, but to suggest they are on a total professional level with HS coaches is absurd! FI, looking at the list of things under Philosophy and Psychology, Medical Aspects, Sport Law and Safety, on the site you referenced, although there are some things there I’m sure any coach would know, there are some that aren’t.

Even though there is no control over how well anyone learns those things, at least every HS coach is exposed to them. How many club coaches are exposed to all those things? To me, the thing that separates the two groups isn’t knowledge of the game and/or the ability to churn out great players. It’s the ability to conduct the entire orchestra!

What’s missing at the club level is consistency. Not that all HS coaches are good or bad, but at least they’re much more consistent because they aren’t focused solely on the game.

[CanadianKid]

Most of the 14U team my son played for has been together for four seasons so far. We plan to go right through 17U showcase tournaments in high school on the side when they're not playing Legion. Had I not folded my team so my son could join this team, I would have taken it from 12U to 17U.

That's how good teams are made, they stay together since they were young. I was on a team in Major Mosquito (11yrs old) and we beat EVERY team we played at the AAA level. Had certain parents not caused problems (i.e. complaining the coach is yelling at their kid who is playing RF when we have the 3rd base dugout, complaining about the coach) we would have won provincials and nationals. However, the team which ended up winning provincials (whom we beat several times),5yrs in a row, and a national championship was made up of the same set of boys since they were 11.

[scorekeeper]

Do you have to be a college graduate/teacher to be a high school baseball coach?

That’s what causes so much disagreement! Some places you do, and some places you don’t. There is no National Standard!

The closest thing to it is a national body that makes the rules for the various sports, but even then there is some room for the various authority centers to adopt rules on their own.

The different states have the capacity to choose their own guidelines for picking coaches. School districts may also be allowed to change what the state calls for to a certain degree. In fact, it can get down to a specific school. FI, if a state says anyone can be hired as a coach, a specific principal at a specific school may well be allowed to decide s/he only wants to hire coaches with college degrees and teaching credentials.

If you want to know what the requirements in your state are, go to http://www.nfhs.org/custom/member_associations/states.aspx to find out the name of your state assn. Then you can contact them or search through the various governing documents to try to dig out the answer. In general, prolly the easiest thing to do is contact your HS’s AD.

[scorekeeper]

That's how good teams are made, they stay together since they were young. I was on a team in Major Mosquito (11yrs old) and we beat EVERY team we played at the AAA level. Had certain parents not caused problems (i.e. complaining the coach is yelling at their kid who is playing RF when we have the 3rd base dugout, complaining about the coach) we would have won provincials and nationals. However, the team which ended up winning provincials (whom we beat several times),5yrs in a row, and a national championship was made up of the same set of boys since they were 11.


I don’t know if that’s how good teams are made or not. If it were that simple, all anyone would have to do is get a bunch of players together and keep them together and they’d never lose.

I think you might find a lot of folks who believe keeping a tem together for that long is really a hindrance to the full development of the players. Many folks are like me who believe players need to experience many different styles of coaching, and play under different philosophies. There is no one coach who is the best for every player! Its impossible.

[Hardball]

You take care of that through a parent's meeting before the baseball season begins or your first game. We do ours during a scrimmage. I do so both verbally and through a handout. In no uncertain terms are any of them to talk to me about anything relating to playing time etc. without their child present. We will not talk after a game. I always mention that they are the parent. Should they not like the baseball program, coaching staff etc. then as parents they should remove their child. Do what you think is right as parents for your child. I set up "lines of communication" during that meeting and it is also outlined in our handout. I understand this sounds harsh and so many of you are going to suggest that I'm clueless. Imagine a set of parents that knows that no matter what, no parent has the coach's ear. No parent can circumvent another. No parent is going to have dinner with the coach or go to a pro ball game together. In our program, they not only attend that meeting, I'd say that a vast majority leave it relieved. I will say that having a winning program makes this more duable. The instant we start to lose, I'm sure that someone will attempt to get the AD's ear. :crazy :waving :laugh

This is pretty much on target, although I would add that the “aloof quotient” varies from team to team and school to school. Nearly all of the better programs in our region have a highly developed core of “veteran” parents who do a great job reinforcing the head coach's philosophy. I definitely agree with the point about a winning program.

