Coaching difficult players U14

[justAdad2]

schedule an indoor scrimmage against a team that works hard, hustles and tries to do everything right. if a savage beaten doesn't wake them up, maybe they don't deserve your time.

 

[radness]

I think thats kind of the coach's job. Maybe not force, but convince. Inspire. Motivate.

Not always easy.

Maybe if NBE has a stud 16u or 18u player or 2 he could bringem in for a practice. Make them feel inadequate and explain why. Tellem their joining the team before haha. Undercover type "prank".

Mehhh disagree. Cuz its h.s. ball.
I get what you're saying as far as inspiring and motivating better skills, but that is not the purpose why a lot of players are doing sports in high school. Also a lot of situations at high schools they already know they have no chance at winning. And that changes their mental perspective why they're doing it.
High school has different reasons why students participate shear social fun is one. Another reason, have to take High School PE classes which include sports for two years. Everybody has different motivations.... It's High School

Compare it to a bunch of adults who went and played co-ed slow pitch softball. And one of the coach players is out there trying to teach people how to field grounders better and work on their hitting mechanics.
Most of the time the people out there are not out there for instruction, they're just out there to have fun.
A lot of times they don't care if it's a bad throw or error, they just want to have fun.

 

[_MIA_]

No. I get what you're saying as far as inspiring and motivating but that is not the purpose why a lot of players are doing sports in high school. Also a lot of situations at high schools they already know they have no chance at winning. And that changes their mental perspective why they're doing it.
High school has different reasons why students participate shear social fun is one. Another reason, have to take High School PE classes which include sports for two years. Everybody has different motivations.... It's High School

I think he is a HS coach helping out a TB team..

 

[radness]

I am a HS coach, and I volunteer from time to time to help instruct technique with an organization I coached with for many years. This is a U14 team with 4 returning members and 6 new kids.

I try and keep it simple so that they don’t immediately tune me out. But it seems like these kids don’t care, with no hustle unless I remind them. There are only 10 kids so playing time is just about guaranteed. I show them how to field a ground ball properly (rolled ball) but they just continue to do it wrong. I stop practice to break it down further but that lasts one time around if I’m lucky. It seems as though they feel that all is well when they happen to have fielded the ball and make a throw. They must have done it right. The kids technique needs help yet I am told one of the Father’s thinks all is well and can’t understand why we haven’t moved on to more challenging activities. Geez it’s only December.

The HC is new but is aware of this but he gets the same results. None of these kids will attend the HS where I coach so no leverage there. What would you suggest I do (if anything)?

Thanks.

Coach NBE you may have it in your mind of what you would like to accomplish. But that may not be the reason why they are out there. I see this in travel ball also where coaches have a mindset what they want to do. But they have a collection of people with a different mindset. You can either lead them the direction they want to go. Or go move on elswhere in a direction you want to go. And select players that are in alignment with you.

Edit from pattar's comment,
this maybe about your travel team.
My feedback still applies. You have to be in a place where people are in alignment with you or you are in alignment with them. If the group is not in alignment with your goals... you as a coach need to find/create another team that is interested in your goals to apply yourself to.

 

[NBECoach]

First of all thanks for the replies.

Let me give you some further details that may be pertinent.

The organization that I am helping (and have previously coached for) has mostly competitive TB teams, but also some development teams also, has a decent reputation in the area ( has waived fees for players who could not afford them), etc.

The 14U coach volunteered after the coach the previous year left because his daughter went to an "academy" team this year. I give this years coach credit because they were facing the real situation of no coach, so no team. He has never been a coach before so he is learning.

I am going to have a little team talk at the next practice. Tell the that I can only help those who want to get better and let the HC deal with poor technique and attitude.

Will it do any good? Who knows but I'll give it a go.

 

[soonerfan1966]

The best experience would be for the coach to make the players better without the players knowing your true intentions. If you can find "fun" and "competitive" ideas to enforce what you want them to do without the pressure of competition then your golden. They probably already believe they are not/will not be any good so keep a positive mental approach.

 

[Hawk_]

I'm a fan of coach to the a certain level and don't compromise that level. If they are 14uC players then coach to a B standard and expect them to catch up. Slowing down the drills and taking heat of balls only hurts the ones that are playing at the right level.
Or split the team and run drills at different pacing so try and bring the less skilled players up, while still pushing the higher level players.
But if you sink the whole team down you will lose the skilled players in the process.

 

[NBECoach]

I'm a fan of coach to the a certain level and don't compromise that level. If they are 14uC players then coach to a B standard and expect them to catch up. Slowing down the drills and taking heat of balls only hurts the ones that are playing at the right level.
Or split the team and run drills at different pacing so try and bring the less skilled players up, while still pushing the higher level players.
But if you sink the whole team down you will lose the skilled players in the process.

I believe that almost all of the players one this team have the ability to be average to decent players if they applied themselves. I know it is the coach's job to help the players bring out their talent, I agree with that. However, this is a two way street. I don't claim to work wonders, but if they would listen and try the techniques there would be no issue at all.

 

[radness]

We must Endeavor to persevere.
We must first want to try.

 

[Tango]

I maybe a jerk but if I help out with a team, I inform the coach that I will not work with anyone that does not work hard. I simply will send the kid to the other coaches station if not getting the desired effort. They seem to figure it out pretty quick and normally the kid that was removed from the group gives great effort the next practice. I make sure that I praise as much as possible and joke around between drills but business when doing drills.