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Punishers
688 Posts |
 Posted - 05/08/2016 : 05:43:15
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What should a parent ask before joining a team?
I have a few questions in mind, but I will let everyone chime in. |
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Punishers
688 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2016 : 12:04:47
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Notice the tryouts. If there are a lot of kids trying out for the team, this is your first sign that it is a competitive and wanted team.
1. How many tournaments did you win last season? Scrimmages do no count? Check teams past record on game changer.
2. How many coaches have kids on the team?
3. What positions do the coaches kids play?
4. What level of play do you compete at? (A, AA, AAA, Major)
5. Do you coach and play to win or is this a fun team?
6. What positions are you looking for?
7. How many players do you have returning?
8. What training is offered?
9. How many players left and why?
10. How do you create you batting order?
11. If academy, will the ones selling you be involved in coaching the team?
12. If your kid is left handed. How many left handers are on the team? |
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Zachsdad
60 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2016 : 17:33:46
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| What position do the coaches' sons play. |
Edited by - Zachsdad on 05/08/2016 20:33:04 |
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Punishers
688 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2016 : 20:15:05
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13. If they are looking for 1 or 2 players. Why are the other players no longer there?
14. What tournaments do you play?
15. Has the coach ever played at a high level?
16. Has the coach ever coached at a high level?
17. Can you provide background checks of all coaches?
18. Can I view your practices to see how things run?
19. What park do you play out of? |
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CaCO3Girl
1989 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2016 : 08:40:31
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Wow, Punishers hit a lot of the biggies. It's hard to answer without having an age group, and age group can be a HUGE determining factor. When I evaluate a team I generally ask:
1. What park do you play out of
2. Does your season include winter workouts?
3. What kind of tourneys do you plan on playing in? i.e. if your kid is 9u USSSA is fine, if your kid is 14u USSSA may not be where you want your kid.
4. What are your practices like, how many coaches do you have, is this a everyone is doing something practice or is it you have 12 kids lined up at SS fielding balls and throwing to 1B.
5. How many different positions do you see MY kid playing, percentage of time is helpful. i.e 40% at Catcher, 10% at pitcher, 50% at 1B. If your kid is in love with pitching this may not be the best fit for him.
6. How many tourneys do you plan on playing, how long is your season? 2-3 times a month is generally good, if you have a yearly visit with grandma every July 4th you need to know the season end date up front.
7. When is your typical practice time? If the team is filling with stay at home mom's and they start at 5pm can you even get your kid there on time?
For 12u obviously I asked the question are you going to Cooperstown. For 9u-11u my focus was on FUN, maybe find out where his friends are playing. For 14u and up you have to start thinking about exposure if your kid wants to play in college, that means PG events. |
Edited by - CaCO3Girl on 05/09/2016 09:30:26 |
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sebaseball
101 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2016 : 09:16:17
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What's my total out-of-pocket fee going to be?
Can I get a list of the expenses?
When do you start and when do you end? (Jan-Jul? Feb-Jun? Other?)
How many days a week do you practice & on what days?
How many tournaments per month?
How many tournaments require overnight stays?
Tourney schedule mapped out for season or determined week by week?
What's your philosophy on playing time & batting order in pool games?
Philosophy on playing time & batting order in tourney games?
When do you utilize pickup players & how are they used in games?
How many of the players on the team pitch? |
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turntwo
955 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2016 : 10:14:43
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quote:
Originally posted by sebaseball
What's my total out-of-pocket fee going to be?
Can I get a list of the expenses?
When do you start and when do you end? (Jan-Jul? Feb-Jun? Other?)
How many days a week do you practice & on what days?
How many tournaments per month?
How many tournaments require overnight stays?
Tourney schedule mapped out for season or determined week by week?
What's your philosophy on playing time & batting order in pool games?
Philosophy on playing time & batting order in tourney games?
When do you utilize pickup players & how are they used in games?
How many of the players on the team pitch?
