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turntwo
955 Posts |
 Posted - 11/24/2015 : 12:26:35
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I've noticed that a lot (most?) teams have 'off-season' workouts. I'm curious as to what this entails, in terms of additional cost, what is included in the 'workouts', is it team or individual based?
Adversely, if your team doesn't have these off-season workouts, why? Cost? Availability of place to have it? Allowing for a 'cool down' or healing period?
We've never been on a team that has OTA's or workouts, so I'm not sure of benefits or drawbacks. Also, is this more of an age or 'caliber of team' thing that either amps up, or phases out at certain ages?
Thanks for any input. |
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CaCO3Girl
1989 Posts |
Posted - 11/24/2015 : 14:34:07
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I have found that the higher level teams often have the off-season workouts. Usually the coach will run the workout and rent an indoor space that can fit the team and what he wants the team to do while working out. i.e. it can't just be a small space divided up into pitching alleys, it needs to be an open space like a gym or basketball court.
The only cost that was associated with it was of course the paying of the paid coach, but that is a yearly fee, and the rental of an indoor space once a week from November-January for an hour or two, I think it added about $200 to our team fees and was WELL worth it.
MOST coaches buy into the idea of a shutdown period for pitchers. My son's coach last year was adamant that not one child pick up a baseball from November 1 to January 1, and mid January he allowed short throws, then long toss, then pitchers were allowed to throw at 80%, and by the end of February pitchers were up to full speed.
I have to say I am ALL for this off-season workout. The idea of keeping in shape, keeping your cardio up, and learning the abilities of your body and then pushing it further in the off season worked wonders for my kid. He came back in the Spring stronger, more agile, and knew his body a lot better than when he joined the team in the Fall. Maybe it was the growth spurt, or maybe it was the strength training but he easily picked up 10mph on his fastball during this period where he wasn't allowed to even pick one up.
The team he is on this year didn't offer that type of off-season training so I searched one out and thankfully found one. It was costly to cover November-January but I consider the money well spent so he doesn't get out of shape over winter break. They are absolutely brutalizing his body and he is loving every minute of it and couldn't/wouldn't be able to do this on his own. |
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turntwo
955 Posts |
Posted - 11/24/2015 : 16:59:04
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quote:
Originally posted by CaCO3Girl
I have found that the higher level teams often have the off-season workouts. Usually the coach will run the workout and rent an indoor space that can fit the team and what he wants the team to do while working out. i.e. it can't just be a small space divided up into pitching alleys, it needs to be an open space like a gym or basketball court.
The only cost that was associated with it was of course the paying of the paid coach, but that is a yearly fee, and the rental of an indoor space once a week from November-January for an hour or two, I think it added about $200 to our team fees and was WELL worth it.
MOST coaches buy into the idea of a shutdown period for pitchers. My son's coach last year was adamant that not one child pick up a baseball from November 1 to January 1, and mid January he allowed short throws, then long toss, then pitchers were allowed to throw at 80%, and by the end of February pitchers were up to full speed.
I have to say I am ALL for this off-season workout. The idea of keeping in shape, keeping your cardio up, and learning the abilities of your body and then pushing it further in the off season worked wonders for my kid. He came back in the Spring stronger, more agile, and knew his body a lot better than when he joined the team in the Fall. Maybe it was the growth spurt, or maybe it was the strength training but he easily picked up 10mph on his fastball during this period where he wasn't allowed to even pick one up.
The team he is on this year didn't offer that type of off-season training so I searched one out and thankfully found one. It was costly to cover November-January but I consider the money well spent so he doesn't get out of shape over winter break. They are absolutely brutalizing his body and he is loving every minute of it and couldn't/wouldn't be able to do this on his own.
Ok, so... What is exactly covered in the 'workouts'? I've heard/read: "speed and agility", "strength and condition", and/or just typical baseball activities (hitting, pitching, catcher's drills-- obviously with indoor can't do a ton of fielding... I mean, isn't winter basketball?? There's a lot of running ('speed and agility'-- no?) in that sport. Is the 'strength and conditioning like lifting weights? Again, just foreign to me.
And you mention additional cost... So are you saying that you joined a team paying xzy for the 'year' (fall/spring/summer), and then had to pay extra (after the fact) for 'winter workouts'? I get the additional costs associated with it, but wouldn't (or shouldn't) that be included in the upfront fees per player? So instead of xyz, it's xyz +$200 or whatever?
