Play the stud or not?

You know, this happens a lot. I really don't think you can punish a kid in-season for not attending what amounts to "volunteer" workout stuff in the off-season. But we give incentives for them (better gear, #, etc.). On top of that, we always tell them that all positions are up for grabs and it's just an opportunity for someone else to get those turns and have a chance to earn the position.

But i'm a bit spoiled because we have a school of 2,300 and 130+ players in grades 10-12. So in our case, there really may be another kid who can do the job. Smaller schools have different issues.

All I can say is that the kid needs to feel that he can only control how ready HE is for the next football season--the other guys at his spot aren't going to shed a tear because he misses and they're going to try to capitalize on it.

Don't punish the kid...he is obviously getting lots of pressure from parents and BB coach. As long as he is there in August and if he falls into line, then he should be as much a part of the team as anyone else.

It's not like he is doing nothing all summer...I mean look at Smarjidza (spell), WR from Notre Dame. I'm sure a $10 million stud like him was playing some travel team BB in his hay-day. And he was as dedicated to football as possible.

Why is mommy calling and not him? As far as off season stuff, as long as he's doing something active I think its a good thing, of course it is debatable if baseball qualifies as active. I'm a advocate of kids playing two or three sports and staying active everyday doing something productive, even if it isn't specifically football related. I'd much rather see him playing basketball and being an athlete instead of killing grass in baseball though.
When it boils down to it, if he comes in to August and earns the job, then I wouldn't have an issue with it. What should happen is that the other kids should get ahead of him in the offseason and not allow that to happen, but if he earns it, no problem. Now in season, different story, and the baseball coach should know it.

All good points... Another factor for us (we get this with travel basketball and baseball) is the attitude of the kid. If he comes across to his team-mates and the coaches as "I don't have to do the workouts! Nah Nah Nah!" then his return is more problematical. If, on the other hand, he is a "Good Kid" and his team-mates want him, then we welcome him back and start getting him in shape. Does he start at first? NO, but as Brophy said, the cream will rise to the top.

You miss spring training - you miss a game. You miss too many summer workouts - you miss a game. You miss the first week of summer practice because of baseball world series or whatever - you miss a game.

They also need to make up all the running or workouts before they can play. This is an easy escape route that gives a coach some wiggle room, but still gives a kid a chance back. It also lets the other kids know that spring, summer, and practice is important.

This allows a kid to make a mistake, but still come back. So for your situation, I would suggest that he makes up the running or workouts or whatever and sits the first the game, and I wouldn't start him the second game if there is some friction on the team. If he is good, it will be obvious that he has outperformed the other player to win his spot back by the third game.

By the way, I said don't start him the second game, not not play him the majority of the time. Missing games and not starting does matter to kids.

I have done this formula numerous times in my career and it has worked well every time.

Is the kid in-season? Isn't it a summer league rather than an actual season? Obviously it's not football season. So, I would expect that the kid split time between baseball and football. There are many ways to do this. Like Bluto said, maybe have make-ups or something. Lots of ways...But, it is, not a decision for one or the other, but the kid needs to show the team that he has a commitment to the team. No commitment, no play.

I agree.

We run on a point total for our off-season workouts. Each workout is worth 10 points and players are expected to be present for at least 75% of our off-season workouts (Jan-July). We encourage our players to participate in other sports so if they are engaged in a school sponsored sport, they are given credit for the workouts missed while that sport is in season. We do ask them to lift on their own or if their inseason coach has a program, to lift with their team, but we want them to lift. Once they are no longer participating in a school-sponsored sport they are expected to be back at our workouts. When we get to the summer months we offer workouts at a couple of different times so if they have baseball or basketball conflicts, they can still get their workout in. Since we encourage them to play other sports, the only thing we ask is that in the summer we get equal time for our workouts.

Now if we reach the beginning of camp and they have not reached their point total, we have them do extra work prior to or after each practice until they have made up their points. We also start them out at the bottom of the depth chart, but make sure they know that where they end up on the final depth chart is up to them and their own work ethic and attitude.

