Grooming Standards

You are the coach and those are your rules. If they don't want to follow those rules then they need to be removed. If something as small as a hair cut turns into an issue what do you think will happen when you get onto them for not paying attention, not hustling or making a dumb decision after you have went over something.

Long hair is what is popular and I tell my guys that we have to find a middle ground between looking good for baseball and doing what is popular. My rules are the hair cannot be in their eyes and cannot come over top of their ears. Anything else has to be cut.

Coach is right - but its more - its about repect for the game, school, players and coaches. I heard one travel ball coach say "parents, if your son was meeting the president, the Pope, etc, how would you want your son to look". They are, like it or not, representing more then just themselves.

If you don't set standards and follow the standards yourself your boys will bend and break all the rules. "If you take care of the little things, you won't have any big things". JMHO

Our HS coach sets rules at the beginning of the season - have to be clean shaven and hair cannot be over the ears. Works for us!

My son's high school has a grooming policy for all students. For boys, no hair below the ears and no facial hair. It is a private (Catholic) school.

Our 13U travel team has grooming standards. Most HS, college and pro teams (minors) do. Our goal is to get them ready to play at those levels...why not have standards?

how 'bout a little lattitude for personal expression?? especially if he's good

BEE, I have no idea how to respond to those pictures. The second picture reminds me of Micky Mouse with a stache.

Update,

Young man still has not cut his hair and spent the last 2 games on the bench.
(Had to play him this week since I benched my other 1B for serving detention on Friday) and he promptly made 4 errors in the 1st game of our doubleheader this weekend.

Had to sit him down in the 3rd inning after he dropped the 4th routine throw from across the infield, and held the bag while a cutoff throw came to the plate from CF
(I asked him where should he have gone on the throw and he pointed at the spot between the plate and the mound). He was sat down as soon as we could get 3 outs.

His mother was in attendance and I addressed the hair issue with her.

Her response: "Coach, how short do you want it?"

Will keep you posted.

is it not something he can tuck under his hat?

quote:

Originally posted by Glove Man:
is it not something he can tuck under his hat?

This kids wig is out of control, he has to constantly pull it out of his eyes all the times even when he has his cap on. (Picture an Asian kid with hair like Steve Tyler from Areosmith)

The AD has talked to him and his mother and showed her where it is affecting his visibility. I really wanted to tell her to get him a "High and Tight" but that may be a bit extreme.

We have our PLAYERS set the standards! As coaches in our area, we aren't allowed to force a kid to cut his hair...but the players have always set the standard to be closely groomed at all times. Players that complain? I usually remind them that our boys swim team SHAVES THEIR HEADS before the state tournament to help them succeed and do it GLADLY for their team - seems to take care of the whiners!
Gotta look like an athlete - not sure why any athlete wouldn't want to look the part!

Coach Knight


In this day and age too many kids like to "march to their drummer"

Im not sure its possible to have hair so out of control that a hat cant keep it out of your eyes.

I'm rooting for the kid to keep his hair...

QUOTE: ". . . and he promptly made 4 errors in the 1st game of our doubleheader this weekend.

Had to sit him down in the 3rd inning after he dropped the 4th routine throw from across the infield, and held the bag while a cutoff throw came to the plate from CF
(I asked him where should he have gone on the throw and he pointed at the spot between the plate and the mound). He was sat down as soon as we could get 3 outs."


It really sounds like this kid just can't play the game, regardless of his hair. If he had a crew cut he'd still be making the errors you describe. You selected a kid for your team that just can't play. The hair thing sounds more like an excuse on your part. I'm pretty sure the length of his hair wouldn't be a topic for discussion if he was your stud player.

TrHit- I hear ya. Back in the day, didn't players want to be noticed for how they PLAYED and not how they LOOKED? Maybe I'm wrong...but I used to think that was what was important. I always have players that want their names on the back of our jerseys and I tell them "if you are truly a stud, you won't NEED your name on the back...everyone will ALREADY know who you are!".

quote:

Originally posted by dad10:
It really sounds like this kid just can't play the game, regardless of his hair. If he had a crew cut he'd still be making the errors you describe. You selected a kid for your team that just can't play. The hair thing sounds more like an excuse on your part. I'm pretty sure the length of his hair wouldn't be a topic for discussion if he was your stud player.

dad10

The difference between the "stud" player and this kid is the stud would not use this as an excuse, the problem would be fixed.

The kid stated the hair was a problem, not me. I recommended he get it cut to where it no longer interfering with his vision. So if he continued to drop balls he no longer had an excuse.

I am dealing for the most part with a group of 9th graders who were playing slow-pitch softball in grammar school a year ago and are adjusting to 70 MPH heaters at the High School level.

There are 3, maybe 4 kids on my team who have a chance to play at a higher level if they continue to elevate their game (Have the grades and ability) and there are some that are here because they wanted a uniform. The biggest challenge is keeping the studs from getting bored and developing them as leaders.

When you have a pool of 75 boys to pull from in a 1st year High School that have the discipline to maintain the academic standards (The best players have the worst grades), this is what you will have to work with, and the job at the end of the day is to make them respectable on the ball field and COACHABLE.

The young lad has NEVER played baseball before and has lived in the states for 2 years (Was adopted from China is 6'2 about 160 soaking wet, best sport is Basketball)so where he gotten to under our tutelage is commendable. Freshman ball is developmental, we still have a chance to win our conference, but kids have to get playing time to get better so I have to prioritize.

There are 5 others I have on my roster who have never played organized ball until High School and as the season goes on and we come up against better teams,they are getting EXPOSED. Will he ever pick up the sport? TBD:

I am not giving up on him and I continue to work with him daily on learning how to play the game, if it comes down to him not grasping the game by the time we are a varsity level program, we may have to shake hands and part company.

I learned in High School 20 plus years ago that any coach can work with talented kids, but what can they do to elevate a marginal kids game that wants to learn?

It's my 1st year at the helm, and I wanted some feedback from some people that have been doing this for a while. Do I have all the answers? of course not! There are some schools out there that will cut a kid if he wears the wrong colored shoelaces to practice.

I keep in mind everyday that they are 9th graders, but I also emphasize to them that they as well as me will set the precedence for every kid that comes into this program behind them as we continue to build. Some of them "get it" some of them dont, they all dont grow up or get serious about the game at the same pace.

coach2709

PM out.

My 13 yo son had hair that was shoulder length. Well kept and typical California "surfer" style. But, he knew that it was important to have a cleaned up look and that at some point he might be looked at by others that may be able to affect his future. He was in a national tournament this weekend and for a "gift" he cut his hair off and presented his locks to his coach. He is now looking like the typical American boy. Still misses his hair but doesn't have any regrets. Doesn't want something like hair to weigh a part in any future plans. I think it was a smart choice even though I did like his hair longer

BBfam-
What a classy gesture by the young man! Tells the coach & his teammates that his look isn't important....he wants to be a part of the team.