Team player awards or recognition

[CoachBroker]

I am just curious if any of you have seen any good ideas for player recognition or awards to be awarded to 1 or more players after each tournament no matter the placing of the team in that tournament. Please feel free to give me your thoughts on this. This would be for a 10U travel ball team. I am just looking at other motivators to award the players each week who continue to put out a lot of effort. The HC generally awards the (1st, 2nd, or 3rd place) tournament trophy to 1 player who stood out in that tournament or did something big to either get the team to the championship or win. I know in football they have helmet stickers that are awarded each week and I would like to figure out a way to recognize the girls who always put out the effort. It seems that for the core group (strongest players) their great plays don't get recognized as much since we have come to expect it yet we recognize the weaker players for making similar type plays.
What are some of the ways you have seen teams recognize their players, as a motivator for all to play hard? Is this foolish thinking? My DD last team she was on, the players really enjoyed competing amongst themselves. I could award points for infield hits, outfield hits, and hits the fence. The winner (with the most points at the end of a tournament or game) getting a DQ sundae or ice cream cone. They really didn't care about the reward as much as they did knowing they beat everyone. We could be in a tournament and not hitting, I would say we are starting the hitting game and watch those girls go to smashing the ball. My DD new team is not like that, and they do not have the competitiveness between them like her last team. Any ideas?

 

[Cowdogz]

I have a small glove painted gold and a small bat painted silver. I hand around my "Gold Glove" and "Silver Slugger" awards to the kid who has the big hit/day at the plate or the best play/game with the glove. The player gets to hang onto it until I think someone else has earned it.

 

[Jquick823]

A good way to reward the best player or players from the previous tournament is with more playing time in the next tournament. I'm 50/50 on physical awards as if you only give out 1 there may be XX other players that now feel discouraged, on the other hand not everyone is a winner and trophies are not for everyone. The weaker players should be expected to make the same plays as the stronger players because you are only as strong as your weakest link.

 

[canyonjoe]

We did stickers in 10U All-Stars. It started off cool, but looked add when some had full helmets and others had a couple. Also just tipped other team off who were the best hitters (although it wasn't that hard to find out). We do awards after some tournaments and have the kids vote on it unless it's just obvious. I don't really like them as we have a couple of kids who always play solid ball but seen to finish 2nd and 3rd for every award. I don't really like the awards. I want the kids to play hard for themselves, but the other coaches like it so we do it.

 

[CoogansBluff]

I did helmet stickers one season in 12U. Didn't do it again. They loved the stickers at first, but I think they became a distraction after a while, as the players started thinking more about getting MY sticker and thinking less about team. IMO, they already get rewards for individual effort (ie, playing time, favored positions, higher spots in the batting order, genuine and well-time compliments). I want their focus on team wins, not on individual awards.

 

[Momo'sDad]

When I was in rec, I loved the helmet stickers, because I thought it was a cool treat and they were personalized for my teams. They were generally awarded based upon the expectation level of each player. The best part was that the players would call one another out for having done something good during a game. So, at the end of the season, the totals weren't equal, but no one had 30 while someone else only had 4.

It's my humble opinion that what you're describing would work for some teams, but not for others. It would depend so much on the makeup of the team, the player and coach personalities and, sadly, the parents. What sucks is having a parent who couldn't wait to say to her mate - with DD in the back seat - on the way home "how come ____ got a sticker and DD didn't??" I'd have to get a "facepalm" sticker for myself.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

I don't like stickers. Either you see a team where a few players have many and a few players have few or you see a team where everyone has nearly the same amount.

In the first scenario, you can discourage girls. In the second scenario, the girls realize that the stickers don't have value and that coaches are just trying to treat everyone equally.

I like to call girls out in front of everyone after games they've played well in. They like the recognition, and there is no permanent record (sticker) so they know that if they want to be recognized in front of their peers again, they'll need to play well again.

 

[MNDad]

It seems that for the core group (strongest players) their great plays don't get recognized as much since we have come to expect it yet we recognize the weaker players for making similar type plays.

Simple rewards or even praise are great motivators for any girl performing above expectations. I may be reading this wrong, but it sounds petty to complain about a 9-10 y/o getting recognized or thinking that stronger players are more deserving. Most of the “weaker” players now will catch up by 12U or 14U anyway. It would be wise to teach the girls now that it’s about the team and not a few select individuals.

 

[guero_gordo]

Younger kids get stickers, older kids get a nod in the post-game speech. Good to watch for kids that crave the external validation too much though, it gets in the way of self-sufficiency.

 

[PA SB Dad]

I give out game balls for exceptional plays, and the players know I like to spread them around to a different player every game.