Starting at New School

I've always felt that a person should take the initiative and indroduce themselves and explain the who/what/when/wheres in these situations. Your son should take some time and approach the coach 1x1. After the introduction he will get a feel from the coach as where things will fall into place, and what happens next. Trust me when I say that your son will have made a lasting impression on the coach as being proactive, aggressive, and confident. That's an indication of a coachable player, and a nice start in my book.

Work harder than anyone else.

I am going to try and read between the lines a bit here. It sounds as though there may be some angst about whether or not your son will get a valid/fair look from the new coach. It appears he has already made inroads as far as knowing some of the players which is a good thing.

In my mind, the best thing he can do is let the 800 lb gorilla off of his shoulders by not worrying about whether or not he cracks the starting line-up right away. If he is already a college prospect then his status with the new hs team will not change that imho. He needs to focus on those things he can control (hustle, being productive in practice, etc.) and let go of those things he cannot (who the coach intitially decides to start). The cool thing about baseball is there will always be opportunities to perform due to slumps, injuries, attitudes, grades, and what not.

Work hard and remain focused on the task at hand. Most importantly, keep the mouth closed at all times. Actions truly speak louder than words. One thing he can control is to be the first player to arrive and the last to leave. He can also become known right away as the hardest worker on the team and willing to do all the team's dirty work if necessary without complaint. After that, let the chips fall where they may

I would also suggest that your son should take the opportunity to hit the ground running academically. If he has a great GPA from the other HS, great, keep it up. Make good first impressions from his teachers. It's likely the baseball coach teaches something, and even if he isn't your son's teacher, his teachers will pass on good impressions to him.
Also, have him get to know his counselor well. Of course, make sure the NCAA requirements are in line, but make friends in administration is another positive step.
Look for opportunities to work out with his varsity summer ball teammates, before the season, run, and make sure he's in shape.

JMHO

parent,
LHP?

CADad, I wish!

Seriously, thanks for all the suggestions. Many are things I've already shared with my son, but it will be great to print out this thread and share it with him. Sometimes, hearing it from someone other than a parent can make more of an impact.

quote:

Originally posted by parent:
Any tips for son as he tries to make inroads as a newcomer?

quote:

Originally posted by Texan:
Work harder than anyone else.

Yes and...

1) Get there first
2) Leave last
3) Hit the ball hard
4) Hit the ball often
5) Big League no one....ever

Never met a baseball player who couldn't get along with players at his own level.

Should be a piece of cake.

Parent,
I coach HS football and I know that we are always excited when players transfer into our school. The anticipation of the student being a stud and immediately giving the team another quality teammate is there.
As a coach, I welcome the new student and his parents stopping by and introducing themselves. It gives the staff an opportunity to introduce our program mission and goals to the newcomers.

The current players on the team will see the talent of the new student. Some may feel slighted. The new student may be inserted in a spot that was filled by a long time High School attendee. In our situation, the coaching staff is doing our best to place the players in positions that will help to make the team successful.

Be aware that the current player’s parents may see the new student as a threat. I suggest to all parents not to get into disputes with the other parents. Here is an effective statement to make, “My son is just working hard and doing what the coaches ask him to do. The coach makes the decision on the playing time. I am here to be a fan of the team and want to cheer on their success.”

Good luck to your son and his new team.

Seriously...
...if your son works hard, keeps his nose clean, and his mouth closed, the only ones that will have a problem...
...will be the parents of the player(s) who's playing time he will take. (and that will happen everywhere whether you're new or have been there for a while).

It sounds like to me your son has a great opportunity on his hands. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Show up first and work hard. The coach will be excited to be getting a talented player in his program. If he can play he will play. Let his glove arm and bat do all the talking.

Getting some great advice.

One of the worst things that can happen is the player or parent trying to sell why he should be playing and talk about how good he is and what he has done in the past, let your glove, arm, and bat do the talking (unless he is a pitcher!)

Actually this is a great opportunity for your son. It's almost like showing up for his first college practice where most of the positions are already set.

Tell him that he can NEVER be afraid of competition. He's got to beat out these guys to make the next step just like he'll have to beat out his college teammates to earn playing time. If he can't beat them out or is intimidated by it (and I am NOT implying he won't or is), then he's chasing the wrong dream.

Great advice, everyone. Thanks so much for your input. I've told son, "Every day is going to be showcase day," and he seems prepared to give 200%. We're hoping for the best!

parent,

This is great advice above, I feel I'm jumping on the train late! We were in your shoes two years ago when we had to move out of state and change high schools. Our son had earned his way onto and Varsity lettered on his team as a Freshman and then had to start from scratch. We (parents and son) met with new head coach just to get familiar with program and such as RAH Lefty Dad states. Head Coach explained to son that he would have to earn the respect of his teammates, coaches and PT just as in College (his HS Coach is a retired D1 College Coach)and that by going through this experience, he would have a "leg up" when he moves on to the college level. Long story short, he kept his mouth shut, his nose in the books, he worked his butt off and was the starting pitcher the second game of the season as a sophmore. The team finished 3rd in the State. He also signed an NLI with a DI this past Nov. STAY POSITIVE!!!!!

