How Much Playing Time in Sports?

[Shooby]

Ok parents. How much playing do you think your child should get on a team? Does it matter if it is a scrimmage or tournament? What if your child doesn't work hard or isn't very good? What if your child works really hard and is a top player? Does that change hiw yiu feel? Does the grade level matter? Is there a point where the coach is allowed to simply play and try to win the game?

[swamp]

I don't think it should be play to win until HS. And rotate everyone in equally. 

Youth sports are about developing skills. They all suck when they first start. 

The he only time I think a kid should be benched is misconduct. 

[Shooby]

I don't know. There are kids who are ready to excell and work very hard. Why should theybe held back?

[Shooby]

Dd works darn hard at basketball. And there are some girls who dont care. They laugh when they turnover the ball. Yeah in 4th grade ok. But now why should the team have to lose games over a few who dont care and have done nothing to improve their skills in 4 yrs?

[Deleted]

I think that, for instance, AYSO is different than say league... 

[Angel!]

I would think if you aren't happy, then you should join a more competitive league that will allow your DD to play more.

[Shooby]

I did. She is playing AAU.

[gooddecisions]

In youth leagues that you simply sign up and pay to play on, I think it should be pretty equal. In elementary and middle school, if you made the team, you should get to play. In high school (specifically teams for the high school, not necessarily community leagues you pay to play and have no cuts), all bets are off. Play the b-side in the games that either don't matter or sub them in when you have a good lead. Do teams not have cuts anymore? Why are people on the team if they are terrible and don't care?

[Shooby]

Our school does no cuts. We just put in JR high volleyball. 47 girls signed up. Which is great but that is too many for a team.g

[billisonboard]

Jan 25, 2015 21:00:07 GMT -5 Shooby said:

Dd works darn hard at basketball. And there are some girls who dont care. They laugh when they turnover the ball. Yeah in 4th grade ok. But now why should the team have to lose games over a few who dont care and have done nothing to improve their skills in 4 yrs?

Have you tried getting in the face of the parents who continue to sign up their piece of shit offspring to get them to either beat their children so they will do better or drop off the team? I mean, we are talking what -ten year olds. Time to sort the wheat from the chaff.

[swamp]

Jan 25, 2015 21:00:07 GMT -5 Shooby said:

Dd works darn hard at basketball. And there are some girls who dont care. They laugh when they turnover the ball. Yeah in 4th grade ok. But now why should the team have to lose games over a few who dont care and have done nothing to improve their skills in 4 yrs?

What should they do, have a hissy fit?  

Michael Jordan got cut from the JV team his first try. Good thing somebody encouraged him. 

[Shooby]

How about caring? And actually trying for starters.

[Shooby]

Jan 25, 2015 21:27:43 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Jan 25, 2015 21:00:07 GMT -5 Shooby said:

Dd works darn hard at basketball. And there are some girls who dont care. They laugh when they turnover the ball. Yeah in 4th grade ok. But now why should the team have to lose games over a few who dont care and have done nothing to improve their skills in 4 yrs?

Have you tried getting in the face of the parents who continue to sign up their piece of shit offspring to get them to either beat their children so they will do better or drop off the team? I mean, we are talking what -ten year olds. Time to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Sorry. I thought it might be possible to have an actual discussion about this but thanks fir reminding me why I dont often bother anymore.

[billisonboard]

My mistake.

[gooddecisions]

Just to be clear, are we talking about 4th graders or 8th graders?

[billisonboard]

Jan 25, 2015 22:22:45 GMT -5 gooddecisions said:

Just to be clear, are we talking about 4th graders or 8th graders?

Thanks for asking this. I see now how I believe I misread an earlier post.

[gooddecisions]

Regardless, if a school doesn't have cuts and allows 47 kids to join a single team with one side, then the competitive kid will have to adapt and go with the flow. She/he can still be serious and play hard, but is going to have to be a good sport when it comes to sharing the playing time. Nobody deserves to play the whole game if that's not the culture.

[Deleted]

I read 4th initially as well.

[gooddecisions]

I've played and coached dozens and dozens of sports, and the attitude of the MVP makes a huge difference, at least when it comes to girls/women's sports. I can't speak for men's sports. Players will sit out and insist the MVP play the entire game when she is a really good person with a great attitude.

[Ryan]

Jan 25, 2015 20:50:07 GMT -5 Shooby said:

Ok parents. How much playing do you think your child should get on a team? Does it matter if it is a scrimmage or tournament? What if your child doesn't work hard or isn't very good? What if your child works really hard and is a top player? Does that change hiw yiu feel? Does the grade level matter? Is there a point where the coach is allowed to simply play and try to win the game?

Kids that are on a rec-league type team should all have equal play.  You only pointed out the 2 extremes though...there are also good players that don't try and not so good players that do try.  