I pointed out before that most of the static comes from one or two households each season and is usually attributable to a mom/dad who thinks that their kid deserves a more prominent role on the team and believes it's the parents job to nail that down. (Geez, doesn't that silly coach know that Johnny has always been the lead off hitter?) The underlying problem is that they usually have a poor understanding of what a coach is trying to do with a lineup/batting order and they are used to junior being the featured player when he was one of the two or three best amongst a group of 11-14 year olds.

[metrotheme]

What do you do to keep the kids that are getting the short end of the stick in regards to playing time from being cancers on the bench?

Do you do things to promote team unity (team building activities, having everyone pitch in on the equipment / field duties)? Or, do you have a hierarchy in place (captains give orders / equipment / field duties are left to the less senior members of the team)?

What do you do to keep activity time as high as possible during practice?

Are a 5-6 practice + game / week schedule necessary? Do you think your team gains an advantage on practicing on Saturdays? Where does your philosophy stand in regards to Saturday practices (assuming all league games are scheduled during the school week)? If you don't do Saturday practices, do you think it's acceptable to give the kids a day-off is they've had a few games in a row or really put-out for you during the week?

[scorekeeper]

This is pretty much on target, although I would add that the “aloof quotient” varies from team to team and school to school. Nearly all of the better programs in our region have a highly developed core of “veteran” parents who do a great job reinforcing the head coach's philosophy. I definitely agree with the point about a winning program.

I pointed out before that most of the static comes from one or two households each season and is usually attributable to a mom/dad who thinks that their kid deserves a more prominent role on the team and believes it's the parents job to nail that down. (Geez, doesn't that silly coach know that Johnny has always been the lead off hitter?) The underlying problem is that they usually have a poor understanding of what a coach is trying to do with a lineup/batting order and they are used to junior being the featured player when he was one of the two or three best amongst a group of 11-14 year olds.


Although I agree with your observations, what I have a lot of trouble coming to grips with, is that often there are things in place that would very likely make this whole thing much easier to deal with. But, many many people seem to want to strike out on their own, to establish themselves as the big chief as it were.

I know y’all may get tired of hearing it, but to me, the following is such an amazing set of written down rules and principles, if people would simply embrace them, many of the issues discussed over and over would be reduced by many times.
http://www.cifstate.org/education_programs/pvh/implementation-tools.html

Forget that its from Ca, and just go to the different topics and read them. Most are only a page long.

Then try to find anything there that you feel isn’t a “good” principle to try to follow. FI, the 16 Principles. Which one of those is “bad” or that you wouldn’t want for your child? One of the problems is, there’s very little in there about actually playing a sport, or winning! Most of it about developing character and citizenship. There are some who forget that that’s pretty much the purpose of having sports tied to HS’s.

I’ll tell the truth and admit that when I first read the Code of Conduct for Parents/Guardians, I was floored to see that not only were there others who thought much along the same lines I did, but that it was codified and an actual part of the sports program statewide.

When I signed that thing, I took it seriously too. I’m not gonna try to say I was a saint. But no one, not even the coach with whom I had a 4 year running battle, could say I didn’t live up to the principles I said I would live up to as a parent!

What parent out there wouldn’t want his/her child to live up to the Code of Conduct for Student-Athletes?

The real problems came when I read the Code of Conduct and CIF Expectations for Coaches! Those expectations really showed me that I’d been pretty much hoodwinked into believing the coaches were doing things because they were such great people. whether they were or not, at least the guidelines were there to set some kind of standards.

FI, having a wang bang pow boing meeting at the beginning of the year to lay down the law and show who’s the boss, is definitely a good idea, but rather than trying to make out that its some kind of power thing, to me it makes much more sense to show everyone what’s expected of them, not because the coach is some big stud dude, but because this is the way it should work all over the state.

Then, rather than just say here’s the way its gonna be because I’m the big whoopee, everyone is given perfectly simple instructions as to what their role is, and what’s expected of them. Now it isn’t a matter of the Coach vs. the Parent.

