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Fall Offseason Class


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All the players I know in Dallas have an offseason class where they work on softball skills all fall at their school. They also do a high school unofficial league with varsity players, and the college prospects play club ball in tournaments. Here in East Texas I know of no offseason class for softball, and the league in Longview is mainly JV players with very few exceptions. The Metroplex has a definite advantage over East Texas. How can we expect to compete? What are your thoughts?

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It is up to the players. How bad do they want to play softball?

 

Most schools in the area do not require softball players to take athletics. The players practice after school beginning late January. If the students wish to enroll in athletics they have an advantage. They participate in "offseason" drills running and lifting weights. The extra time with the coach is valuable.

 

Do they want it enough to enroll in the athletics class? They will have to give up another class.

 

Serious softball players play on tournament teams that play all year. It takes a serious committement to travel the country playing softball.

 

Year round schedule for select teams includes 10-12 hours of practice each week and tournaments three weekends per month, nine months of the year. Good teams play 20-25 tournaments per year and average five games per tournament.

That is alot of softball. Players miss football games, volleyball games, dances, prom, church camps, family vacations, etc. .

 

Summer camps are softball camps at a college the player is interested in attending. Family vacations are out-of-state national softball tournaments.

 

You are only as good as your competition. The better the competition the better your team will become.

 

How can East Texas compete?

 

Work hard during the week and play ball in the Metroplex on the weekend.

 

See you on the dirt!:coolball:

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Schools in ET do not offer the athletics class for the girls. What I am talking about is actual offseason softball classes where they work on motor skill developement. My daughter has played select ball since she was 10 with most of the last 5 years in Dallas and Houston, so that is how I know these Dallas girls. They talk about their offseason softball class and the work that they do. There is nothing comparable available in East Texas schools. At my daughter's school they have off season volleyball in the spring and that is it. There is no athletics class in the fall. And I have not heard of any other schools that do. Are there any schools out there that do?

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Every school has athletics class for girls. What they choose to do in that athletics class is up to the athletic director. There are a few that go sport specific.(Lufkin Hudson and Central come to mind) In other words the girls that play softball can work on softball, track does track ect. ect. The vast majority of the schools go through a workout that will benefit all of the sports...weightlifting, speed drills ect, ect. The advantage of having a sport specific period is very debatable..(The Dallas area schools definitely don't dominate the state tournament) If you develop the complete athlete to the best physical condition the results will show on the field.

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I would also guess that many of the better softball players participate in other athletic programs, especially in the smaller classification schools. I know it is not unususal to have your better athletes playing volleyball and/or basketball in many 3A and lower classification schools and probably quite a few in 4A also.

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The Dallas team my daughter plays for has girls from Rockwall, Mesquite and Rowlett. They have been playing every Wednesday in casual double headers coached by parents. In athletics they lift and condition, but they have days where they throw, especially pitchers, and hit. These are 5A schools. I agree that general conditioning will help any athlete for any sport, but just think how far ahead you would be with a group of girls that have been playing - even just casually - since September instead of starting off cold in January. Oh the possibilities!:tongue:

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Most 5A schools have the ability to have a year round class for each sport due to the number of participants that specialize and the number of coaches on staff. Here in ET the majority of the schools are small.... meaning less athletes and less coaches.

 

The coaches are coaching 2-3 sports, and the players are playing multiple sports. It only makes sense to have an off-season that benefits all sports, since the coaches and players are involved in multiple sports.

 

My girls who do not play multiple sports are lifting and running during the period and after school going to the field (with parent supervision) to work on their skills. You get out what you put in.

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I'm not doubting your word...just don't understand. How can you ban one group of girls from working out and allow another group access. Surely you are kidding...if not, a group of parents needs to meet with the AD. Every girl, regardless of the sport they are playing should be working out....Unless the softball girls are not in the athletic period...that would be a different story. ALL the girls in the athletic period should be working on the weights, speed, quickness and agility drills everyday.

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Someone said that Dallas schools have not been in state tournaments. Since almost all Dallas schools are 4A and 5A, most 3A and under fans would not notice. Dallas schools have been extremely succesful in the playoffs and state. (Garland for example). I don't think any 4A or 5A ET teams have been to state lately. I think their success comes partly from having an offseason softball class. Smaller schools may have a catch all girls athletic period, but bigger schools don't from what I have seen. If there was at my kids school she would be in it instead of being a teacher's aid. It just doesn't exist. And as a senior she is focused on softball and no longer plays volleyball or basketball. She goes to college look tournaments every weekend now and couldn't play volleyball or begin basketball. By their senior year they should be focusing on one sport. The team as a whole would benefit by working out together in a class. Lindale sounds like they have a good program that takes time to work on skills. Any others with a similar one?