Oh and good to know it's mainly the higher level teams. That actually makes sense. The best looking to even better themselves. At what age do you see this traditionally starting? 12-13? 14? |
Edited by - turntwo on 11/24/2015 17:26:14 |
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Renegade44
211 Posts |
Posted - 11/24/2015 : 18:14:58
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We have winter workouts. We work on just actually catching the darn ball and doing listening skills drills. Signed: Frustrated Coach
Since we obviously didn't 'get it' in season and now have nothing better to do but repeat and repeat and repeat til we get it right:
First step back and drop steps on fly balls.
Proper Leads on bases.
Running out drop 3rd strikes.
Pitchers covering first base.
Catcher block drills.
Etc.
All those little frustrating things no one seems to pay any attention to. |
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Crazyforbball
391 Posts |
Posted - 11/24/2015 : 18:43:59
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| Every team we have been on has done this...there has been no "extra" cost, it's just included in the yearly budget. they work on batting, drills, some pitching. mainly the benefit I see is not starting the season completely cold and rusty. plus keeps the team mentally together and builds their comraderie seeing eachother regularly through the winter.... just my opinion! |
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BamaDad
188 Posts |
Posted - 11/24/2015 : 18:59:48
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| I have actually seen structured and regimented offseason 'workouts' begin as far down as 11U. As has been stated before, these are typically you higher level teams who have formal programs. Lots of teams have typical baseball activities that can be done inside an indoor facility. However, your are seeing performance and training programs being utilized by the top teams as you would expect. These programs include speed and agility drills, strengthening programs for both upper and lower body, and coordination drills. |
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bfriendly
376 Posts |
Posted - 11/25/2015 : 03:32:51
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Having an indoor facility to workout throughout the Winter was one of the things we really liked about getting into travel ball in the first place(year round activities)..........Even My son and I will pass on our practices together when its a "high in the low 30's" type of week.......cept maybe a catch in the yard with an inning or two pitched or a football . Having an indoor place is AWESOME!
I remember my son learning his beginning catcher skills during this time.
There are a lot of indoor facilities just about everywhere you look these days as the demand is so high. |
Edited by - bfriendly on 11/25/2015 09:17:06 |
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CaCO3Girl
1989 Posts |
Posted - 11/25/2015 : 08:07:40
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quote:
Originally posted by turntwo
Ok, so... What is exactly covered in the 'workouts'? I've heard/read: "speed and agility", "strength and condition", and/or just typical baseball activities (hitting, pitching, catcher's drills-- obviously with indoor can't do a ton of fielding... I mean, isn't winter basketball?? There's a lot of running ('speed and agility'-- no?) in that sport. Is the 'strength and conditioning like lifting weights? Again, just foreign to me.
And you mention additional cost... So are you saying that you joined a team paying xzy for the 'year' (fall/spring/summer), and then had to pay extra (after the fact) for 'winter workouts'? I get the additional costs associated with it, but wouldn't (or shouldn't) that be included in the upfront fees per player? So instead of xyz, it's xyz +$200 or whatever?
Oh and good to know it's mainly the higher level teams. That actually makes sense. The best looking to even better themselves. At what age do you see this traditionally starting? 12-13? 14?
It was worked into the budget on day one, but it was outlined that the cost it added to the team fees was about $200.
The first time my son experienced this was 11u, and I just received an email that his 14u team is doing one as well, starting in January.
The goal is to hit the ground running in your first tourney, I can't tell you how many teams I have seen where the pitchers aren't truly pitching well until May, or they are slow to field/move. When parents shell out the extra money to be on a higher level team they don't pay to see their kids team blown away by a AAA team in the first tourney, therefor the team must maintain their baseball shape even through the Turkey and Eggnog season. The Major/high AAA players tend to do these workouts.
You asked what was in the workouts, first, I can't stress enough, in my son's case there was zero contact with an actual baseball for 2 months. The only exception was the catcher who was allowed to practice receiving but was not allowed to throw the ball back, he had to put it in a bucket on the side. The actual workouts...have you ever seen a dog competition on tv? Think obstacle course! 10-15 kids in constant motion for 1-2 hours.