The sad thing is, as good as I thing that stuff is, there are ways around it, both by accident and by plan. But, at least it will make things better for the vast majority. You know what they say. Locks only keep honest people out.

[Hardball]

Although I agree with your observations, what I have a lot of trouble coming to grips with, is that often there are things in place that would very likely make this whole thing much easier to deal with. But, many many people seem to want to strike out on their own, to establish themselves as the big chief as it were.

I know y’all may get tired of hearing it, but to me, the following is such an amazing set of written down rules and principles, if people would simply embrace them, many of the issues discussed over and over would be reduced by many times.
http://www.cifstate.org/education_programs/pvh/implementation-tools.html

Forget that its from Ca, and just go to the different topics and read them. Most are only a page long. .......


Then, rather than just say here’s the way its gonna be because I’m the big whoopee, everyone is given perfectly simple instructions as to what their role is, and what’s expected of them. Now it isn’t a matter of the Coach vs. the Parent.

The sad thing is, as good as I thing that stuff is, there are ways around it, both by accident and by plan. But, at least it will make things better for the vast majority. You know what they say. Locks only keep honest people out.


Every Coach, be he/she be a newly minted volunteer or a 20 year veteran teaching professional signs the Coaching agreement. The players are also required to sign (with a parental cross signature). The parents code is not required, (that I know of), and while I have seen it passed out at family meetings,:shrug: it gets very little attention.

Having said that, there are those amongst the coaching brethren who sign the thing :dismay: and promptly forget it. Fear of negative consequences beyond an individual school's administration is not very great.

[Hardball]

What do you do to keep the kids that are getting the short end of the stick in regards to playing time from being cancers on the bench?
CoachB25 made some pretty good points already but ultimately there is only room on the field for nine boys and whether you have 14 kids on your roster or 24, someone is going to be unhappy with the amount of play he's getting. These are competitive kids and you probably don't want someone who is happy with riding the pine on the team. Like I said before, part of the job is political and either the head coach or one of the assistants needs to make sure that none of the issues become toxic. If it is clear that a kid isn't going to be playing, send him down to the JV's. It's here that I question the wisdom of keeping Seniors to reward loyalty and perseverance even though you know he won't play much. Better make sure he buys into your position (and he communicates it to mom and dad).

Do you do things to promote team unity (team building activities, having everyone pitch in on the equipment / field duties)? Or, do you have a hierarchy in place (captains give orders / equipment / field duties are left to the less senior members of the team)?
We're not running a Democracy here, this is an oligarchy, and the coaching staff runs the ship. Other than that, if you are on the team, you share the work.

What do you do to keep activity time as high as possible during practice?
Rotate through groups, (usually three, maybe four), with OF, IN, and P/C's; two or three groups on the field, one in the cage.

Are a 5-6 practice + game / week schedule necessary? Do you think your team gains an advantage on practicing on Saturdays? Where does your philosophy stand in regards to Saturday practices (assuming all league games are scheduled during the school week)? If you don't do Saturday practices, do you think it's acceptable to give the kids a day-off is they've had a few games in a row or really put-out for you during the week?

5-6 practices a week (including Saturdays) works until the season begins but after that you are playing at least two a week and the kids need to recuperate a bit to stay strong. If you play a T/F schedule of league games you might light workout on Wednesday with cage work and go defense/bullpen/live pitch-bunt on Mondays and Thursdays.

[Jake Patterson]

What do you do to keep the kids that are getting the short end of the stick in regards to playing time from being cancers on the bench? Be honest and fair. Those who make it on the field are my best nine players. That does not mean the others do not have a role - they do, but starting nods go to the best nine. I track BA, OBP, SP, steals, FP, K's, etc... and the players know where they stand so they understand why they are playing and why they are not.

Do you do things to promote team unity (team building activities, having everyone pitch in on the equipment / field duties)? Or, do you have a hierarchy in place (captains give orders / equipment / field duties are left to the less senior members of the team)?
Captains are NOT part of the coaching staff nor are they in charge of the other players. They are simply team leaders, a position that they earn. Here's how I see it:
27609


What do you do to keep activity time as high as possible during practice? The key is to be prepared and be creative. We do not have a second that we waste. I have a schedule and we post it, especially at the beginning of the season so the players understand what it is we expect.

