Petition the HS "dead periods"

What would it take to get rid of HS dead periods, so coaches and teams could work more on player development?

I'm not talking about competing against TB, or other HS sports. There will always be players who will want to play other sports or TB and I know we all encourage that.

There are many HS programs that would benefit greatly if the dead periods were relaxed. HS coaches would be free to develop more kids for their programs, more rec programs would benefit because they'd be more utilized for kids not playing TB, softball would be elevated across the state.

Reason I bring this up is because when my DD got started she learned early on she had to play up and against better talent even though her talent at that time was very subpar. But as she grew she blew by girls who were better than her originally, and now those kids are working to catch her. And the girls who play at my DD's level are working to get to the NEXT level from what they see, so forth and so on.

I just think it would be a win win situation. Don't understand why the stranglehold on what would be a clear case for developing the talent pool long term, especially when you see team captains and parents suppliment HS Fall and off season workouts at training facilities when the HS coach can not be involved. Heard lots of coaches complain about dead periods.

Is it time to stop talking about it and do something?

 

Dead periods exist for a reason...

 

As much as we dislike them I have to agree that dead periods are a necessary evil. Otherwise, many kids would be subjected to overkill. As it stands now the rules just do keep it in check.

In actuality, the dead period rules aren't the real problem. If players and coaches use all the time they are allowed to use that would be plenty sufficient. Even if they used 75% of that time that would be a major improvement in some of the programs I'm aware of.

Time after time after time I see workouts with 3 or 4 kids. About half of those being kids that will end up on JV.

The real issue is how do we motivate the kids and sometimes the coaches to work to get better? Maybe we need to have some "alive" periods!

 

A complaint that is common among players when they go to sign up 8/8 workouts is that they fill up to fast, and they get discouraged. They get tired of going in and trying to sign up to workout and can not get in so they give up. Maybe that's why you see only three, four kids at a workout.

Many kids subjected to overkill? I don't see that at all, at least not at our school. Coach understands if a kid has another commitment. Anytime my DD had to go to attend to something she was allowed to do it and ecouraged to do so. But when she had the time to work on softball she did and always made it a point to talk with her coach as much as possible to work on weaknesses.

Give the coaches MORE fexibility to be able to work with kids. Open it up a tiny bit more. Allow kids and coaches the opportunity to reach their goals at the highest level without hampering their development. Always some rule to hold people down. Sorry but I don't get that.

 

In all the time I've been coaching HS ball I've only had to turn away two players--and that was this year on two separate occasions.

The dead-period rules weren't made for those coaches who understand that players have other responsibilities; they were made for those who don't understand.

Of course, there are no coaches who need that rule. Riiight.

 

So what are you saying? There are coaches who bend the rules and are bad coaches? Are aggressive? Coaches who don't understand? Understand what? I thought we were trying to encourage kids to play not discourage.

There is good and bad with everything. You know that. Good HS proprams where kids love it, bad HS programs where kids hate it. Same with TB, same with just about anything. But where there is a positive instead of encouragement we get a negative (rule) that says...Well, you can't do it that way. I just don't get that....help me out. It's not like we are trying to cork bats here.

 

Those rules apply across all sports. I don't know of any specific examples but I've heard where one sport would forbid players from trying out for other sports. Or occupy them so they couldn't try out.

Some coaches might even put more emphasis on their sport than on academics. Not necessarily intentionally but by expecting a player to be able to commit 110% to sports and 110% to academics.

I'm sure it won't be too long before you will be reading some posts on this thread about horror stories concerning abuses leading to or supporting the dead-period rules.

 

Dead periods are one of the worst rules in high school sports!! Period. I see so many girls who would love to get to practice but can't because of dead periods. It is said they were started to get kids to tryout for other sports. Well why do they last a whole month. Maybe one week of tryouts OK but the whole month; ridiculous!! The worst one is the one in August. some assistant coaches also coach travelball and legally can't do it the whole month of August when a lot of good tournaments are being played. And what really gets my blood boiling is for the first half of the month the kids are not even in school but they are being regulated by school rules. I don't think any "dedicated" coach would ever be in favor of dead periods but the ones looking for a break to not have to mess with his players are all for them

 

Time used wisely

Most HS coaches don't want to spend the time in the off season to work anyway. Those who do know how to work it out to their benefit. As far as the dead period goes if the coach is any count the girls know what to work on without the coach telling them. They need to relax the eight girl limit. Its just like playing in the fall you need a good parent that knows softball.

 

Good points.