shortage of 12u players?

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What a ray of hope! Thank you that you are willing to do that for these girls who love the game. How close is Summit to the Salem area? We live near there and are trying out for a couple of teams in that direction? Maybe there is still a chance after all....

 

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Our team is in Summit County, Akron specifically. The field where we have been working out is located in the Cuyahoga Falls area (northern part of Summit County). An open practice is scheduled for this Saturday, Sept. 2 between 2:00 and 4:00. If you would like to talk more, send me a private message. Hope to hear from you...or anyone else who is interested.

 

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I hear that teams need 12u but sometimes I wonder if it is the coaches or the parents? Do the coaches/parents have the commitment. As a 10 u parent I see the lack of quality coaching has to create the shortage at the 12 u level. 12u has to be a tough transition from 40' to 12" ball. We ?all want the superstars but dont want the work to create a superstar. Teams look for the studs but dont want to teach girls fundamentals. No wonder teams have a shortage at the 12u level.

As organizations you need to step up and commit to the 10u programs. I dont want to hear how hard it is to fill the 10 u teams. Work hard and all organizations will prosper. Forget about the younger teams and softball will sufer over time.

Next organizations will complain about no 14 u. So step up the younger programs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As for parents we need to set goals and decide how dedicated we are. What level our dd should play. Talk to our dd's and see what goals they have. We all need to be realistic in this extremely competitive world.

 

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In our area, most of our 12U girls are playing up on 14U teams.

 

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I think that alot of players and parents aren't aware of what is actually out there as far as travel ball. When that is realized, alot of times 11 and 12 year olds are intimidated by some girls who have already expereinced that level of play. 12U is not the Mecca of softball, alot of girls physically develop sooner or later and by the time they hit 14U or 16U things will equal out. I believe that alot of marginal 12U players CAN become elite high school players if they are not intimidated and just work hard. Physical maturity plays a large part at this age and players and parents need to understand this. I have seen some GREAT 12U players who never play after they turn 15. Maybe this is burnout, maybe their parents push them too hard, and maybe they just find things they are more interested in; however, there is no reason for a 12 year old girl to be intimidated and think they are not good enough. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTION FOR HARD WORK AND DETERMINATION!!!!!

 

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I guess on a positive note, with all the 12u teams starting up, is that more girls are getting on teams playing tournament ball. And these teams will have to step up their program, if they want to be competitive with the elite teams. Unfortunately, this past year, I've seen teams get beat by 20+ runs. That had to be disheartening to those girls. I'm sure the coach had good intentions, but there are lower divisions for a reason. And I'm sure the teams that beat them, didn't feel like they accomplished much in the end. I just hope it doesn't get watered down with teams that should be playing rec ball (or even B division), not tournament ball.
I also agree that we need to step up at the 10u level. Some of this may be due to parent commitment. They are new to the travel thing, and may not be sure about spending the money and committing the time it takes to be at compete at a higher level.

 

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Hmmmm, seems many teams were seeing plenty of kids at their tryouts... ? 40, 30+, !!! ?Wow... ?and yet they still don't have their starting lineups filled! ?

Sounds like it will take a special player to make those teams. ?Although, quantity certainly does not guarantee quality. ?:-/

 

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If there a shortage of special super talented 12u players, that goes back to coaching and development at the 10u level. And maybe some natural talent.

 

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I have a feeling that there are alot of players and parents that go to tryouts, with no intention of playing for a travel team. They go for any number of reasons, but mainly to see where they stack up against the others. I know that some parents look at there daughters and all they see is the next Jennie Finch or Crystl Bustos, but the majority of parents come to tryouts, and see travel ball for what it really is, and know that there daughter, as well as the parents, are not ready for the travel ball experience.

I know that our first year, we took our daughter to a tryout, with no intentions of playing, just to see where her skill level was. We are now going into our 5th year of travel ball, glad we went to tryouts that day.

 

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Chaos,
That was my opinion all along. Maybe these teams are looking for already
super talented players and not players that can be made super talented. This is not a 12u player problem IMHO it is a 12u coaches problem. I personally saw a lot of semi talented players (as my dd was one). Maybe the standards are set to high. Maybe it's the coaches looking for the next Jennie Finch or Kat Osterman, and not looking to coach them to become the next Jennie Finch or Kat Osterman. This is only my opinion. There are also a lot of good coaches out there who see potential talent and want to work with them. I am hoping that there are more of those than not.

 

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We are not really sure that it is a player shortage problem in our area. Definately more teams popping up then ever before, but many of them have 5 - 7 players on thier rosters. My guess is that as it gets closer to the end of the year many of these families will get nervous and start looking to fill in with a team that needs one or two players.

If a roster does not have 10 decent players on it by now then the chacnes of filling it with 2 or 3 more quality players is pretty slim. My guess is there will be a number of disappointed players come the first of the year.

