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ladyayers
1 Posts |
 Posted - 07/13/2011 : 11:14:26
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| We have played at ECB for 2 years now and now looking at other teams, how can you tell if someone is a good coach and not end up with one who sticks your kid in the out field and does not help him develop, and nnot only play your favorite kids? We are looking at 10U |
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cubs12
14 Posts |
Posted - 07/13/2011 : 13:37:57
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| When did the outfield turn into a horrible position to play? Not every one can read the ball coming off of the bat, and take the appropriate angles necessary in order to catch the ball. |
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prestont
197 Posts |
Posted - 07/13/2011 : 16:21:44
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Agree with ya Cubs12 - We saw a few kids this year @ 11U dancing around the outfield like ballerina's trying to catch balls! Your spot on about reading a ball off the bat and footwork in the outfield is just as important as footwork in the infield! Ultimately ya need reps - at any position - to learn and prepare for playing at older age groups.
Pretty sure Ladyayers was looking for a different answer though.
My son is a couple years older than your son, and has also played at ECB. Important factors for us are; Instruction, Opportunity, and level of Competition.
You should be able to find out info on prospective coaches too. Families that are either currently playing for them, or have played for them. Also, need to do your digging to understand 'turnover' too. There is multiple reasons for it, and could be that a kid excelled under a coach and was recruited to play for another team, so look into (not just at) the numbers for turnover.
Hope this helps! & good luck finding a team for your son & family during the Silly Season! |
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coach321
9 Posts |
Posted - 07/13/2011 : 20:36:23
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| One thing to do is get on the USSSA web site and put in the team name your interested in. Check past rosters, how many returning players, look at tournament points etc. Ask around the baseball lesson places, Batter's Up, Sports A Rama, etc. The instructors might be able to help. Lastly, at that age I wouldn't worry too much about East Cobb, you can find good coaches at any park. One of the worst coaches my son ever had was at East Cobb. |
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Zcoach
151 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2011 : 08:31:23
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| Sports A Rama, Batter's Up, JCS and many of the indoor facilities all have their own agenda, with their "instructors" coaching teams. |
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Gwinnett
791 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2011 : 14:55:05
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We found the best way to evaluate a team or its coachs is to go play a couple of tournaments with them before you make any decision. This way you can really see how there going to run the team under a tournament situation. After a tournament or 2 or 3 YOU will get a better idea of ANY coach and if there the right one for your son/family. Rosters won't lock till next March, 2012 - which means you can play wherever you want. I can tell you switching from our local low level AAA travel team that played GGBL to a true tournament only Major team is like NIGHT AND DAY! Biggest difference NO MORE DADDY BALL! No more coach dads codling there sons every step of the way. Everything is earned and if you don't earn it you don't play..... Of course this senario won't work for all.
The mind set of a daddy ball coach and a real coach are completely different. One coach thinks about his son and self - then the other coachs and there sons instead of the team. A real coach thinks for the TEAM and makes decisions best for the team not himself!
BTW, it takes very skilled players to play the outfield from 11u and up. Nothing wrong with playing the OF. The more positions you play in the future the better off you will be for High School ball.
If you want your kid to learn proper hitting, pitching and fielding technique you should take them to private one on one instruction with a reputable pro instructor. Most coachs don't teach this. They teach the game with the team. If you want your son to get better don't rely on the coach. It takes good instruction and lots of hard work in addition to going to team practice. REPS, REPS, REPS AND MORE REPS. None of these coachs have that much time to spend with your son or any other kid on the team. JMO.... |
Edited by - Gwinnett on 07/16/2011 15:11:03 |
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rippit
667 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2011 : 16:19:12
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Gwinnett: Amen Amen and Amen.And ditto from my son's experience. How nice it is to watch a well run non daddy ball practice!! |
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jongamefan
218 Posts |
Posted - 07/17/2011 : 14:57:39
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LADY: I only want to comment on the OF reference.
IF you know about the sport of baseball and how it is played at a moderate to high skill level you will recognize that OF is where the games are won and lost , second only to catcher.
Learn it now or be behind learning how to play OF when your son no longer is good enought to play - Shortstop? - im guessing 
Baseball is a team sport not an individual sport |
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AllStar
762 Posts |
Posted - 07/17/2011 : 19:52:58
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quote:
Originally posted by jongamefan
IF you know about the sport of baseball and how it is played at a moderate to high skill level you will recognize that OF is where the games are won and lost , second only to catcher.
+1
I think it was about the 10 year-old season where we went back and looked and virtually all of our close games were decided by which outfield played the best. |
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mrthnlck
7 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2011 : 16:23:07
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"The mind set of a daddy ball coach and a real coach are completely different. One coach thinks about his son and self - then the other coachs and there sons instead of the team. A real coach thinks for the TEAM and makes decisions best for the team not himself!"
Just wanted to comment on the above.
True - but also be wary of the paid coach that is in it just for the money or advancement of career. Seems to be new trend and there are just as many bad coaches in this bunch. Playing college or pro ball doesn't always translate to being able to teach and motivate young players. Great players don't always make the best coaches. Coaching is a skill all on its own.
Also - beware right way of those that charge their own players for lessons outside of scheduled team practice. Have heard stories about the players who opt to take lots of lessons getting the "daddy ball" treatment, it's just "money ball" instead. Many "paid coaches" are doing it to get "paid" - sometimes you get what you ask for without realizing it.
Good coaches are rare and few. They love the game and teaching the game. Being a Dad or former college/pro-player does not make one a coach. Look at them for their coaching experience, philosphy and character - not if they are a Dad or former player.
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Black Bart
3 Posts |
Posted - 07/23/2011 : 20:32:01
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Another important thing to do is to research the bio of the coach. If he claims to be a former ML player, www.baseball-almanac.com will contain his name. Former minor leaguer, http://www.baseball-reference.com or http://www.thebaseballcube.com has good data. A former college player is more difficult, but most colleges post a media guide on their website that contains all former lettermen in it. Anyone claiming to play collegiately likely would have lettered.
Unfortunately, there are some coaches who exaggerate or fabricate their credentials out there. If they lie about their playing experience, it calls into question their overall integrity. |
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Topic |
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How can you tell if you get a good Coach?
