Travel Ball Coaches: Doing it for the Right Reasons

Travel Ball Coaches: Doing it for the Right Reasons?

As high school softball season ends many travel ball coaches are looking forward to coaching summer softball. Many travel ball coaches today are coaching for the right reasons, but others are in it strictly for the money and getting their players signed to top schools around the nation and not thinking about what is right for the student athlete.¹ Travel ball teams move constantly from the start of summer to the fall and spend countless hours traveling. At the end of the day, most of these coaches started coaching because they had a love for the game of softball at one time.¹

Travel ball coaches spend an enormous amount of time with student athletes, more than what high school coaches spend with them during the school year.¹ Today getting the athlete recruited has become more important than just enjoying teaching the student athlete the game of softball. Yes, it is very important to get each athlete recruited, and a sense of pride is felt when an athlete commits to a college. But what happened to the passion that the game once possessed? What happen to helping each young athlete grow to become a strong and mature lady?² Todays softball world is so focused on recruiting that athletes are moving away from enjoying the game that they love and have a passion for.

Many travel ball coaches are doing it right, but some are still getting away from what is best for the athlete. In the end, it is about the athlete, and the enjoyment that comes from teaching them the basic skills of the game while leaving a long lasting impression on them that will last them a lifetime.

 

 

 

 

 

¹Hewitt, P. M. (2009). The Recruiting Process. College Student-athletes: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Implications

 

²Letawsky, N. R., Schneider, R. G., Pedersen, P. M., & Palmer, C. J. (2003). Factors influencing the college selection process of student-athletes.