Would U hire me to coach HS Softball (JV or Varsity)??

[Cannonball]

Good luck with that in HS ball, TB yes, but HS ball, I don't think so! So what happens in rule #4, when the player knows more then the coach?

I've posted this before and Amy has weighed in as well that I feel sorry for some areas where apparently HS ball is looked down upon. The level of instruction, knowledge, ... are all routinely criticized with regards to HS ball. In my area, we have very talented coaches who battle each year to make it to state. My area is a hotbed for HS softball and highly recruited not only because of the HS ball but also because often, TB and HS work closely together.

Now per #4 if I were her HS coach and she thought she knew more and so refused to do what was told. I let her know that I appreciate that she is so advanced and so, she doesn't need our team but we don't need her as well. I've been the head coach in 4 sports and that is the way it is for every team I coach.

 

[Anthony Vertuccio]

Now per #4 if I were her HS coach and she thought she knew more and so refused to do what was told. I let her know that I appreciate that she is so advanced and so, she doesn't need our team but we don't need her as well. I've been the head coach in 4 sports and that is the way it is for every team I coach.

ah ok....exactly what I was thinking but wasn't sure if you were asking me as an interview question or if you were being a wise---!! Thanks Cannon!!

 

[SoGASoftball]

Intelligent people know everything. Powerful people know everybody. Unfortunately, it's a political arena at most schools in our area. I haven't heard any different from any other region. If you can get an introduction or a small degree of separation with someone on the board, you get in the door.

Sniffing out what other voids they face in the sports outside of your season and laying out a plan as to how you can help them fill those voids will help as well.

Of course, the pedigree of a well-respected program will get you noticed.

Read the first few posts and skipped to the end to post. Hope this helps.

 

[nanotech14]

I've posted this before and Amy has weighed in as well that I feel sorry for some areas where apparently HS ball is looked down upon. The level of instruction, knowledge, ... are all routinely criticized with regards to HS ball. In my area, we have very talented coaches who battle each year to make it to state. My area is a hotbed for HS softball and highly recruited not only because of the HS ball but also because often, TB and HS work closely together.

Now per #4 if I were her HS coach and she thought she knew more and so refused to do what was told. I let her know that I appreciate that she is so advanced and so, she doesn't need our team but we don't need her as well. I've been the head coach in 4 sports and that is the way it is for every team I coach.

In my area, it is not like that. Here again, if you were her coach, I would have her listen to your every word. But the HC in my area, would ruin her swing and kill her pitching if he changed her to what he teaches. That is the problem with some HC's, they want to screw with kids, that don't need their input.

 

[nanotech14]

ah ok....exactly what I was thinking but wasn't sure if you were asking me as an interview question or if you were being a wise---!! Thanks Cannon!!

I have to ask this. As a parent, you have this great list of what you have done, looks nice, but maybe I know more then you about the game and know more then you about my child. If you were giving bad info, you still didn't answer from an earlier post, squish the bug, hello elbow, etc. is that what you teach?

 

[Anthony Vertuccio]

I have to ask this. As a parent, you have this great list of what you have done, looks nice, but maybe I know more then you about the game and know more then you about my child. If you were giving bad info, you still didn't answer from an earlier post, squish the bug, hello elbow, etc. is that what you teach?

I don't like squish the bug and I will show what I think is the correct way to use the back foot in an interview but
The power in all swings as well as throwing comes from the hip turn. As long as the back foot turns and doesn't hop around. As for hello elbow instead of pointing your elbow at the catcher just follow through long and loose, letting
the arm stay relaxed and finish naturally. You’ll save wear and tear
on your elbow and avoid wasting energy!

 

[Anthony Vertuccio]

We don't do fundraising, off season planning, community outreach, so I am not sure where all that is coming from. We are not allowed to do the last two things. (We do get the kids to take weightlifting and conditioning classes and we do have some weeks of open weight room. The school rents out its spaces when not in use by HS sports, so there is no room for open gyms.) The parents handle the off season workouts. The boosters takes very little time, we have a parent liaison for that. We have plenty of money. Our AD and the admin staff sets ups all the scrimmages and tournaments for us with our input. The biggest pain is getting indoor space when weather is bad, as we have all kinds of sports (and HS clubs) fighting for it.



