Bottom of the roster

[CycloneSoftball22]

Kids are generally going to do what coaches tell them and think that's just the way it is. Sometimes it takes an adult advocate to say, ''We played four games today, and my daughter only played in one? Really?''

3 years ago (2nd year 12u) I took over a team that had already been put together. There was one player that really couldn't hit very well and was a terrible liability on defense. I rarely ever played her in bracket play. She would bat and alternate on D in pool play. SO , sometimes she would only play in 1 of 3/4 games per weekend. She and her parents were very unhappy with the situation. I fully expected her to quit or I would have to cut her in the next year's tryouts. But , instead of pouting and complaining , she worked her rear off on her own and during the Winter. She has been my starting CF ever since. She told me that having the goal of playing more motivated her to get better. It is possible to increase your role and position on the pecking order. Just depends if you want to or not. There is a reason that players stay at the bottom of the rotation (and in most cases , it isn't the coach)

 

[soonerfan1966]

so let me get this straight, while she was with you she didnt improve, but when she worked on her own she got better. hmmmmm interesting j/k

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

so let me get this straight, while she was with you she didnt improve, but when she worked on her own she got better. hmmmmm interesting j/k

You are exactly right. There is only so much I could do with her during a season. I still had 11 other kids I had to work with as well. She got a regular hitting coach during the Winter months that really helped her get up to speed. Just getting a few extra AB in bracket play wouldn't have helped her. As for the defensive issue , I really cant explain how she got better , she just did.

 

[Easton33]

Kids are generally going to do what coaches tell them and think that's just the way it is. Sometimes it takes an adult advocate to say, ''We played four games today, and my daughter only played in one? Really?''

I get what you are saying in your other posts about improving the player. Personally, I took a very weak player this year and worked with her and she was out of the lineup. She wanted in the line up and that girl put in the work, at practice and at home. She earned her spot in the lineup, matter of fact she climbed all the way up to 3 hole for a period. That young lady has learned something that all of the "fair/equal playing time" players have not. Through her hard work at practice and at home she earned her playing time and I (as a fair and observant coach) recognized that and gave her more opportunities. She capatalized on them. So from no bracket play games, to 1 bracket play game, to my starting first baseman and sometimes 3 hole but mostly 5, this girl has learned a life lesson that can't be taken away from her. She struggled and overcame adversity to be on the starting 9. I let her join the team because she picked up with us one weekend and she was terrible! She had a great attitude, she listened to what I asked her to do, made the corrections and kept them all weekend. That is why I kept her and started working with her. She has been rewarded and so have I. You tell me, do you think your players would practice harder, listen better, and mentally focus more on what they are being instructed if they knew they would sit instead of being entitled to game time?

 

[NVfishing]

The bottom half of our roster as I define it is the group that rotates in and out of games. They all get to hit. They all play. Nobody in the bottom half has distinguished themselves as a full time player/fielder where the top half have.

 

[CoogansBluff]

You tell me, do you think your players would practice harder, listen better, and mentally focus more on what they are being instructed if they knew they would sit instead of being entitled to game time?

Very good question. Not every kid will respond the same way. Some will be motivated by sitting. Others might be motivated by the fact that they do play and are being counted on. You are assuming that the player in your success story would not have been as motivated if she were merely batting 11th vs. not playing at all.

IMO, kids already have motivation to practice harder, listen better and mentally focus more. The better they do those things, the higher they bat, the better they hit and catch, the more likely they are to play the position they like, the more success and fun they'll have. And if motivation and focus really become issues, then that is an appropriate reason to limit playing time, IMO.

So given my belief that players already have a healthy amount of motivation, your question is really this -- Is it necessary to introduce another layer of motivation - the possibility that the kid won't play or bat in bracket games - in order to bring out the best in the player? Is this added layer of motivation worth the missed opportunities for game experience?

And a random question of my own - If it really makes kids work hard and improve more by sitting, why don't we as parents look for teams where our daughters are the 4th-best pitcher and 11th-best hitter?

Also want people to understand that I'm not talking about high school and college teams. Also not talking about older travel teams whose express purpose is to compete at the highest national levels. There are travel teams that can and should be run like college teams. Just saying that I think too many travel coaches operate their teams that way when it's not needed.

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

Very good question. Not every kid will respond the same way. Some will be motivated by sitting. Others might be motivated by the fact that they do play and are being counted on. You are assuming that the player in your success story would not have been as motivated if she were merely batting 11th vs. not playing at all.

IMO, kids already have motivation to practice harder, listen better and mentally focus more. The better they do those things, the higher they bat, the better they hit and catch, the more likely they are to play the position they like, the more success and fun they'll have. And if motivation and focus really become issues, then that is an appropriate reason to limit playing time, IMO.

So given my belief that players already have a healthy amount of motivation, your question is really this -- Is it necessary to introduce another layer of motivation - the possibility that the kid won't play or bat in bracket games - in order to bring out the best in the player? Is this added layer of motivation worth the missed opportunities for game experience?

And a random question of my own - If it really makes kids work hard and improve more by sitting, why don't we as parents look for teams where our daughters are the 4th-best pitcher and 11th-best hitter?

Also want people to understand that I'm not talking about high school and college teams. Also not talking about older travel teams whose express purpose is to compete at the highest national levels. There are travel teams that can and should be run like college teams. Just saying that I think too many travel coaches operate their teams that way when it's not needed.

I believe that in today's society all these kids that play don't have a healthy amount of motivation. I see much more frequently , the kids that believe they are owed something no matter what they do and the parents continue to feed the beast. It is always easier to blame the coach for Little Susie's lack of playing time than it is to say the kid just isn't as good as the others or we don't work much outside of practice. As for one of your other questions...I would much rather my kid be the #11 hitter on a team where she has to earn her time than her be a #4 on a team where she isn't pushed to get any better. Of course , my DD is almost 16. If she were 9 or 10 , I might feel a little differently

 

[CoogansBluff]

Another question to ponder -

Let's say I form a new team. I hold tryouts and settle on a team of 11 players. The girls don't know each other or know how they stack up to each other. They're strangers.

Then at the first practice I tell them that they will decide this one important issue by a vote:

Do we bat everybody in every game, or do we bat 9 in bracket games, which means a couple of you might not play or bat in 3 or 4 games during a tournament.

How would they vote?

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

Another question to ponder -

Let's say I form a new team. I hold tryouts and settle on a team of 11 players. The girls don't know each other or know how they stack up to each other. They're strangers.

Then at the first practice I tell them that they will decide this one important issue by a vote:

Do we bat everybody in every game, or do we bat 9 in bracket games, which means a couple of you might not play or bat in 3 or 4 games during a tournament.

How would they vote?

At that first practice , they will vote to bat them all. Ask again about half way through the season and I bet that vote changes drastically and they will want the best on the field in bracket play (and this will be after they have gotten to know each other and formed friendships)

 

[CoogansBluff]

At that first practice , they will vote to bat them all. Ask again about half way through the season and I bet that vote changes drastically and they will want the best on the field in bracket play (and this will be after they have gotten to know each other and formed friendships)

Yes, but if you ask at midseason, the vote might be 9-2. The 9 are going to throw those 2 light hitters under the bus.

Truth is, I don't know how such a vote would turn out. I'd be curious. But I do think we should try to see things from their point of view more often. For one, I doubt they want to win as badly as their coaches in most cases.