Are a 5-6 practice + game / week schedule necessary? Do you think your team gains an advantage on practicing on Saturdays? Where does your philosophy stand in regards to Saturday practices (assuming all league games are scheduled during the school week)? If you don't do Saturday practices, do you think it's acceptable to give the kids a day-off is they've had a few games in a row or really put-out for you during the week? It really depends on the team. More of something they just aren't getting hurts more than help. This year our Legion team had 27 games in 30 days.

[scorekeeper]

Every Coach, be he/she be a newly minted volunteer or a 20 year veteran teaching professional signs the Coaching agreement. The players are also required to sign (with a parental cross signature). The parents code is not required, (that I know of), and while I have seen it passed out at family meetings,:shrug: it gets very little attention.

Having said that, there are those amongst the coaching brethren who sign the thing :dismay: and promptly forget it. Fear of negative consequences beyond an individual school's administration is not very great.

Sadly, that’s true. But that doesn’t mean the codes are any less valid or shouldn’t be followed. The good news is, I don’t think the percentage of “bad” coaches, administrators, parents is very high at all. The trouble is, they stick out like sore thumbs.

So whose fault is it that these things are so often ignored? Is it the administrators, the coaches, the players, the parents, the state assns?

If the state assns were to go away and the free market take over HS sports, do think it would be an improvement? Let me rephrase that.

Do you think overall, HS sports would be better or worse if they followed the model of youth sports in general?

[scorekeeper]

Be honest and fair. Those who make it on the field are my best nine players. That does not mean the others do not have a role - they do, but starting nods go to the best nine. I track BA, OBP, SP, steals, FP, K's, etc... and the players know where they stand so they understand why they are playing and why they are not.

I’m not trying to be a wise acre here, but is it the best “9” or the best players for the positions?

There’s nothing more sad to see than a coach who leads players and/or parents on. Its really disrespectful, and I’ve never seen a team where it goes on where the coach is well respected.

The key is to be prepared and be creative. We do not have a second that we waste. I have a schedule and we post it, especially at the beginning of the season so the players understand what it is we expect.

Is this a question asked so often because there are that many people who don’t understand the concept of efficiently using time with planning? I get the feeling it most often becomes an issue when a coach at any level tries to do too much by himself.

It really depends on the team. More of something they just aren't getting hurts more than help. This year our Legion team had 27 games in 30 days.

I’ve seen a heck of a lot of different “styles”, but I gotta admit that the guy I’m scoring for now sure seems to get more out of the time he spends coaching than anyone I’ve come across. Everything is short, sweet, intense, and well known in advance. The players seem to get more out of 2-2.5 hour practices than coaches who go 4-6 hours. Of course, I’ve never seen him have fewer than 3 assistants at a practice. ;)

However, he does make himself available for mini-practices where players who choose to, can come and work on some specific things. One day it’ll be bunting, another day turning DP’s, another day getting a jump of balls to the OF, another day base running, etc.. Not that he doesn’t go over all those things at his regular practices, but if players want to try to improve themselves, they do get the opportunity.

[Jake Patterson]

I’m not trying to be a wise acre here, but is it the best “9” or the best players for the positions?

Difficult to answer this. I would not put my #5 outfielder who cannot field groundballs at second because he was a few points higher in BA than my starting second baseman.

[TG Coach]

"I’m not trying to be a wise acre here, but is it the best “9” or the best players for the positions?"

It's the best combination of nine players capable of providing the most competitive solution at that point in the game.

[scorekeeper]

Difficult to answer this. I would not put my #5 outfielder who cannot field groundballs at second because he was a few points higher in BA than my starting second baseman.

An answer I pretty much expected from you. ;)

The reason I asked was there are many many people who without thinking say, “The best 9 players should be on the field”, or something similar, but depending on many things, that isn’t necessarily the case. FI, a coach who values offensive prowess more than defensive will obviously see a different starting 9, just as would a coach who places a very high value on speed as opposed to power.