LOVE these!!! The only thing I'd add: Will there be actual INSTRUCTION during practice, and not just dads hitting balls to kids. |
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Punishers
688 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2016 : 11:21:55
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20. What coaching clinics have the coaches attended?
21. Do the coaches double talk and not give clear answers?
22. Costs?
23. Do coaches provide anything in writing?
24. Any Winter training?
25. Any Sponsorship?
26. Do the coaches brag about how good their players are? |
Edited by - Punishers on 05/09/2016 12:22:33 |
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Punishers
688 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2016 : 13:25:40
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| 27. Can tell who the coaches kids are during practice or a game? With a good coach you would not be able to tell. |
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CaCO3Girl
1989 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2016 : 13:39:28
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Punishers, I really hope you are having fun with this and not 100% serious. Research the teams, take in a game of theirs if you can to see how they play, i.e. is there clipboard throwing from the coaches when a kid makes a mistake? Lots of grumbling in the stands about how the coaches don't know what they are doing?
While I am all for vetting the teams and coaches, if you walk up to a seasoned coach with 26 questions, your kid may not make the team because the coaches don't want to deal with the parents of the kid. |
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mikepayne
173 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2016 : 14:54:38
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If the question is "do you bat everyone during pool then trim it down during bracket" I could handle that. If someone just asked me
"How do you create you batting order?" I would say with this pencil I am using to put a line through your son's name, have a nice day! |
Edited by - mikepayne on 05/09/2016 21:49:12 |
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RoamingCF
77 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2016 : 18:05:16
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All good questions above, but rarely does a coach acknowledge deficiencies or shortcomings. Many are forthcoming during the process, but it's also important to ask people OTHER than that team's manager these questions. Ask around (other teams, current/previous parents, competitors, academy coaches, etc.).. You'll get varying opinions (some more right than others), but I bet you'll see some trends...
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Punishers
688 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2016 : 22:22:56
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quote:
Originally posted by RoamingCF
All good questions above, but rarely does a coach acknowledge deficiencies or shortcomings. Many are forthcoming during the process, but it's also important to ask people OTHER than that team's manager these questions. Ask around (other teams, current/previous parents, competitors, academy coaches, etc.).. You'll get varying opinions (some more right than others), but I bet you'll see some trends...
The problem is none of them explain the process. What is the process? Is it documented anywhere? Show it to me. An un-produced process usually doesn't exist. Process is a key sales word these teams use, but no one seems to know the process.
I agree that asking around helps. You will only get about 10% of what you need to know from asking around. People are so politically correct these days, telling the truth is an alien language. |
Edited by - Punishers on 05/10/2016 09:03:16 |
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Punishers
688 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2016 : 05:55:55
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quote:
Originally posted by mikepayne
If the question is "do you bat everyone during pool then trim it down during bracket" I could handle that. If someone just asked me
"How do you create you batting order?" I would say with this pencil I am using to put a line through your son's name, have a nice day!
Can see that if it was a paid coach, but for an unpaid coach you work for the players and parents for the betterment of the kids.
I've managed many teams where the parents didn't like other parents, parents didn't like the coach, and coach didn't like the parents. Had to overlook that because it was all about the kids success. No room for egos. If a coach is offended by questions that parents ask, they should not coach. It comes with the territory.
Keep in mind there are a lot coaches out there that have major character flaws they can only hide for so long. |
Edited by - Punishers on 05/10/2016 09:02:36 |
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ballsandbats
85 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2016 : 08:35:36
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| Curious as to what difference it makes what position the coach's son plays and what would be an acceptable answer? |
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Punishers
688 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2016 : 08:42:10
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I got this from a parent last night:
27. How deep in the tournaments have you made it? |
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Crazyforbball
391 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2016 : 09:07:18
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| Just ask the parents of the kids on the team who are not involved in coaching. They will give you the unfiltered version of the team. The most important question is what can the coaching staff do for your child developmentally, and do they have the real on-field experience to back it up. |
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turntwo
955 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2016 : 09:18:59
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quote:
Originally posted by ballsandbats
Curious as to what difference it makes what position the coach's son plays and what would be an acceptable answer?
