2017advised to give up football

What does your son want to do?  If he wants to play football then that is what he should do because if he pans out in baseball then there is a 99.9% chance he will never play football again.  

 

I'm not going to say giving up football to focus on baseball is a bad decision but it's not always the best decision. End of the day you never know if baseball will pan out or if football will pan out. So the decision needs to be your son's - if he wants to play football then he should play football.

+1

If he wants to play football, let the boy play.  Many non-HS baseball clubs advocate players quitting other sports (not all, but a lot).  Their main worry is that you'll be injured and miss your window in baseball.  You may have already heard a few of their "horror stories" about blown-out knees and shoulders.  Does it happen?  Sure, but injuries also happen when playing baseball 10 months out of the year.

 

In the end, let him make the decision and don't look back....you've already been there.

Welcome to the site.  Age old question and the answer is unique to each individual.  It is certainly not uncommon for the baseball folks in a good player's life to suggest focusing on baseball at this point and I'm sure he has had football folks tell him to focus on football.  Congrats that he has the skills, size and ability to decide to do both if he chooses. 

 

There are many things to consider and, as I said, the decision is very personal/individual.  Of course there is the injury consideration.  I've seen football injuries end baseball careers more than any other sport (besides baseball - since that's what most of the better baseball players play most).  But there is also the "HS experience" factor.  If your son loves to play football and baseball, that's probably what he should do.   Injury is a risk that may be worth taking.  If he is good enough and has reasonable coaches, he should be able to work out his schedule to where he can attend the necessary events.  That said, if he continues with football, he will have to tailor his baseball event schedule, perhaps to a shorter window than most baseball-only guys but with his current and projected skill set, I don't see that as a deterrent to necessary exposure.  In fact, if he manages his schedule properly, it could help give him the desired break from each.

 

Lastly, if he is still considering both sports for college, I don't see why he would give up either unless you weighed the injury risk as too high.  This is one area where your baseball organization may not be as understanding.  To be expected - they are passionate baseball people.

 

Best wishes to you and your son.

 

PS - Oops, typing same time as others posting... great minds...

As an ex football player, here is my take.  First, as previously asked, what does the kid want to do?  Second, given the baseball potential, your kid should only continue with football if he is looking at a full ride scholarship (and/or pro potential).  Football is a rough business.  I have long lasting issues which are only getting worse as I get older.  If you can get your college paid for, then the trade off is worth it.  Just my opinion. 

       
       
Interesting timing on this!  We have a pitcher who also plays football - lineman.  Has been bilking up and putting on weight in general.  However in his case he has actually lost 2mph since last year.  He walked in the door as a freshman a left handed pitching prospect.  Now he is a sophomore with a football body.  Some can do both most can't.   Definitely need two different body types.  D1 football no matter what level are full tides baseball is not.  That is one consideration.  Personal health and well being is another.  My son is 6'2" 190 as a 7th grader.  Of course the football coaches are irritated we don't let him play.  Til he proves he CAN'T get a D1 baseball scholarship he will probably not play football.  Football is not a complicated game at the non skill positions.  He could BEGIN his football career as a junior and still get a D1 football scholarship if he shows that kind of ability.  Baseball is a skill game and needs to be constantly worked at.  Nobody can tell you what to do.  For me its baseball.  Too much evidence now about brain injury for me.  Personal decision.

2020 does bring up another serious consideration.  The type of weight training program required by a typical football "big" can be counter-productive in some ways to optimal progression of a baseball pitcher.  There has been a significant amount of discussion/debate on that here.  You may want to search and/or perhaps the experts will chime in on that factor.

Tough position to be in. Sounds like on paper his gigantic size screams football. On the flip side it sounds like his size is not too much of downsize for as a position player/runner at the HS level. On the mound it can be a plus as long as he can work around it with solid mechanics.

Looking back to my sons situation is somewhat similar like yours and thousands of others out there. My son played hockey since he was 4, we lived in Canada at that time, and was pretty good at both sports. When we moved back to the U.S. He continued both and continued to excel at both but had better projectable baseball skills so we made the decision after a ton of thought that if a scholarship was in his future he should focus on one or the other. It was heart wrenching bc he loved them equally. Many factors were considered: money, time, travel, hockey is way less of a focus here and possibility of playing at the next level.