Typical drills are:
-Wheelbarrows (one boy holds the others legs while he walks across the floor on his arms only.)
-Floor ropes (practice footwork, step in and out of the rope squares as fast as possible while you move down the station)
-Medicine ball throws to a partner
-Chair lifts (think straight back metal chair, the person is faced away from it while putting his arms down and using just his arms to lift his body weight)
-Cone drills (running back and forth side to side and touch the cone)
-jump drills (progressively higher stools to jump onto, last one is about 3 feet high, but you have to jump on all from the floor)
-Rope drills (Jump over this rope, drop to the floor, roll under than rope, jump up and over next rope, then drop under next rope)
-Timed exercise, i.e push ups, plank positions, squats...etc
-Suicides (at least that is what they were called in my day, done on a basketball court. Start from one end of the court and run to the foul line and back to where you started, next run to the half court line and back to where you started, then the next foul line and back then the other end of the court and back) Typically the fastest 2-3 get to stop the drill while the others have to do it again and again until the two slowest kids have done it about 5 times...lots of water is needed after that one, but not before or you might be cleaning up vomit.
-Running straight on the edge of the court and when you get to the "skinny" side you have to side shuffle to the other long line, then you have to jog backwards as fast as you can to where you started, repeat 3 times.
-Resistance running, where you have a band around your waist and there is a person behind you holding that band trying to keep you from running forward, but you have to move forward.
-Bouncy ball toss, stand in a circle and attempt on a bounce to get the bouncy ball that is about half an inch high, this builds hand eye coordination.
-Rag drill, using a dish towel go through your whole pitching motion and make sure the rag hits the floor, meaning you are fully extended.
Gosh there are tons more but that is the general gist of what my son has done during the winter months. He was warned not to eat at least 2 hours prior to the workouts and to ONLY bring water to drink.
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Newbie BB Mom
141 Posts |
Posted - 11/25/2015 : 10:41:40
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We are in our 4th year of travel ball, 3rd at one of the big name academies playing major-level ball. Our teams have always completely shut down in November and December. We don't even hear from our coaches during the holiday season. Then, in mid-to-late January the team regroups and starts with weekly indoor workouts, going outdoors when the weather cooperates. By mid-to-late February the team is cranking up the regular practice routine.
Some teammates seek out group "strength and agility" or "winter workout" programs during the holidays, but we've always seen it as a nice breather, with maybe some individual instruction to work on a particular skill, before the spring season begins.
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BamaDad
188 Posts |
Posted - 11/25/2015 : 10:43:22
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quote:
Originally posted by CaCO3Girl
quote:
Originally posted by turntwo
Ok, so... What is exactly covered in the 'workouts'? I've heard/read: "speed and agility", "strength and condition", and/or just typical baseball activities (hitting, pitching, catcher's drills-- obviously with indoor can't do a ton of fielding... I mean, isn't winter basketball?? There's a lot of running ('speed and agility'-- no?) in that sport. Is the 'strength and conditioning like lifting weights? Again, just foreign to me.
And you mention additional cost... So are you saying that you joined a team paying xzy for the 'year' (fall/spring/summer), and then had to pay extra (after the fact) for 'winter workouts'? I get the additional costs associated with it, but wouldn't (or shouldn't) that be included in the upfront fees per player? So instead of xyz, it's xyz +$200 or whatever?
Oh and good to know it's mainly the higher level teams. That actually makes sense. The best looking to even better themselves. At what age do you see this traditionally starting? 12-13? 14?
It was worked into the budget on day one, but it was outlined that the cost it added to the team fees was about $200.
The first time my son experienced this was 11u, and I just received an email that his 14u team is doing one as well, starting in January.
The goal is to hit the ground running in your first tourney, I can't tell you how many teams I have seen where the pitchers aren't truly pitching well until May, or they are slow to field/move. When parents shell out the extra money to be on a higher level team they don't pay to see their kids team blown away by a AAA team in the first tourney, therefor the team must maintain their baseball shape even through the Turkey and Eggnog season. The Major/high AAA players tend to do these workouts.
You asked what was in the workouts, first, I can't stress enough, in my son's case there was zero contact with an actual baseball for 2 months. The only exception was the catcher who was allowed to practice receiving but was not allowed to throw the ball back, he had to put it in a bucket on the side. The actual workouts...have you ever seen a dog competition on tv? Think obstacle course! 10-15 kids in constant motion for 1-2 hours.
