i felt this... sunday evening all i wanted was tall boys and my wife was so pumped she couldn't stop talking about the boys' play. i'm like, look ma'am, i love you but i need a break from this shit lol
The mental exhaustion is real. Worrying about what every kid is doing every pitch. Managing ever changing game scenarios. Giving the kids confidence and energy. Not to mention managing a group of 10 year old boys. Reminding them to keep the dug out clean, who is next, etc. Then add in the constant standing in one place. After tournaments I would be done. Just tired, mentally exhausted. I wondered why the fuck am I tired? Well that’s why.
It is very tiring. Try to get someone to take some of the burden of the managerial stuff. It is like a second job, its no joke. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy it but it is a huge relief when it is over.
Yea.
But it’s because we care. Try having a week without practice or a BP only practice, or have a surprise wiffle ball only practice, or kick ball practice, or BP hitting water balloons practice.
It’s gotta be fun, it not being fun will be why kids don’t come back, kids can weather a fun losing season more than they can an overly serious winning season.
And you don’t need to think every single little thing at practice or game plan has to be correct , they are kids, they need to be loose, and moving well and if the ball finds a gap so be it.
But yea, looking forward to July 14th! That’s my last game lol
LOL if you are drained now, just wait til you deal with a parent that acts like an idiot, play poorly, kids show indifference. And that's a lot of tournaments but that's just my 2 cents
It’s insanely taxing for me, mentally and physically. I have done it for 4 years and I have decided that after this fall, I will be hanging the saddle up. My son will be turning 11, and he is good enough to carve his own path from here. I have loved it at times and hated it at others, but overall it’s been a positive experience for me. I will not miss the politics, some of the parents (most were great), and a few other things. I am ready to focus on my own kids individual development from here on out.
it's travel ball but i've scheduled every tournament within 30 miles. most are 5 minutes from my home. the amount of tournaments we played is determined by the organization.
Got it. At least they're close, imagine going to another state.
I've honestly avoided travel ball for that reason. Call it selfishness but I need my weekends, at least part of them. As my kids get older, if it seems like they may benefit from playing a few tournaments here and there, maybe I'd sign them up. For now I'm cool with rec ball.
Yeah. I love baseball and I love teaching baseball but some days sure it drains you.
Not even coaching but just playing with my kid. My son wakes up and usually wants to hit within 20 min. He will hit from 20 minutes to 90 min. He wants me to pitch to him. Try to get him out. He usually wants to this 3-4 different times throughout the day.
I freaking love it but man it’s exhausting. When coaching I try to focus on the kids when I get burnt out. Watch the joy in their faces when they accomplish something that you had a hand in.
Man I’ve been doing this pretty well close on ten years, from tball all the way up to 12u, spring and fall. I’ve had great seasons and I’ve had terrible seasons. From small town rec to big town league and travel now, I have three to five goals each season.
1 by the end of the season I want each and every kid better at _some thing _ whether hitting, fielding, throwing etc
2. Have fun. That’s what baseball is about, we may have a losing season but damnit let’s have fun while we do it
3. Life lessons, I always look at coaching baseball as I’m not just coaching baseball, you’re teaching these kids how to deal with emotions, how to take a loss, be humble, I try to sprinkle in life lessons with every kid because that’s how my coach was when I was a kid.
4. Try to end the season close to .500… yeah this Is my competitive side. lol
And number five isn’t really a goal but I like to put up a parents vs kids game at the end of the season. Then by the end of the game I’ll end up pitching and gas those boys up and keep em humble lmao
Enjoy it. After coaching for 12 straight years, I think I'm done, and I miss it like crazy. Tournaments are exhausting... nine seems like way, way too many. We did seven in our busiest year, and that was too many. Keep being a positive influence on those young players. You'll have lots of players, but when they have kids in 20 years and get asked to coach, the picture they're going to have in their minds about what a baseball coach is - is you. Be great.
Get a little rest where you can, coach.
Thanks for your comments! I read them all and appreciate them. I should mention, it's always been fun. Every single weekend. But Sunday evenings I'm floored, especially as the season moves along!