I wish we wouldn't have taken hockey away so early, he was 15, bc he lost a piece of himself that truely made him happy. It is important to note that he is not an elite player with clear high D-1 talent so that is the big difference with you situation. At the time we thought that if he could put all of his focus into baseball that he could be a strong D-1 or D-2 player.

After joining the board a few yes ago my mindset has slowly transitioned from college committment with a scholarship to where I am today where my sons happiness is more important than anything. He will probably play at a decent D-1 or a good D-2 but along the way he lost a big piece of himself and if we could go back we would have done things differently.

weight training has been an issue.  He has to change how he lifts in baseball season as he was having some arm/shoulder pain if he lifted too heavy and threw.  Still very flexible though for size.  He also wrestles but that is probably ending.

This is a common topic on Top Coach Podcast. Pretty sure that 99% of the college coaches that are asked are IN FAVOR of duel sport guys.  So there's that.

 

Still not listening to Top Coach Podcast?  Seriously?  You can listen on your phone or computer.  

 

http://topcoachpodcast.com

 

Jack Warren is the host of the show and he has had conversations with the best of the best over the last couple of years.  I'm addicted!

 

Rich

www.PlayInSchool.com/bus_tour  

If he likes one and loves one make sure he choses the one he loves. To have any success in college you'd better love it. If he loves both and feels like he must chose then this is the argument I would make.

Baseball = stud players on partial scholarships.
Football = third string players on full rides.

Personally I loved both and could never chose. I left the choice up to college coaches lol.

Add 25 years:

 

Baseball = stud dad coaching kids team and moonlighting in an old man's league.

Football = early knee replacements, residual pain, and forgetting the names of your kids. 

 

I agree with others to let him choose... when and if that time comes.  He's currently a sophomore/rising junior.  Why chose now?  I don't get the sense it is time yet.

 

Sure the travel team wants him to focus on baseball and you'd probably get the same answer if you asked his football coach.  See how he does this summer and ride it out until a choice needs to be made for whatever reason.  His passion will take him in the direction he wants to go when he wants to do it.  JMO.

 

Good luck.

 

 

I would generally recommend playing both.  There is nothing worse that not playing and regretting it for the rest of your life.   I could have played on a community college basketball team that won the CA state championship, but I decided to focus on track and field.   I will never know how I would have developed as a basketball player.  And the extra off-season training ended up providing minimal benefits in my other sport.

I know of a D1 Baseball recruit, RHP, threw 88/89, very "projectable"...the coaches at the college got a hold of him and put him on a strict diet and exercise regimen, they were convinced they could get another 3-4mph out of him if he would put on some weight and muscle.  By the end of his Freshman year they had LOST 3-4 mph out of him!  Bulk can hurt pitchers speeds....they slimmed him back down, refined his muscles and got to 91/92...but even the trained D1 baseball coaches messed up on how the pitcher should be working out, I doubt the football coach has any idea.  What you could be left with is an under-conditioned Football player, and an over conditioned baseball player resulting in a poor athlete for both sports...unless you know of someone who can combine the two effectively I think I understand why they are asking him to give up Football.

 

If this were my kid I would ask professionals if he really had a shot at MLB or NFL....because if he doesn't, and this is ONLY about college then Football gives him the full ride, baseball will not...at least not at that speed.  Also, think about the fact that there are a lot more baseball rec clubs around where he can get his baseball fix than there are rec football leagues. JMO

Haven't read through all the posts yet, but I had a similar question last year.  My 2017 son is a 3 sport athlete.  Starts and is one of the better players on the team in football, basketball and baseball.  We had some of the same pressure.  The best advice I was given is "your so will know/tell you when its time to give up other sports".  I stressed over this for a while this year.  Well, after the basketball season this year he came up to my wife and I and said, "I think its time to stop playing football and basketball"  Had a long discussion with him at the time and he was right.  He knew when it was time.

