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Coach Pete
33 Posts |
 Posted - 06/15/2012 : 15:43:55
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I've had several people ask me, "For a travel ball coach to be successful, what qualities do they need to have?" I've thought a lot about it, and I'm not really sure what the right answer is. Some things I've thought of with some comments are below. Thought this would be a good topic with tryout season coming upon us. Share your thoughts and experiences...
Good communicator - Must be able to communicate well with kids, coaches, and parents.
Baseball experience - Do great teams have coaches that were ex-ball players? Or, can professional 1 on 1 instruction do the trick here.
Ability to get message across to players - Teach fundamentals of baseball, running, small ball, technique
Time Commitment - To actually have the time necessary to manage a team
Decision Making - To look past what's best for the coaches family or player, and make best decisions for the team. What tourney's to play in, who to have on team, management of game, etc
The biggest question people ask is, how important is prior college/minor league experience in managing and coaching a successful travel team? Is it more important to have this type of coach at the young ages or the later ages? Is it important at all? |
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ramman999
241 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2012 : 09:33:43
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I think that people associate that previous experience the same way companies look at a college degree and associate that with success. It really depends on the person - skills do not necessarily translate to managing/coaching 100% - some are built for it, others are not, but to me that type of experience is desirable.
An acquaintance of mine from another forum, Ron Filipkowski wrote an excellent book on travelball - "how to start and manage a successful team" - it's available on Amazon, and I am sure some of you on these forums have read it as well.
To me, this is a must read for those getting into travel ball or those that have been in the game for a little while, even from the parent standpoint, as it gives you some insight into what you should look for in a coach, college/pro experience or not. |
Edited by - ramman999 on 06/16/2012 10:19:40 |
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peashooter
297 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2012 : 17:20:52
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I think there are several facets to a good coach or even a staff from my experience these are the key areas.
1. Ability to manage the team finances, budget, uniforms, schedule, etc....Have to be a rockstar at this
2. Ability to run effecient practices with many stations (not the old, everyone hits and watches BP for 2 hours)
3. Ability to teach each kid the little things in 100's of situations (proper bunt fielding, covering home not crossing the plate, mechanics, situations)
4. Motivate the kids to want to get better
5. Ability to actually manage a game and win games via coaching (Calling the right pitches, moving fielders into position to field balls (haha my parents feel me here), and Also know his/her players and how to manage each one individually (some you can get hard on, and others you can't)
6. Be a great recruiter of talent...It sucks, but man 70% of the job is the constant recruitment of players |
Edited by - peashooter on 06/16/2012 18:14:41 |
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hshuler
1074 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 09:58:25
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1. Immune to criticism
2. Immune to criticism
3. Immune to criticism
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ramman999
241 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2012 : 07:45:57
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#2 on peashooters list should be starred, liked and in bold... Nothing worse in my opinion than the old Buttermaker having the entire team in the field while he throws BP type practices....
Also left out - ability to delegate - sort of goes hand in hand with #2 - |
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hshuler
1074 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2012 : 10:15:29
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In all seriousness, I think that someone who understands the nuances of the game, including how to properly build a team, is important. Building a team is not just about collecting talent. Now, I understand how important talent is but my point is that the pieces have to fit to avoid some common travel ball pitfalls. Also, someone who has a "system" that they are teaching where the kids can continue to grow from year to year.
Lastly, I think that a coach who understands how to make the learning environment fun for the kids is very important...especially in the younger age groups. I hear the term "burn out" all the time and I only think two things...the kid stopped having fun playing the game/it became more like a chore than a game or the parents wanted it more than the kid. In my opinion, you can't "burn out" a kid who truly loves the game. |
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Jack-of-Diamonds
152 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2012 : 22:45:03
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"1. Ability to manage the team finances, budget, uniforms, schedule, etc....Have to be a rockstar at this"...
Peashooter really covered three different aspects that each team needs, team management (as above), skills coaching, and game management. They do not necessarily have to all come in the same package. Just look to the MLB.
1. A good game manager does not have to be the best skills coach as long as he has coaches working with him that are up to the task.
2. Good skills coaches need not be great game managers as long as they are have a capable manager and are able to take direction from the manager and advise him without letting egos get in the way.
3. Neither of the above need to be great General Managers (or Business Managers) if they have someone able to capably handle the "front office" end of things for them. In fact, coaches are likely going to do a better job of coaching if they're freed-up from having to worry over budgets and such.
We had exactly this sort of situation on our team this year, and by design. General Manager handled budget, uniforms, scheduling, communications and (sometimes) parent relations. Our Head Coach (Team Manager) directed everything inside the fences and had Assistant Coaches to help with instruction, base coaching and positioning. The entire staff contributed to recruiting and evaluations, though the Head Coach was the final word on player selection. We were also able to bring in paid professional coaching for some practices on a limited basis (and if I had to do it all over again, I'd budget in even more of this). In my eyes, this is the way to make it work best. Having one manager responsible for everything from soup-to-nuts is certainly possible, but those willing and able to "do it all" effectively are rare.
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HITANDRUN
436 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2012 : 14:56:18
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Organization
Communication
Knowledge
Fun
Time Management
Role Model
Listener
Humor
Teacher
Delegate |
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SSBuckeye
575 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2012 : 15:23:58
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quote:
Originally posted by HITANDRUN
Organization
Communication
Knowledge
Fun
Time Management
Role Model
Listener
Humor
Teacher
Delegate
Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner. I would add that being an amateur child psychologist is important. Each kid needs different things, and the good coaches know how to uncover that info. |
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HITANDRUN
436 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2012 : 15:34:07
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| I will be posting my "free" tryout time and date very soon stay tuned. |
Edited by - HITANDRUN on 07/14/2012 18:11:04 |
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Qualitites in a Travel ball Manager/Coach
