Wanting to play travel ball instead of high school season

[MNDad]

I do disagree.. "SOMETIMES" the HS team can give TB players things they don't get in the summer. Like the pride of helping her teammates improve. I have also had TB players that needed a little humility, to realize they are not the greatest gift to softball that they and mommy/daddy thought they were. Yes most of the time the TB players are the best of the HS team but not always.

DD’s HS team was full of physical talent, but some of it was cancerous. Despite having two future D1 pitchers and a D1 SS the team barely broke .500. We would have been far better if the kids and especially parents who thought they were too good for HS ball would have just skipped it.

 

[djraidah]

Our area couldnt disagree more with your comments.
There is no compairison to what dd plays in travel to h.s.
She doesnt need to inflate her hitting stats against weak pitching and defenses. Spend her time gently throwing to not injury the first baseman.
Point is to not step backwards on the way. If a varsity letter is important to you do that.
Eldest pitcher did well in h.s. but colleges didnt care much for those high school stats. They wanted to see her against travel talent.

The way you describe high school ball ... it sounds like rec ball. You area can't be the norm. I'm from AZ and coach hs, club & give private lessons year round. At the varsity level, high school ball is very competitive and the majority of the coaches in our region are very "intelligent". That being said ... I sincerely hope your dd is having fun playing hs ball ... and if she is not, then skip it, and all the life long memories that are created. Instead, continue to make it about her and not the team, and condition/train her until club ball starts again. In my humble, old man opinion, there's so much emphasis on getting to the next level and not as much on making sure your dd is enjoying the game. Both my girls, now in their 30s, we're dedicated student athletes who continue to speak of the good times & all the wonderful sports memories growing up. Funny thing ... it's the high school memories they cherish the most. Let them have fun!!

 

[IndyHScoach]

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Due to regional variations, it is hard to make generalizations about softball.

In Chicagoland, it is not uncommon to have all the girls on the HS team paying TB. Rec softball doesn't really exist for kids older than 14YOA.

In downstate Illinois (e.g., Carmi, IL, pop. 5500), there isn't a TB team unless the parents want to drive 30 miles to (wait for it...) Evansville, Indiana. So, if your kid plays TB, she will almost certainly be the best player on the team.

In SoCal, there are rec teams composed of former TB players who, for one reason or the other, decided not to devote their lives to softball. Some of those So-Cal "rec players" are better than some SoCal TB players.

This is so true. In rural Indiana it is rare to have more than 3 or 4 TB players on a HS team. Most the time they are the best players. They don't always play for the elite teams either. I honestly have 2 players that play on an average TB team to improve for HS. They love softball but are academically focused and their ideal school would not offer them to play in college. (One wants to be a doctor and currently is at a 4.2 on 4.0 scale.) So as said before this discussion is dependent on the area of the country.

 

[PDM]

Hmmm? Having spoken with quite a few travel coaches about this h.s. play or not conundrum.
Every single coach thinks high school screws up players. To much improper techniques. Bad habit forming environment. They get lazy.
Several coach friends talk about that 'Get them back in shape month'.

Perhaps with covid guidelines the school programs will be even more difficult to provide sports.

Seems travel is still travel.
People have found practice fields.
More tournys popped up
(out of state)
Think travel continuing could be a good time to keep it going!

I've seen plenty of travel coaches who are nearly worthless. Their only "talent" is for convincing decent players to join their team. There is a lot of arrogance out there from people who think they are good coaches because their players are talented. There are not a lot of really good teachers of the game who can make players better than any other coach could. Let's not dismiss HS coaches who are as good as any travel coach, but only have the talent to work with that goes to their school and shows up at the first practice in the spring.

 

[echung12]

Lets not stop travel ball at the most important showcasing and competitive years.
Give players who dont want to play high school the option to stay with their travel teams.
Most of our dd 16u team doesnt want to play high school ball because of low level talent and coaching. After our eldest daughter played 4 years of varsity high school ball the break from travel was obvious.
Speed of the game and talent level.
Our middle age daughter wants to stay on track at her competitive level.
3 local high school options the high school coaches have no competitive experience beyond comming from rec ball. Not even upper age competitive travel.
Give travel players who dont want to play high school the option to keep playing travel ball.
Let whomever else wants to play in high school that option.
Why the heck stop travel when at these ages many teams are looking to showcase.
If high schools want to attract players and keep a strong program they will have to select more intelligent coaches.

In CA, California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has waived the restriction and student-athletes can play with both HS and travel (club) teams during the same season. So here, this is no longer an issue unless there is a scheduling conflict on a Friday. Typically, CA high schools don't play on weekends unless there is a HS tournament, and then only on Saturday. But for my two HS daughters, all the HS tournaments have been canceled. So, for this year only, there is no dark period for softball. My daughters will continue both travel and HS softball. The only difference now is that we need to find tournaments and friendlies to play in for HS age travel players. CA still closed so they will have to travel outside CA to play for a bit longer.

 

[IndyHScoach]

DD played MS, practiced everyday for a couple hours Monday - Friday then other coaches and I got a crack at her occasionally.

It was a grind for her.

We have a wheel field and even though it was against the rules player on DD's Team went to washroom and took her game jersey off and went to practice with her TB Team when MS game was over.

Too much for DD anyways, she is ready to go home.

Against whos rules? MS has "state" rules? or was it just school rules?

 

[IndyHScoach]

the pay for a varsity level head coach is right around $10/hour.

I should go demand a raise. I tried to figure mine for one year and stopped when I saw it was going to be much less than $10. To be fair, we have stipend for 3 paid positions and we break it down for 6 coaches. I won't let anyone go without something. One coach was mad I made her take $500 so she donated it to the program and she is a former D1 player. Most HS coaches do not do it for the money.

 

[gamommax3]

DD’s HS team was full of physical talent, but some of it was cancerous. Despite having two future D1 pitchers and a D1 SS the team barely broke .500. We would have been far better if the kids and especially parents who thought they were too good for HS ball would have just skipped it.

That sounds like a culture issue. Coach has to control and create the culture they want there. Shut down the negative crap and create a positive, thriving culture. If that means cutting kids who are cancerous, so be it. Set the expectations early that they WILL be good teammates. Teams with better culture and a little less talent tend to perform better than a bunch of studs who have their heads up their own rear ends.

 

[radness]

I've seen plenty of travel coaches who are nearly worthless. Their only "talent" is for convincing decent players to join their team. There is a lot of arrogance out there from people who think they are good coaches because their players are talented. There are not a lot of really good teachers of the game who can make players better than any other coach could. Let's not dismiss HS coaches who are as good as any travel coach, but only have the talent to work with that goes to their school and shows up at the first practice in the spring.

Agree with your point there are good/bad coaches in any sport and place. Rec/Tb/hs...

The point is within that range of good and bad.
Sometimes picking another option instead of bad can have better benfits.

Also just because a coach maybe good the situation at the school and players who sign up are not good.
(not good meaning not wanting to try. Or at incredibly lower level even in some cases much better level no spot at all, cant play hs)
Live in so cal.
Seeing the mixture first hand...
brings broad perspective.

 

[softballphreak]

I’ve seen many HS coaches who could (some do) successfully coach TB. I’ve seen a few TB coaches who would struggle (some have) with HS ball.

HS coaches don’t have the liberty of picking pre-trained, skilled players. The player either lives in your district or they don’t. Some HS have great feeder organizations in their district.

Many TB coaches have standout DD on their teams. That may account for their reputation as a great coach. That shouldn’t mean that their HS coach shouldn’t be listened to.