This thread has been timely for me as well, and I appreciate everyone's contributions. My 2017's  dilemma is between soccer and baseball.  Soph starter on baseball field; will be a Jr. starter in both sports.  Soccer is a winter sport where we live and it overlapped with baseball this year by a full month!  (the overlap changes every year because the state organizations keep messing around with tournament dates.) He is much more likely to play college baseball, but really enjoys soccer because it's an easier (for him) mental game.  So far he wants to do both, but we're worried that the lack of baseball training from Oct. 1- March 1 is setting him behind.  We'll find out what level of play he's at this summer, but suspect high Div 3/Div 2/low Div 1.  Money will matter to us, so it's a dilemma. None of us want him to choose, but we may have our collective heads in the sand.

 

 

To be clear my son enjoys both football and baseball.  He's also practical enough to be concerned when someone he respects suggests he could be hurting his chances of reaching his highlest level of baseball by playing both sports.

 

My major issue here is the decision now as a sophmore is based on alot of projections.  In baseball I hear from multiple coaches that he should be able throw low to mid 90's.  In football I hear he has all the potential in the world if he can hit 6' 4" he's top D1.  Honestly I have no idea if any of this will actually happen. 

 

I played both through HS and have incredible memories. I really struggle with my son giving up any of this based early projections.  He works out for both sports but always has a baseball slant.  I guess I'm hoping he can do enough in the summers to impress that fall won't matter.  Maybe I'm naive but if he throws 90 with a sharp breaking ball and command he should be able to find a top baseball school even if he plays football.  Injury is always a concern but I know he will always be playing something regardless of season so that chance is always present.

Every coach is different when it comes to "off-season" training.  Many coaches don't allow any kid to pick up a ball from October 1 to January 31...they do speed and agility training which I imagine playing soccer gives you a great deal of...I would check with local coaches plans and see if one jives with your schedule a bit more.  If your son is a pitcher he should begin ramping up before March 1 but since it is a slow process it can be done in your off time from soccer...just a thought.

My son stopped playing football heading into high school. The coach wanted to groom him to play QB. My son was afraid he would get injured playing football and affect baseball. He tore his MCL and PCL playing baseball. A kid should play what he wants. And play without fear. Whatever happens, happens.

 

 

I say go where his passion is!  If he loves them both, play them both.  I have heard differing opinions on this, but one that really stuck with me was one from a Pac 12 Coach.  He said, "I love my baseball players to play football!  It keeps them competing."  He made a point to say that he feels many of the single sport guys forget how to compete.  He would rather they play football in the fall than dedicate the fall to showcasing, because he feels that showcasing is all about them and football kept them in a competition, team environment.

I hear that some college coaches actually love multi-sports athletes. They fly a bit under the radar.  They may be a bit less polished than their more specialized brethren.  But usually the athleticism of a successful multisports athlete is quite high.

Wow I'm going to be honest and say some of the anti-football posts are mind boggling.  You guys truly don't get it.  Football is not the devil.

 

Can bulking up in the weightroom hurt being able to throw?  Yes - if you do it wrong.  One of the major things that allows you to throw hard is flexibility.  If you don't keep up with stretching then yes you will lose flexibility as you increase mass.  Sometimes certain guys are built certain ways which means they just lose MPH but overall if you're flexible you will not lose velocity.

 

Football is a very complicated position at all positions.  Yes linemen aren't called a skilled position but if you think it's a bunch of big lumbering oafs out there then you don't understand good football.  You have to hit another very large person very hard and move them while they resist.  Just being big doesn't make this happen.  Great agility with your feet, the ability to find leverage through hand placement along with push pull techniques and move in a small area with other very large guys occupying the same place.  It's not easy and to be able to do it requires a lot of skill and just as much practice as skill guys.

 

Injuries - first they can happen in any sport or walking down the street.  Second I will readily admit there is a greater chance of injury in football but not that much if you do things correctly.  If you stick to your fundamentals, prepare your body and execute what you are supposed to do the chance of injuries go way down.  Now you get injured through some fluke accident.  Same with baseball or any other sport.  Concussion is the main topic in football, yes it is something serious and needs to be looked at.  But you can get a 85 MPH fastball to the head and get a concussion.  You can take a foul tip off the mask and get a concussion.  You can have a bad throw take a fielder into the path of a runner and one or both will get a concussion.  Can't play scared.  End of story.

