Post by Admin on Dec 13, 2012 21:56:03 GMT -5
What Should You Consider When Picking a Team?
Choosing a Team
Getting the Right Fit
Choosing a team is an important decision. Remember, the point of choosing a team is for your daughter to learn, have fun, and play. How do you know if the team is right for her? Here are some basic questions to ask:
What are my daughter's goals? Do they match the team goals?Notice I said, "your daughter's goals" and not yours! It is important that the goals of the player and the team match. Putting a recreationally focused player on a highly competitive team may lead to stress and burnout. Putting a competitive player on a mostly recreational team may lead to boredom, frustration, and burnout. Look at the team, their ability, their competition and practice schedule and their past record. If your daughter is older and aiming to play softball in college, look to see how many college exposure tournaments the team plans to attend. You won't get much college exposure if all you play is local tournaments! Also look to see how many players they have placed on college teams.
Who are the Coaches? Picking the right coach is very important. Of course, credentials and history are important. Did the coach play softball? Has she/he coached successfully? For how long and at what level? Do they have a daughter on the team?
This last question is an important one. There are some coaches who can coach a team effectively with their daughter on it. They are few and far between. Having his daughter on the team can be extremely distractive for a coach. He may spend more time worrying about his daughter's performance than anything else. He may favor her or be harder on her. The bottom line is that if the manager or any of the coaches on the team have daughters who play on that team, be very cautious.
Probably the most important question to ask yourself is, "What is her/his coaching style?"
Watch the coach in a game and at a practice and ask yourself if this is a person you want working with your child. Ask other parents on the team about how she/he coaches. Remember, there are almost always more than one coach, so look at EVERYONE who will be working with the team.
Sit down with the coach and ask some of the following:
What is your philosophy of coaching?
What support do you expect from parents?
How can I contact you with a question or problem?
What do you expect from your players?
If a coach can't or won't answer these questions, then consider him/her carefully before putting your daughter on his team. Most coaches will be happy to let you know where they stand on these questions. He/she will also appreciate the chance to let you know how you can work with him.
Finally, it is a good idea to join an organization that requires background checks of coaches. Many local and national associations are requiring this, but not all.
What is the organization like? Find out the following:
What is the philosophy or mission of the organization?
Who runs the organization? ( Many are run by "boards" which are made up of parents and other interested parties)
How long has the organization been around?
What are the organization's plans for the future?
How do I voice my opinions to the organization?
What does the organization expect from parents? Players?
Another way to check this is to watch the fans and parents of the team at a game. Do they seem to be having fun watching their children play? Do they get along? Watch out for groups that seems divided or who have parents who gossip or talk about the coaches, kids, other parents, etc. This could indicate problems for you in the future.
Something else to consider is how long do parents keep their daughters with the organization. Does there seem to be a lot of turnover from year to year? This could indicate that something is not working right.
Remember, once you invest your time and money in an organization, you have to live with it for at least a season. Carefully consider signing on with anyone until you feel comfortable that you know what you are getting into.
What are the other players like? Are the other girls friendly? Do they welcome your daughter? Do they seem to enjoy playing with and being together? Does your daughter seem to fit in?
Remember that many girls want to feel social acceptance and friendship on the teams they play for. Look out for "cliques" that may ostracize other girls. Your daughter will be playing with these girls for a season. You want her to enjoy it.
Playing Time A huge issue for kids and parents is playing time. It must be considered when choosing a team. Again, parents and the athlete must define their goals. Are you looking for a lot of playing time? Do you want to move up to a better team? Do you want to travel a lot or a little?
If you are looking for a lot of playing time, you need to make sure that your daughter is the right fit for the team. Will she be a starter? What is the coach's philosophy about playing all players? How many players will be on the squad? All of these issues impact playing time. If she is the 3rd or 4th pitcher or a backup player in a position, she will not get as much playing time as the front line players.
Sometimes, playing time is not as important as the quality of the team. Is it better to play on a lesser team or get less playing time on a better team? Again, your daughter's goals will determine which of these is better for her. A player cannot get better if she does not play, nor can she play better on a bad team.