I’ve messed around with allowing the computer to choose a lineup, but that’s a fairly simple algorithm compared to what it would be to say pick the “best” 9 players to play a particular day.

EX: http://www.infosports.com/scorekeeper/images/spBatting.pdf pages 16 & 17. Heck, if the coach can tell me what his criteria for a BO is, the computer can kick out the linup.

However, how do you pick the “best” 9? Prolly the closest I could come is some combination of things.

One would be something similar to http://www.infosports.com/scorekeeper/images/spdefense.pdf page 22. That pretty much takes into account most offensive and defensive things, then I’d try to figger some way to work in page 2 to make sure I got someone for every position.

IMHO, one of the reasons there is discontent from parents is, they hear that “best 9“ thing, but their definition of best isn’t the same as the coach’s, or perhaps they didn’t take into account something like you noted. FI, coach says, “I’m gonna put the best 9 on the field but doesn’t give anyone any idea what that means, so they make up they’re own definition.

To me, I want the best hitters on the team and being an old salt, that means the guys with the best BA’s. MY kid has the 7th best BA on the team, but he’s a C only with no range, and there’s another C who has the 2nd highest BA. I’m PO’d because there are 4 kids on the team I can prove my kid is better than.

Simplistic example, I but I think gets the point across.

[pep2baseball]

I think you have to put your best offense on the field at all times if you have five outfielders that can swing it you find a spot for the other two. High School baseball is an offensive game because of the aluminum bat they are weapons and you have to use them. If you have a puch a jusy second baseman you stick the outfielder you think can play it the best an give him reps in practice its an offensive game.

[pep2baseball]

That’s what causes so much disagreement! Some places you do, and some places you don’t. There is no National Standard!

The closest thing to it is a national body that makes the rules for the various sports, but even then there is some room for the various authority centers to adopt rules on their own.

The different states have the capacity to choose their own guidelines for picking coaches. School districts may also be allowed to change what the state calls for to a certain degree. In fact, it can get down to a specific school. FI, if a state says anyone can be hired as a coach, a specific principal at a specific school may well be allowed to decide s/he only wants to hire coaches with college degrees and teaching credentials.

If you want to know what the requirements in your state are, go to http://www.nfhs.org/custom/member_associations/states.aspx to find out the name of your state assn. Then you can contact them or search through the various governing documents to try to dig out the answer. In general, prolly the easiest thing to do is contact your HS’s AD.

Im currently in college not a teacher and Im a paid coach you just have to be proactive with coaches because there is always a need for quality coaches

[scorekeeper]

I think you have to put your best offense on the field at all times if you have five outfielders that can swing it you find a spot for the other two. High School baseball is an offensive game because of the aluminum bat they are weapons and you have to use them. If you have a puch a jusy second baseman you stick the outfielder you think can play it the best an give him reps in practice its an offensive game.

pep, I agree to a certain point, but I’m afraid experience and the numbers I have, although not a very big sample, tells me a different overall story. HS baseball success is very much dependent on defense! Of course pitching is a defensive component, just as fielding and throwing is.

Although I have records for last fall, spring, and summer, I’ll only refer to the spring numbers. If you want to see all the stats, you can do that at http://infosports.net/scorekeeper/ .

But if you go to Spring Pitching, page 51&52, you’ll see that of all the runs scored in our games by both teams(271), only 149, or 55% reached base on a hit. Also, if you look at pages 1&4, you’ll see that of all the runs scored, only 68% were earned. Numbers like that indicate there’s a lot more goin’ on than fence bustin by the bats.

You can got to Spring Hittingand easily see that our team was certainly anything but a powerhouse hitting team. Also, being a new school, we had no Srs on the team, and had no dominating P’s at all. On the whole, the team played outstanding defense, and that’s mainly what got them ranked in the top 10 in Northern Ca, which is no small feat.

However, there are limits to everything. Now if you have 5 OF’ers that can hit 10 HR’s, bat a real .500+, and steal every base in sight, yes, they should all be in there. But to put in a player who bats .320 but is a poor fielder, or whatever your standard is for measuring hitting, over one that bats .260 but is a great fielder, that has to be something considered very hard IMHO.