 

Anecdotal story - I got more injuries playing baseball than I ever did playing football.  Lot of people out there just like me and my point in saying this is you can't say you will get hurt in this sport over another.  Injuries happen when it's time for injuries to happen.  Can't stop them.

 

Football is actually changing from big bulk heavy bodies and to more core developed athletes.  There are more and more football programs going towards core workouts because that is where explosive athleticism comes from.  Havelock HS in NC has been dominating football for past few years.  Their linemen are not these super huge beasts who aren't athletes.  They are just slightly bigger than their skill guys.  If the OL and DL guys only put on baseball uniforms they wouldn't look out of place - they would look huge - but not outrageous.

 

End of the day there is not a guaranteed way to do any of this.  Some make it playing one sport and some don't make it.  Some make it playing multiple sports and some don't.  Some get injured playing multiple sports and some never get hurt.  Some get injured playing one sport and some never get hurt.  This is a dilemma that will never go away.  We will never get to the place where we can say "this is how you get to the next level".  If someone can come up with that then they will make a ton of money writing books.  Since there is no one way to get there then let the kids do what they want and enjoy.  If their life, it's their time to play sports, it's their journey to get to play the next level, it's their desire to do what makes them happy.  Not the parents.  Not the coaches.  Not the private instructors.  Not the best friend (although he probably has too much influence).  Not the girlfriend (another heavy influencer).

 

I'm going to attack this from another angle as a coach.  I want all my baseball players to do other sports.  I do not want a single kid to be a baseball only guy.  Why you ask?  I'm selfish and do not want to have off season workouts.  I want that time off to do other things.  To go watch my guys play their other sports and support them.  Because I do not think those workouts in October are going to do a whole heck of a lot to help me win in March.  You put my team against a team that does the offseason workouts (talent being equal) I will guarantee my team will beat yours.  Reason is because when I get them in February we will get after it.  My guys will know it's time to get after it.  Guys who have developed skills from other sports will pick up baseball skills very quickly.  They will knock the rust off in preseason and be successful.  

 

Think of it this way - stand on something that is about 3 feet off the ground.  Then jump to the ground to where you land with both feet at the same time.  Once you hit the ground if you will freeze you will be in what's called the "athletic position".  Your feet will be just outside your shoulders, feet pointing straight ahead with a slight outward position and you will be on your toes with the heel off the ground.  You will be bent at the knees just short of 90 degrees and hips be the same.  You will have a slight lean forward and your arms / hands will be extended.  This position is in every single sport there is.  You just modify it for the sport.  Playing other sports will help you develop athletically.  I became a great catcher because of the footwork drills we did in football.  Batters box to batters box you couldn't find anybody quicker than me.  I could block anything but it was from football.  If I didn't play football I truly don't think I would have been as good - another anecdotal story.

 

Let the kids play sports.

By baseball organization (in your first post) did you mean your son's travel squad?  

 

My 2017 son plays football and baseball.   He is the QB for Varsity and punter and No.1 pitcher on his high school team.  If he progresses like he did this year he will probably hit 90 mph his junior year.   However I would not suggest nor want anyone to suggest for my son to concentrate on one sport unless if he likes both. 

 

To be honest I worry more about his health during baseball due to pitch counts than I do him being injured in football. 

 

 

some of my son's best memories are the three years he started as Qb.....he still talks about Fridaymnight lights....I also,had many friends tell me I was nuts letting my lefty play football....can't I aging taking those experiences away from him.

 

plus every college coach that contacted himduring the recruiting process loved that he played football

 

 

If he wants to,play let him play.

My son had the same issue.  He was a tight end/linebacker going both ways 7,8,9 grade. He was 6'2 or 3 about 235 as a freshman.  He projected in football as a tackle (he is 6'4 with a 6'6 wingspan)they wanted to get him to 300 by senior year.  He was concerned getting that big would hurt baseball.  his decision was made easy because of an injury and a football coach that harassed him to quit baseball.  He surprised the football coach and quit football.  Fast forward to senior year new football coach comes in ask my son to come back to football.  By then he was 6'4 265 playing just baseball and was hearing from scouts about the draft so he didn't go back, he did get drafted.  Last week he says if the new coach was there my sophmore year I would not have quit.  As much as he loves baseball he missed not playing football.  Funny story he was offered 2 football scholarships even though he hadn't played since freshman year.  I vote if your son loves both let him play both until he decides not to on his own.

