Community Organizations

House league

• Typically non-competitive for better players
• Coaching is usually by Dads, many with little or no baseball or coaching knowledge
• Runs gamut from inconsistent playing time to overuse at given positions
• As batters, often see mediocre to poor pitching; no challenge to improve hitting
• Little pre-game prep/warm-up exposing player to injury
• Often no instruction or wrong instruction on:
  Situational Baseball
  Baserunning
  Biomechanics
  Fundamentals
• Recreational benefit of playing with friends and school classmates

Community Travel

• More competitive, but can still marginal for better players
• How big a role does “politics” play in selection and playing time
• Some organizations have a strong tradition of travel teams
• Most have minimum “community player” requirements
• What opportunities will continue to exist as you progress in system?

• Some speak of “chemistry” developed by playing together
  • NTHS
  • 2009 champs: just over 50% of starters played community teams
  • 2010: just over 40% of starters played community teams
  • 2011: only 1 in 3 starters played community teams
  • GBS averages over 50% of team playing full-time travel pre-HS
  • NDHS averages over 50% of team playing full-time travel pre-HS
  • Loyola averages over 50% of team playing full-time travel pre-HS

Coaching may be by:

Dads

• A mix from knowledgeable, somewhat skilled coaches to not.

High school or college-age kids

• may or may not have played baseball
• no training in coaching skills
• little to no technical skills
• availability restrictions of playing (HS) or away at school (college)

Academy instructors

• Perhaps more knowledgeable in baseball
• Primary focus: team or Academy business?
• As a paid coach may be too aware of need for team to “win at all costs” to preserve tenure.
• “Position pigeon-holing” becomes pervasive

• Limits understanding of responsibilities of various positions
• Today’s shortstop may be tomorrow’s catcher (Greg Maddux was drafted as an outfielder! Buster Posey was converted to catcher as a senior in college!)
• Risk of arm injury rises exponentially from overuse as a “pigeon-holed” pitcher.

• Some speak of “chemistry” developed by playing together
  • NTHS
  • 2009 champs: just over 50% of starters played community teams
  • 2010: just over 40% of starters played community teams
  • 2011: only 1 in 3 starters played community teams
  • GBS averages over 50% of team playing full-time travel pre-HS
  • NDHS averages over 50% of team playing full-time travel pre-HS
  • Loyola averages over 50% of team playing full-time travel pre-HS

Full time “sort of” travel teams

Ticked-off Dads

• Don’t like the players selected or the coaching available
• These teams form, pull some good players
• No real teaching, just athletic players
• Focus is on winning – a recreational concept
• “My son’s a stud”

• I want him on a “good” team, so I’ll form my own.
• Probably 2 or 3 other Dads from area think same way and form a team

“Supplemental Income” Team

• I know some baseball
• I can put a tourney team together and make some side cash.

Full time travel programs

Academy Teams

• Mixed loyalties
• Natural conflict for coaches of players being “paying students” versus not.
• Focus MUST solely be on team record to continue bringing in paying students
• Need to win versus desire to develop your player
• Potential for oversized influence of “lessons-paying” parents
• Potential for player abuse to “get the win”
• Position “pigeon-holing” is probable
• Academy must have focus on growing future business
• Paid coaches have natural conflict of time spent with team versus additional lessons revenue

“Rental Program” organizations

• Provide “packages” for “sort of” teams
• Facilitates formation for Dads starting their own travel team
• Typically look for a player or 2 or 3 to “round out” the roster
• Program performance varies year-to-year; level-to-level depending on who put a decent team together

Top Flight Programs

• Continuity of organization, administration and coaches
• Excellent teaching program
• Structured learning environment
• Primary focus is on developing players for their future