Toughest Sport to Coach?

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• Apr 14, 2009

• #1

I was thinking tonight after talking with several other coaches that H.S. softball and baseball may be the touhgest sport to coach. Several of the coaches that I have talked to have only played 3 games so far this season. One team has only played once.

Although we got out side earlier this year than in the recent past, we have been practicing in the gym because our field has been unplayable for over a week and a half. I think that after a while you get negative returns for so much practice in the gym. The kids get board. There is only so such you can do. As we continue to get rain and have to make up more games, it is likely that we will be playing 5 or 6 games per week from not until the end of the season.

Ask a basketball coach to play 2 games back to back and you will have to bring a tongue depressor with you. Ask them to play 4 times in a week and you better call a squad. Tell another coach in a fall or winter sport that they are going to have to cut their practice time down in order to let 3 or 4 other teams use the gym and you will have a fight on your hands.

One of the hardest thing for the softball kids to do is to give up their spring break because of softball games, only to have most of the games rained out.

 

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• Apr 14, 2009

• #2

Football....this would be a good Poll

 

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• Apr 14, 2009

• #3

AMEN!!!! Throw in Senioritis, Prom, Spring Play, FFA, FCCLA, Spring Choir and Band Concerts, among other things, and play 27 games in 23 days!!! It's just plain ridiculous.

 

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• Apr 14, 2009

• #4

Ladyknights responded by saying "AMEN!!!! Throw in Senioritis, Prom, Spring Play, FFA, FCCLA, Spring Choir and Band Concerts, among other things, and play 27 games in 23 days!!! It's just plain ridiculous."

I forgot about those other distractions.

Lester

Having coached both I would say that football may be one of the easiest. Academic eligiblity is not usually an issue during the fall. Your own practice field. A game field that NO ONE is to touch. Weather is not an issue. One week to prepare for games. Game films. 6 or 7 coaches. Parents are usually 50' away. 2,500 to 10,000 fans. Games start at 7:30 P.M. so bussing is not an issue. Have arrived at softball games 10 minutes after start time because no bus was available. Unlimited budgets. And usually great weather.

 

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• Apr 14, 2009

• #5

cool, difference of opinion. Did you do it at a DivI level? Say, like at a state competitive team? 22 players, 22 more on the bench and 100 years of high school tradition to live up to. Not calling you out, just food for thought.

I do feel your softball pain and laugh at your issues...livin' the dream and luvin' it.

 

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• Apr 15, 2009

• #6

without a doubt at the high school level, Football. Coaches call every single play both sides of the ball. The coach is responsible for every kids movements.

But the hardest sport to teach a kid how to play is baseball / fast pitch. Because you have to teach every kid, every skill on offense and deffense plus the game it self. Think of all the skills you need to learn in this sport, plus the rules which many coaches and parents dont even know, plus how to play the game.

Not to mention in baseball / fast pitch when a kid does not start the game parents whine and cry even if their kid played more then half of they game, In Other sports if their kid plays half of the game .....well heck that is alot of ball..

 

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• Apr 15, 2009

• #7

softball in the fall

 

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• Apr 15, 2009

• #8

they should switch softball and volleyball season

 

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• Apr 15, 2009

• #9

but the toughest sport to coach is always when you are dealing with menstrual young ladies i coached high school football and fastpitch girls definately take more work but at the end of the day they retain more information

 

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• Apr 15, 2009

• #10

Its without a doubt High School hockey. Ice time is so tough to get, you end up with a 11 PM practice. Its going on at the sametime as its travel season. Its brutal!
I remember a few years back St. Johns Jesuit of Toledo getting stripped of their State Championship when it was found out one of their players played in a travel game as a pick-up player during the high school season. Since you cant practice daily due to the cost of Ice Time its hard for coaches to keep tabs on their players, and with so many travel teams operating at the same time, its easy for kids to picked up for a weds. night game in detroit with a travel team. I spent some time coaching and I would not wish that mess on anybody.

 

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• Apr 15, 2009

• #11

I think we're talking about 2 different animals here.