Our coaches are hired because they know softball. No teachers coach on JV or V; and about 50 percent of the coaches in the district are not teachers.

For the interview, they have to write a 3-5 year goal document if head V coach and all coach prospects have to write 2-3 lessons plans on the spot (oops now they know!), and have all the background checks and certifications. We also ask for a reference from a softball parent (or customer if you are a private coach) and head of a softball organization or supervisor/principal of you as a coach elsewhere.

PS> I could fight one of the other sports for the 6am open gym, but no thanks.

I wish it was like that in NY where they have to hire in-house 1st whether the person is a softball coach or not

 

[Cannonball]

In my area, it is not like that. Here again, if you were her coach, I would have her listen to your every word. But the HC in my area, would ruin her swing and kill her pitching if he changed her to what he teaches. That is the problem with some HC's, they want to screw with kids, that don't need their input.

... and I feel sorry for your child and all of the others that have to suffer like this. Agreeing with Out in Left Field, in my area, if a candidate does not know the sport well enough but is employed by the district, they still won't get the job if a qualified candidate outside the district meets the state and school qualifications. We just had it happen in boy's basketball. The teacher was hacked off but didn't know the difference between a 1-3-1 and a 1-2-2 defense. If you don't know those defenses, how do you beat them? I would think this is happening more across the country. BTW, most schools in my area, in fact, I'd say the vast majority, are not hiring due to state budget cuts. So, they have to go outside the district when hiring since few seem to have teachers already on staff wanting to coach. JMHO!

 

[Cannonball]

It is interesting when the knowledge, experience, ... of a coach is questioned by others. Don't get me wrong, this should be done prior to a coach being hired and it should be intensive questioning. I am involved in two discussion about coaches on two different websites. On this one, the question has been asked essentially, what if the parent knows more than the coach. On another, the parent came out and stated that they know more. I am not familiar with either person/coach being address and so, maybe so. Still, it is the coach's program and, as parents, if you don't like it, remove your child. That is as easy as it can be stated.

Due to this discussion, I opened up a folder on my computer that I don't like to look at. In it, I have scanned pdf documents, emails, letters, ... all critical of me. One was from our newspaper's Letter to the Editor which was signed by a Grandparent of one of my former girl's basketball players. It is typical for what I expect for people who are ignorant about coaching. The Grandparent listed names of all of these other experts that agreed with them and then named an AAU coach as well. It seems I did not get a score called in to sports stats so the score could be in the newspaper the next day. According to Grandpa any good program/coach would do so to make sure that their players were able to read their names in the newspaper the next day. That alone made me a horrible coach "not worth his salts." That game was a tournament game and so, as some of you who have coached HS ball know, they have the responsibility to call in scores. I trusted them to do so. They did but after the deadline for publication the next day. I, on the other hand, rode the bus home, got in my car drove an hour and a half to get game film of the team we were going to play two days later in that same tournament. The coach giving me film needed for me to be there before midnight. I was and then drove home. I got home at roughly 1:30 to 2 in the morning. I was at school the next day at 6 a.m. to watch film to prepare a practice plan for that night's practice. I was such a hideous coach that this team made it to Super Sectionals where we lost by one point. That same team/program that I inherited had won 3 games per year for 10 straight years. We won 22 that year. Grandpa, the AAU coach, and some parents wanted me fired because the stats were not in the paper. To me, that explains what coaches go through.

BTW, in that time, I saw my daughter 1 time in 2 weeks. They got what they wanted and I resigned. The same team that did not lose one player to graduation won 14 games the next year and did not make it out of Regional play. They won 2 games the next year and, until this year, 8 years total, have won 2 or less games.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

4. I will listen to the coaches when they are instructing so I, the player, can optimize my learning of the skill being taught.

The main gist of #4 is just giving the coaches the common courtesy of listening and considering what they say. If the player really understands what they're doing and the rationale behind it, they can determine whether there is a significant difference, which method is better and, if necessary, articulate why. Disrespect is not acceptable behavior and people need to remember colleges interested in a player occasionally contact their HS coach.

Successfully resolving differences with people in authority is a skill that will serve them the rest of their life. The most important step is learning that getting what you want is more important than proving them wrong.