Need help for new coach

[sean36]

I just found this forum and I must say there is a wealth of info here, great forum. I hope you all can help me out. I have 13 y/o aspiring pitcher. Our local youth program leaves much to be desired, it is a small league (I live in a rural area) but there is some good talent. One of the biggest problems I have is it is a coach pitched league, all of the coaches are parents. Also, in my opinion the level of competition is not very high. Most of the coaches seem to have the attitude that softball is just something for the girls to do in the spring, instead of being interested in devolping athletes. Our varisty coach has offered to help any coach by letting them observe her practices or giving pointers.
If it sounds like Im on a rant I apologize, I am just very frustrated. I know we have a young league (it is only about 5 years old) but I just feel some girls are not getting the opportunity they deserve.

I was thinking about putting together a travel team, but I must confess I dont even know where to start. Could someone point me in the right direction? Thanks so much, I would appreciate any input you may have.

Sean

 

[Coach Tom]

I'm not an expert on starting a travel team but I recommend getting some funding lined up. It's quite costly to run a travel team so I can only imagine starting one up. Another option would be work with your local park district and start a hybrid program. It would be made up of all-stars from the park district but run in parrallel with their normal teams. There's usually other towns that have simialar programs and you could get in tournaments with other all-star teams. Then from there you would get an idea of the talent that's out there both in your immediate area and surrounding towns. It would also put you in contact with other parents and players that have the same aspirations as you do. Then the following year convert to full-time travel.

I'm sure others on this forum will have a ton of ideas for starting a travel team.

Good Luck
-Tom

 

[ranstl]

did i understand correctly - 13 YO coach pitch? i think that's a total disservice to the girls. but not knowing your leaque, maybe there's a good reason for it.

you might want to check out a few competitive games to see if it's something you're comfortable taking on. do you have any decent help? i think many moms and dads get into coaching thinking it's a cake walk. but i'll tell you, it's a lot more work than many people think. rec ball can be relatively easy, but even it can be a good amount of work if you put any real effort into it.

sounds like you've all ready eyed some potential talent in your area. talk to those parents to see where they're at. they might be thinking the same thing you are.

i started in a place very similar to where you're at. we started rec ball and i quickly realized that some of these girls can really play! my group of girls who wanted to play at a higher level came together and here we are now. i have no illusions of ever winning a major championship, but at least i know they're getting decent coaching and playing at an appropriate level fortheir abilities.

 

[mudbug]

The best way to do it is to spend a couple seasons coaching under a very experienced coach in an established team, learning the ins and outs, then go start your own.

First, you need to know what level /classification of team you will have, girls need to know that to even tryout. Then you need a place to practice, insurance, whatever necessary equipment/manpower to maintain the field, and basic gear. A couple hundred balls, buckets, tubs, screens, and a couple of experienced coaches that have some idea of what they are doing.

Then you need tryouts to get girls, register in several organizations you will play in,make sure all the girls meet all the rules for roster, etc. Setup and do Fundraising, etc. Practice Practice Practice for several months.

Then come up with an appropriate schedule and go play. Dont forget that planning for end-of-season play starts at the very beginning.

Lots of girls in rural areas are on travel teams, some may be 1, 2, or even 3 hrs away from where they live. Better girls will travel farther to be on better teams. You might try out for a team 1- 2 hrs away, that would probably still be much easier than starting your own. However many tournament or travel teams get their start when a dad needs somewhere for his daughter to play. Some will continue for years after that DD is gone.

 

[sean36]

Thanks for all your help. In the past couple of days I have found a coach who was already planning a summer league that would be independant of the one we are in now.