Typical drills are:
-Wheelbarrows (one boy holds the others legs while he walks across the floor on his arms only.)
-Floor ropes (practice footwork, step in and out of the rope squares as fast as possible while you move down the station)
-Medicine ball throws to a partner
-Chair lifts (think straight back metal chair, the person is faced away from it while putting his arms down and using just his arms to lift his body weight)
-Cone drills (running back and forth side to side and touch the cone)
-jump drills (progressively higher stools to jump onto, last one is about 3 feet high, but you have to jump on all from the floor)
-Rope drills (Jump over this rope, drop to the floor, roll under than rope, jump up and over next rope, then drop under next rope)
-Timed exercise, i.e push ups, plank positions, squats...etc
-Suicides (at least that is what they were called in my day, done on a basketball court. Start from one end of the court and run to the foul line and back to where you started, next run to the half court line and back to where you started, then the next foul line and back then the other end of the court and back) Typically the fastest 2-3 get to stop the drill while the others have to do it again and again until the two slowest kids have done it about 5 times...lots of water is needed after that one, but not before or you might be cleaning up vomit.
-Running straight on the edge of the court and when you get to the "skinny" side you have to side shuffle to the other long line, then you have to jog backwards as fast as you can to where you started, repeat 3 times.
-Resistance running, where you have a band around your waist and there is a person behind you holding that band trying to keep you from running forward, but you have to move forward.
-Bouncy ball toss, stand in a circle and attempt on a bounce to get the bouncy ball that is about half an inch high, this builds hand eye coordination.
-Rag drill, using a dish towel go through your whole pitching motion and make sure the rag hits the floor, meaning you are fully extended.
Gosh there are tons more but that is the general gist of what my son has done during the winter months. He was warned not to eat at least 2 hours prior to the workouts and to ONLY bring water to drink.
These are the things that I am used to seeing in a true offseason performance training workout. No one touches a ball. It's about building agility and quickness, strength and endurance. The end goal is to hitting the ground running in the early tourneys and to be the stronger team in the late innings of games. |
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turntwo
955 Posts |
Posted - 11/25/2015 : 17:02:00
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Lots of good info here. Thanks. Apparently we've never been on this much of an intense, or high enough level team.
Do any of you feel this would burn the kids out, basically going 'year round' (even is they aren't technically using/touching a baseball? |
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BamaDad
188 Posts |
Posted - 11/25/2015 : 19:06:01
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quote:
Originally posted by turntwo
Lots of good info here. Thanks. Apparently we've never been on this much of an intense, or high enough level team.
Do any of you feel this would burn the kids out, basically going 'year round' (even is they aren't technically using/touching a baseball?
I think it depends on how close the kids are on the team. If this is a team that is pieced together to win tournaments, then that could happen. However, if these are kids who have been together for a while and have grown together as a team, then they will genuinely like being around each other. Baseball burnout shouldn't be a factor if they aren't technically doing baseball 'stuff'. It's just friends hanging out together. |
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hshuler
1074 Posts |
Posted - 11/25/2015 : 19:25:27
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In my opinion, the only time 'burnout' occurs is when the game itself or probably most importantly, "the process" is no longer fun. There are various reasons for that - unrealistic expectations from parents or coaches, not having the same success as in the past, not having fun/seems more like a chore versus a game, etc.
I've said this on other posts but I think it's worth repeating. Give kids a ball and a bat w/o adult supervision and they will play all day, everyday. We come in and mess up all the fun.
Now I do realize that travel ball costs a pretty penny so there needs to be a certain level of commitment as well. It can't be all fun with no level of commitment to getting better. It's our job as parents to find out where that fun/commitment balance lies and then finding the right situation.
I have worked really hard to let my son know that I am his biggest supported but this is his deal. I am just a passenger along for the ride to help in case he gets lost/needs direction. I continue to emphasize that my love for him is not based on performance. So, I think that takes the unnecessary pressure off and he can focus on the game. As a coach, the was nothing that was as disheartening as seeing a dad dragging his kid to the cages after a bad game. The proper way is for a kid to take his dad.
Sorry for the rant but I am a firm believer that kids don't "burnout" w/o a reason and we adults are usually the reason.
