Question - High School Coaches

Yes calling this AM in just a few minutes TR.

back to commenting on Dan's original question

most coaches are approachable & knowlegable

IMO, I'd have introduced myself to the local hs coach & found opportunities to talk baseball with NO agenda long ago - whether you are feeding the HS or not

a good start is requesting info on his camps & clinics for your guys, offer help if needed.
HS's often do youth clinics with a WIDE age range where extra help might be welcome

ask to observe some of his practices & note how he runs things

watch some HS games, note how other coaches do things

heck, even if he NEVER asks about your players, he'd probably pick them out at try-outs before stretching & warm-ups were over (they'd prolly be the ONLY freshmen stretching )



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quote:

Originally posted by collikar:
No!!!!! If I'm the high school coach receiving this letter, I automatically red flag the kid just because my judgement is in question.

Have these daddy note-requesters any evidence that the hs coach needs name recognition. You think the hs coach doesn't know of the select programs in the area?

Obviously if the boys can play they don't need mommy notes from their coach.

this is exactly what I'm talking about when I mentioned coaches' egos... "because my judgement is in question". No one said your judgement was in question. It was meant as a letter to add information, not question your judgement...

having said that, I still agree that unless there's a prior relationship with the HS coach, its probably better off not to send the letters.

quote:

this is exactly what I'm talking about when I mentioned coaches' egos... "because my judgement is in question". No one said your judgement was in question. It was meant as a letter to add information, not question your judgement...

What coach doesn't have some ego? A coach should feel like his/her talent evaluation is as good or better than others. Certainly, he/she should feel like he can look at players on the field and judge talent without some letter from a father/coach telling them who to watch for.

To me, ego has little to do with that. I would think accepting those letters would invite further input from that parent for the duration of that player's time in HS.

All of the listed items are keys for making the team and the coaches did a great job posting them. Save them for when your kid has a tryout coming. AS HAS BEEN BEATEN TO DEATH HERE, most of us do not agree with a letter being sent about players. I just mentioned a repore with youth coaches. And to asssume that high school coaches should know the local talent or youth leagues, I worked with one of the most arrogant and uninformed head coaches of all time. This guy knew nobody and didn't care. He taught me alot about how Not to act as a coach. When he finally saw my contacts with youth coaches and players, he began to get interested, but left it up to me to scout young players. He did agree that it gave us a heads up prior to tryouts, but the kids still have to show up, follow the list and perform to make the team. Since I've left that program, I have seen many talented players transfer to other county schools on request and that program is going down the tubes. When we cut a player, As CoachMay stated, its not because the kid didn't have a chance, but he needs to develop more in some cases. I would always have a talk with most kids that were cut. That opens another can of worms, as many coaches feel they don't need to explain themselves to kids. Its not an explanation, but a discussion of encouragement so that the kid may continue to work and come back again or play elsewhere. WHO are we to crush a kids dream or discourage them. We are here to guide, and those that aren't ready should still be shown the way. Any other approach is simple arrogance to me, IMHO.

Coach May

you have the right number

800-782-3672

Gomo - ego isn't the issue here, it's livelyhood. IMO A head coach's job is on the line every season. That's the motivation to pick the best team/players. It's his judgment that ultimately decides his fate. IMO a coach will do his own scouting, or use his own people for that role.

quote:

by collikar: Gomo - ego isn't the issue here, it's livelyhood. IMO A head coach's job is on the line every season.

get real guy, we're talking HS baseball here, not football!

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Coach great post. We meet individually with every kid that is cut. We tell him why we cut him. We tell him what we feel they need to do to have a chance to make the team in the future. We have actually had kids we cut in the spring play on our summer teams as a chance to work and get better. And as a way for us to get to know the kid as an individual better. There is absolutely no joy in telling a young kid that they are not good enough to be a part of something they really want to be a part of. NONE.

CoachMay, I knew you were one of the good ones. Great posts in the past but this shows that you and many of us coaches really have the kids in mind. One of my favorite experiences in life happened about 3 years ago when a large bear of a man came up to me in a home improvement store and hugged me and said, hey coach. I had no clue who he was. He then explaned that he was a juco catcher that I had worked with 20 years earlier. This guy had less hair than me, but knowing that we still connected was such a treat. I definitely remembered him and we had a great chat. There is one reason I still coach and train, to help shape the character of young men.

quote:

Originally posted by Dad04:
Yikes Coach B! Profiles and summer schedules for 8th graders. Is a strong feeder system a double edge sword? I know it can be a tremendous benefit. Can it hinder the process?

YES, it is a double edge sword. The reality is that some of these young men are done growing while others... These select teams propose to others that they have the "best talent." They do their best to intimidate others into not going out. Heck, and I'm sure you've seen this, they even can tell you how many out of their programs made the high school team LAST YEAR. We do an open clinic each year for all of our towns coaches be it rec or select. We make the point each and every time that we will have open and fair tryouts. One year, we took a "letter" that one of our select parents passed out that was to "show the coach who the players were" openly critiqued it and destroyed the myth of that assumed power base. One year, one parent said that his son was only 5 foot tall and wasn't going to get much taller and he had heard that we only took big kids. Well, so much for what you hear. His son lettered 3 years and was a 2 year starter.

HEY, SOMETIME, YOU JUST HAVE TO LET THE KIDS EARN THEIR POSITIONS. LET GO OF THEIR HANDS. MOST OF THEM CAN STAND UP ON THEIR OWN.