I am a first year 10U coach that has come up from the 6U ranks. My DD has the advantage of being a second sibling, and as a result most are better than there brothers or sisters at younger ages. The first kid starts playing when he/she is old enough, while the second one starts when he/she can walk while hanging out at big brother or big sisters games.
With that being said, if there are a few better kids, be sure to try and incorporate some drills or skills for them. Unfortunately most coaches coach their teams to there daughter's ability, not the teams ability, and every player deserves the opportunity to get better! Not saying you are but it is what it is. We have a 10U coach who's daughter is just okay, but he thinks she is a stud. There are better players on his team, but he only coaches to his daughter's level so she looks like a top player. I will not go further here, but this happens at every level!
Adding these higher level things tends to expose them, and exposure is a beautiful thing. That's usually when the crickets come out. As a commissioner I am not a big fan of letting people change teams simply because they are not happy with the coaches. Otherwise they will constantly cause problems in the future if they don't get on the team they want. That's how super teams are built. They need to stick it out, and be part of the solution not the problem.
Going forward our league has started to let players play up a division if they are good enough. They have to go to the upper level tryouts, and be rated by the coaches in the top half of the draft for them to be considered. Most parents think their kids are great and think they should play up because they can hit. I find that most youngers cannot catch or throw well enough to move up, and that is a bigger safety issue.
With that being said, if there are a few better kids, be sure to try and incorporate some drills or skills for them. Unfortunately most coaches coach their teams to there daughter's ability, not the teams ability, and every player deserves the opportunity to get better! Not saying you are but it is what it is. We have a 10U coach who's daughter is just okay, but he thinks she is a stud. There are better players on his team, but he only coaches to his daughter's level so she looks like a top player. I will not go further here, but this happens at every level!
Adding these higher level things tends to expose them, and exposure is a beautiful thing. That's usually when the crickets come out. As a commissioner I am not a big fan of letting people change teams simply because they are not happy with the coaches. Otherwise they will constantly cause problems in the future if they don't get on the team they want. That's how super teams are built. They need to stick it out, and be part of the solution not the problem.
Going forward our league has started to let players play up a division if they are good enough. They have to go to the upper level tryouts, and be rated by the coaches in the top half of the draft for them to be considered. Most parents think their kids are great and think they should play up because they can hit. I find that most youngers cannot catch or throw well enough to move up, and that is a bigger safety issue.
