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Chet
28 Posts |
 Posted - 09/13/2016 : 21:17:11
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New to this forum as a poster but have been reading for awhile. We have had our son on 8 and 9u rec all star teams both of the last two summers. This year, was approached about a slot on a "hybrid" travel team that is run by a travel organization. Apparently it's been a program like this for a couple years, supposed to be a balance between full travel and rec.
My question is, what has everyone or any seen or heard of these type programs? Do they always get crushed by travel teams? Is it a good experience for the boys. Our sons satisfaction level with rec is, for many reasons, waning. We want to support what he wants to do, but not sure if this Hybrid concept is any good.
Please help. |
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CaCO3Girl
1989 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2016 : 07:41:27
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Can you explain more of the hybrid concept?
As for do they always get crushed....there are certain teams out there that call themselves travel and they will usually be crushed by the big dogs. Whether or not a team gets crushed consistently has more to do with what types of tourneys the coach puts them in. Typically when a coach first forms a team he will be looking at either AAA (D2) or AA (D3) events. If the team is in the AA events and is mowing over other teams and mercy ruling to win in the finals then a step up to AAA is a good idea.
The best fit for tournaments shouldn't be gauged by entering tourneys the team can and will consistently win. The best tourney choice is where the team will consistently see teams that are equal to or slightly better than themselves. I would rather my son be on a team that lost 50% of their games than won 90% of their games. You don't get better unless you SEE better.
I will add that around 9u is when the talented kids get tired of rec. A majority of travel ball kids start at 9/10. Please keep in mind that your child doesn't HAVE to be on an elite team. Others may disagree, okay, they WILL disagree, but in my opinion playing for high dollar elite teams before 14u is a waste of money. I kept it local and fairly cheap with my son and it has worked well for him. I thought of it like this...maybe my kid was "good" enough to make the 9u ECB Astros team...but he will be one of 15 VERY good players. Would he get more playing time on that team or on say a Shaw park or Hobgood team? They may not play in fancy tourneys, they may not win everything, but the value in having a lot of playing time and seeing more mistakes on the field has been priceless. Now at 14u he consistently comes up with the overthrown ball...why....because he has seen it over thrown there 100 times. If you want your kid to be with and play against the best then an elite team is the place for you...if you want him to learn the game from the ground up seeing mistakes made by AA and AAA kids is the best way to do that in my opinion. |
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in_the_know
985 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2016 : 08:38:27
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Several things for you to consider.
1. Cost? What is this hybrid team charging and what are you getting in return? Are they putting together an inexpensive package of uniforms/caps or are they issuing and re-collecting these to players per tourney? Are they charging a per tourney cost to parents? You want to make certain that you understand the cost structure clearly
2. Travel? How far are they traveling? Out of town hotel trips? Local tournaments with daily travel? Again, this goes to help you understand your cost.
3. Development? Are they going to practice as a team between tournaments? Will they only assemble at "game time"? You want to know what to expect before you commit and pay and weigh that against what your goals are for your son.
4. Goals? As I mentioned in 3, you should think about what you want to achieve with this. Sounds like your family may have been satisfied with the Rec experience but your son and his talent may be outgrowing it. Travel ball can be a lot of fun, expensive and a lifestyle. Having an opportunity as this one may be a great way to test the waters before making a full time commitment. But to that point, it may lead to a full time commitment and you need to prepare yourself for that.
5. Roster? How many players will they carry and how are they going to work positions? You don't want to ride pine in this type of arrangement, so you need to understand if the coaches will be trying to bring in studs from week to week. Also, to this point, will this hybrid team be a "fixed" roster and simply play a light travel schedule in between the players rec schedule or will the roster change week to week based on availability. Will you kid miss some tourneys while others are picked up and vice versa? Give some thought as to whether you like the revolving door of players and parents or a more static arrangement.
6. Competition? As you ask in your post, will you get creamed or not? Ask the coaches what level of tournaments they intend to enter? Are they jumping into the Triple Crown tourneys or will they seek rec travel tourneys? Will they seek to play against major, A, AA, AAA level competition? As you foresee, it's no fun getting run ruled every game. Likewise, its not fun to be the run ruler either. Playing this out at a .500 record isn't a bad thing.
