playing favorites

Have you tried approaching the coach and asking him what you need to work on to get more playing time?  he would be the one who can give you feedback. 

You are 14 years old right now and you are heading down the wrong path.  Now is the best time to fix what you're problem is and while you're young you need to hear the truth.  I'll try to be as gentle as I can because of your age but please listen to me.

 

In order to get more playing time get better.  Work your butt off to throw harder / farther.  Work your butt off to hit the ball with more power / consistency.  Work your butt off to learn the game.  Go to practice everyday and hustle on everything.  Games and practices have the best attitude to the coaches and other players.  Learn to be a great team mate and leader.  Be that guy who is dependable on everything and the person coaches want other players to emulate.  You want to play more the honest answer is to just get better.  Be so good that there is no other option but to play you.

 

Try to re-read your post and look at it from a coaches perspective.  All it is is complaining, excuse making and victim mentality - "I'm not playing because nobody likes me".  That's not going to cut it in anything you do in life - school, jobs, relationships....whatever.  You got to work to earn the right to be the best - not have someone hand it to you.  Nobody cares that you played since you were 5 or that you love the game because that doesn't make you the best.  Getting after it to make yourself better instead of finding excuses and being a victim will get you playing time.  I've been doing math all my life and I still stink at it but I also don't try to get any better at it.  That's my fault and when mistakes happen because I mess up there is nobody else at fault but me.  Not my teachers back in the day but me.  Now how does this relate to real life?  Because I'm not good at math I've messed up and ran out of money before the next pay check came in.  I almost ruined my credit rating because I wasn't able to keep track of what I was spending versus what I was bringing in.  If I had worked harder in school at something I wasn't good at then things are different.

 

Don't ever be a victim or excuse maker.  Keep what happens to you in your control by working harder and getting better. 

 

Look I'm not trying to be a jerk but you truly have the wrong mindset on this.  joes87 has given you great advice - go talk to the coach. He will tell you where you're needing to improve.  Start there and just get better.

 

Good luck.

Big B -- I hope you'll print and memorize what coach shared with you. He's a high school athletic director, and he knows what he's talking about.

 

The other thing I hope you'll do is really understand what a great resource this place is. You joined this evening to get advice on a specific issue. You've got it. 

 

But don't stop there! Stay here... read what others are asking and talking about. Use the search tool to get help with ANYTHING. And ask more questions. 

 

You are not alone. We all know what you're going through, and many, MANY people are here to help.

 

Welcome.

 

(now get to work!)

 

Big-b - reread the above posts.  They are all spot on.  Best thing to do is calmly ask the coach what you need to do to improve.   You'll have to prove to the coach in practice you are worthy of starting/playing. Whining about it here or any other forum won't get you anywhere.  Control what you can control (your skills).

Here is the thing.  You are probably right.  All coaches (people and bosses as well) have biases.  They like certain kids or certain types of players.  So all else being equal, the "favorite" gets the playing time.  You can't control that and you can't worry about it. 

 

So as others have said, you need to get better and make things unequal.  You need to leave no doubt in the coach's mind that you are a lot better than any of the alternatives.  Or you can quit.  Good luck.

 

You've gotten lots of really good advice above. Follow it, become the athlete and player that is described and you will get noticed.

Also, I want to commend you for finding this site and being brave enough to post a question. It's a great start that you are looking for answers and ways to improve. Now take the advice and become the kid they have to play.

Good luck!

Coaches do play favorites!  They like some players more than others when it comes to playing time.  They like kids with talent, that are dependable, that work hard, that are coachable, that are great teammates and have a good attitude.

 

So go out and become one of those coaches favorites. If you have the talent, the rest isn't all that difficult to accomplish.

 

big b,

Do yourself a big favor and hear what everyone is telling you.  Let's just call it tough love.  Come back soon and tell us you figured it out.  Best of luck to you.

 

Big B,

Welcome to the site!  Here's a link to a related topic...

 

http://community.hsbaseballweb...hes-favorite-players

 

Stick around.  This place can be an amazing resource for you.  It can provide all the information you will need to succeed with whatever you want to accomplish in the game.  Oh, but I should mention...  all the work will still be totally UP TO YOU!!!