7 out of 10 times, the coach (dad) is nothing more than a 'place holder' for his son. So, if coach's son is a 'main stay' in the infield, where the team has better options-- yet the coach sticks with his son there, then it can most certainly be a problem. If coach's son is batting .168, yet continually bats in the top 3... Again, that's not the best for the team.
I'd guess that you'd rarely find a coach who would answer, "My son plays 2B because he's a liability everywhere else, and since it's my team, and my time I put into it, the least I can do it play my son at 2B. He never sits. He never moves. And he ALWAYS bats in the top 3. Regardless of if there's better choices. Sorry, but since I'm the coach, and he's my son, that's the way I doing it." More than likely the answer would be, "Oh your son plays 2B? Well, we've already got some stellar 2B's on the team, what about SS? 3B? C? OF? I'm sure we could develop him into an all-american at a different position."
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Edited by - turntwo on 05/10/2016 10:14:24 |
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turntwo
955 Posts |
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CaCO3Girl
1989 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2016 : 10:01:16
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This really does come back to the age group and what you are looking for out of the team. If you are 10u you are looking for proper fundamentals while having fun. I asked my son's 10u coach a boat load of questions.
Next year will be 15u, it is going to boil down to what my son wants out of baseball. At this point in time he wants to be recruited to play college baseball. That eliminates all of the AA/AAA local rec park travel ball. When you put together college recruitment, contacts for college, are they playing the big events, team name/influence, history of recruitment....etc...you really are down to under 20 places in GA. Then refine that by location...am I willing to drive 20 minutes...40 minutes...an hour for the right team?
In a way the older you get the easier it becomes based on your goals of what you want baseball to do for your kid. If you are sub 14u learn the proper fundamentals, it can be from a dad-coach, and above all take time to remember it is only a game. Who your son plays for at 10u will have zero bearing on his baseball at 17u. Don't obsess about a name or a park at 10u, enjoy having your kid play a sport they love. |
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mikepayne
173 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2016 : 10:04:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Punishers
quote:
Originally posted by mikepayne
If the question is "do you bat everyone during pool then trim it down during bracket" I could handle that. If someone just asked me
"How do you create you batting order?" I would say with this pencil I am using to put a line through your son's name, have a nice day!
Can see that if it was a paid coach, but for an unpaid coach you work for the players and parents for the betterment of the kids.
I've managed many teams where the parents didn't like other parents, parents didn't like the coach, and coach didn't like the parents. Had to overlook that because it was all about the kids success. No room for egos. If a coach is offended by questions that parents ask, they should not coach. It comes with the territory.
Keep in mind there are a lot coaches out there that have major character flaws they can only hide for so long.
Wow that is deep.
A parent asking about batting order is a red flag. BTW had the same team since the kids were 7 through 12u. They are now 13 and a couple that have moved up to play on major teams and one moved away and one is focusing on basketball.
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Gapper
64 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2016 : 10:18:13
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CaCO3Girl, I think they guy is 100% serious as he is asking for all of this feedback in preparation for his new team he is starting in the 10u division next year. Go check out his posting on the 10u Teams looking for Players if you want to read an over the top posting for a team. It screams of "I am not happy on my current team, so I am starting my own." But just like every other dad that isn't happy with his current team, he is welcome to do that as that is the nature of the business.
In all honesty, if I was looking at that team posting my first questions would be "What team is your son currently on and why are you leaving that team?" I personally would prefer someone that wants to be that up front in their team posting to put his actual name out there rather than a generic "Coach T" to allow people to research. |
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sebaseball
101 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2016 : 11:00:33
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quote:
Originally posted by mikepayne
quote:
Originally posted by Punishers
quote:
Originally posted by mikepayne
If the question is "do you bat everyone during pool then trim it down during bracket" I could handle that. If someone just asked me
"How do you create you batting order?" I would say with this pencil I am using to put a line through your son's name, have a nice day!
