Junior High Coach M-F 4-7 pm and every Saturday 9am-12 noon. Is this a little overboard ??
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Sounds pretty excessive to me. We go 3-5:30 M-F and 10-12 on most Saturdays but we are in HS. The only thing I can say is I have observed FL, TX and CA coaches to be a little more "driven"
Many complain that their sons HS teams do not practice enough
Are the players complaining?
The big question would be "Are the practices efficient and effective?"
Are players getting a lot of instruction or is there a lot of standing around and inefficiencies in the practice schedule. Is part of that time players hitting on the field while other shag balls?
With that much practice time, they should be learning sac bunting, squeeze bunting, pickoffs, base running, hit and run, throw relays, etc.
If not, then it is not so much about being overboard as being inefficient. Players hate to sit around and wait. Most of the time if they are doing an activity, they are fine. It is when it gets boring they lose focus.
Are players getting a lot of instruction or is there a lot of standing around and inefficiencies in the practice schedule. Is part of that time players hitting on the field while other shag balls?
With that much practice time, they should be learning sac bunting, squeeze bunting, pickoffs, base running, hit and run, throw relays, etc.
If not, then it is not so much about being overboard as being inefficient. Players hate to sit around and wait. Most of the time if they are doing an activity, they are fine. It is when it gets boring they lose focus.
Do you mean 7th, 8th, and 9th grades? Or perhaps 6th through 8th? In either case, the schedule is assuredly excessive. How are the kids supposed to do homework? Or do any other activities?
Three hours per day at 6 days per week is 18 hours per week. As a reference, NCAA D1 regulations prohibit countable athletic activities which take more than 20 hours per week. There's a huge difference in maturity between college kids and junior high kids. Furthermore, a D1 college baseball player has already progressed very far up the pyramid, and has demonstrated his commitment to baseball.
I'll guess that this is a very short term schedule, either by plan or because it becomes unworkable as the season progresses. I also believe that at 3 hours per day the practices will be very inefficient.
The junior high school administration should put a stop to this. It doesn't matter if the kids are complaining or not-- they'll end up using the long practices as an excuse to not do homework. Finally, we're still in the first half of January. Are the kids already practicing? In this part of (reputedly driven) California, high schools aren't allowed to practice spring sports (excepting 2 weeks at some point during the fall) before Feb 1, in part to avoid disenfranchising the kids who play basketball or soc cer.
Three hours per day at 6 days per week is 18 hours per week. As a reference, NCAA D1 regulations prohibit countable athletic activities which take more than 20 hours per week. There's a huge difference in maturity between college kids and junior high kids. Furthermore, a D1 college baseball player has already progressed very far up the pyramid, and has demonstrated his commitment to baseball.
I'll guess that this is a very short term schedule, either by plan or because it becomes unworkable as the season progresses. I also believe that at 3 hours per day the practices will be very inefficient.
The junior high school administration should put a stop to this. It doesn't matter if the kids are complaining or not-- they'll end up using the long practices as an excuse to not do homework. Finally, we're still in the first half of January. Are the kids already practicing? In this part of (reputedly driven) California, high schools aren't allowed to practice spring sports (excepting 2 weeks at some point during the fall) before Feb 1, in part to avoid disenfranchising the kids who play basketball or soc cer.
3fingered, we have the basic same rule here in Georgia. The only thing coaches here can do according to Georgia HS Assoc. rules are the 2 on 1's (2 players with 1 coach). And this rule is strictly enforced here. Other players can't even be on or near the field and/or facility at the same time. It takes away from the "gray" area which is needed I'm afraid.
I'd like to know if this Jr high coach is coaching different boys on these weeknights...?? If that is the case, then maybe it's not as bad as we think.
But I concur about the statement about practice being an "out" for kids this young to get out of homework, studying, etc. It doesn't take much (as I cringe saying that from previous experience).
It would be good if another Florida poster came on here to enlighten us on the HS rules of practice prior to the season beginning.
I'd like to know if this Jr high coach is coaching different boys on these weeknights...?? If that is the case, then maybe it's not as bad as we think.
But I concur about the statement about practice being an "out" for kids this young to get out of homework, studying, etc. It doesn't take much (as I cringe saying that from previous experience).
It would be good if another Florida poster came on here to enlighten us on the HS rules of practice prior to the season beginning.
It's not that strict here, and the teams tend to have informal (but most varsity players show up) conditioning sessions. It's not baseball practice, because there are no balls or bats.
The date for official contact this year is January 12th in Florida. I coached at the Junior Varsity level last year and didn't require Saturdays.
Hunter,
What county are you in? Most Florida middle mchools don't have school sanctioned baseball. We were in a private 8th grade league that used some High School fields but the H.S. coach isn't aloud to do anything with those kids. Some of those teams did double as travel ball teams. And like some of the teams we have been affiliated with, they practiced a lot in the pre-season.
In Florida the first day of H.S. practice/tryouts is 1/19 and the first pre-season game is 2/9 with the first regular season being 2/16.
Most schools have a conditioning program from the begining of December through 12/19. Most that I talked to do 2-2.5 hours M-Th and 3 hours on Saturday.
What county are you in? Most Florida middle mchools don't have school sanctioned baseball. We were in a private 8th grade league that used some High School fields but the H.S. coach isn't aloud to do anything with those kids. Some of those teams did double as travel ball teams. And like some of the teams we have been affiliated with, they practiced a lot in the pre-season.
In Florida the first day of H.S. practice/tryouts is 1/19 and the first pre-season game is 2/9 with the first regular season being 2/16.
Most schools have a conditioning program from the begining of December through 12/19. Most that I talked to do 2-2.5 hours M-Th and 3 hours on Saturday.
Baseball is a red-blooded sport for red-blooded men. It's no pink tea, and mollycoddles had better stay out. It's a struggle for supremacy, a survival of the fittest. – Ty Cobb 
80 Patriot- Clay County.
4Genball- You got me there on my quote-touche. I was just debating in my head whether to play travel or middle school for my son.
4Genball- You got me there on my quote-touche. I was just debating in my head whether to play travel or middle school for my son.
quote:Originally posted by HunterMac95:
Junior High Coach M-F 4-7 pm and every Saturday 9am-12 noon. Is this a little overboard ??
It seems a bit much for Jr. High students. Even freshman baseball. which is Jr. High in some school systems don't practice that many hours. In fact, when my son played in high school, his varsity practices weren't that much. They practiced something like 3-5 or 5:30 on weekdays and 10-12 on Saturdays.