When do you play to win? (un-PC)

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Be honest.

I always see people post, "we play to just get better, etc, etc." Well I want to know what is your true primary goal in travel ball; to win or just get better.

Also, if you do just play to get better, when do you start to play to win?
14U?
High School?
College?
Co-Ed Slo-pitch Beer League?
Never?

 

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Every team we play seams to play to win as do we, but there is a time when game is in hand or out of hand that you need to work on things as well as make sure your bench is in.
A team is only as strong as it's weakest player

 

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I couldn't agree more Wolf,(A team is only as strong as it's weakest player) If you can't pull a girl from your bench any given moment and have confidence that she can play were you need her then someones not doing their job teaching her.

 

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You play to win on the weekends, you get better by working during the week.

 

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I choose to interpret the question differently. You always play to win the game, but you need to pick opponents that are capable of beating your team. Otherwise you can't improve. A travel team with a .900 winning percentage is suspicious to me.

 

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You play to win on the weekends, you get better by working during the week.

I think Coop nailed it pretty good.

 

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We play (As a DD, Family & Parent) to get better. Winning is fun, so we always want to win. And Losing really S _ _ _ S, but I don't believe "winning" is why we play but a result that occurs when you have a group of kids, coaches, and parents all in it for the same reason.

Hard not to win, when everyone is on the same page.

Elite Teams Play up to get better, and even the best of the best LOSE regularly when playing far enough up the ladder. So Playing to win is pointless, as victories can be meaningless if you're not working hard to earn them.

And of coarse working your butt off without winning, is a sign of talent, coaching, commitment, and or competition level issues........ that should get addressed to make sure kids working hard have an opportunity to succeed in winning aside from personally getting better.

 

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Coop's statement pretty well sums it up in general. But on the weekends you have to get challenged to get better and if you are getting challenged you will not always win .

The friendlies the first of May were a perfect example of teams/players playing to get better and not winning every game.

 

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TEAMS winning games don't get individual girls college scholarships. Girls playing the game for coaches whose goal is to help them get better will get the girls scholarships. Just my 2cents.

 

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You play to win on the weekends, you get better by working during the week.[/QUOT


That needs to be put on a tee shirt

Tim

 

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where do you think I got. i am not that clever. JK

 

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Why play if you aren't trying to win?
The ultimate goal of getting better is so you can win right?

Nothing I hate more than people that don't try!
I absolutely know that we will not always win, but it is much
More fulfilling to have tried your best and become victorious
Over a worthy opponent!

 

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When do you play NOT to win ??

 

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When do you play NOT to win ??

my thoughts exactly. Sure, sign me up to loose...

 

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Always played to win ... but the primary purpose we played travel ball was to get better. The two are not mutually exclusive. Winning always made getting better a whole lot more fun.

 

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I cannot believe that any coach would say that they do not play to win. Like Coop said, you practice to win. You teach the players to do what they need to win and the teaching never stops. In practice or in games. Every time a team takes the field there is a learning opportunity. I think Coop will testify that any moment you can use to teach - use it, including during a game, when the team is in the dugout, between innings, etc. If the girls are eager to learn - you will see results immediately. I know Coop DD did and it was exciting to see those kind of moments.

I had an opportunity to assist JoeA in a fall tournament at Toledo several years ago. There was something that happened during the game that offered a perfect "teaching moment" that he immediately taught the girls that were sitting on the bench. He identified the situation, recounted what was done and then taught what should have been done. That always stuck with me. Never waste a teaching moment. Never!

 

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Bottom line you practice to win. If you aren't there to win don't show up!!

Mike

 

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You play to get better. When you are better than your opponent, the wins will happen on thier own.

 

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Daveo...

Usually, mostly usually, but not always. Murphy's law has a way of creeping into every situation. Trust me.

 

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I once had a coach tell me he would rather the girls have fun and loose then be too hung up about winning to have fun. My wife looked at me when I told her that and said" show me a group of 12 year old girls tha will have fun loosing". My girls go onto the field every day expecting to win, and I do every thing I can to help that goal. Practice, clinics, lessons, and hours of sitting on a bucket catching or hitting balls. We put in the time, money and energy to get them there and I know both my DD's hate loosing they are there to win. When they wake you on your day off to take them to the field to practice slapping, or just to hit off the tee, you know this is what they want, and you want it for them. There is a difference in loosing and getting beat, you loose by your own mistakes, you can be beat by a team that is just better that day.