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving! |
Edited by - hshuler on 11/25/2015 20:04:37 |
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hshuler
1074 Posts |
Posted - 11/25/2015 : 21:02:36
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| Sorry for the typos...but I think my message was still legible. :-) |
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bfriendly
376 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2015 : 04:27:03
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quote:
Originally posted by hshuler
In my opinion, the only time 'burnout' occurs is when the game itself or probably most importantly, "the process" is no longer fun. There are various reasons for that - unrealistic expectations from parents or coaches, not having the same success as in the past, not having fun/seems more like a chore versus a game, etc.
I've said this on other posts but I think it's worth repeating. Give kids a ball and a bat w/o adult supervision and they will play all day, everyday. We come in and mess up all the fun.
Now I do realize that travel ball costs a pretty penny so there needs to be a certain level of commitment as well. It can't be all fun with no level of commitment to getting better. It's our job as parents to find out where that fun/commitment balance lies and then finding the right situation.
I have worked really hard to let my son know that I am his biggest supported but this is his deal. I am just a passenger along for the ride to help in case he gets lost/needs direction. I continue to emphasize that my love for him is not based on performance. So, I think that takes the unnecessary pressure off and he can focus on the game. As a coach, the was nothing that was as disheartening as seeing a dad dragging his kid to the cages after a bad game. The proper way is for a kid to take his dad.
Sorry for the rant but I am a firm believer that kids don't "burnout" w/o a reason and we adults are usually the reason.
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving!
Well said.......and I too am in the same boat with my son. Our practice session are more like "Our Time".....he never wants to leaves the field, but I have to convince him its time to go. Our baseball is our fun time and I wonder often times if he even knows how hard he works....I have seen him with a look on his face that says "I'm about to die" after a good strength/agility workout.He even told me he threw up a little bit once, but he said it with a smile on his face like it was some sort of "right of passage?" He acts like hes proud of it or something.........even though he thought he would pass out or something, within a few minutes(after catching his breathe) he is running around with more energy and enthusiasm than he had before the workout.
My point is he(we) is having fun as he is growing and getting stronger and that is what we want.
On Tuesday we practiced and though he only pitched 1 inning(pretend batters pitching just to me), I noticed a tremendous increase in his fastball speed. He struck out the side and only hit one batter.
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BamaDad
188 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2015 : 13:44:59
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quote:
Originally posted by bfriendly
quote:
Originally posted by hshuler
In my opinion, the only time 'burnout' occurs is when the game itself or probably most importantly, "the process" is no longer fun. There are various reasons for that - unrealistic expectations from parents or coaches, not having the same success as in the past, not having fun/seems more like a chore versus a game, etc.
I've said this on other posts but I think it's worth repeating. Give kids a ball and a bat w/o adult supervision and they will play all day, everyday. We come in and mess up all the fun.
Now I do realize that travel ball costs a pretty penny so there needs to be a certain level of commitment as well. It can't be all fun with no level of commitment to getting better. It's our job as parents to find out where that fun/commitment balance lies and then finding the right situation.
I have worked really hard to let my son know that I am his biggest supported but this is his deal. I am just a passenger along for the ride to help in case he gets lost/needs direction. I continue to emphasize that my love for him is not based on performance. So, I think that takes the unnecessary pressure off and he can focus on the game. As a coach, the was nothing that was as disheartening as seeing a dad dragging his kid to the cages after a bad game. The proper way is for a kid to take his dad.
Sorry for the rant but I am a firm believer that kids don't "burnout" w/o a reason and we adults are usually the reason.
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving!
Well said.......and I too am in the same boat with my son. Our practice session are more like "Our Time".....he never wants to leaves the field, but I have to convince him its time to go. Our baseball is our fun time and I wonder often times if he even knows how hard he works....I have seen him with a look on his face that says "I'm about to die" after a good strength/agility workout.He even told me he threw up a little bit once, but he said it with a smile on his face like it was some sort of "right of passage?" He acts like hes proud of it or something.........even though he thought he would pass out or something, within a few minutes(after catching his breathe) he is running around with more energy and enthusiasm than he had before the workout.
My point is he(we) is having fun as he is growing and getting stronger and that is what we want.
