When did the responsibility of softball coaches change?

[Louuuuu]

But it's not their responsibility. Many coaches will gladly help players make the right contacts, but it's not their obligation. And you can't say that your daughter didn't get into College X because their travel/HS coach didn't do enough. Primarily, you control your path to college athletics.

 

[softballmomrlz22]

Great thread Coach...many have made great points.

My view- HS if you don't have a coach that is taking a interest in your Rec ball program, then you will and can have the same problems that Travel Ball organizations have....
If you aren't starting with the fundamentals at the young ages and progressing them through with each age level ... your eventually hurting your HS Softball program. So why not do the Rec Ball camps each year with your HS players doing the teaching. It helps to bring some revenue to your HS team by charging a small fee, you also know what fundamentals are being taught that you want the girls to learn. You progress your camps and teaching with each age level. That way it's a win/win situation for all at the school.
Is it the coaches responsibility to get the girls recruited....in my OPINION NO. They can and do help, which is great. But ultimately this is up to the player/parents. They should be contacting coaches, sending their schedules, keeping in contact. Going to the camps.
And as the DD's move up in age groups, you need to be deciding what kind of team you want or need...the Showcase or Trophy teams. As stated the older they get it isn't about the winning/losing, it's about being seen.
And sometimes many need to remember in the end....the game our DD's love is a extra on top of getting into college. Basing your college decision on what Division school they are isn't how it should be done (IMHO), this is about our DD's EDUCATIONS/MAJORS..what they want to do for the rest of their lives !! With a bonus of playing ball while they are getting the education.
Sometimes we all need to step back and ask the simple question..........and for each and every individual this is different...

 

[Blue Ice]

"Just Win, Baby".

I just told my son this before 1st playoff game last week.

 

[wow]

@ CarMad- You are 100% correct. That's why its critical to prepare yourself to make the best team you can. I think we both agree you have to be in the best turneys. If you qualify for a national event great, if not it comes back to the organization and which teams they have played. One other piece of this puzzle is how each of the coaches is networked. This is a political environment and it helps to have a coaches who have walked the path before, meaning if the coach has kids he has helped get seen in the past it will be all the better for the current team.

Great points all the way around..

 

[The3dm]

Okay, I guess I will chime in with my personal beliefs (for what they are worth).

First I think there needs to be a distinction made between a coach and a manager and their responsibilities to the team.


Manager - A manager needs to be the person that handles all ancillary BS that goes with a team, whether it means establishing a schedule of games/practices/tournaments etc. These schedules need to be established to maximize the coach/player interaction time as well as exposure to scouts for older teams. Collection of fees, uniform issues, tournament entry, first contact for parents etc....

Coach - Needs to be able to evaluate talent, develop talent (or have resources to offset their shortcomings), develop the TEAM, develop individuals through identifying strengths, weaknesses, etc. and then working with the players to establish a plan for development (coach & player develop the plan, the player is responsible to execute it). The coach is responsible to ensure that the TEAM is exposed to scouts as needed to put the players in a position to achieve their goal (the goals should be known by the coach through interviews with the players).


The above are brief descriptions as we all know there are many more duties that I did not cover. I believe the major problem with most teams is that the coach does double duty as the manager. If we separated these responsibilities on a team, the team is much more likely to be successful. IMHO

P.S. Winning is not a sign of development unless it was preceeded by losing.