Don't forget the importance of the summer season for college recruiters!

Still Learning, what a great story! Hopefully, ours will end with a happy ending too. Best wishes to your son as he begins his college career!

show up for tryouts. Give them a reason to be on the team

Just thought I'd bring everyone up-to-date on son's transition to new school. It all happened pretty much as you predicted. Thanks to all for the great advice you shared.

Son worked hard and kept his mouth shut. Neither he nor us, his parents, did any brown-nosing, trusting instead in son's skills to do the talking. I'm excited to announce that son will be the starting shortstop at tomorrow night's game!

Some of the parents aren't all that friendly, but the players have been great. Son gets along with every single one of them.

Anyway, many thanks for your encouragement and advice, which helped us to stay positive in the midst of uncertainty.

Congrrats, parent. That is wonderful news. Now find yourself a nice isolated location down the LF line where you won't have to interact with the problem parents. Good luck in his game.

quote:

Son worked hard and kept his mouth shut. Neither he nor us, his parents, did any brown-nosing, trusting instead in son's skills to do the talking. I'm excited to announce that son will be the starting shortstop at tomorrow night's game!

What a great story parent - now you will have some great advice to give another parent who wonders about these things I especially like the part about trusting in son's skills and leaving it at that. That ought to be enough and I am guessing his achievement seems more satisfying now because of it

Parent,
That is great news, and good luck to your son.

When you posted this I thought it was a great topic that doesn't happen often, but, when it does it has the possibility to be a nervous situation, potentially uncomfortable, an most certainly an "under the spotlight" experience.

Did your son do anything in the beginning as far as introduction to the coach? Was this a good team to begin with? You mention parent isssues? Did your son seek out baseball players before the season in order to get to know the people involved? Were there any negative situations that occured that could have been avoided with a different approach?

It sounds like your son made the best of a situation and it would be interesting to hear your thoughts of the process as a whole.

quote:

I especially like the part about trusting in son's skills and leaving it at that.

I agree!!!

Good news parent!!

While we as parents wait for confirmation from others about what we already know to be true,..its a worry-some spot to be in.

My children are military kids,...moving just about every two years. Its nerve racking for us as parents to sit back and watch our children prove themselves to new coaches and new peers. We hope that they see what we see and we hope they get a fair shot.

Sounds like your son did exactly what he needed to do and is off to a great start with a new season!
Great job!! Keep up the hard work!

parent ...

quote:

Some of the parents aren't all that friendly, but the players have been great. Son gets along with every single one of them.

I have always believed that when the parents are taken out the equation and the players are left to play their game, the players that have the ability and talent will be respected by their teammates. This is an excellant example ... parents on the sideline grumbling 'cause their Johnny' isn't in the lineup while the kids are doing their best on their field, playing as a team, and getting the job done.

Congrats to your son and may he have a wonderful season and future.

Thanks for all the good wishes. We're holding our breath in anticipation!

rz1, here's a little info on what we did. Son emailed the coach introducing himself and telling a little about his background and achievements. He said he would really like to meet with the coach before school started. Coach emailed back and said it wouldn't be necessary. We didn't know what to think after that and frankly were a bit discouraged, but thankfully once school started, coach put the wheels into motion and son made the varsity team. Son has always been a hard worker and I guess this became evident to the coach during practices. Son has also stayed late whenever possible to demonstrate his desire to play.

The team is excellent -- one of the top-ranked in the state. Son knew some of the players from playing select with them in past summers, which made the transition a bit easier.

As far as things to improve on, I don't know that we would have done things any differently. Your helpful comments and advice helped steer us in the correct way so we didn't make absolute fools of ourselves!

We are trying to be exceedingly kind to the parents of the kid who thought he was going to be the shortstop. I know they are disappointed. There are a couple of parents who seem a bit disgruntled that son has made such quick inroads when their sons have been struggling to start for years -- and I understand their frustration -- but we are just trying to be friendly and are hoping things will smooth out eventually.

Now comes the fun/hard part. Son's job is to play with excellence and consistency and help get his team to state. Parents' job is to root the team on, do a lot of encouraging, and basically stay out of the way!

quote:

We're holding our breath in anticipation

Breath......I think your son hurdled the biggest obstacal and now the fun begins.

Congrats again and thanks for the update