| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| gamefanatic |
Posted - 07/17/2011 : 21:46:37
have organized tryouts! Just got home from a tryout. Two age groups. In just under an hour all they had done was time from home to first and home to second. Lots of standing around. Lots of arms cooling off. Nine coaches, about 60 kids standing around. Very disappointing when it could have been so good. Don't have two different age groups with two different field sizes trying out at the same time. Coaches please - put some thought into this. Parents are trying out teams and coaches as well. Very noticed by most parents. Sad thing is, I still can't tell you which of the nine men would have been my son's potential coach. |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Newbie BB Mom |
Posted - 07/04/2013 : 12:37:15
Last one. Lots of really thoughtful discussion in this thread that might be helpful as tryout season begins. |
| agent21 |
Posted - 07/11/2012 : 16:32:01
On a related matter, coaches should have the decency and courage to personally communicate with a player/family about future intentions/status -- played for a coach for 4 years, went to next year's "tryout" and assumed (perhaps in hindsight stupidly) a continued spot on the team. NEVER heard from the coach so had to scramble to find a team. Fortunately, turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the new team is 100% better and we have ZERO respect for the former coach who was too big of a coward to contact us. |
| ramman999 |
Posted - 07/11/2012 : 11:34:27
I've coached, I've managed, been a dad doing both and been just dad/fan. I've been a part of or attended some outstanding tryouts and been a part of or attended some stinkers... Team level doesn't matter, honesty does - it's real simple. If it isn't a true "open" tryout, with 10-12 roster spots "open", don't advertise as one - don't patronize me, don't make my kid give 110% to try to make a team, right next to a kid just going through the motions because he already knows he made the team.
There is no shame in top grading, there is no shame in advertising for what you are truly looking for.
And parents - do your homework - ask the questions, and look at their roster on line - if the roster hasn't changed much since 9u, and all of those kids show up up at the tryout, chances are it won't be an "open tryout" no matter how much they tell you it will be..
Call it a clinic, evaluate the kids and invite select players back for private workouts.
|
| bballman |
Posted - 07/11/2012 : 09:56:28
quote:
Originally posted by barehandit
That's great fore-thought. As a parent, I'd be looking for a private tryout for a few players via individual contact thru the boards or via referral. When you have just one or 2 positions to fill why have 30 kids at an open tryout when you probably have the luxury of being relatively selective.
quote:
Originally posted by myfakename
Question for the parents looking for teams next year. I am a coach of a team this year. We are gonna need one player it looks like for next year. We have been lucky that everyone wants to come back for another season and the parent chemistry has been great and the kids have come a long way improving. I am very tempted to when we post tryouts be bluntly honest about what we are looking for and how many. I do not want to waste anybody's time and from older team we have coached before would have like 60 kids show up for a handful of spots. As a parent would you rather see something like this posted?
I agree with this. Was about to suggest it when I read this post. If you're only looking for 1 or 2 players, why hold a full tryout? Just go out and recruit someone. By reputation or referral from someone already on the team. Do a private workout with that individual and talk to the parents to see if it's a good fit. I'm thinking this would be the most effecient way to go about it. |
| Newbie BB Mom |
Posted - 07/11/2012 : 08:49:03
quote:
Originally posted by myfakename
Question for the parents looking for teams next year. I am a coach of a team this year. We are gonna need one player it looks like for next year. We have been lucky that everyone wants to come back for another season and the parent chemistry has been great and the kids have come a long way improving. I am very tempted to when we post tryouts be bluntly honest about what we are looking for and how many. I do not want to waste anybody's time and from older team we have coached before would have like 60 kids show up for a handful of spots. As a parent would you rather see something like this posted?
Yes, be honest and as specific as you can about what you still need. |
| bestplayinbaseball |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 23:34:35
Hey coaches, how about a 20-80 (2-8) assessment for our boys? It's universal throughout baseball. If every tryout/clinic did that, it would give our boys more objective feedback and a guide to improve by. Instead of waiting for the phone or email, or having to ask a coach after the fact for feedback that, IMHO, is generic. We have had some great feedback too, btw. That is not the norm though. |
| barehandit |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 22:22:17
That's great fore-thought. As a parent, I'd be looking for a private tryout for a few players via individual contact thru the boards or via referral. When you have just one or 2 positions to fill why have 30 kids at an open tryout when you probably have the luxury of being relatively selective.
quote:
Originally posted by myfakename
Question for the parents looking for teams next year. I am a coach of a team this year. We are gonna need one player it looks like for next year. We have been lucky that everyone wants to come back for another season and the parent chemistry has been great and the kids have come a long way improving. I am very tempted to when we post tryouts be bluntly honest about what we are looking for and how many. I do not want to waste anybody's time and from older team we have coached before would have like 60 kids show up for a handful of spots. As a parent would you rather see something like this posted?
|
| bbmom2 |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 22:21:49
quote:
Originally posted by myfakename
Question for the parents looking for teams next year. I am a coach of a team this year. We are gonna need one player it looks like for next year. We have been lucky that everyone wants to come back for another season and the parent chemistry has been great and the kids have come a long way improving. I am very tempted to when we post tryouts be bluntly honest about what we are looking for and how many. I do not want to waste anybody's time and from older team we have coached before would have like 60 kids show up for a handful of spots. As a parent would you rather see something like this posted?
