Dad Coaches ?

Bubba Hut, Keep doing the same as you have been, becuase your duaghter is playing well. I believe she is one of the top hitters in the area. Keep up the good work.

 

Dad Coaches

Thanks cfastpitch44, We are very happy to be surrounded by quality players and parents. I know what a critical year this will be and just don't want to mess it up for her. Thanks for the great advice, You have set a great example to follow.

 

The more important question should be when does your daughter's abilities and potential surpass your abilities and capabilities as a coach.

 

dad coaches

even when your dd's abilities surpass your own, no reason not to keep coaching, just let others with more knowledge take over with those players that have passed you by, and keep doing what you have always done with those you can help.
I have always felt that the head coach should not have a player on team, but as has been said, a lot of times options are limited. As for myself, I did not go into the dugout until my daughter moved on, just so there would be no conflicts. Spent 11 yrs as an unofficial assistant, every practice, every game, school and travel, working with all the other kids, using other time to work with my dd. It seemed to serve us well, though in retrospect I probably should have spent more time with my own in the team setting.
For those newer coaches, use this forum, information and advice is free. The mistakes we have made over the years are for the benefit of the next batch of kids coming through, and we are all willing to share.

 

I guess my experience has been that when my daughter surpassed my coaching abilities so moved on to at team in which all the players had done so also.

One needs to recognize ones limitations - I only coach younger players because that's an area in which I can do well. While I miss the high school age group and the more complexities of the game, I know they are in better hands with a more experienced coach. My job is to train them early, recognize and foster talent, and then pass them on to higher levels.

 

Parents

Lots of good ideas being provided! I coached both my daugthers over the years but mainly Abby. The main thing if U are a parent coaching is to be honest with your child and the other kids. Do not play your child because she is your daughter, play her because she deserves to play and gives a 100% at all times. I am sure I hurt Abby by sitting her at times because it was easier than sitting another kid that parents would scream. That was the main disadvantage I experienced in being a "parent coach". Dad's become coaches for many reasons, as long as they are good intentions, why not coach? The Blues would not exist without Abby and Nicolette, Meredith O'Connor, and Felix Hubbard and his lovely daughter. All Dad's trying to assist their daughters improve in the game of softball. Keep it up Dad's, don't feel bad, just always be fair and honest with yourself and your daughters, as well as your team. We all make wrong decisions, we all fail, we all stink at times, but if we are man enough to admit it, we will be just fine. I think most travel coaches I know follow these rules. RET

 

Rodney, I couldn't have said it better.

 

Players Perspective

I was coached by my father from t-ball to my senior year in high school. I think there were goods and bads to him coaching. The number one positive was that I always knew he was there for me-that is the number one thing kids need. I will say that he never was a head coach and there was a very clear line between dad and coach. In all my years he never ever put me on the field in front of someone just because I was his daughter, I had to work just as hard if not harder to prove that I earned my playing time and that it wasnt just given.
I think having him as just an assistant coach and having several other coaches growing up really helped me when I got to college. My advice to all dad coaches out there would be to treat your daughter like you treat everyone else on the team. If she gets to college and she has been given everything and babied along the way she will be in for a long road of maturity building, attitude adjustment and (worst of all) lack of self worth and confidence.
Being a coach now, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of daddy ball. I must say that I have seen more bad and ugly than I have seen good out of daddy ball. Again, I think it is great that parents want to be so involved with their children, but I have seen a lot of "I" over "TEAM" and that is not teaching anyone a good life lesson.
I would like to leave on this note: when I was growing up there was always an emphasis on "this game is a lesson in life; if you work hard you succeed, nothing is going to be given to you. Everything you need to know about life you can learn from this game!"

 

Do you really believe that? If you do you are sadly mistaken and will be very disapointed down the road.

 

Ondeck

Some very good comments, I agree that many of life's lessons can be learned in softball and other team sports: working together to accomplish a goal, dealing with all kinds of different personalities, dealing with good and bad leadership, handling heartache and joy and all the other emotional feelings, sometimes within minutes of each other, gaining friends, learning that the better U get at the activity U choose, the more fun and easier that activity becomes and the more your efforts are noticed. Canam, U always seem to have a negative twist on things said, no need for that, ONDECK has some good points and is remembering life's lessons she had. I am sure U learned many positive and negative things in your playing days, whatever sport U played that has assisted U in life. OnDeck was not trying to indicate that softball teaches U everything about life. Hope all have a joyous holiday season.