TR,
I do not have to explain anything to anyone. I write this to help younger kids parents. Just to give them idea. I want them to understand our thought process. There are two ways to do everything. Our way works for us.
Travel ball and high school tryouts are also completly different. These kids give me a lot of time. Their parents give me a lot of driving.I owe it to the kids to sit them down and tell them why they did not make it and how to improve. I also owe it too each kid an explanation up front if he is not going to play much. This way if he does not want to do it. He can quit. Maybe the simple explanation is all I owe to anyone, but I feel this process helps us. Every year one kid that did not make the team works really hard at what we told him he needed to and makes the team. That is my resoning for the individual meetings. Everyone does things differently.
PT,
I just wanted to let you know that I have really enjoyed reading your posts thus far. As a father of a young baseball player, your insight, thoughts, and examples (from a coaching perspective) have been informative and helpful. I for one would enjoy your thoughts and updates throughout your season. Please keep us updated and good luck to you and your team.
I just wanted to let you know that I have really enjoyed reading your posts thus far. As a father of a young baseball player, your insight, thoughts, and examples (from a coaching perspective) have been informative and helpful. I for one would enjoy your thoughts and updates throughout your season. Please keep us updated and good luck to you and your team.
quote:Originally posted by TRhit:
I will ask---three years before your sons time you are watching tryouts--- WHY?
[QUOTE]Originally posted by TRhit:
bballman
I never had a coach explain it to me as a player nor as parent. I do not think I missed anything
Why do parents have to know what the coaches reasons are?
TR
Your old high school coach called and explained that you were always a disagreeable PITA, but he figured your parents already knew.
bballman
I never had a coach explain it to me as a player nor as parent. I do not think I missed anything
Why do parents have to know what the coaches reasons are?
TR
Your old high school coach called and explained that you were always a disagreeable PITA, but he figured your parents already knew.
quote:Originally posted by Coach May:
Your job as a coach is to put the players on the field that give your team the best chance to win that game that day. Why should a kid play in front of another player just because he has been there longer?
Well this is a good thought, but just like PT says by his own admission, a lot of times it is who "gels" well together. I don't agree with this, but it is what it is. Barry Bonds didn't gel but you don't sit him on the bench.
We are going through this this year as Zack is a freshman and in a new school district. He made the team and he starts in RF which is fine but he is one of the few that comes out of the game. 90% of the boys on the team have played together for years. Physically Zack is a man among boys and by the coaches own admission, he has the best arm out of the fr and JV squad and is the best OF'r-yet he sits half the game (and yes he can hit lol). In addition the fr coaches are football coaches as well and most of these players played football and Zack didn't.
So we chalk this up to our due paying year and grin and bear it.
quote:Well this is a good thought, but just like PT says by his own admission, a lot of times it is who "gels" well together. I don't agree with this, but it is what it is.
Never said that means who has been there longer. We will start two seniors, 4 juniors, and atleast two sohpomores. On any given day we could have up to 5 Soph. see Varsity and possibly a freshman. So I admit team chemisty is important. In high school baseball is extremely important. We had a team few years back with 2 D1 arms, D1 Catcher/pitcher, Juco 3B/P, D1 SS, and a D1 basketball player. They did not get along at all. We lost first round in sectionals and won 17 games. Another year, we had a team with 2 D1 kids and one other that played college. We won state. They loved each other. Still talk to each other quite frequently. We beat 3 draft arms. one was a supplmental pick this year. He was a sixth round pick out of HS. The team was ranked nationally. The staff included another kid that threw in the college world series last year as a Freshman. I guess from personal expierence a learned my valuable lessons.
"Barry Bonds didn't gel but you don't sit him on the bench."
It is extremly hard to compare the MLB to high school kids. I would not sit him either. He can hit 4 hole in my lineup any day. I will take him with out steriods though. WINNING CAN CREATE TEAM CHEMISTRY. I do not sit on kids that have the ability to win games singlehandly. Team Chemistry comes into the discussion in the tweener kids. A sophomore that is good but not head and shoulders above a JR. SO does not get along with the guys, he is on JV or the junior starts over him.
I have recieved several PMs over the last couple of days. It has been interesting to read from parents and other coaches. I will start my day 3 of tryouts with what I feel like you must know going into a tryout as a parent.