ABSOLUTELY!! If you are looking for one position- post what you are looking for and leave it at that. Saves you and the parents much grief and leaves a bad taste for the next time you need a player - ummm... we're not contacting you. Start honestly and the perception is - you will stay honest. Great question! |
| myfakename |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 20:25:24
Question for the parents looking for teams next year. I am a coach of a team this year. We are gonna need one player it looks like for next year. We have been lucky that everyone wants to come back for another season and the parent chemistry has been great and the kids have come a long way improving. I am very tempted to when we post tryouts be bluntly honest about what we are looking for and how many. I do not want to waste anybody's time and from older team we have coached before would have like 60 kids show up for a handful of spots. As a parent would you rather see something like this posted? |
| justletemplay |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 17:31:54
That's a great ?
We did end up on that team that "put on" a great show. I'll say it now, made a mistake.
Fall was a great season. The team won many games, but in hind sight the caliber of our team, and other teams was surreal and impacted by the fall season. We really were a mid AAA team, not
major(except in the fall venue) In the fall my son played a lot, got better, and advanced in some areas where improvement was obviously needed. The practices were good and spring looked promising. In hind sight......the coach was not running the practices though. He had hired a professional. That was great. My son had 4-5 months of quality instruction and at a nice facility too. When spring came along......and all the other teams/players showed up, our team couldn't come together as a team b/c our "coach" kept looking for the next big dog. Also, the coach lacked the ability to coach, execute, or lead. His hired professional was no longer there to make him look good. He alienated many players, he lost many quality players trying to "court" the next stud. Once the winning stopped, the blaming began. Of course the coach blamed it all on the players, never his coaching. Every player was disposable. Every weekend we never knew who would show up to play, where the kids would play, or who would coach, or how many new players would be there and whose kid would be benched for the new kid. There was a quote on a board about "parents wising up." We decided to move on.
I moved him to 15u team in May. He'll finish with them thru fall.
We have crossed paths with 11 former teammates (all on other teams.) Most left before us, some after. The team didn't play, as far as I know, after the 1st weekend in May.
Lesson learned.
quote:
Originally posted by HITANDRUN
justletemplay I am interested in finding out how your overall season went this year.
Did your son end up playing with the team that had the tryout you liked? Just wondering thanks,
|
| bbmom2 |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 15:15:19
quote:
I agree with you and I think what you see is that at the end of the season everyone is excited and looking forward to next year. The parents have the upper hand at that point and the coaches are doing everything they can to get players. But soon after everything shifts and the coaches get the upper hand when they are only filling a couple of their last roster spots. Then as the teams get closer to January and February the parents of players that haven't made a decision have a little more leverage than the coaches at this point and can usually find a team that lost a player do to injury or parents getting mad or other things. It's crazy either way.
Agree back at ya! We had a good year. We did due diligence last year - both player and parents. We went with a team that, for the most part, lived up to expectation. That being said, we probably won't return to the team this next year just because we weren't crazy about an add on after we signed up. Not totally ruling it out but looking at options.
I truly hope we see some good tryout/workouts this year. Heard parents mention this thread a lot last year at tryouts so coaches need to pay heed - the parents are paying attention and have higher expectations. You want the good talent - you had best plan a good workout... |
| HITANDRUN |
Posted - 07/10/2012 : 12:08:16
quote:
Originally posted by bbmom2
I think we have to remember that as parents - we have just as much of a "say" in the selection process and I think some coaches forget that. It has to be a match for the family as much as it is a match for the player. In the "baseball moms" group some talk about a sales pitch from coaches. It's really interesting for us this year as our "pretty good" player last year has grown 4 inches, gained 30 pounds and all of a sudden is more of a "hot prospect." Last year we felt at the mercy of the coaches - this year it's more even. Getting the sales pitches but can really sit down and have good conversations with the coaches. Still take it with a little grain of salt and doing a lot of homework but actually turning into a fun experience - more more or than less - with good workouts and picking up tidbits from every coach. Still hate the cattle calls but it does show us as parents how the practices are run so there are benefits.
Coaches - read and absorb here and you will get good players... I guess "build it and they will come" can apply to good tryouts!
I agree with you and I think what you see is that at the end of the season everyone is excited and looking forward to next year. The parents have the upper hand at that point and the coaches are doing everything they can to get players. But soon after everything shifts and the coaches get the upper hand when they are only filling a couple of their last roster spots. Then as the teams get closer to January and February the parents of players that haven't made a decision have a little more leverage than the coaches at this point and can usually find a team that lost a player do to injury or parents getting mad or other things. It's crazy either way. |
| HITANDRUN |
Posted - 07/09/2012 : 08:02:31
justletemplay I am interested in finding out how your overall season went this year.