On Tuesday we practiced and though he only pitched 1 inning(pretend batters pitching just to me), I noticed a tremendous increase in his fastball speed. He struck out the side and only hit one batter.
Two very good points. I agree on both. When the kids feel like they are out there only because 'WE' want them out there, then burnout can occur. When they feel like it's 'THEIR' choice, they can go forever. |
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turntwo
955 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2015 : 15:39:33
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quote:
Originally posted by hshuler
As a coach, there was nothing that was as disheartening as seeing a dad dragging his kid to the cages after a bad game.
I hope this is an extreme over-exaggeration!!! That would be sick, of not only the dad, but to even see.
This may be a different topic all together, but if you're serious in seeing parent 'punish' their kids after games, those parents should be disallowed to have their kids play sports... Or maybe even be parents, period. SICK! |
Edited by - turntwo on 11/26/2015 17:22:51 |
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Crazyforbball
391 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2015 : 16:20:33
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| Totally depends on the kid... mine for one can't get enough baseball...but we are in it 100% for him, he has always been the one to take the lead and make the decisions. Burnout for him doesn't exist, and finding year round teams was essential ... but for many boys there is burnout and they should be allowed a break. In our case we have to force him to take a break from pitching for the sake of his body. He plays other sports but we do have team workouts through the winter, however no pitching. Well coached teams don't need a Dad to force the kid to the cages after a bad game. We let the coaches take the lead and trust them to tell us if we need extra work outside of the organization. Too much practice can be detrimental also. It's about quality, not quantity. and ALL about the boy and his desire/ability to play ball and play at a level where he can be successful. |
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brball
615 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2015 : 16:36:21
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@ Shu- I had a feeling you would post here once the "burnout" question was asked. You've said it before and say it the best. Gotta keep it fun and the drive has to come from the player, not the parent!
Happy Thanksgiving to all, |
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hshuler
1074 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2015 : 19:54:15
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| @brball - Thanks Bro! See you guys soon... |
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CaCO3Girl
1989 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2015 : 07:57:10
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quote:
Originally posted by turntwo
quote:
Originally posted by hshuler
As a coach, there was nothing that was as disheartening as seeing a dad dragging his kid to the cages after a bad game.
I hope this is an extreme over-exaggeration!!! That would be sick, of not only the dad, but to even see.
This may be a different topic all together, but if you're serious in seeing parent 'punish' their kids after games, those parents should be disallowed to have their kids play sports... Or maybe even be parents, period. SICK!
Not an exaggeration, I have seen that too.
As for burnout, that is a word that will be used often come 14/15u. I agree with hshuler, what it usually means is that adults turned the sport from fun to work. Usually it is from added pressure to perform at a level that exceeds their skill. Then again there are the kids that just find other passions as they grow up. The parents who just invested 5 years into travel baseball call it burnout, but really it's just the kid growing up.
My son has done year round baseball since he was 9, he loves it. There is a HUGE difference in a kid who loves baseball and a kid who loves playing with his friends. The kid who loves playing with his friends might find other interests. The kid who loves playing baseball will play anytime, anywhere, with any team, coached by anyone...he just wants on the field and in the batting order.
That kid would prefer to play with a Major's team but he will take an A-level team as long as he gets to play. Those are the kids that make it to the next level, and those are the kids you have to overly watch so they don't burn their arm out at 14/15u. |
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hshuler
1074 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2015 : 09:48:16
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"There is a HUGE difference in a kid who loves baseball and a kid who loves playing with his friends. The kid who loves playing with his friends might find other interests. The kid who loves playing baseball will play anytime, anywhere, with any team, coached by anyone...he just wants on the field and in the batting order."
^That's a great point!
Sometimes (not always) playing with friends can stunt growth and development. As a dad and former coach, I never let my son make the decision as to where he'd play until this year. I gave him the available options and he chose his football and baseball teams this year because he's now mature enough to have some say. When he was younger, I made the decision for him to leave a group of friends in both sports because it was best for him. Although, he may not have understood it then, he does now. |
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BamaDad
188 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2015 : 12:56:43
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quote:
Originally posted by hshuler
"There is a HUGE difference in a kid who loves baseball and a kid who loves playing with his friends. The kid who loves playing with his friends might find other interests. The kid who loves playing baseball will play anytime, anywhere, with any team, coached by anyone...he just wants on the field and in the batting order."
