Coaches of top level travel programs

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Aug 3, 2019
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I see coaches of more mid-level programs using either “coach has 30 years of experience” or “coach was a former D1 player” as selling points, etc.

Are there any commonalities in terms of background among coaches of the top National travel teams/programs?

Based on my limited knowledge, it would seem that many if not most top level programs are in fact led by coaches who don’t possess either of those characteristics.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
Veterans day. Ted Williams is someone I respect.

He had eye vision off the charts.

Does that translate to coaching other players?
 
Oct 3, 2011
3,478
113
Right Here For Now
There are 3 types of coaches as far as I'm aware. There are coaches that work on fundamentals and develop players skills. There are coaches that can recruit the top players and win at the highest levels. Then there is the rare breed of coaches that can do both. I call this a rare breed because in todays' society of wanting and expecting immediate gratification, the parents usually won't let their DD's stick around those teams long enough to see the teams coached by those rare breeds succeed. Believe me, it's not all on them either. The second type of coach is out there heavily recruiting from those teams coached by the first type of coach and the rare breeds coach. The only problem with that is those types that are actively recruiting are always looking for the next best replacement and will cut those that are no longer developing because those coaches don't know how. The players will see little field time or cut at years end or even mid-season. That now puts those players that were cut or saw little PT a year or more behind their peers.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
There are 3 types of coaches as far as I'm aware. There are coaches that work on fundamentals and develop players skills. There are coaches that can recruit the top players and win at the highest levels. Then there is the rare breed of coaches that can do both. I call this a rare breed because in todays' society of wanting and expecting immediate gratification, the parents usually won't let their DD's stick around those teams long enough to see the teams coached by those rare breeds succeed. Believe me, it's not all on them either. The second type of coach is out there heavily recruiting from those teams coached by the first type of coach and the rare breeds coach. The only problem with that is those types that are actively recruiting are always looking for the next best replacement and will cut those that are no longer developing because those coaches don't know how. The players will see little field time or cut at years end or even mid-season. That now puts those players that were cut or saw little PT a year or more behind their peers.
It would be interesting to see what category those coaches would put themselves in.

Northern California likes to consider ALL their organizations competitive. One of those has travel player recruiter squad that go out and watch other teams practices and games and try to infiltrate the parents to get phone numbers. They are trying to recruit my friends 10U daughter to be a catcher...10u...she's 9.
 
Apr 20, 2015
961
93
My daughter's team is 15u...highly ranked in 16u. 4 kids have been together since 10u, 1 joined in 11u, 4 more in 12u, 2 more in 13u in the craziness of the pandemic and 3 newcomers this year filling in some depth. Team has practiced once a week for 3 hours since 10u. Every single practice still for 2 hours....we throw and catch and field and work foot work and cut offs and situations. We don't hit much in practice other than some live modified scrimmage in the last hour. Kids obviously work hard on their own as well. Our organization has been one thats accused of poaching rather than developing but I'm not sure what developing means if its not what our team has done.

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Apr 30, 2018
349
43
I've been an assistant coach on both league and C class teams. DD has been on a c class 10u team that bragged about the coaches being former D1 players. After watching the team implode, I learned that doesn't mean a damn thing. Those two coaches might have forgotten more than I know about softball, but they had zero teaching skills, didn't know how to run an efficient practice, and punished the girls for every mistake they made in practice. In their defence they were just out of college and jumped straight into head coaching vs working as an assistant coach under someone who knew what they were doing. I've learned that coaching softball is equal parts knowledge, organization, and teaching.

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Oct 3, 2011
3,478
113
Right Here For Now
Our organization has been one that's accused of poaching rather than developing but I'm not sure what developing means if its not what our team has done.

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Just because your organization as a whole is accused of poaching (poaching is vastly different than recruiting IME), doesn't mean that what your team has done is not developing. I would consider your team a developmental team all the way with one of those rare breeds of coach that I mentioned earlier.
 
Jun 19, 2016
858
63
Usually being a former D1 player qualifies you to be a good instructor. They have had access to high level coaching most that most people have not had. Whether that makes them a good coach or team leader is a different issue. Some are and some aren't.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Just because your organization as a whole is accused of poaching (poaching is vastly different than recruiting IME),
Please explain how you differentiate the difference between poaching and recruiting.
The scenario is when players are already on teams...

Look forward to further discussions on this scenario topic.
Everyone~ GO DFP
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
There are 3 types of coaches as far as I'm aware. There are coaches that work on fundamentals and develop players skills. There are coaches that can recruit the top players and win at the highest levels. Then there is the rare breed of coaches that can do both. I call this a rare breed because in todays' society of wanting and expecting immediate gratification, the parents usually won't let their DD's stick around those teams long enough to see the teams coached by those rare breeds succeed. Believe me, it's not all on them either. The second type of coach is out there heavily recruiting from those teams coached by the first type of coach and the rare breeds coach. The only problem with that is those types that are actively recruiting are always looking for the next best replacement and will cut those that are no longer developing because those coaches don't know how. The players will see little field time or cut at years end or even mid-season. That now puts those players that were cut or saw little PT a year or more behind their peers.

This pretty much sums up why I am no longer coaching.

I can take a team and develop players - and have done so multiple times. However, if I want to keep the players on these teams who are talented and want to develop; I have to go poach/recruit (there is no difference) other players to surround them and let go of the ones who are not at the level of the top players on the team. Otherwise, the top players will end up on some team that has players like them playing for a coach who is just outright recruiting all the talent hard. Once one departs for 'greener pastures (and they will) - the rest will follow as parents panic.

I am not committed enough to win at all costs, nor am I willing to do the things that you have to do to do that when it comes to putting these teams together. Basically, when you are not willing to do this, it is too hard to fight those who REALLY care about it to a point it is 'who they are'.

At this point, I don't expect to ever take on head coaching again until I retire - and even then I would probably only do college. I am happy umpiring and helping out our org (which has all three types of coaches described above on various teams) where I don't have to get into these things.
 

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