Dadof3 posted:As the 13u season begins to wind down I was talking with another parent about the break/football season/basketball season etc and then we talked about when to start the hitting lessons for next year (14u - 8th grade -april birthday). He thought it would be good to hit year around, I am in favor of dropping baseball until at least December more likely January. For those of you that went through this, what is your take? Do they need to hit consistently in the off season? Will it hurt to take aug-dec off? What do you do?
Several thoughts...
As with everything, it depends on the kid. Sounds like he is involved in other sports, which is great. A break from baseball is usually a good and welcome thing. But, depends on the kid. If a kid loves to hit and wants to continue, it's not like throwing, where arm health/wear and tear are factors.
Lessons are a different story, though. First off, if he is making significant changes, off-season is a good time to work on those. But lessons need reinforcement. You either need some regular follow up or need to take really good notes and make sure those learning points are getting the proper practice reps for desired improvement. So, will there be sufficient time to do so with the other sports activities and school work? Taking two or three lessons and then putting the bat away for a few months is probably money down the drain.
One constant, though, is to ramp back up far enough in advance of the school year so that he comes out in a good place when that season begins.