^That's a great point!
Sometimes (not always) playing with friends can stunt growth and development. As a dad and former coach, I never let my son make the decision as to where he'd play until this year. I gave him the available options and he chose his football and baseball teams this year because he's now mature enough to have some say. When he was younger, I made the decision for him to leave a group of friends in both sports because it was best for him. Although, he may not have understood it then, he does now.
I gave my son the option this year of playing with his friends on a lower level team or trying out for some major teams where he wouldn't know anyone. To my surprise, he chose to try out for the major teams thus spurning his friends. I asked him why he made that surprising decision and he said that they would always be his friends, but he wanted to play baseball at the highest levels. It also doesn't hurt that he makes friends easily and has already fit in well with his new teammates. Looks like I may have done okay with him. VBG |
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CaCO3Girl
1989 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2015 : 13:20:32
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quote:
Originally posted by hshuler
"There is a HUGE difference in a kid who loves baseball and a kid who loves playing with his friends. The kid who loves playing with his friends might find other interests. The kid who loves playing baseball will play anytime, anywhere, with any team, coached by anyone...he just wants on the field and in the batting order."
^That's a great point!
Sometimes (not always) playing with friends can stunt growth and development. As a dad and former coach, I never let my son make the decision as to where he'd play until this year. I gave him the available options and he chose his football and baseball teams this year because he's now mature enough to have some say. When he was younger, I made the decision for him to leave a group of friends in both sports because it was best for him. Although, he may not have understood it then, he does now.
LOL, wow, and I did the exact opposite. Up until this point I was pretty casual about where he played. Now that there are other factors to consider I wouldn't let him stay with the team he wanted to stay with. I gave him 5 options/tryouts of what I deemed "more acceptable" teams and he chose from there. |
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2015 : 14:03:29
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quote:
Originally posted by CaCO3GirlThe kid who loves playing baseball will play anytime, anywhere, with any team, coached by anyone...he just wants on the field and in the batting order.
This is very true. My son has had some bad coaches thru the years. He knew they were bad even without me saying. It didn't matter to him, he just wanted to play and compete. When he was young and playing rec ball, he played for a team called the Brewers twice. We still refer to them as the bad Brewers and the good Brewers. The bad Brewers coach was horrible. This team lost EVERY game during the season. In the playoffs, they won one game and lost the next. It did not discourage my son from playing at all. His HS Varsity coach left after his freshman year. He loved that coach and he was a very good coach. The guy who took his place was not a good coach at all. Nice guy, but not a good coach. My son would never even have considered not playing on his HS team. And now in college, his coach is not the most personable guy. Son has never really connected with him. The coach likes to curse kids out, he gets pissed easily when things don't go right and he hasn't offered a lot in terms of actual coaching. Even so, my son loves playing baseball and would not even think of not playing anymore.
We didn't do a lot of team changing. He got assigned to teams when he played rec from 7 thru 11. The coach was the coach and he didn't really care that much. He kept playing. At 12, he started travel ball. The coach wasn't very good. The age change came about and he was able to play 12 again. He went with the same team, but at 12 again with a different coach. Played with them for the next 3 years. It was a great team. They disbanded after the 14u season and son tried out for one team and was offered a spot on another team. After 2 years, they disbanded and he had a couple offers. Both for the 14u team and the 17u teams he went on, I asked him which team he wanted to play on and his response was "Whichever team is better". He wasn't worried about getting play time or really who the coach was. He wanted to be on the team with the best players in order to compete against the best players.
So, when it comes down to it, if a kid loves baseball, he just wants to play and be challenged. Team politics or coaches won't even be part of the equation. They overlook those things because they want to play. There is no burnout or making excuses. Just put me in coach... I want to play! |
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hshuler
1074 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2015 : 17:26:25
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@CaCO - I (personally) think parents know what's best for their kids when they're younger so I eliminated the "I don't like their uniforms" or "that team name sucks" from the equation. :-) Also, your kid may have been more mature than mine at ten.
I needed to get him into a more competitive situation but it wasn't for my ego. In fact, he struggled at times because of focus but that was a good lesson for him. I have never been adverse to seeing him fail. It CAN build character if managed properly. |
Edited by - hshuler on 11/30/2015 17:54:57 |
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Off-Season 'workouts'?