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We all wish that our smaller schools could arrange a time that the girls that want to play softball can workout together. During our softball season, we have trouble, it is constant turmoil between coaches due to the size school and fewer athletes, so they have to have the track girls go back and forth which is really a disadvantage if both teams advance such as track regionals and softball playoffs. The girls that run track are torn between the two practices and I don't feel they get as much from the softball practices as they could, but then I am a softball parent and a track parent may disagree.

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blesseddaily,

 

I didn't understand either, and still don't. It seems almost a must to me for girls/boys in the offseason to have access to weights/track/gym for a sport. I think the excuse given to our players was that these areas were needed for sports that were active at the time, i.e. volleyball and basketball.

 

As it is, if our girls want to get in offseason work for softball, they do it off school grounds.

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gwsoftball,

 

I think your situation is much more common than others may admit. Same situation exists at my kid's school. The volleyball and basketball coaches don't want softball kids in their athletic periods, so they are left to work on their own. My kid is getting softball kids together beginning around Thanksgiving to work on skills and conditioning on their own. That is the only way available to them to get in shape and work on skill development. Many played in the local league, but the competition was mainly JV and lower players.

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Sad situations guys...I am so sorry to hear that that kind of attitude still exists. I guess I have been blessed because every level (3A,2A and A) The athletic director made it clear that ALL the girls went through a tough off season of weight lifting and speed/endurance drills to be in top condition for whatever sport they were in at the time. No exceptions.

 

sbfan--The conflict between track and softball shouldn't exist. As a softball coach I loved for my girls to run track. It eliminated the need for me to condition them. I just start my practices 45 minutes later to allow the girls to get in their track workout then come to softball. With co-operation between coaches the problems should be minimal.

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That is the problem - very few coaches/teachers work together.

 

 

Conflicts I have seen include:

Volleyball and band

Drillteam and band

Football and band

Volleyball and cheerleading

Track and baseball/softball

Soccer and baseball/soccer

 

 

The students are willing to work hard but the adults make them choose. If they allow multiple activities many adults place undue pressure on the students.

 

It takes the adults working together to allow the students to achieve much.

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blesseddaily, I think that at one time they would only overlap by 30 minutes, but a majority of the time track would run over, which would cause problems. I am anxious to see how it all works out this year. I am afraid there will be more problems since there is no practice on the current sport until the school bell has rang a 3:20. Athletic period is used for conditioning and weight training only, which I feel all the kids need that, don't get me wrong, but I think the day is going to run out before they get it all done if they have two sports to participate in. I do wish the coaches all the luck working this one out.

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I know in many places that students dont have to chose between sports. They just have to split the time in those activities. They may go to one practice one day and the other the next.

Also, most schools in ET are 3a or lower so they do not have the amount of girls for each to pick one sport and play. A lot of them play volleyball and softball or basketball and softball or maybe all three, they dont have the option of being in a softball offseason because they are in other sports.

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At my childrens school, they wont even let an athlete enroll in the athletics period unless they play two sports. I have a son and a daughter that play baseball and softball respectively. My son plays football just so that he can be in athletics. Even during the baseball season, they dont get to work on baseball during the period, only offseason football/track. It stinks when my son is set to pitch in a game that evening, and has to lift weights during the period. It just doesnt make sense to me.

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ETsportsfan- If the weight workouts are done properly they will not hurt his pitching performance. Specifically, fast reps with light weights. It will only help his stamina and performance. If you don't believe me e-mail any college coach( successful ones) and they will be glad to send you their work-outs. I promise you that they don't skip the weights (when they are at home). This used to be said about basketball also.(that it would affect their shooting) and has been proven wrong. The best programs in the nation (Duke, UCLA ect) hit the weights hard.

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Originally posted by blesseddaily

ETsportsfan- If the weight workouts are done properly they will not hurt his pitching performance. Specifically, fast reps with light weights. It will only help his stamina and performance. If you don't believe me e-mail any college coach( successful ones) and they will be glad to send you their work-outs. I promise you that they don't skip the weights (when they are at home). This used to be said about basketball also.(that it would affect their shooting) and has been proven wrong. The best programs in the nation (Duke, UCLA ect) hit the weights hard.

I agree that lifting weights will help him, I just dont think he should do it on game day.

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  • 1 month later...

Blessed Daily -- I did the same thing as you at my last school. We started softball practice at 4:30 when track was over and it worked out for everyone. Now that I'm at a large 5A, I have 32 in my softball only athletics period with only 3 coming from basketball and no track athletes. I'm not going to forbid anyone to run track, but here they pick on their own.

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