Ask the coaches these questions directly. The answers to these questions will help determine your choice.
www.softballmom.org/index.html
Choosing a Team
Getting the Right Fit
Choosing a team is an important decision. Remember, the point of choosing a team is for your daughter to learn, have fun, and play. How do you know if the team is right for her? Here are some basic questions to ask:
What are my daughter's goals? Do they match the team goals?Notice I said, "your daughter's goals" and not yours! It is important that the goals of the player and the team match. Putting a recreationally focused player on a highly competitive team may lead to stress and burnout. Putting a competitive player on a mostly recreational team may lead to boredom, frustration, and burnout. Look at the team, their ability, their competition and practice schedule and their past record. If your daughter is older and aiming to play softball in college, look to see how many college exposure tournaments the team plans to attend. You won't get much college exposure if all you play is local tournaments! Also look to see how many players they have placed on college teams.
Who are the Coaches? Picking the right coach is very important. Of course, credentials and history are important. Did the coach play softball? Has she/he coached successfully? For how long and at what level? Do they have a daughter on the team?
This last question is an important one. There are some coaches who can coach a team effectively with their daughter on it. They are few and far between. Having his daughter on the team can be extremely distractive for a coach. He may spend more time worrying about his daughter's performance than anything else. He may favor her or be harder on her. The bottom line is that if the manager or any of the coaches on the team have daughters who play on that team, be very cautious.
Probably the most important question to ask yourself is, "What is her/his coaching style?"
Watch the coach in a game and at a practice and ask yourself if this is a person you want working with your child. Ask other parents on the team about how she/he coaches. Remember, there are almost always more than one coach, so look at EVERYONE who will be working with the team.
Sit down with the coach and ask some of the following:
What is your philosophy of coaching?
What support do you expect from parents?
How can I contact you with a question or problem?
What do you expect from your players?
If a coach can't or won't answer these questions, then consider him/her carefully before putting your daughter on his team. Most coaches will be happy to let you know where they stand on these questions. He/she will also appreciate the chance to let you know how you can work with him.
Finally, it is a good idea to join an organization that requires background checks of coaches. Many local and national associations are requiring this, but not all.
What is the organization like? Find out the following:
What is the philosophy or mission of the organization?
Who runs the organization? ( Many are run by "boards" which are made up of parents and other interested parties)
How long has the organization been around?
What are the organization's plans for the future?
How do I voice my opinions to the organization?
What does the organization expect from parents? Players?
Another way to check this is to watch the fans and parents of the team at a game. Do they seem to be having fun watching their children play? Do they get along? Watch out for groups that seems divided or who have parents who gossip or talk about the coaches, kids, other parents, etc. This could indicate problems for you in the future.
Something else to consider is how long do parents keep their daughters with the organization. Does there seem to be a lot of turnover from year to year? This could indicate that something is not working right.
Remember, once you invest your time and money in an organization, you have to live with it for at least a season. Carefully consider signing on with anyone until you feel comfortable that you know what you are getting into.
What are the other players like? Are the other girls friendly? Do they welcome your daughter? Do they seem to enjoy playing with and being together? Does your daughter seem to fit in?
Remember that many girls want to feel social acceptance and friendship on the teams they play for. Look out for "cliques" that may ostracize other girls. Your daughter will be playing with these girls for a season. You want her to enjoy it.
Playing Time A huge issue for kids and parents is playing time. It must be considered when choosing a team. Again, parents and the athlete must define their goals. Are you looking for a lot of playing time? Do you want to move up to a better team? Do you want to travel a lot or a little?
If you are looking for a lot of playing time, you need to make sure that your daughter is the right fit for the team. Will she be a starter? What is the coach's philosophy about playing all players? How many players will be on the squad? All of these issues impact playing time. If she is the 3rd or 4th pitcher or a backup player in a position, she will not get as much playing time as the front line players.
Sometimes, playing time is not as important as the quality of the team. Is it better to play on a lesser team or get less playing time on a better team? Again, your daughter's goals will determine which of these is better for her. A player cannot get better if she does not play, nor can she play better on a bad team.
Ask the coaches these questions directly. The answers to these questions will help determine your choice.
www.softballmom.org/index.html