Moving up along with your team: getting tougher?

[JStar00]

OK, I'm heading into this season coaching (mostly) the same group of girls I've had the last two seasons. Most of my team have 2005 birthdates (although a couple 2006's are 'playing up' a year ahead of their age group). I have twin nieces on the team.

So in 2017 and 2018 we were in the 12U division; the first year as a very young, mostly 11-year-old team. The second year, last year, our team was mostly 12-year-olds. This year, with most of the players now 13, we'll be in 14U with a relatively young team.

We've had most of the team together for three seasons. Of 12 players in 2017, 11 came back in 2018. This year we lost four players to a rival rec organization, and we'll pick up four 14-year-olds from our own club -- the 2004s.

Anyway, the question I have is coaching style. So far I have been very quiet and nearly always positive -- no criticism or even forceful correction.

I'm considerably older than the other coaches in the league; in fact I coached my twin nieces' mom, my much younger sister, when she was in the same age group 35 years ago. (She helps out assistant-coaching sometimes.) So I basically cut a pretty grandfatherly figure as a coach.

The problem is, one chronic problem we really do have, is low intensity. We tend to kind of drift onto and off the field. We don't really get fired up, and I think it's in large part due to my kindly-grandpa style.

What's been the experience of other coaches moving up along with their teams developing a more mature, i.e. more intense, approach to the game? That is, moving away to some extent from the attitude of "everything is beautiful, everybody have some cupcakes and kool-aid and we'll all go home?"

How hard is it to establish some expectations and incentives to play well and stay focused on the games? I'm not going to turn into Bobby Knight screaming at kids for striking out or throwing fits over errors, but once in a while something like, "come on, we can play better than that??"

I'm not really worried about winning; when we were a "young" 12U team in 2017 we were 18-10 and then 24-6 last season as "seasoned" 12Us. We have our top two pitchers back from our 12U team last year and the top two pitchers from the 14U team (which went about .500 in its league) so we should probably be at least decent.

But what I'm worried about is getting the kids into good habits they'll need in high school (1-2 years away; most of my players now are going into 8th grade). It's OK to shuffle on and off the field if good ole Uncle Grandpa (me) is coaching, but in high school you better turn up the intensity. How do I get that point across without turning into the cliche fist-waving screaming coach?

 

[Chris8]

Coach- great question.

I've got a 14U team that has moved up similarly to yours. We're half 8th grade and half 7th grade.

All along we tried to set age appropriate expectations. This is just another one.

I believe you have an opportunity when a team ages up a age group to make changes. That's how I'd present it.

"Team we are moving up to 14's at 14's there are different expectations then back at 10's and 12's. Part of my job is to help you and prepare you for playing in high school. I want you to have the greatest success possible at your respective schools. I'm going to push you a little harder to get you ready for HS. If I don't do my best to get you ready I haven't done my part to help you the best that I can. With that in mind here's some of the things we're going to do a little differently this year"

I'd list 3-4 things.

If one of them is hustling on and off the field, or station to station, list it and expect it.

You asked for our experiences....so here goes.

I gave a similar talk at the start of Fall ball 14's and again this spring. I have a AC who played at one of the area HS that 5 of my girls will go to. She chimes in regularly about what that particular coach expects (multiple league champs as well as state champions). If the girls aren't meeting the hustle expectation...she reminds them.

It also helps that of my 13 girls spread over 5 HS's at least 4 of their future Varsity coaches have come to watch us play in games and or shown up to watch practice. We regularly share with the girls that you never know who's watching. It's very possible your next coach or based on your hustle/behavior what could have been your next coach.

We've also been blessed to have former D1 P5 players come and be guest coaches at practice from time to time. We save 15 minutes for Q&A for our players to talk and ask questions they may have about playing in HS and College. Every time w/o prompting each one tells them to hustle on and off field and station to station....coaches notice. You can never go wrong with hustle. Example I know of a story I heard (wish i could give credit where...may have been DFP) of a HS player at camp....who wasn't really noticed by the college coaches watching...until they took BP. This player was not going to be hitting for awhile so she grabbed her glove and went out and was the only one shagging fly balls in the OF. She ended up going to college at a school that was attending the camp and her hustle was what got her noticed. I think sharing those types of stories help the girls as well.

Finally we also talk about imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So if the best teams are doing _________, then let's do the things that great teams are doing.

Bottom line I think aging up is natural time to make changes...and not the Bobby Knight kind. Good luck!