1. Your son reflects your views. if you continue to tell him how good he is no matter how good he is. he will accept where he is at and not strive to get better. Start your conversation with: there are other really good kids. Are you out working them? Kids WILL hit puberty are they going to pass you up? Johnny was not as good as you at 9 but he is has really grown up. (I did not know who Johnny was at 9 I do not care what his stats were when they were 9 or 8th grade for that matter)
2. Coach is not out to get anyone. (VERY few exceptions) He did what he thought was best for the team. If your son feels like he was snubbed, keep it too himself. Force our hand to make it right. Let the play do the talking
3. We do not expect anyone to be happy with sitting on the bench or playing anything other than Varsity. Work your tail off. Put pressure on the kid in front of you. Not only will you make the team better, but you will also be suprised at how much better you will get.
4. Whether it be tryouts, conditioning, practice, or a game always pick your teamates up. Be the first to greet them. Be the first to tell someone they are alright. You will get a hit next time. It spreads through a dugout like wildfire. It makes the team that much better.
I feel as if being a high school coach is not a hard job. We are managing 45 kids. We are teaching them how to become better people and better baseball players, but at the end of the day we are just a piece of the team. The players are the team. They are the heart. So at the end of the day. I just roll the balls out and get out of their way. I offer little guidance here and there, but just go out and play. The game of baseball is fun and should always been fun. Parents relax enjoy the game. I promise tomorrow there will be another game. Your kids are stronger than you at the field. It effects them less than you. In the end, they just want to help a team a win. When outside sources (anyone but the kid) get a hold of a player this is when he becomes selfish, lazy or complacent. The best advice I can ever tell a parent. Do not ever let your kid think he is better than his teammates. Give your a kid a push when he needs it. Give him a hug when he needs it. Teach him to enjoy playing. Teach him to play hard at all times. I promise if your kid has any talent at all he will be just fine and will come out a better person.
1. Your son reflects your views. if you continue to tell him how good he is no matter how good he is. he will accept where he is at and not strive to get better. Start your conversation with: there are other really good kids. Are you out working them? Kids WILL hit puberty are they going to pass you up? Johnny was not as good as you at 9 but he is has really grown up. (I did not know who Johnny was at 9 I do not care what his stats were when they were 9 or 8th grade for that matter)
2. Coach is not out to get anyone. (VERY few exceptions) He did what he thought was best for the team. If your son feels like he was snubbed, keep it too himself. Force our hand to make it right. Let the play do the talking
3. We do not expect anyone to be happy with sitting on the bench or playing anything other than Varsity. Work your tail off. Put pressure on the kid in front of you. Not only will you make the team better, but you will also be suprised at how much better you will get.
4. Whether it be tryouts, conditioning, practice, or a game always pick your teamates up. Be the first to greet them. Be the first to tell someone they are alright. You will get a hit next time. It spreads through a dugout like wildfire. It makes the team that much better.
I feel as if being a high school coach is not a hard job. We are managing 45 kids. We are teaching them how to become better people and better baseball players, but at the end of the day we are just a piece of the team. The players are the team. They are the heart. So at the end of the day. I just roll the balls out and get out of their way. I offer little guidance here and there, but just go out and play. The game of baseball is fun and should always been fun. Parents relax enjoy the game. I promise tomorrow there will be another game. Your kids are stronger than you at the field. It effects them less than you. In the end, they just want to help a team a win. When outside sources (anyone but the kid) get a hold of a player this is when he becomes selfish, lazy or complacent. The best advice I can ever tell a parent. Do not ever let your kid think he is better than his teammates. Give your a kid a push when he needs it. Give him a hug when he needs it. Teach him to enjoy playing. Teach him to play hard at all times. I promise if your kid has any talent at all he will be just fine and will come out a better person.