7. Coaches? Do you know these guys? Are they experienced in travel or are they new to this game too? I see you mention that "program" has been like this for a while, these particular coaches may be new to it, so it's good to know that there may be a learning curve for player and coaches.
Personally, it sounds like a good opportunity to keep your son competitive and interested as well as give the family a taste of this level of competition beyond all-star rec. Just do your best to set realistic expectations. More often than not, your experience will be good or bad based on the reality of what you expect. Good luck. |
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Crazyforbball
391 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2016 : 10:21:23
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I would agree with all those above. Main thing I would look at is cost...if the cost is the same as a full blown travel team then I would go with travel team. If its significantly less than I might give this hybrid thing a try to see if you are prepared for full blown travel. As in the know pointed out if he gets hooked there is no turning back. We went in with the "we'll give it a try" and it has come to dominate our lives. Our whole spring to summer, our breaks, our family vacations and my other child's schedule all revolve around baseball and have for years, with still more ahead of us. It works for our family but you have to be prepared for it to possibly dominate your lives and wallets for the next 9 years. As far as how competitve, it depends on tournaments selected and who is coaching. There are some "all star" type teams out there that are actually highly competitve travel teams so just do sone research, look at the cost, record and success level of their last couple of years before you decide.
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oneZone
117 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2016 : 12:25:55
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I remember struggling with the decision to switch to travel ball at 7U. On the one hand, I felt like it was time. But on the other hand, I thought I might have lost my mind! What I really wanted was a good option somewhere in between, but I wasn't aware of one. Sounds like you may have that here, which could be great.
I agree with the above, too, but my main concern would be with the level of play. I have a hard time believing that a hybrid team like this would compete any higher than A, maybe AA. If that's a good match with your son's ability, great. If not, run the other direction. And I'm not talking about the level of tourneys they enter, I'm talking about the level of play they're capable of. It's easy to change which level of tourneys they enter from one week to the next. But if your son is playing at a level higher than the majority of his teammates, you'll wish you'd either stuck with Rec or gone full-on travel with a higher-level team.
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RUSemiPro
95 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2016 : 16:10:45
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Chet,
I think it all depends on the age. At 6,7 and 8u my son played rec and then all-stars, 9u went with the local park travel team, 10u went to an academy type travel team and now at 11 back with the local park travel team, so we've seen a lot of different types of ball. For two years we as a family struggled with all of this, then made it really simmple on ourselves. We sometimes put way too much emphasis on all of this, simply ignore that stuff and ask him what does he want?
My son decided he wanted to play with friends and classmates, he knew he was giving up 10-20 extra games as well as going from low major to AAA. And he will definitely miss some of the Major competition, but he wanted to be with his friends and have fun. It took us a couple years to figure it out, but it has to be fun and with a group of players and families that support him as a player and a friend, that is more important than any position on the field or win loss record or trophies won. It is not until 14, 15, 16u is when the real travel baseball starts, so no need to rush things or burn him out. If the "Hybrid" model works for him, who cares, do it!
If you feel he needs more development, then take the money you will save and use that towards private lessons and develop him that way. This is Atlanta you have tons of options, just need to understand the right ones and be realistic about his talent levels and his goals, not the parents goals. At the younger age groups baseball needs to be fun, let the kid go where ever he has the best chance to have fun so he continues to play the game.
Only you and your son knows what is best, be honest with yourselves and trust your gut. But whatever you do just play ball! |
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bfriendly
376 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2016 : 20:55:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Crazyforbball
I would agree with all those above. Main thing I would look at is cost...if the cost is the same as a full blown travel team then I would go with travel team. If its significantly less than I might give this hybrid thing a try to see if you are prepared for full blown travel. As in the know pointed out if he gets hooked there is no turning back. We went in with the "we'll give it a try" and it has come to dominate our lives. Our whole spring to summer, our breaks, our family vacations and my other child's schedule all revolve around baseball and have for years, with still more ahead of us. It works for our family but you have to be prepared for it to possibly dominate your lives and wallets for the next 9 years. As far as how competitve, it depends on tournaments selected and who is coaching. There are some "all star" type teams out there that are actually highly competitve travel teams so just do sone research, look at the cost, record and success level of their last couple of years before you decide.