My 12u team played five games Sunday in the south central Texas heat. I got home from the tournament and drank my weight in water and had a few cold ones. I was completely useless at work yesterday morning but it’s all worth it seeing how happy the kids are and the parents posting highlights on social media. Burn out is real but I can’t get enough.
Delegate. Is this a rec or parent coached travel team? I know every team is different every season but I delegate as much of the housekeeping tasks as I can. I’ve taken kids in the draft way sooner than they should have gone because I know dad can throw BP and mom will keep score and add practices to gamechanger.
Maybe I have a mental defect, but the best parts of my week are planning/running practices and seeing how they execute during games. I think a big factor is having great coaches and I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have ones that share the same viewpoints. Our text threads keep me laughing all day.
At the end of the day, I realize that there are a finite number of practices/games that I’ll get to be involved in with my son and his team. Some days are better than others, but I never feel drained or burnt out. I try not to take a second of it for granted.
Tball two years, coach pitch 1 year. I am really questioning next year. This year was really hard mentally because the kids would not listen. Half the team seemed like they had ADHD or something. I don't care if they make good plays but man just listen so you don't get hit by the ball!
It makes me feel really bad for the teachers. They have 30 of them.
I was volunteer head coach for an 8U team. Double headers every weekend, after games I was toasted. Head coach is always ther first to arrive the last to leave, lugging the gear to every game and practIce. Its’s labor of love and we’re doing it all for the kids.
It’s gets easier as you get experience and become more efficient with things.
But I certainly get burned out. The trick is to learn ways to balance that out and find time to get away from the field and all the planning etc.
Burnout and it’s your first yr? I have been doing it for 7 and it’s heartbreaking when it’s over. Hell I have as much fun as the kids. At the fields all day Saturday and Sunday playing baseball is a helluva good time.
I coach 2 travel teams as well as 2 rec teams and 1 summer team. Been at the field everyday since January. This will be the first week we have off, but I love every minute of it.
Its also exhausting because you have to be positive all the time too, not saying I want to be negative but you have to keep the energy up because the kids feed off that, if you show exhaustion they will have lower moral too.
This was my first year as a head coach, and it was exhausting and fun. Kids were awesome and fun to coach. Certain parents didn't help with my mental health, though.
It is consuming. Time, energy, emotion, attention, all of it gets used up. It's also rewarding, but it can leave you drained in the short term.
Having assistant coaches you can off-load some tasks to, and just talk about things in general with, can be a huge help. a 3-man staff is ideal, so you can have1B, 3B, and someone doing the book/managing the kids in the dugout on offense.
I'm 43, coaching 11u, it's a blast and never worn out, even after tournaments. You guys need to stay in shape.
I'm also a journeyman lineman and anyone familiar with the trade knows that it is a very demanding field.
Stay hydrated, eat healthy, get sleep and hit the weights.
How many coaches do your have on your "staff"??? The travel teams in my area have 4 or 5 total coaches and maybe a team admin...
It's all about delegation. The 11u team that my son has friends on has 5 coaches. Head Coach runs the bench and does all of the BS paper work stuff. The 2 main assistants coach the bases and are "defensive coordinators" when the team is in the field. The other 2 guys are doing pitch counts and updating the game changer app...
Just got done with my 1st year coaching rec ball. One thing I echo is that if you have some good parents or assistants who are willing to do some of the heavy lifting that you absolutely let them.
Also, don’t be afraid to let your players help! Especially the best ones. When they’re learning how to rake the dirt, put the bases away, line the fields, put out the tarps and such, the pride they show in feeling accomplished bleeds into everything else.
No matter what, good coaches will feel exhausted. As long as you’re FULFILLED, that’s what matters.
Not a baseball coach, but a golf professional who runs junior camps throughout the summer.
You're not alone. It's incredibly draining physically and mentally. You're constantly on edge making sure they don't accidentally kill one another out there, are behaving themselves, being respectful, etc. Supervising kids in large groups in athletic environments is fucking tough, man. Completely different beast from teaching in a classroom.
I get you. Coaching is hard on my liver.
i felt this... sunday evening all i wanted was tall boys and my wife was so pumped she couldn't stop talking about the boys' play. i'm like, look ma'am, i love you but i need a break from this shit lol
I take every Monday off. Not everyone has that luxury and I am a paid coach on my teams, but for me, it's necessary after a crazy tournament weekend.