This site just keeps getting better. Pretty classy the way you all replied, especially those that still contributed even though sons have made it to college or are just on here for love of the game.  who says the Internet is going to he#|...

Big B, what position do you normally play?

I'll also supplement my previous post.  Just because you do improve and get "no doubt" better, it is still possible the coach may favor the other kid over you.  I had to suffer thru a basketball season watching a kid turn the ball over and miss easy layups wondering why the kid continued to play when there where better options on the bench.  Then I found out that the kid was the coach's favorite player. 

 

At that point, the beauty of baseball is that it is a short spring season.  There is another summer season after that with a different team/coach and a fall season possibly after that.  Good luck. 

I would like to add that you should ask the coach what he sees as your weak points and what he would recommend you do to improve...maybe there is a weight program, or a drill you can do to get better results.

 

I would NOT say "Hey coach what do I have to do to get playing time on this team"...that is not going to go over well and you will also probably look pouty or aggravated while saying it, both of which will not encourage your coach to play you.  Bad attitudes, which includes players who are pouting or showing aggravation with the coach, do not get playing time because your attitude can kind of infect the other players on the team, then the coach really has problems.  Try to work through your own feelings on this and be happy you made the team in 9th grade, then use this opportunity to become better. 

Start by doing more self-analysis and being more self-awar and becoming more self-critical  (and less self-satisfied and entitled).

 

Here's a mental exercise that might help you get there.  After  every practice and/or game do an inventory of your performance.  Categorize all aspects of your performance along two dimensions.  The things you can BUILD ON and the things you need to WORK ON.  Always start with the build ons.  Ask how you can build on the best aspects of your performance to make yourself even better.   But NEVER leave out the WORK ONS.  After you've done the build ons, be honest about what you need to  WORK ON in order to get better.  

 

I think if you bring this Build-on Work on focus to your own self-analysis, you may get a greater appreciation of both what it takes to succeed and what you can concretely do to achieve success.    That's what you can control.  So focus on that.  Worry less about fairness or unfairness at this stage. 

I bumped into a coach of very reputable showcase teams who has coached at virtually every level. Currently he primarily works with premier HS kids focused on getting to next level. This scenario came up and he didn't even hesitate to say what most coaches notice.
First- kids can believe it or not, coaches notice most everything - even when it looks like they are looking the other way, otherwise preoccupied or have "favorites."
Second - make every practice, be early, be dressed like a ball player AT All Times.
Third- Show energy and enthusiasm from the moment you arrive thru walking out the door. Don't fake it but if you really love it, let it show. Know the daily routine and expectations. For every drill, know what is expected, ask question if not clear, then get it right and hustle back to the end of the line - every time.
He said if a kid does all that consistently it makes it very hard for a coach not to want to support that player and work with them on areas that need improvement.
He went on to say that he and his staff pass up 2-3 high potential players a year that they evaluate simply based on the above and the attitude/demeanor they display. Their reasoning is if the player  doesnt already have that part down, the other skills needed to be worked on won't get developed properly and in timely fashion.
Not saying OP isn't doing that, if you are keep it up and you will get noticed - and will be very proud of yourself. It will happen.

My son had a coach a few years ago tell the team; "If you are early, you are on time.  If you are on time, you are late, and if you are late you are REALLY late."  My son repeats that to me at least a few times each season.  

 

He changed high schools this year and when Saturday batting practice rolled around, he was there waiting for the coach to unlock the building.  He then helped get everything setup for the team workout before he did anything for himself.  This coach had only met my son a few days before, but I was proud of his first impression.  

I don't believe this post can be topped. I can only add a couple of things. In school ball your grades and citizenship (behavior) can have an affect on playing time. Go to your coach and say, "I want to earn playing time. What do I need to work on?" Then be seen working on it. Be the first to practice. Be the last to leave. 

 

When my son was in 8th grade we sometimes practiced after his games. He was already at the field. Other players and parents thought it was silly. He was already the best player on the team. Who noticed? The high school varsity coach when he left the high school parking lot across the street. When a senior complained to the coach my son was starting over him as a soph on varsity the coach told the kid, "He outworked you. Starting two years ago."