Zia2021 posted:My nephew has definitely not realized that his goals require a lot of extra work to take him from really good to great. I'm starting to worry he never will. He's a freshman, but played freshman and JV ball last year. He turned down strength/speed training with the best trainer in our area this off season, and hasn't picked up a bat in weeks. He is working out with his HS team, but its not a great program. He has a girlfriend and is choosing her over baseball right now. Anybody else seen a kid go through this and then figure it out? Any suggestions in guiding him through this?
Hi Zia2021. In my experience, this is fairly common, though I've seen it more frequently during sophomore year with other interests surfacing often surrounding the freedom that comes with driving. Not sure if your nephew falls into this group or not but, sometimes, athletically talented kids have never really had to try very hard because they haven't reached a level where the demands are such that they can't get by on talent alone. Unless he's a VERY elite player, I would expect this time to come soon for him as his teammates, and competition, will begin to physically mature which can change things dramatically (most notably between Sophomore and Junior years in high school). On a few occasions, I've seen kids who were the top of the talent pool in youth ball become mediocre, and vice versa, through the course of puberty. If/when this time comes for your nephew, he will likely react by upping his game (or he won't). Hormones are raging at his age and, as cliche as it is, there is probably some peer pressure involved when it comes to relations with members of the opposite sex. I'd continue to be encouraging and realistic about his goals and abilities while keeping in mind that it's not all bad for a kid to be allowed to be a kid. With my son, I've tried to provide reminders over the years that when his level of effort is not in alignment with his goals then he is setting himself up for disappointment. There have been, and continue to be, highs and lows but I think much of what you've described is quite normal and will work itself out.