 

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The question is?? How long will the coach or the parents hold out for the team?? If they only have 5 or 6 players will the parents look to get with another team? Or will they take the chance and hope that the team will fill in the spring? The teams will disband in my opinion parents will look for another and sooner than you think there will be alot of 12u players. I believe there are to many REC style teams that just call themselves Select in which when the(SELECT) kids go to tryout the Rec coachs hurry and grab them up. Then they HOLD TALENT for as long as they can until we go back to the begining of the question!!!! I myself is one of the (SELECT) Coaches with 6 players still waiting for the Rec Coaches to LET GO of the girls!!! Well I guess the answer to the question is there is not a shortage of players there are just to many New Teams trying to start up!!!

 

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I am not an expert but feel a few comments are warranted. I have coached 10's for 2 years and 12's for 2 years at the travel level. And, teams before that.

These 2 age groups typically have a ton of players coming out of community and community select teams. What I find is, practice of skills be it pitching, hitting, fielding or base running have not been routined to remain very sharp. However, most these players are superior in their community programs. With that said, going through 30 or 40 prospects at tryouts may not yield a full roster. Sometimes not even close.

The important part is who is working hard at their game. Private instruction and lessons. These individuals are filling the core roster around any returning players. Then I begin to see who could I possibly work with in a short amount of time. Yes I do make mistakes that require adjustments.

Remember, most travel coaches do not have the time to work with players 4 or 5 days a week away from the rest of the team. We also have jobs and have little time to individualize instruction. Most instruction I provide is on a team basis. Occasionally on a small group level.

I really do not think there is a shortage of 12U players. Just a shortage of prepared players who coaches are willing to work with. This could be corrected at the community or parent level if this is something they are serious about.

One way to test the waters is for community or community select teams to play in a couple of travel tournaments at 10's and 12's. Don't expect much. Just participate. Experience what it is like to play against travel selected kids. It should be an eye opening experience making those that are serious to work more on their game. Don't enter thinking you do not have a chance to win the tournament. Go into it as a learning experience. There is a lot to walk away with even if you do not win a game. I have done this in the past and walked away with a ton of experience.

I hope this is helpful. This sport takes up all of my free time with 2 daughters playing. There is no easy way to stand out. It takes tons of individual work to play this team sport.

Jeff Klopfer
Ohio Classics 12U (Purple)

 

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It would help if tryouts were more spread out, it seemed this year almost every team in the state had tryouts on the same two weekends.

It would help if more tryouts were listed in newspapers, not every parent, especially newbie parents are aware of the softball websites.

It would help to send invites to little league offices and schools.

If a player can not hit or catch the ball, they play communist kick ball. It is far easier to kick the big ball than it is to hit a fastball 20 mph faster than you ever saw in school or little league ball. Need softball parents to remind parents this is USA, not a third world country.

It would help if parents demanded high school ball be treated like a sport instead of a social club.

 

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"It would help if parents demanded high school ball be treated like a sport instead of a social club."


Well said, although I don't agree, some parents and players don't think playing for the ol' alma mater is the best thing to keep up the skills required to be on an elite team in the summer. Probably cause the coaching is a step down in most instances....

 

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The question is?? How long will the coach or the parents hold out for the team?? If they only have 5 or 6 players will the parents look to get with another team? Or will they take the chance and hope that the team will fill in the spring? The teams will disband in my opinion parents will look for another and sooner than you think there will be alot of 12u players. I believe there are to many REC style teams that just call themselves Select in which when the(SELECT) kids go to tryout the Rec coachs hurry and grab them up. Then they HOLD TALENT for as long as they can until we go back to the begining of the question!!!! I myself is one of the (SELECT) Coaches with 6 players still waiting for the Rec Coaches to LET GO of the girls!!! Well I guess the answer to the question is there is not a shortage of players there are just to many New Teams trying to start up!!!


vipers I am not sure if the teams you are talking about can be considered Rec style teams. They are select teams because they do intend to work thru-out the winter and get ready for next year. I that that is a big difference between select and rec teams.

I do however think that a number of players (actually parents) will begin to get nervous before too long if a team gets to the first of the year with a roster of 5 - 7 players. My worry as one of those parents would be what type of players will the team take just to fill the roster. If it is more of a local type team then perhaps a first year player that has potential but needs alot of work wil be OK. If it is an established select team (or organization) and they only have 5 - 7 players then they should begin to worry. The pickings will be mightly slim with the amount of teams out there.

I know that in our case, we have one spot to fill and we can afford to be a little picky. We know exactly the type of player that we are looking for and I have little doubt that this type of player will be available within the next month or so. It happens just about every year, thats why we normally leave a roster spot open.

Good luck to those teams that are still looking, I hope that you get the rosters full so we can have more teams in the mix.

 

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I really think that some coaches out there selling a lot of girls short. > I have a friend whose dd did not make a travel team because they wanted someone better. She did however play with a "Select" team (as you would call it) just for fall ball. She turned out to be a lot better than some of the "select" girls they hand picked! ;D IMHO some coaches are looking over what might be a diamond in the rough. This girl is now a player on that team for the whole season and not just for fall ball. What I'm saying is maybe you need to open your eyes a little wider and look for girls with some talent but lots of heart. They can only get better and probably in enough time for you seasons to really start. :-* IMHO

 

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(The Bear beat me to the eyes)

Be carefull catcher, you are venting at one of the most respected coaches in the area and your comments are uncalled for.

