Coaches of top level travel programs

[_MIA_]

The goal of any sport below the highest level it is played at is to develop the players. Development consists of
a) organized (team) instruction b) outside team development and c) playing competition which will challenge a player and hence accelerate their development. It is a coach's job to ensure a) and for the majority of the team c) If a few players are at a level whereby the competition level that will allow the rest of the team to develop, will no longer develop them, then the player(s) should move on to a better team which will continue to develop them (via competition and coaching) if that is their goal. In many cases this has nothing to do with the coach and all to do with b) and talent. The coach should be proud that a player has outgrown the team.

On a related note, Adrian Bejan at Duke (I actually went there for Grad School to work with him but he didn't have any positions open so I ended up working in an entirely different field) has used something called Constructural Theory to describe many things including the flow of talent (in this case in NCAA basketball)

Universal Law Of Basketball

(ISNS) -- Many of the top-ranked teams competing in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship tournament look familiar. A small group of teams -- including 2011 number one seeds Duke University and the University of Kansas -- have dominated March Madness for the past 30 years...

www.insidescience.org

 

[Shiloh]

The goal of any sport below the highest level it is played at is to develop the players. Development consists of
a) organized (team) instruction b) outside team development and c) playing competition which will challenge a player and hence accelerate their development. It is a coach's job to ensure a) and for the majority of the team c) If a few players are at a level whereby the competition level that will allow the rest of the team to develop, will no longer develop them, then the player(s) should move on to a better team which will continue to develop them (via competition and coaching) if that is their goal. In many cases this has nothing to do with the coach and all to do with b) and talent. The coach should be proud that a player has outgrown the team.

On a related note, Adrian Bejan at Duke (I actually went there for Grad School to work with him but he didn't have any positions open so I ended up working in an entirely different field) has used something called Constructural Theory to describe many things including the flow of talent (in this case in NCAA basketball)

Universal Law Of Basketball

(ISNS) -- Many of the top-ranked teams competing in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship tournament look familiar. A small group of teams -- including 2011 number one seeds Duke University and the University of Kansas -- have dominated March Madness for the past 30 years...

www.insidescience.org

Great article

 

[kennykozman!!]

I have a different journey: I played college baseball, coached very high level baseball for a long time before I had kids that played. Son played Tball....I go coach t-ball. DD starts softball I go coach softball.... So I was coaching "majors" in baseball and then went and coached 8u rec. Why cause it was my kids.
Now people hate all of the time on Parent Coaches.... that's fine. But as a guy who has coached at a very high level and is happily walking my DD through her journey, you never know the skill level of a coach without being coached by them. I am currently coaching a 1st yr 14u B team.... why am I not coaching a A or National team.... cause my DD isn't at that level. Simple as that.

I think there is some joy in that. My DD is playing 14U. My next is 11 and I am coaching that team. We are a community team and developmental in a rural area. I had a player this year leave for a higher level team and thats ok. I know what I have right now and who we are. I was really tired of absolutely terrible coaching and ever worse parents of players....so I made a team (daddy ball LOL). I am trying to enjoy every minute even when the other team is bigger, faster and more talented.

 

[PapaBear]

I have a different journey: I played college baseball, coached very high level baseball for a long time before I had kids that played. Son played Tball....I go coach t-ball. DD starts softball I go coach softball.... So I was coaching "majors" in baseball and then went and coached 8u rec. Why cause it was my kids.
Now people hate all of the time on Parent Coaches.... that's fine. But as a guy who has coached at a very high level and is happily walking my DD through her journey, you never know the skill level of a coach without being coached by them. I am currently coaching a 1st yr 14u B team.... why am I not coaching a A or National team.... cause my DD isn't at that level. Simple as that.

Could have wrote this about my time. Former player at a mid-level. Coached both a young age. Established a baseball team into AAA/Major, walked from coaching when my son wanted to focus on another sport. Continued to coach my daughter up until the end of middle school per my wifes wishes to get away from the extra tension that comes with making out the lineup card. Years later only working with my kids, daughter just inked D1 and son is moving into the process of recruitment. Parent Coaches are the backbone to youth sports, over time they cycle out for many reasons -not winning, development, knowledge as the game progresses in age level, recruiting/relationships or not enough time to do it all. Travel ball became toxic to my life - took more pride in the next tournament than work. Taking calls with asst coaches, parents etc. Doing scouting reports, practice plans, going to over numbers etc.

 

[PDM]

Veterans day. Ted Williams is someone I respect.

He had eye vision off the charts.

Does that translate to coaching other players?

Vision? No. The unparalleled knowledge of hitting that Ted Williams had? Yes.

 

[PDM]

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.

No, being. D1 player does not qualify you to be a good instructor. It only qualifies you as a decent player. Playing and instructing players are two different skills.

 

[radness]

Communication skills makes for good coaches/ instructors/teachers.

Then there is the responsibility of the player/ student.

 

[radness]

imo
There is definitely a difference between collecting good players vs. developing them.

That said there is a false sense of thinking that every top travel ball org coach can get a player into any college they want. They have the same resource of college coaches all teams players can aspire to play for. And those colleges only have few opportunities on their rosters.
***Even at the highest levels in travel ball the huge majority of players have to do all the footwork themselves.
99% of getting into a college thru recruitment is on the shoulders of the player
*** even on the highest level of travel ball teams.
Fact!

Not every player on top travel teams gets the same travel coach support.
Yep i said it.

 

[PapaBear]

imo
There is definitely a difference between collecting good players vs. developing them.

That said there is a false sense of thinking that every top travel ball org coach can get a player into any college they want. They have the same resource of college coaches all teams players can aspire to play for. And those colleges only have few opportunities on their rosters.
***Even at the highest levels in travel ball the huge majority of players have to do all the footwork themselves.
99% of getting into a college thru recruitment is on the shoulders of the player
*** even on the highest level of travel ball teams.
Fact!

Not every player on top travel teams gets the same travel coach support.
Yep i said it.

You know a 1% kid when you see them. Bulk of power travel ball teams carry the top 10% kids which makes up around 200 kids per class. The remaining kids fall into the bigger pool. Most High School programs probably have 1-2 kids sign annually. Yes there are some schools who have 4+ any given year . If you're not getting P5 inquires as a FR, you're not a 1%. If you're not playing in the tournaments where the national exposure will be there, you're not a 10% either. Always exceptions but parents and coaches need to have benchmarks to go by.

 

[Fury_Mike]

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