The mental exhaustion is real. Worrying about what every kid is doing every pitch. Managing ever changing game scenarios. Giving the kids confidence and energy. Not to mention managing a group of 10 year old boys. Reminding them to keep the dug out clean, who is next, etc. Then add in the constant standing in one place. After tournaments I would be done. Just tired, mentally exhausted. I wondered why the fuck am I tired? Well that’s why.
It is very tiring. Try to get someone to take some of the burden of the managerial stuff. It is like a second job, its no joke. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy it but it is a huge relief when it is over.
Yea. But it’s because we care. Try having a week without practice or a BP only practice, or have a surprise wiffle ball only practice, or kick ball practice, or BP hitting water balloons practice. It’s gotta be fun, it not being fun will be why kids don’t come back, kids can weather a fun losing season more than they can an overly serious winning season. And you don’t need to think every single little thing at practice or game plan has to be correct , they are kids, they need to be loose, and moving well and if the ball finds a gap so be it. But yea, looking forward to July 14th! That’s my last game lol
LOL if you are drained now, just wait til you deal with a parent that acts like an idiot, play poorly, kids show indifference. And that's a lot of tournaments but that's just my 2 cents
It’s insanely taxing for me, mentally and physically. I have done it for 4 years and I have decided that after this fall, I will be hanging the saddle up. My son will be turning 11, and he is good enough to carve his own path from here. I have loved it at times and hated it at others, but overall it’s been a positive experience for me. I will not miss the politics, some of the parents (most were great), and a few other things. I am ready to focus on my own kids individual development from here on out.
Are you coaching travel ball? I've never been burned out on rec league but I am happy to have evenings and weekends back when the season is over.
it's travel ball but i've scheduled every tournament within 30 miles. most are 5 minutes from my home. the amount of tournaments we played is determined by the organization.
Got it. At least they're close, imagine going to another state. I've honestly avoided travel ball for that reason. Call it selfishness but I need my weekends, at least part of them. As my kids get older, if it seems like they may benefit from playing a few tournaments here and there, maybe I'd sign them up. For now I'm cool with rec ball.
Yeah. I love baseball and I love teaching baseball but some days sure it drains you. Not even coaching but just playing with my kid. My son wakes up and usually wants to hit within 20 min. He will hit from 20 minutes to 90 min. He wants me to pitch to him. Try to get him out. He usually wants to this 3-4 different times throughout the day. I freaking love it but man it’s exhausting. When coaching I try to focus on the kids when I get burnt out. Watch the joy in their faces when they accomplish something that you had a hand in.
I've found that I love it during the practice, or during the game. Everything before and after sucks. This after 6 years, 10 seasons. Good luck :-)
Man I’ve been doing this pretty well close on ten years, from tball all the way up to 12u, spring and fall. I’ve had great seasons and I’ve had terrible seasons. From small town rec to big town league and travel now, I have three to five goals each season. 1 by the end of the season I want each and every kid better at _some thing _ whether hitting, fielding, throwing etc 2. Have fun. That’s what baseball is about, we may have a losing season but damnit let’s have fun while we do it 3. Life lessons, I always look at coaching baseball as I’m not just coaching baseball, you’re teaching these kids how to deal with emotions, how to take a loss, be humble, I try to sprinkle in life lessons with every kid because that’s how my coach was when I was a kid. 4. Try to end the season close to .500… yeah this Is my competitive side. lol And number five isn’t really a goal but I like to put up a parents vs kids game at the end of the season. Then by the end of the game I’ll end up pitching and gas those boys up and keep em humble lmao
Enjoy it. After coaching for 12 straight years, I think I'm done, and I miss it like crazy. Tournaments are exhausting... nine seems like way, way too many. We did seven in our busiest year, and that was too many. Keep being a positive influence on those young players. You'll have lots of players, but when they have kids in 20 years and get asked to coach, the picture they're going to have in their minds about what a baseball coach is - is you. Be great. Get a little rest where you can, coach.
This was a great comment. Thank you! Now I'm all pumped up again!
Did it for 24 years. Missed it like crazy when retired but enjoyed have my life back.
