Can one person coach 2 travel teams successfuly?

[TimothyJ]

My son's coach does it. Coaches 12's and 15's in the same org.
Practices are always back to back, so one team is leaving as the other comes in. (yes, he lives at the fields/cages)

One thing I really like is the interaction between the two teams. The older kids have come to act like "big brothers" to the younger ones, and many come early to their own practices to help out with the 12's. Both teams watch each others games when possible, etc.

When there's a conflict with games, he always stays with the younger team.

I think he's insane, but has been able to make it work

 

[cmustangsfp]

I saw a coach try to do it and failed. He had 2 age groups 10U and 12U and then decided to add a 14U. He was all over the place. He had a hard time letting go of the control of the teams to the AC's. So if 2 teams were at a tourney the same wekend, he would coach one team and let his AC's start coaching the other, then when the first one finished he would head over and mess up the good job his AC's were doing with the other team. He failed because he was a bad coach. He failed because he was a control freak. He failed because he refused to let others into "his" organization. He tried to do too much for one person. This past year he finally cracked and started delegating the other teams (that his daughters were not on) out to his AC's, even letting one of them be the HC for that team for the season.
It can be done, but you have to be a good coach.

 

[coach james]

I HC my 14u tb team, and a 10u rec team, as well as a volunteer asst at the HS. And give private pitching lessons on Mondays... the rec played all games on weekdays. Made my head spin and my wife ready for divorce. Don't do it...

 

[kenb63]

"Never Half-rear Two Things, Whole-rear One Thing." - Ron Swanson

 

[sluggers]

Can one person really coach 2 travel teams in 2 separate organizations (10u & 14u) and give both teams 100%?

And have anything resembling a normal life? No.

Next question?

 

[MTR]

IMO, this is where the FP softball community differs from others.

Manage, yes; Coach, no.

A lot of people just assume the "head" coach is really a coach. In other games like baseball and football, the "head" coach may be more of a manager, and while ultimately responsible, is not necessarily a hands-on coach.

 

[02Crush]

In the same organization utilizing the same parks for practices for two different age groups. YES. Anything else would be crazy to pull off and you would not be able to give 100% to either team. I have done MS age and 10U at the same time. It was chaotic but I loved it. Only worked if we ran back to back practices on the same nights/weekend days. This is easier for HC. Otherwise I would have never done it.

 

[Ken Krause]

My son Eric played for an elite travel soccer program that had paid coaches. His head coach was also head coach of another team in the program (different age group). It was a very unsatisfying experience.

Part of the reason was scheduling. He'd put both teams into the same tournament, then be running between their games. I remember one time he was mad because the boys weren't warming themselves up to his satisfaction. He seemed to think at 17 they shouldn't need a coach to get them ready for a game, which made all us parents wonder why we were paying for him, and then paying extra for his travel and expenses.

Being a hands-on head coach of two teams requires abilities that would be the exception rather than the rule, in my opinion. One team is almost always likely to suffer. And usually it's going to be the one the coach thinks is less likely to win.

 

[softballcrazed]

Thank you all for your thoughts. We decided to move our dd to a different
team where the HC is only coaching one team. It is early but the fit looks
good so far ? Coach seems very dedicated to team and not trying to be
in two places at once.

 

[Jason McBee]

I just don't think it's possible. It is hard enough devoting 100% to anything now a days and it has got to be a struggle to give 100% to just one team. Then trying to do the same with the other is burning both ends of the stick. Somewhere one is gonna fall short. I know it may be there passion or they want to do it as a favor, but in the long run it will benefit everyone if they focused on 1 team.