This way we allow for those that might be involved in other sports and have a solution for those that decide to just plain miss our workouts. We also have a pre-camp conditioning test that they must pass in order to be issued equipment. If they fail that they have to do the pre & post practice workouts and practice in shorts until they can pass the physical test (safety factor to make sure they are physically able to participate).

It seems to work for us.

The only way the kid would sit three games would be if he missed spring, summer workouts, and the first week of summer practice. I have never had to make a kid miss more than one game. If there was a kid that missed all of those events he wouldn't be on the team.

What I am talking about is a kid who doesn't do spring training for whatever reason (burnout, not sure, grades, etc.) and then decides that he really wants to play. He can come back on the team, but has to miss the first game.

Or a kid who missed too many workouts for whatever reason. (Baseball, basketball, lazy, not sure that he wants to play), and then decides that he wants to play. He can come out, but has to sit the first game.

Or a kid who has to miss the entire first week of practice because of baseball world series or whatever. For some reason the Dixie Youth world series is always the first week of summer practice. And we usually have a team make it every other year or so. If they want to go and play, fine with me, but there has to be some kind of reward for the players who are there at practice. They practice to play the games. No practice, no play.

I would agree that suspending a kid for the first three games is stupid. But hopefully we all agree that a kid that misses spring, summer workouts, and the first week of practice shouldn't even be on the team.

This has been a very successful way of getting players to do spring, workouts, and practice. It also gives me an easy way to keep players that for whatever reason have missed, but want to and can help the team. By the way, the applies to all of our players. From the worst to the best and it has been applied the same to all.

For instance, I had a kid whose dad made him miss spring training because of grades. He was the worst player on the team. His penalty was he had to sit the first game, but he was still allowed to be on the team. He also understood that he had to make summer workouts and practice or he was gone.

One more by the way, please don't tell me that you think just letting a kid workout without the team (if he even really does it) is even close to the same as working out with the team.

I am with super poweer. You can make off season workouts mandatory. It's the OFF-SEASON. They are only mkids once so let them ahve some fun asnd play summer baseball, and basketball. At elast they are not sitting on their butts doing nothing.
When i was in Higfh school I busted my ass going into my jayvee year,and went to camps the days I wasn't lifting three three day over night camps.
Season comes and a kid who got hurt the year before decides to join the week after the first game. He didn't do crap all year and they end up playing him more then me. My parents are pissed b/c hey and all the other parents know the situation,and eventually get the head coach fired because of that and other {censored}.
I was not the most talented kid in the world however I was told if I work hard in the off serason,and get better which i did I would be rewarded with playing time. They lied and it pissed soem people off.

I see many posts seem to think missing all but a very small part of football off season workouts is fine because he's playing baseball or basketball instead but how in the heck can he not fit 6-8 hours in a week for football? I cannot possibley believe he's spending every waking hour involved with baseball- just no way in the world that's the case. And granted they are only kids once and all they also only have one shot at high school football as well. Other then being sure he's getting the sleep he needs no high school kid needs time to "relax", to sit and do nothing because he needs to unwind from a stressful day of "playing or practicing a game". My lord what will he do when it's kids need new shoes, car needs a new radiator and they just cut back your hours at work? Good god that's stress, that's I need some quiet time to shut out the day- I had to play basketball for 3 hours or I was shagging fly balls in 90 degree heat for an hour is not. My guess is he could easily work in a few hour and a half workouts into his week if it was important to him-and honestly those would help his baseball or basketball as much as his football.

LOL, that confuses me as well. In situations like this they never argue who's the better player only who did what in the summer/off season/pre-season. There is often a similar rant in that "I'm a senior I deserve to play before the junior/sophmore"- again no mention of who the better player is. If a kid can do nothing at all for months show up and beat out others, then the others cannot be very good at all.

I'll tell the seniors you've had 3 years in the program, 3 years practicing and playing, 3 years in the weight room if a sophmore can take your job after only a year in the program then you either did not work that hard, learn that well or you are simply not very good.