I've been coaching HS and College level for 26 years. One of the major problems today are these bullshit AAU / Showcase tournaments. These kids don't know the game anymore and possess little to no baseball IQ. We spend most of the season undoing what has been done by this brand of baseball.
Teams show up to tournaments to win a trophy and showcase themselves in front of college/pro scouts. They get two at bats each; always swinging away (no mental approach / plan at the plate), just see how far you can hit it. Their season is literally one weekend tournament after another at glorified venues with maybe a practice or two during the week (and that is usually indoors at the facility that they play for). There is NO league or competitive factor at all. Oh yeah..and the games are on a 1 1/2 hour time limit.
No idea what it means to play for one another but only for themselves. 12 year old kids walking around with their parents carrying $150 baseball bags with their name on them, their own personalized helmet, batting gloves and spikes.
Parents are paying upwards of $5000 to put these kids on these showcase teams in hopes that they will get on somebody's radar. Little do they know, these teams are built around one or two studs who belong in front of scouts but they need little joey, johnny and and Matty to put a team around the studs.
They come to us during the school season and can't even lay down a bunt to move the winning run late in a game; can't read a ball in the dirt to advance a base; no concept of a hit and run; pitchers have terrible pick-off moves all because their brand of baseball in the summer puts NO emphasis on these things.
Hallelujah, Holy Shit, where's the Tylenol!!! - Clark W. Giswald
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A wet track can cause handicapping havoc!!
Last edited by coachv30; 12-11-2018 at 06:58 PM.
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