@knownothingdad posted:Baseball is a game with its fair share of unwritten rules (don’t swing on 3-0 with a big lead, place your bat gently on the ground and run fast after a home run, don’t celebrate too much after striking someone out, etc.), and it can be difficult for a parent who didn’t play much past little league to help his son navigate the baseball world. So, hsbaseballweb, I come to you for advice.
Where should a player’s loyalty lie if there is a conflict between the HS coach and travel coach when it comes to practice scheduling, coaching advice, training programs, or anything else?
Argument A: travel ball coaches are better qualified and better connected. Their advice is better, college coaches respect their opinions the most, and they have the most power over the player’s destiny. Travel ball coaches take priority.
Argument B: high school coaches are quasi-volunteers with no profit motive who only have the player’s pure best interest at heart. The high school’s team-oriented atmosphere is the closest analogy for preparing to be on a college team. The travel ball coach is just a hired gun to get some instruction and game in the off-season. High school coaches take priority.
What does everyone think?
Foxson's HS coach strongly discouraged participation with any other team during the spring season. He wanted complete commitment. At any rate, there really wasn't any time to do so. Foxson had classes from 7 am to 2:30 pm, then practice from 3 pm - 6 pm on non-game nights. If there was a game, it was from 7 pm - ??? Foxson also worked a part-time job and then had homework. While the HS coach didn't always have practice on Saturday, many of team members spent their off time at the batting cage on Saturday. Again, he also had to work his part-time job.
I guess he could have participated with his local travel team, however the travel team coach's son was on the HS team as well. He respected the HS coach and did not try to have the team participate in tournaments during the HS season.
Early in my son's baseball "career" he was on a LL team and a travel team. We were at a baseball field 6-7 days a week for practice or a game. Fortunately, it was only from April to the end of June. After that it was the travel team only for the rest of the year. That was the last year he did both.