The one animal deals with strategy of the game, and I would have to put football and basketball on the top of my list for that animal, but having coached only 2 sports, there are probably others that people could make an argument for.

The second animal is the logistics of everything else that goes along with coaching which can depend on things like the weather and how much help you need to effectively run a team. I would guess that baseball/softball is probably one of the toughest sports in this matter. Everything is dependent on the weather. If you have a basketball game scheduled on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. then barring any unfortunate catastrophic event, you play a basketball game on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. The same can't be said about baseball/softball. If you have softball game Tuesday at 5:00 p.m., you may or not play that game on Tuesday. This will depend on
1. How much rain you had that day - could result in a delay the game
2. How much you had in the previous days - may result in a delay of game, a game cancellation, or even a change of venue to another field.

Forget about knowing who you're going to play on a certain day. I think our team has only played 2 teams at their originally scheduled time, place. Other were reschedules of rained out games or delays due to rain. Then there's the equipment issue. With say basketball and volleyball, you can get away with just bringing a bag of balls and a clipboard to most practice and games.

With softball, I've seen volunteer coaches lugging a bucket of softballs, a bag of jugs balls, another bag of practice golf balls, a bag of bats, a set of throw down bases, multiple batting tees, warm up nets, and a extra ball glove in case somebody forgot her glove or you need to demonstrate a skill to the girls. Basketball: take one bag from out of the back of the trunk. Softball/baseball - leave equipment in trunk for the season and make multiple trips to and from the car all season long.

 

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• Apr 15, 2009

• #12

one of my personal season goals is to have all 3 assistant coach's cars full of team equipment and I just have to watch them struggle carrying it all on one trip. :lmao:

don't forget all the equipment you have to carry for rock-paper-scissors, ping pong, and hand slap.

 

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• Apr 15, 2009

• #13

Don't forget the pop up nets. It is always funny to stand back the first time a new assistant coach trys to put one away.

 

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• Apr 15, 2009

• #14

SBFAMILY said:

Don't forget the pop up nets. It is always funny to stand back the first time a new assistant coach trys to put one away.

Click to expand...

SB, so true!! If its a Jugs, the first 10 times

 

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• Apr 15, 2009

• #15

It's easier just to throw it in the back of the truck and have the DD set on it till you get home. :lmao:

 

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• Apr 15, 2009

• #16

No I like to send the 14 year old dd over to show them how its done. That always makes an adult feel real good!

 

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• Apr 15, 2009

• #17

I don't know about everybody else, but the toughest for me would be sokker. I would dread practices, games, refs, everything. All my kids played SAY when they were younger and I could not go back. My youngest (6 yrs.) will probably want to play this fall again and they'll probably want me to help again and Mrs. Ringer will guilt trip me again with "You always did it for the older ones blah blah blah..." I can't even eat lunch now. I just made my self sick with anxiety.

 

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• Apr 15, 2009

• #18

For me, I agree with Ringer. sokker was miserable to coach, especially having never played the game. After three kids, I can finally see how beautiful the game can be, but that's an art exhibition I'd prefer to skip . . . unless my dd is playing. Then I hope the weather's warm and my seat is comfortable.

 

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• Apr 15, 2009

• #19

I think Georges got it right about the logistics of baseball/fastpitch make it the toughest sport to be a coach in, while the public pressure may be greatest in football and basketball.

 

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• Apr 15, 2009

• #20

just because I stepped on the football limb, let me add this....

don't forget you have Special Teams to coach, train, and sneak time into the practice to get this accomplished (and weather a major issue with this one because if this group falls apart...you could be crushed every time they are deployed). Punt team, 4th down team, goal line setups or red-zone situational setups, playing the other teams offense/defense all week and then game day playing your own, and kick-off team to name a few. Plus a nasty play book for both sides of the ball.

Injuries, heck you could have multiple players (studs) go out on the same play for the season. Any starter dropping out could be devastating, regardless that you have 20 others dieing to get playing time. Much like your #1 pitcher going down.

Now, I haven't coached football, but did play at a standout program in the early 90's. Those guys worked their butts off to get what we had and the "all-stars" and their attitudes are easy to find and sense of entitlement is huge.