You should get over the fact that most people/kids don't care about sports as much as you do.  

[tallguy]

Everybody should get to play up until about age 12.  The idea at earlier ages is not to win, but to learn how to play properly, to be active, and to have fun.  That may set the stage for a more active life going forward.  When you get to the point that junior high and high-school sports become a focus, it changes.  There are future opportunities such as college scholarships at stake, and the better players need to have a chance at those.

I have long believed that (with good coaching) one can learn much more about life through playing sports than they will in school.  That process can begin quite early.  By the same token, sports is possibly the last true meritocracy, where you truly earn what you get.  The better players, who accentuate their talent through dedication and hard work, deserve to play, and to excel, and to reap the rewards of that effort.    

[Green Eyed Lady]

Shoobs....I've done quit a bit of coaching and here's what I've discovered. You may get a 3rd grader who really isn't very good. But by next year? She's grown and matured all of a sudden is in the top 5. Those younger children should be encouraged to continue to see how they will develop because you just never know.  I'd hate to see a potentially really good player give up because of not playing. At the age you are talking about, you should try to give them as equal time on the court has you can, emphasizing fundamentals over winning.   Once their get into 7th/8th grade, to me, all bets are off. Your best kids are on the floor, with subbing as needed for breathers or for someone in early foul trouble.  You are playing to win

[mroped]

I've coached quite a bit AYSO.
At lower levels(ages) was just "kick the darn ball and run around" but in the first year you can pretty much see who has it and who doesn't.
Parents tend to think that their kid is the best and they deserve to play longer or God know what else.
By rules all have to play, all are winners! All looked screwd up to me untill I realized that in fact the kids had fun, to them it didn't matter! 
By the time I got them in the higher age brackets, I already knew who can hack it and told the parents about their offspring potential. To those that didn't REALY have it I told that it is their choice and the kids's choice to drop or continue.

Even from those that "had it" not all went forward. My son for one, just told me "well, I've had enough soccer!" and he moved on.
On the other hand, parents to whom I recomended that they look into other sports chose to soldier on with soccer and put their kids into a more competitive league and did it for a couple more years. Bad move, the kids were dissapointed in themselves and discouraged. And all so their parents can have their moment!

[zibazinski]

It's hard because it makes you wonder why they signed up when they didn't want to really play. I see parents in this
But I also see some girls getting even with the others that do care. What better way to mess with someone they don't like than purposely screw up something that means a lot to someone who does care.

[swamp]

highschoolsportsstuff.areavoices.com/2015/01/20/one-sport-athletes/

Thoughts on concentrating on one sport.

[billisonboard]

I support fully separating competitive sports from our school systems. 

[ArchietheDragon]

Jan 26, 2015 10:37:11 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

I support fully separating competitive sports from our school systems. 

not possible. 

[billisonboard]

Jan 26, 2015 10:52:28 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

Jan 26, 2015 10:37:11 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

I support fully separating competitive sports from our school systems. 

not possible. 

Not probable but also not impossible.

[ArchietheDragon]

Jan 26, 2015 10:55:20 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Jan 26, 2015 10:52:28 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

not possible. 

Not probable but also not impossible.

Impossible.  Kids like competing.      Unless you take away all physical activity you will never prevent kids from trying to run faster than eachother, trying to bounce a ball better than the other kid, trying to win at kickball, etc. 

[Ryan]

Jan 26, 2015 8:23:50 GMT -5 mroped said:

I've coached quite a bit AYSO.
At lower levels(ages) was just "kick the darn ball and run around" but in the first year you can pretty much see who has it and who doesn't.
Parents tend to think that their kid is the best and they deserve to play longer or God know what else.
By rules all have to play, all are winners! All looked screwd up to me untill I realized that in fact the kids had fun, to them it didn't matter! 
By the time I got them in the higher age brackets, I already knew who can hack it and told the parents about their offspring potential. To those that didn't REALY have it I told that it is their choice and the kids's choice to drop or continue.

Even from those that "had it" not all went forward. My son for one, just told me "well, I've had enough soccer!" and he moved on.
On the other hand, parents to whom I recomended that they look into other sports chose to soldier on with soccer and put their kids into a more competitive league and did it for a couple more years. Bad move, the kids were dissapointed in themselves and discouraged. And all so their parents can have their moment!

I struggle with knowing how long to continue to sign my kid up for certain activities before allowing him to throw in the towel.  He goes to t-ball and soccer without any issues, but he never wants to play either one outside out of practice/games.  I don't really care that much, but usually when he really loves something he wants to do it all the time.  It makes me think that he really doesn't want to play at all and he's just going with the flow cause he doesn't think he has a choice.

I think I'm just going to continue to mix it up for him and let him take seasons off of things if he doesn't want to do them. In the end, we just want him to be active and explore different things he might want to do.