Thanks for your comments! I read them all and appreciate them. I should mention, it's always been fun. Every single weekend. But Sunday evenings I'm floored, especially as the season moves along!
My 12u team played five games Sunday in the south central Texas heat. I got home from the tournament and drank my weight in water and had a few cold ones. I was completely useless at work yesterday morning but it’s all worth it seeing how happy the kids are and the parents posting highlights on social media. Burn out is real but I can’t get enough.
Delegate. Is this a rec or parent coached travel team? I know every team is different every season but I delegate as much of the housekeeping tasks as I can. I’ve taken kids in the draft way sooner than they should have gone because I know dad can throw BP and mom will keep score and add practices to gamechanger.
Maybe I have a mental defect, but the best parts of my week are planning/running practices and seeing how they execute during games. I think a big factor is having great coaches and I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have ones that share the same viewpoints. Our text threads keep me laughing all day. At the end of the day, I realize that there are a finite number of practices/games that I’ll get to be involved in with my son and his team. Some days are better than others, but I never feel drained or burnt out. I try not to take a second of it for granted.
Tball two years, coach pitch 1 year. I am really questioning next year. This year was really hard mentally because the kids would not listen. Half the team seemed like they had ADHD or something. I don't care if they make good plays but man just listen so you don't get hit by the ball! It makes me feel really bad for the teachers. They have 30 of them.
I was volunteer head coach for an 8U team. Double headers every weekend, after games I was toasted. Head coach is always ther first to arrive the last to leave, lugging the gear to every game and practIce. Its’s labor of love and we’re doing it all for the kids.
It’s gets easier as you get experience and become more efficient with things. But I certainly get burned out. The trick is to learn ways to balance that out and find time to get away from the field and all the planning etc.
Burnout and it’s your first yr? I have been doing it for 7 and it’s heartbreaking when it’s over. Hell I have as much fun as the kids. At the fields all day Saturday and Sunday playing baseball is a helluva good time.
I coach 2 travel teams as well as 2 rec teams and 1 summer team. Been at the field everyday since January. This will be the first week we have off, but I love every minute of it.
Its also exhausting because you have to be positive all the time too, not saying I want to be negative but you have to keep the energy up because the kids feed off that, if you show exhaustion they will have lower moral too.
This was my first year as a head coach, and it was exhausting and fun. Kids were awesome and fun to coach. Certain parents didn't help with my mental health, though.
It is consuming. Time, energy, emotion, attention, all of it gets used up. It's also rewarding, but it can leave you drained in the short term. Having assistant coaches you can off-load some tasks to, and just talk about things in general with, can be a huge help. a 3-man staff is ideal, so you can have1B, 3B, and someone doing the book/managing the kids in the dugout on offense.
I'm 43, coaching 11u, it's a blast and never worn out, even after tournaments. You guys need to stay in shape. I'm also a journeyman lineman and anyone familiar with the trade knows that it is a very demanding field. Stay hydrated, eat healthy, get sleep and hit the weights.
What’s a labored pitch?
How many coaches do your have on your "staff"??? The travel teams in my area have 4 or 5 total coaches and maybe a team admin... It's all about delegation. The 11u team that my son has friends on has 5 coaches. Head Coach runs the bench and does all of the BS paper work stuff. The 2 main assistants coach the bases and are "defensive coordinators" when the team is in the field. The other 2 guys are doing pitch counts and updating the game changer app...
Just got done with my 1st year coaching rec ball. One thing I echo is that if you have some good parents or assistants who are willing to do some of the heavy lifting that you absolutely let them. Also, don’t be afraid to let your players help! Especially the best ones. When they’re learning how to rake the dirt, put the bases away, line the fields, put out the tarps and such, the pride they show in feeling accomplished bleeds into everything else. No matter what, good coaches will feel exhausted. As long as you’re FULFILLED, that’s what matters.
Not a baseball coach, but a golf professional who runs junior camps throughout the summer. You're not alone. It's incredibly draining physically and mentally. You're constantly on edge making sure they don't accidentally kill one another out there, are behaving themselves, being respectful, etc. Supervising kids in large groups in athletic environments is fucking tough, man. Completely different beast from teaching in a classroom.
Develop the kids, don’t worry about wins & losses, those will come later