10u captains, good idea?

[softball88]

Thank you everyone. I was never going to do this. I wanted this forums opinion just in case I missed something or if i was overreacting.

For the leadership, we meet as a team twice, talked about being a good teammates, cheering, high fiving, just talking nicely, no bickering.....

We are meeting once a month as a team to talk about leadership. Their definitions and how someone showed leadership during the month.

Practices and games have been much better.

 

[dadofadirtlover]

First off... It starts at the top with you. You must be the most dynamic personality on the field at all times. I tell all my teams there are only two things I absolutely DEMAND of them. The first is they give the team their 100% best effort all the time. Second, they WILL respect each other when they are on the team. That means no dissing players on social media or in ANY other way. Make sure you have penalties in place for infractions and stick to them. No matter who the offender is if there is one. Tell them they do not have to be BFF's with every girl on the team, but the MUST get along with everyone when they are together.

Make EVERYTHING about the team. If they are goofing off and you have to take time to stop the nonsense put in the context that they are stealing precious practice time from the team because you're having to deal with them. If they are not giving their best effort they are letting their teammates down. Not you or themselves.

Do games and competitions at the end of practice. YOU choose the teams. Be sure to split up the clicks.


Make them all Captains. What I do with my 10U teams is to make each player the captain for a day. Be it practice, tournaments or any other team activity. I called them the Day Captain. I would have a list of items for that day the player was responsible for. Like leading warmups. Making sure the dugout was clean after games or practices. Making sure all the team equipment was pick up and delivered to my car. Organizing groups for drills. Things like that.

The order was by uniform number. The kids kept track of it, I didn't. If you missed your day you waited until your next turn. Doing that forces all the kids to lead the team. The shy ones are forced to and the alphas in the group are forced to take a step back. It seems to help with the screwing around because the Day Captain would get in trouble if someone acted up. They all knew they would have to be responsible so there was incentive to not act up.

Right now they're inexperienced and they are bringing what they know to the team. What that is, is the school environment mentality which is very central and individualized. You need to change the mindset to a team, us, we and together attitude. Lip service does not get it done. Being proactive and consistent does.

Good Luck

I like the day captain idea.

 

[Cannonball]

No captains. When they are that age, they don't know how to lead in the correct ways. I don't believe in Captains at any level. As coach, I'm the Captain. As an FYI, I often look at the position of "Captain" as just another opportunity for some to bully others. When I was in HS, I turned down "Captain" since I didn't intend to be the enforcer like all of the previous Captains had been. When the "Captain" came to me my senior year and tried to tell me what to do, it didn't work out too well for him.

 

[dadofadirtlover]

No captains. When they are that age, they don't know how to lead in the correct ways. I don't believe in Captains at any level. As coach, I'm the Captain. As an FYI, I often look at the position of "Captain" as just another opportunity for some to bully others. When I was in HS, I turned down "Captain" since I didn't intend to be the enforcer like all of the previous Captains had been. When the "Captain" came to me my senior year and tried to tell me what to do, it didn't work out too well for him.

I think captain only works if you EDUCATE the entire team about the responsibilities and expectations so it is clear when they are beyond the scope of the role. This seems to be a waste of time at 10 y/o, though, which is why I think the leaders will rise to the top and the followers will get in line....generally speaking. But, if you have something like a day captain where everyone gets a crack at leadership, it's another life lesson for all of the players. Those who are more aggressive....it shows them the RIGHT way to lead and the RIGHT way to follow (even if the one they are following is "below their idea of a leader") and for those that are more passive....it forces them out of their comfort zone of "going along with the crowd". IF THE COACH INVESTS THE TIME IN THIS.....it could be an awesome win/win/win for the players, coaches, and parents. The question is.....do you, as a coach, have the EXTRA time to develop them like this? If the honest answer is no....scrap the "captain" concept because it serves as an injustice to the team. JMHO

 

[Cannonball]

I can only speak from experience. I've coached a game or two and that is my experience.

 

[CoogansBluff]

As an FYI, I often look at the position of "Captain" as just another opportunity for some to bully others.

And at age 9-10, it's an opportunity for kids to be bossy or to blame. I agree that they don't have the maturity to be true captains at this age. Choosing captains sometimes is a coach's way to abdicate his own responsibility to be the leader and coach.

 

[Sparky Guy]

I think captain only works if you EDUCATE the entire team about the responsibilities and expectations so it is clear when they are beyond the scope of the role. This seems to be a waste of time at 10 y/o, though, which is why I think the leaders will rise to the top and the followers will get in line....generally speaking. But, if you have something like a day captain where everyone gets a crack at leadership, it's another life lesson for all of the players. Those who are more aggressive....it shows them the RIGHT way to lead and the RIGHT way to follow (even if the one they are following is "below their idea of a leader") and for those that are more passive....it forces them out of their comfort zone of "going along with the crowd". IF THE COACH INVESTS THE TIME IN THIS.....it could be an awesome win/win/win for the players, coaches, and parents. The question is.....do you, as a coach, have the EXTRA time to develop them like this? If the honest answer is no....scrap the "captain" concept because it serves as an injustice to the team. JMHO

In actuality it takes very little effort on your part as the coach to educate the team. Once all the players understand the what is expected when it is their turn to captain it makes it very easy. The key is keep it simple and consistent. On my teams the players keep track of it themselves through uniform number. Nothing to write down or remember. They do.

 

[dadofadirtlover]

In actuality it takes very little effort on your part as the coach to educate the team. Once all the players understand the what is expected when it is their turn to captain it makes it very easy. The key is keep it simple and consistent. On my teams the players keep track of it themselves through uniform number. Nothing to write down or remember. They do.

And these or 9 and 10 yos?

 

[CoreSoftball20]

At 10yo, do they really know what a "captain" is and how you lead without being bossy? IMO, no..10 is too young for this.

Also, if you are having issues with personalities and lack of respect between players, this will prob not help appointing leaders.

 

[dadofadirtlover]

At 10yo, do they really know what a "captain" is and how you lead without being bossy? IMO, no..10 is too young for this.

Also, if you are having issues with personalities and lack of respect between players, this will prob not help appointing leaders.

This is why I wouldn't do it. Just seems like pandora's box. If your goal was to help train the girls to be leaders, that's one thing. The captain for a day thing kinda goes with that. I can't see ANY of the girls or parents on my DD team (DD included) being able to handle that 100% of the time without an insane effort on everyone's part. I don't remember a captain on any of our basketball teams when I played in HS, either. Come to think of it. It was just the head coach. HE WAS THE CAPTAIN! None of us dared to not follow his lead.