Some people seem to be demanding that their DD be allow to play Select softball. ?That is NOT the way it works. This is not Rec ball - it is Select and it is called select for a reason. ?Just like anything else in life a spot on a Select team is earned - not given. ?If your DD has the necessary skills, knowledge and ability to play for this level of softball then she will be selected for such a team. In high school, you tryout for a team or a squad. It is a competition for a spot on the team - just like Select softball. ?Would you demand the cheerleader coach to take you DD on the squad by showing her the definition of "Coach". ?You may try but it will not give you the desired results - that I can assure you. ?

Most travel coaches, in the off season, gets to work with the team maybe once a week and during the season - maybe once or twice a week. What a coach tries to do is to select a team where the players are of comparable skill levels. ?This will allow a coach to develop a practice plan that will apply to the whole team. If there is a wide diversity of abilities on the team - no one would get the full instructions they need. ?There simply is not enough time.

You made a point about paying for lessons and clinics. ?Yes, some can afford to do this and some cannot. ?I would say that 80% of my team have never paid for lessons. ?The skills were developed through practice at home with their parents, siblings, relatives, neighbors, etc. This is where every player gets their start. ?Try reading on-line what you can do to help your DD. ?There are countless websites that offers ideas on how to works on fundamentals. Whether you know it or not, you are your DD's first Coach

Good luck and keep the comment positive.

 

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I was just upset by the fact that this coach stated "girls who are working hard then stated private lessons and instruction" That seems unfair-doesn't it.

Unfair? ?If girls and their parents want to take lessons and can afford to in order to improve their DDs chances of making a select team, why not? ?Also, just because a player takes hitting or pitching lessons does NOT guarantee that they will be chosen for a select team. Let be honest. ?Some just do not have the physical ability to play softball. ?My oldest daughter is a prime example of that. ?She loved softball but it did not matter how much she worked at it - she was not physically coordinated enough to advance beyond the Rec team level and I worked with her many, many hours. ?She just did not have that ability.

If you feel it is unfair that a coach suggests getting lessons, then what is your solution?

My dd does practice at home with us but I, myself, do not know how to correct her wrongs unless someone (a coach) tells me what she is doing wrong. She takes her ball and glove everywhere we go just to play as much as possible. She knows that she has room to improve but where does it come from without help from a coach. Rec just doesn't give her (and other girls) the opportunity to improve beyond a certain point. Most kids she plays with in rec aren't serious or don't have the ability to challenge her to improve. That is what drives a lot of kids to improve-someone playing better then them. No one wants to be shown up.

Have you sought the advice and recommendations from coaches on how and what to work on at home? The advice is not only for your DD but for you as well. ?You mention that she is on a select team. ?Talk with your coach on what you can do at home to help her improve. ?Ask how to work with you DD as well as what to work on. ?Pay attention at practices and work on the same at home. ?If you want you are welcome to come to my practices and bring you DD along and I will take a look and see what you can do to help her at home. ?PM me if you are interested.

You are right, no one wants to be "shown up" but sometimes it takes just that to develop the motivation to improve. ?If you are "shown up" you have two choices - you can lay there and cry "unfair" or you can get up and do something about it. ?If she is the type to get up and do something about it, the battle is half won.

?This thread is about the lack of players at the 12U level. It appears that that isn't the case if 30-40 girls are showing up for tryouts. You mean to say that out of 40 girls 11 cannot be found to play select softball. Wow-maybe expectations are getting to high. I don't know.

I know of an organization that sees over a hundred girls from all over the state in order to pick 11-12 girls. Each team and organization has it's own expectations and seek to find players that fits those expectations. ?You will find as many different "expectations" as you find uniform colors. ?If one organization's expectation's doesn't suit you - find another. ?

As far as finding help online we did this in August found a few drills that I have started with her to improve her throwdowns (her main problem area) but the reality is we live in Ohio-the weather just doesn't co-operate enough months out of the year to practice much off season unless you are on a team or you can go indoors ($$$instruction again).I have never came across an open gym type softball practice. Where you can just pay a small amount and go to practice on your own.

Check at your local school to see if there is an open gym where your DD to practice. ?If not, ask if there is anytime you can come to the gym to work with your daughter. ?Check with the local YMCA or rec center for times that you can use their facilities. Even some churches have facilities you can use (we have in the past). ?

There are all kinds post on here looking for players that want to play winter ball. ?Better yet, start your own winter ball team or talk with your select coach and see if there are players on the team that want to play winter ball (you only need 6 players). ?Look around, the answers are there and you have to find them. Opportunity does not always knock at your door.

[highlight]Again I am sorry to have hit a nerve[/highlight].

The "eyes" do not come out where someone "hits a nerve". ?It comes out when someone crosses the line or insults other posters, such as "Maybe some of you need to re-read that before taking a coaching position!" ?That was totally uncalled for. ?To apologize for "hitting a nerver" is not an apology.