Nailed it Crazy!
There are different level of competition as well as costs........ask questions before committing to any team and enjoy the ride.........it goes fast |
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Crazyforbball
391 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2016 : 09:11:22
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| RU is right on the money. Let your son lead the way. I have seen so many decent players quit because they were not competitive enough for their parents! Who is suiting up? Play on an adult league yourself if the kid isn't driven enough. For some it IS about fun. There is that crossover period from kid ball to highly competitive big boy ball. If you have a kid 10-13 who would rather have FUN, let him. It takes a certain kind of mental stamina and drive on the part of the PLAYER to play true major ball in those age groups. They really have to LIKE that pressure to thrive during that time. After 13 if they aren't good enough they won't make those teams any way. So if a kid wants to drop down a level and have more fun and less pressure it's ok! At 14 if they are still really good and loving it, then its time to leave the buddies behind and get serious. You might even save a few $$$! |
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Ross
60 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2016 : 17:52:29
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| Like all things there is good and bad. If his enthusiasm with rec is waning, the hybrid travel shuts down specifically so they can play rec with their friends, so he will still play rec the hybrid team will replace or supplement his all-star team. If it supplements you will want to watch how both coaches utilize him if he pitches. Assuming your goal is development and fun then you need to balance cost vs opportunity cost. Is he better off in a hybrid program or are you better off spending $ 1,000 on lessons? The hybrid programs I have seen the pros run the practices and the dads coach the games. If his swing needs improvement lessons might be more important, if he needs a better understanding of the game the hybrid program might be better if he gets that from a pro coach in practice. Since they coach the games the Dad coach is still matters, no matter what the guy you are writing the check to says. I have seen this work well when you have a team of equally talented kids and they can compete. Everyone has fun parents enjoy the games. I have seen it totally fail when you have some very talented kids and some kids who are only there because the parents could write a check, this leads to a lot of frustration from the better kids and the parents of all the kids. Parents of the goods kids are miserable because half the team cannot play, parents of the lousy kids are miserable because even though they shelled out $$$ for pro coaching their kid is still no good and not getting the playing time they expected. At this age make sure whatever you are doing he is enjoying it, it goes by in a blink. |
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turntwo
955 Posts |
Posted - 09/16/2016 : 08:55:25
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What do you mean by "balance" between travel and rec? Money commitment? Time commitment? Number of practices/games/tourneys?
With the plethora of travel teams out there, I couldn't imagine you not finding one to suit your needs... As someone mentioned, if it's 'hybrid' there still may be rec involved-- whether it's talent-level of player(s) or actually playing in a rec league. So then, are you 'upgrading' at all? (Other than the amount of money you're spending).
More details would be great, but here are some questions to consider when thinking about moving to travel (in any shape):
-Why? -- Because someone wants to brag? Or because son's ability/drive/passion/intensity?
-Cost? -- Rec league fall + spring + allstars = ? vs cost of travel = ? Is the cost close?
-What's important? -- Goes along with the "Why" question. Upper level coaching? More 'like minded'/intense kids that match your son? Just to brag? A 'ranked' pros/cons list could help shed some light on this for you and your son.
-Time? -- How much time and effort does your son AND your family want to put into baseball, as his age? (Burnout can happen in us parents as well)
-Fine Print? -- When exploring travel/hybrid etc, you need to look at the 'fine print'-- not literally. How much travel will be involved (to practice, games, tourneys)? Over-night stays? See, when someone says it's $1,200 to play on their travel team, that may equate to $3K+ for you in terms of gas, gate fees, hotels, concessions, lessons, additional gear, etc. |
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Hybrid Travel
