Tagged With "ready"

to add to this, when coaching my son's little league, I always felt that my two goals were: don't harm anyone (baseball wise, don't make them worse) and get them to sign up next year.

The best youth leagues are where the kids enjoy the game. It’s not about the brand name. It’s about the people behind the local organization. Kids enjoy the game by playing not sitting. Quality coaching can be a toss up at the youth level. But there are work arounds. I don’t know one kid who became a high school or college prospect who was held back by a pre teen coach. You will find the kids who “want it” want to practice a lot with dad away from team practices. Don't focus on development...

I have advice for the parents of youngsters just getting started. So much focus is put on getting ready for HS baseball. Where should my son play youth ball? What travel ball org is the best?? Where should we go for lessons??? All (apparently) based on the assumption that the destination (HS baseball) is similar once you get there. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Every HS baseball program is not the same. They vary widely. They have different goals - some are competitive and some...

it's amazing how different the experiences can be, league to league. our league was stellar. we kicked two coaches out in our 5 years there but everyone else was great (not great coaches but great intent and great with the kids). a couple of leagues in our district, though, have had horrible reputations for being run by LL mafias and, in our age group, it got so bad that the league was pretty much destroyed (it still exists but is a shell of its former self). if you ask someone from our...

Well, yes, a good trainer will do that assessment. Some kids should only start with body weight stuff. Pushups, yoga type moves etc. All kids can benefit from learning how to run correctly, especially deceleration and change of direction stuff The suggestion of finding a trainer is not just about development, either, it’s just as much about injury prevention and developing confidence.

Little League, Pony, travel, Babe Ruth, USSSA, Cal Ripken Leagues... there's so many options! What's been your experience? Did you feel like the league adequately prepared your player for the next level? Any advice for the baseball-loving youngsters just getting started? Thanks!

You explained that SO well: " If you kid isn't getting playing time, find another team. If your kid is the best player on the team, find a better team!" That's such a simple, practical "litmus test" to see if you're on the right team. Love it!

First thing is to allow the kids' love of the game to make decisions, especially early on. Secondly, find the best team where your kid gets ample playing time, but is not the top one or two players on the team. If you kid isn't getting playing time, find another team. If your kid is the best player on the team, find a better team! If you follow that advice, you will find yourself at whatever level your kid can successfully compete and have a chance to grow. As far as the leagues, they all...

as a step before that, I'd say that you need to assess your child's physical development and make sure that you're looking for the right kind of training. there are 7th graders who are shaving and 10th graders just starting puberty.

Good post by Lefty... his caveats are important. At the core, you can typically find a more competitive environment with the right travel team than the local league variety. But there are exceptions... certainly plenty of watered down travel. Also, not all travel involves proper instruction. This is another important element for HS readiness.

The best thing you can do for a 7th or 8th grader who really loves the game is get them training with a really knowledgeable person on strength and agility. Somebody who specializes in training Baseball players.

I was a coach and commissioner. I looked at coaches who had players not sign up the following year. I then approached the families and assured them the kid could play for a different team. If I saw a trend with coaches they stopped being coaches.

Once you know the HS that your son will attend, check out their roster and look up the kids on the Perfect Game website. There you should be able to see their travel programs and you''ll know which travel teams typically feed your HS.

It surely depends on the size of your community, and the pool from which the high school draws. In our medium-size town, when choosing which rec-ball league, no-one thought of Cal Ripken vs. Little League; instead it was "the one that took all players and was really nice to everyone," vs. "the one where parents yelled at kids and each other"! Needless to say, the second was the one that was viewed as "tougher," the reality was that kids from both leagues eventually played in high school.

Such a great point

I didn’t see in any of the responses, but we had good luck with our 13U coach who ensured the kids played with drop 5 or wood bat tournaments to get ready for BBCOR drop 3. It is really obvious in fall ball when freshmen show up with a -10 bat that they aren’t quite ready!

Little League in my area was the most competitive. We routinely had teams in the state tournament. There was a huge drop off after my sons year but I think they are good again. As Adbono said, things can change quite a bit by the time they get to HS. Are you considering private schools or only public?

Lots of great advice, as usual. As the dad of a son that has now played into professional baseball, I have thought about this. If we did it again, would I have changed anything? Honestly, I don’t think I would. We are from a small, rural area in southwest GA. Not much in the way of “lessons” were available. We did the best we could. Sometimes, I think people get too caught up in “instruction”. I really think that most kids that have the athletic acumen to be successful, at least through high...

One of my son’s travel teammates has a father who left no dollars unspent on lessons and how to shine in showcases. He had the money. The highly respected (everyone would recognize the name) coach of an annually highly ranked team stated the kid would likely be his best recruit ever. I PM’ed Jerry Ford on what he thought. He called the kid “the real deal.” I had coached the kid through 16u and watched him play at 17u. I just didn’t get it. The kid was programmed to excel in showcases. What I...

Bob, I do not know the scout you mentioned, but I think the advice is sage!! There is a time for instruction, but you gotta figure out if you have something to instruct. Kinda like the often given advice on here don’t showcase until you have something to show. The route is different for all and I get that. I just hate watching parents run their kid all over creation trying to find someone that will tell them their son is the next big deal. If you have to go far to get that information, I’m...

Younggun: are you familiar with the name Ralph Garr? [Former Atlanta Braves OF and now Braves scout]. During one of our Area Code tryouts at Texas A&M, I met Ralph and discussed with Ralph about Henry Aaron. "Ralph said he ask Henry about hitting" Any suggestions for me Hank? "Henry said "figure it out for yourself, Ralph"!!!! Bob

@RJM "I had coached the kid through 16u and watched him play at 17u. I just didn’t get it. The kid was programmed to excel in showcases. What I saw on the game field was a lot of LOBs against quality competition. Mechanically, the kid was a stud." Sounds like you are describing a mental/thought issue. Some people just have an issue with pressure. For every kid that wants to take the game winning shot, there are a dozen more would don't want the ball. The most likely reason he was the "real...

@@RJM wrote, “You can practice to shine on the showcase field. Or you can play the game and develop.” 100% true! This is a simple way to describe where so many people miss the boat. IMO there is WAY too much focus on posting measurables and not near enough focus on becoming a better player. Those two things aren’t directly proportional. If exit velo goes up 3 mph that doesn’t necessarily translate into being a better player. My contention is that only 2 things that are measured at showcases...

Couldn't agree more. 2021 son did two days of BP with 5 of the guys he shared his 9th birthday with at Sports at the Beach and that played together for 8 years. He's committed D1, one is playing at a CC, one is a DIII sophomore, one is DII freshman, one is not playing at all but they all still love each other like brother.

Keep it fun. I see a lot of kids who have been moved from team to team, never get to develop relationships and feel part of something and quit loving it. Baseball sucks a lot of time and the things they miss have to be replaced with something more than stats. My son missed a lot of birthday parties, and activities because of baseball but he also played with a bunch of the same boys from the time he was 8 until he was 17. They weren't a power team, but they were his best friends (still are)...

I think each league has perks and warts. A good test if your kid is HS ready, have him play on a daddyball coached team. If he is not on the field and hitting in the top 6, there is a good chance he won't be ready for HS unless it is a small program.