Day 3 Cut Day
We started with an extensive fielding evaluation. Infielders did everything from slow rollers to double plays. Outfielders took a ton of flyballs and different angle plays. Catchers had a workout that included blocking, pop times, and (for our freshman coach he has not hit many) Catcher pops. ( We like to have fun too) We then went into an intrasquad with coaches pitching. We lasted 30 minutes and were hit with rain. We put all the kids in dugouts. We did the Varsity cuts first. Cut one Senior. He cried but wished us luck and said " I just was not good enough." Kept two juniors on JV both were happy just to make it. Kept 3 jrs that were happy just to make Varsity. We kept 3 Sophomores on Varsity. One had no clue and was shocked. (He will be our leadoff hitter and 2 baseman he was a lock in our eyes). The other two were happy but I think expected it. Both are pitchers only and on a team with no senior arms. They knew we would need sophomores to throw. Then the tough part. We had two Sophomores we put on JV. Both were very disapoointed (Obviously) One was shocked and has already text me saying he had no idea what happened and why. He had an awful tryout, did not show up for any conditioning. Looked lost in the box. Most importantly he looked really slow. Sucks for us. We thought he would be our starting left fielder when the school year started. It sucks for us also. The other kid hard worker, came to everything had a good tryout. He is a catcher. Probably our #2 catcher. Problem is he is sitting behind a 3 yr starter. That is better. He tried to play outfield and just could not cut it. Toughest decision we had to make on the day. Really sucks having a kid cry in front of you when you really like the kid. He will be just fine though. He has a good future. Just played the wrong position this year. Sophomores and freshman were pretty easy. We ended up keeping two more freshman than we wanted and kept all but two sophomores. One freshman made JV. One of my coaches got a huge bear hug, when he told the kid he made the team. Probably the funniest thing I have seen. Not one kid that we cut was shocked. We even had one kid tell us, he is just not good enough to play at this level yet. So practice starts tomorrow. We will be inside. (Still raining) I am glad the process is over. Never like to ruin a kid's dreams. Time to go to work. Scrimmage game 7 days from today. Got a lot of things to do. I will let you know how the parent complaints are, if any. Thanks
We started with an extensive fielding evaluation. Infielders did everything from slow rollers to double plays. Outfielders took a ton of flyballs and different angle plays. Catchers had a workout that included blocking, pop times, and (for our freshman coach he has not hit many) Catcher pops. ( We like to have fun too) We then went into an intrasquad with coaches pitching. We lasted 30 minutes and were hit with rain. We put all the kids in dugouts. We did the Varsity cuts first. Cut one Senior. He cried but wished us luck and said " I just was not good enough." Kept two juniors on JV both were happy just to make it. Kept 3 jrs that were happy just to make Varsity. We kept 3 Sophomores on Varsity. One had no clue and was shocked. (He will be our leadoff hitter and 2 baseman he was a lock in our eyes). The other two were happy but I think expected it. Both are pitchers only and on a team with no senior arms. They knew we would need sophomores to throw. Then the tough part. We had two Sophomores we put on JV. Both were very disapoointed (Obviously) One was shocked and has already text me saying he had no idea what happened and why. He had an awful tryout, did not show up for any conditioning. Looked lost in the box. Most importantly he looked really slow. Sucks for us. We thought he would be our starting left fielder when the school year started. It sucks for us also. The other kid hard worker, came to everything had a good tryout. He is a catcher. Probably our #2 catcher. Problem is he is sitting behind a 3 yr starter. That is better. He tried to play outfield and just could not cut it. Toughest decision we had to make on the day. Really sucks having a kid cry in front of you when you really like the kid. He will be just fine though. He has a good future. Just played the wrong position this year. Sophomores and freshman were pretty easy. We ended up keeping two more freshman than we wanted and kept all but two sophomores. One freshman made JV. One of my coaches got a huge bear hug, when he told the kid he made the team. Probably the funniest thing I have seen. Not one kid that we cut was shocked. We even had one kid tell us, he is just not good enough to play at this level yet. So practice starts tomorrow. We will be inside. (Still raining) I am glad the process is over. Never like to ruin a kid's dreams. Time to go to work. Scrimmage game 7 days from today. Got a lot of things to do. I will let you know how the parent complaints are, if any. Thanks
quote:We also circle kids that are definetly on the team based on what we know about them
I know coaches expect some kids to do good in tryouts, but if you already have decided that many kids to be on the team why even make them go through tryouts.
Just pick the kids for the team based on what you know about them. Of course you can't do that, that would be crazy, right? Hopefully coaches approach the new season and tryouts with an open mind. No spot reserved for anyone, all spots on the team will be earned in tryouts by what they show on the field and how they perform. JMHO.
