Wow!!!

So easy for a "travel team" to be good. These are generally girls that are willing to spend their summer traveling and playing ball along with their families-a big time and money commitment. Sometimes at the high school level, coaches get what they get. No knowledge of this situation, but travel teams by and large should be better than high school teams. I have been involved with many summer teams, and I really don't see a lot of coaching going on there. The girls are good, and the coaches main responsibility is organization, raising money, scheduleing and setting lineups. High school ball would be much harder to coach in my opinion.

 

I must be living under a rock! Every travel team I've seen and have been a part of coach on the field during games, coach at practices, coach in the dugout. Some even carry on the coaching through winter to continue developing pitchers, catchers, and batters. On many teams, parents pitch in to help with the organization, raising money, lining up hotels, etc.

 

I'm not sure how it's easy for travel teams to be good either. I've seen several that would struggle beating a rec-ball team. You tryout for travel teams just as you tryout for high school teams. You may get a better selection when it comes to a travel team, but that doesn't make things easier, you still have to work with them and form them into a fluid team. If coaches weren't needed to coach because travel ball girls as so much better, then what is the purpose of college coaches and pro coaches? Just to make a selection and a lineup? They have staff that takes care of promotions, scouting, scheduling, etc.

 

Just curious, but did you know most travel coaches don't even get paid, don't get hotel rooms paid for, really have no fringes...they are typically their because they have a player on the team, but even that isn't always the case...some do it for the love of the game, to promote girls fast-pitch softball, to be able to feed schools developed players, etc. My opinion is that its harder to coach travel ball because they have full-time jobs like everyone else, no fringes, its time consuming, expensive, and a huge commitment in summer while most others are vacationing. I'm not saying its easy to coach high school ball, but to say its easy to have a good team and easier for travel coaches...that's ridiculous!

 

High school coaches get what they pick in tryouts. From their, it is the purpose of an athletic program for coaches to start developing players, that's what they are paid for (not saying it's worth the $, but it's something). By the time players reach Varsity, coaches should be getting what they have developed through the program. Varsity coaches should be communicating guidelines and expectations to the Freshman and JV coaches who should be teaching skills and fundamentals (even to non-experienced players). Varsity coaches should be teaching advanced offensive and defensive skills to girls that have come up through the program (or another program for transfers). All teams need coached.

After reading this thread, i am officially dumber than i was prior to me reading this, lol

If you are involved in travel ball and don't see any coaching, then you need to find a different travel team.