Did your son end up playing with the team that had the tryout you liked? Just wondering thanks, |
| BaseballMom6 |
Posted - 07/08/2012 : 23:01:04
peashooter - good luck, I am sure your daughter will be happy to have you. |
| bball2000 |
Posted - 07/08/2012 : 17:56:52
I would have left when I saw 60 kids trying out. The coach was most likely looking for 1 or 2 players. Ask ahead of time, How many returning players do you have? If 9, don't waste your time going. The teams we have been on always post tryouts with all positions available. That is just not true. The returning kids keep the same position, esp coach and helper kids. There are many teams to choose from, if your kid is a good ball player any team would be lucky to have him. Choose what is best for the family and kid. A chaos tryout usually means the long season will be the same. |
| peashooter |
Posted - 07/08/2012 : 17:17:26
nope, I am moving on to coach 10u travel Softball. My son, dosen't like baseball and I promised myself I would not force it upon him. It is time I spend some time with my daughter as she loves the sport. |
| BaseballMom6 |
Posted - 07/08/2012 : 12:42:39
peashooter - are you not coaching next year? |
| peashooter |
Posted - 07/07/2012 : 23:53:19
My parents are already freaking out about finding a good coach. One tryout with a pro coach was a waste. He didn't even watch the kids pitch. |
| bbmom2 |
Posted - 07/07/2012 : 19:37:08
It's the start of try out season. Lots of coaches starting to plan their tryouts. Good notes here for parents and coaches. |
| dmb350 |
Posted - 09/08/2011 : 15:57:26
I agree, there are always exceptions but the post above mine was referencing the average player getting the "development" needed from the team to get substantially better. My point was if you want next level stuff, it's gonna cost you. No different than school. You want your kid to excel in Math, you hire a great math tutor because most teachers (just like coaches) can't or won't take the extra time or give the effort. |
| prestont |
Posted - 09/08/2011 : 12:49:24
dmb350 - your probably spot on about a number of items (time, reps, instruction) but did want to atleast chime in that there are coaches that really do work to help develop the kids. No arguements about time investment - gotta do it to excell and work at the game. Heck, but isn't that the fun part?? I luv the trips to/from practice & field with my son and the chance to help him get better.
Did want to comment that there really are folks out there who want to develop kids. We've been fortunate and can honestly tell ya that my son is a much better player today that he was a couple years ago because of the efforts of his coaches. |
| dmb350 |
Posted - 09/08/2011 : 11:10:32
Ok, here's the sad fact. It's money. That's it, just money. Teams that are successful pull better players and can ask for more money. Programs that are successful can do the same thing and of course charge more money. Almost no teams really develope players. I can give you a few examples I know of personally that do develope players (643, Astros, JCS, NBS) but most are just baseball teams. You get some advice and maybe you pick up a thing or 2 but true development doesn't happen.
As a parent if you want your average player to really be better, money. Private instruction, lessons, extra practice (time is money), cage rental, attending multiple tryouts that aren't free, all contribute to him climbing the ladder to better teams. Better teams cost more whether it's the team it's self or the level they play at (big out of state tourneys push costs up quickly). That's usually the case especially as they get older. Astros, Titans, 643, Team GA, Road Runners, take your pick. All expensive but if your player is on these teams or playing against these teams and being successful then he gets looked at first and it's money that got you there, at least for the "average" player. |
| bestplayinbaseball |
Posted - 09/07/2011 : 21:21:24
I second that notion! |
| Bigwhitevan |
Posted - 09/07/2011 : 11:37:06
Well the way I see it. Being in the travel arena for over a year now only. I see many managers of talent. Lots of coaches can look like great coaches of a successful program with the top 12 players they can pull from a talent pool that includes parents who know their child is good. What they can't do is bring the talent of baseball out of kids that are average. That is why, again IMHO, why there is always a top team and no lower teams. Baseball is part talent but mostly skills taught. That is one reason why so many kids can play and under good teaching reach beyond what they thought was possible. I realize there is good intstruction at these big places, but the skills and footwork can be taught anywhere by good teachers. I do also think that the calls to kids who don't make the cut is a fault of the team and organization being of the mindset that it is time to close ranks and move forward with this team. Those kids are not our concern, someone else will pick them up and help them achieve better skills. Cough cough lazy really. What they fail to realize is that if they inform the kids on what to improve, they might be ahead of a current player next year. Thus improving the team with little more than a release of the grade they wrote down anyway. |
| bballman |
Posted - 08/28/2011 : 11:11:08
Just, I theory, that may be OK. However, the bigger the program gets, the more diluted the coaching, the harder it is to keep the whole program approach. There are always tradeoffs. |