Pasttime--Enjoy reading your post. I feel for you on cut day, sounds tough. But what a priviledge to be a high school coach seeing these young men develop a pricless reward for all your work. My summers teams coach always thanks the parents for the priviledge of helping mold our young men. Seems you take the priviledge seriously and that helps make you a great coach. Keep it coming!
quote:Originally posted by GapFinder:quote:We also circle kids that are definetly on the team based on what we know about them
I know coaches expect some kids to do good in tryouts, but if you already have decided that many kids to be on the team why even make them go through tryouts.
Just pick the kids for the team based on what you know about them. Of course you can't do that, that would be crazy, right? Hopefully coaches approach the new season and tryouts with an open mind. No spot reserved for anyone, all spots on the team will be earned in tryouts by what they show on the field and how they perform. JMHO.
In a perfect world maybe you are right. But there is little to no truth in that. I have players that are committed to Div 1 schools as juniors. Am i not going to put them on Varsity because of 3 days? I have had the privelage of seeing these kids play 3 years, seen them in the summer, fall, and winter. I can not coach them in the winter but i can watch all day long. Going into tryouts I have a good idea as to what is going to happen. Your kids are always getting evaluated whether it be in a classroom, in a conditioning, in a hall way, or on the baseball field.
Tryouts are for tweener kids. You have an idea this kid may be able to handle Varsity. I will give him live abs and let him work with the older kids and see how he handles it. You handle well you are Varsity, you do not you start on JV. Tryouts are for freshman. I have never seen them on the field.
Tryouts are very important but I put more weight on the 6 months prior to tryouts than I do 3 days.
Coach PT thanks for taking the time to post during this busy time of the year for your program. Some real insight into the process that could be helpful to us parents, I especially enjoyed some of the info on what type of personality fits best. I think many parents and therefore their kids are confused on how a coach expects them to act. As someone once said, don't mistake kindness for weakness.
Coach PT:
This has been a really informative and entertaining series of posts - thank you for taking the time to give us a peak into the process from a very different perspective.
This has been a really informative and entertaining series of posts - thank you for taking the time to give us a peak into the process from a very different perspective.
quote:Originally posted by 08Dad:
Coach PT:
This has been a really informative and entertaining series of posts - thank you for taking the time to give us a peak into the process from a very different perspective.
I totally agree too.
To take it a step further, with all the reality TV stuff being the rage these days, I think you could pitch something like this to one of the networks. Kind of an HBO "Hard Knocks" type of thing.
With so many kids/families going through the same process, I think a much larger audience than just this site would find this interesting, informative and entertaining.
Thanks for taking the time to enlighten those of us on the other side of the fence PT.
To take it a step further, with all the reality TV stuff being the rage these days, I think you could pitch something like this to one of the networks. Kind of an HBO "Hard Knocks" type of thing.
With so many kids/families going through the same process, I think a much larger audience than just this site would find this interesting, informative and entertaining.Thanks for taking the time to enlighten those of us on the other side of the fence PT.
Thanks - very informative and much appreciated from the coaches view. Value that you sit and talk to each player. Curious, are you a public or private school? Our son has been working hard freshman and sophomore seasons and in summer and now is on varsity his junior year and looks like he will start. Can't wait.
Public
Just wanted to say thanks, PT. Great thread. I learned a lot and it was a great read.
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
Awesome post PastTime. Wish all coaches were like you.
Thanks for the great posts.
Thanks for the great posts.
I am glad people enjoyed it. We are out of tryouts and into practice now. I will try to update on occasion. With different sitautions that arise and how I handle them.
Like I said before, every coach does it differently. I promise tryouts will be different with everyone. Keep an open mind.
One of the kids that we put on JV that thought he should be on Varsity. Came and talked to us today after practice. Handled himself professionally. He just wanted to better understand why he was on JV. He heard, last night, he was on JV and blocked eveytthing else out. We as a staff respected him more for it being him talking to us than his dad.
Good night. My college bracket is ruined already.
Like I said before, every coach does it differently. I promise tryouts will be different with everyone. Keep an open mind.
One of the kids that we put on JV that thought he should be on Varsity. Came and talked to us today after practice. Handled himself professionally. He just wanted to better understand why he was on JV. He heard, last night, he was on JV and blocked eveytthing else out. We as a staff respected him more for it being him talking to us than his dad.
Good night. My college bracket is ruined already.