Can see that if it was a paid coach, but for an unpaid coach you work for the players and parents for the betterment of the kids.
I've managed many teams where the parents didn't like other parents, parents didn't like the coach, and coach didn't like the parents. Had to overlook that because it was all about the kids success. No room for egos. If a coach is offended by questions that parents ask, they should not coach. It comes with the territory.
Keep in mind there are a lot coaches out there that have major character flaws they can only hide for so long.
Wow that is deep.
A parent asking about batting order is a red flag. BTW had the same team since the kids were 7 through 12u. They are now 13 and a couple that have moved up to play on major teams and one moved away and one is focusing on basketball.
My offering to ask the philosophy on playing time and batting order in regards to pool vs tourney games is in a generic sense. My general philosophy is to bat & play everyone in pool games and move guys around to get some time at secondary positions. (Unless it's a tourney like PG where winning your pool is a must in order to advance.) Your play then dictates who makes it to the cut down lineup for tourney games and what the batting order looks like.
I believe you can ask this in a conversational manner so that you get a feel for what to expect. I offer this information up front so that parents know in advance how it's going to work and I've found that this eliminates most all of the after the fact conversations about this subject. |
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CaCO3Girl
1989 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2016 : 11:08:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Gapper
CaCO3Girl, I think they guy is 100% serious as he is asking for all of this feedback in preparation for his new team he is starting in the 10u division next year. Go check out his posting on the 10u Teams looking for Players if you want to read an over the top posting for a team. It screams of "I am not happy on my current team, so I am starting my own." But just like every other dad that isn't happy with his current team, he is welcome to do that as that is the nature of the business.
In all honesty, if I was looking at that team posting my first questions would be "What team is your son currently on and why are you leaving that team?" I personally would prefer someone that wants to be that up front in their team posting to put his actual name out there rather than a generic "Coach T" to allow people to research.
Gapper, I have read the post...I read it differently. There is a group of people out there that want the tough baseball training for their 10u kid, they don't want it to be about fun, they want it to be militant in how it is run. You perform or you are demoted. Punishers will find kids to play on his team because there are many parents, dad's in particular, that want their son to "toughen up", a team like this will provide that.
I think by the time Punishers season is done at 10u that his rules will be a bit adjusted for 11u, specifically the rule about the batting order being determined by what happened at the last tourney and commitment for Fall. It sounds like Football players will not be welcome and that is a huge thing to ask of 10u kids, play baseball and only baseball.
My one piece of advice to Punisher would be that I hope his team really does become a showcase team, but I would encourage you to remember that they are TEN! They are not in the military, they are not starving on the streets of the DR, they all have nice cushy beds that their mommies tuck them into. Teach them the fundamentals but do it with respect for their age, i.e. don't make them cry. |
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mikepayne
173 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2016 : 11:09:49
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quote:
Originally posted by turntwo
quote:
Originally posted by CaCO3Girl
Punishers, I really hope you are having fun with this and not 100% serious.
Appears not to be...
http://www.nwgabaseball.org/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=64019
If he is being sarcastic I have a new favorite poster, but based on the recent comments, well you can decide that for yourselves.
What say you Punishers was your post from above serious? You have to know there are major teams in Gwinnett County.
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mikepayne
173 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2016 : 12:36:03
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quote:
Originally posted by Punishers
20. What coaching clinics have the coaches attended?
21. Do the coaches double talk and not give clear answers?
22. Costs?
23. Do coaches provide anything in writing?
24. Any Winter training?
25. Any Sponsorship?
26. Do the coaches brag about how good their players are?
20. What coaching clinics have the coaches attended?
our mission is to bring high-level Dominican baseball to the area with a different work ethic and playing style. If you have never seen Dominican baseball, you are in for a real treat.
What clinics are you attending should be the question, and is there a secret knock on a basement door to get into the clinics your attending?
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What to ask before joining a team?