I am with Coach 100%.  My son played football for the first time this past year (8th grade), and I saw changes in him.  First, it gave him a forced break from baseball that was good for him both mentally and physically.  It's very easy to play ball 12 months a year in SoCal (in fact, it can be hard to resist pressure not to). Going to football was easier to say to his coach and teammates then he's just taking time off.  Second, he used and developed muscles he didn't know he had.  Spending 5 days a week pushing other kids across the field made his legs and core stronger.  Third, he developed a swagger that I hadn't seen before, and he carried this back to the baseball field and became a more confident player and leader.  Fourth, he had an absolute blast.  Baseball is a game that must be played under control, but football you go all out, and he loved that.  The main concern he's going to have in  a couple years is how to manage college recruiting in summer and fall, and this may force him to make a decision.

My son maintained an elevated weight in order to play O Line in high school. He loved playing but it wasn't the best for baseball. He had always played outfield but by high school he had to convert to 1B because of speed.

 

At 6'2" 275 and a 2017, your son is likely to get bigger if he continues playing football. So, lets say 290+ by his senior year. I don't know if he has a good body type at his current weight, or a not so good body type. But how many 290 lb pitchers do you see in college ball. Or position players? Wes Rea is huge, but he is 6'5" and dropped weight from 290 down to around 275.

 

If he really wants to play baseball and increase his recruitment odds, he should concentrate on getting his weight down to under 250lbs as a starting point. And probably closer to 240.

 

But in the end, it's what he likes doing. If he wants to do both do it.

 

I assume this is a verbal commitment at this point?  Without a signed NLI they have no real standing to ask him not to play other sports, and if he gets hurt, well, they have no obligation to honor the verbal.  Sounds like you trust these guys but I wonder if in a more general case a college coach might take a different position after the NLI is signed.

Of course the "baseball organization" wants your kid to quit football. They want your money! 

They already have my money so their advice isn't driven by the dollar at least.

I agree he's getting too big for baseball.  He's solid but definately should be 240ish for baseball.  Football is a different story.  I will say a couple of the D1 coaches (mid) he threw for over the winter loved his frame and body.  I guess they are projecting what they can do with him working year round on baseball.

 

Unless I learn something new during the summer show cases he will play football this year.  He starts spring mini camp tonight, but of course has to leave early for a legion game.  Football coaches are understanding of his baseball commitment and he does make everything he can but April-July he doesn't miss baseball for football.

 

36jr played FB (QB) and BSB (IF)  with recent probability to end a 20 year streak against perennially nationally ranked FB program. Was advised by year ahead QB parent to drop FB or "his chances to play BSB in college will take a hit." That player ended up in a good D2 program, with marginal personal success. Club coach encouraged dual sport as he'd seen plenty of that at Stanford, one of the few top athletic schools who cater to that (Hoffpauer, Gerhart). 36jr stuck out FB (even after a  frosh BSB injury) and when recruited to D1 BSB was told he was preferred because the HC wanted more "toughness" out of his BSB recruits. We had prepared financially for all the possible outcomes, full ride, no ride, partial, etc. so he could base his HS decisions without that distraction. Junior summer was an absolute whirlwind with CM and FB and every day taken up. Both coaching entities accepted that the work ethic and dedication to both sports trumped their personal bias to emphasize one over the other. Whatever sport chosen, realize that any work done in HS will be nothing compared to the level of work put in for D1 sports and the expertise of the strength and conditioning staff will eclipse most HSs.  Find a knowledgeable P coach and take that advice as far as his workouts, weight, core training. Keep in mind, if he's not a skill, DB or LB, his chances for concussion is much lower. Of the three males in our family, all three had concussions in three separate sports. Friday night lights is a special time in the HS community that cannot be duplicated, and overall, it was a benefit athletically to mine.