advice on upcoming season

Wherever he has the most fun!

The sooner he learns, or experiences, playing out of his comfort zone,( ie; facing better competition) the better off he will be.  He needs to be challenged by better players and learn to push himself, IF this is what HE wants to do

Travel ball usually weeds out the kids who don't really want it. There are outliers but for the most part, travel ball is the closest to what it's like playing college or Milb, considerig work, number of games, competition and loss of social life. If he want to play with hiss friends and stay away from travel, then let him be happy and have fun. 

 

There are tons of travel kids who were "all world" that never get to college ball and also are plenty of kids who played LL and HS that have the tools and make it. 

I'm leaning that way also,  up to him and if its travel team im completely fine with it.     He has a good future I think,   big kid for his age,  just turned 12 has hit low 70s pitching.   I'm tall played div 1 basketball in college and he's already taller than I was at this age.    The little league director may try and pressure me if we decide to move on but I can handle them.  

I think you need to talk to the coach of the travel team.  Find out what is his style and objectives are.  How he sees your kid contributing.  What kind of coaching/training.  etc.  Basically, you want to make sure he won't be the 12th man with little playing time. 

 

On the surface it looks like he'll get better training and coaching with the travel team.  If so, I would lean towards that.  Good luck.       

Don't let this stuff persuade you.  While the facilities maybe nice does the program offer the stuff your son wants?   Will he participate on the team or sit on the bench?  Do the coaches actually coach or just hit the kids grounders and have them take BP?  Do the coaches understand that winning is not what the kids need at this age (development should be #1)?

 

Lots to factor in.  As others said you may want to talk to the coach about his philosophies and make sure they are what your son and you want out of a program.

I'm going to give you opposite advice.  Little League can be magical (despite the politics, or maybe in spite?).  The 12 year old year is the last year -- after this summer your son could move on to a higher level of travel ball.  Our experiences are that if they want you when 12 they will likely want you when 13, especially a big kid who throws 70s already.  My second son stayed loyal to the old friends in LL and was able to make it to the regionals.  It was a lifetime of baseball memories, and something he had only dreamed of previously. After that summer he switched gears and has played high level travel since. 

 

You are only young once!  You age out so quickly from little league, and if your son is only 12 he has (at least) a couple of years before he would be on anyone's recruiting chart.  Therefore practicing with a D1 coach who may not be there but a few years or at the facility may not matter just yet.  

 

Is there a way to say no until next fall?  Or join in after the state/regional tournaments once your LL season ends?  There are PLENTY of competitive travel baseball programs, in fact, probably too many as it is watered down in many areas now.  But there is only one Little League, in my opinion. 

those are good points,  I had not thought of,     Little League tryouts down here are in late January so I actually told my son,  lets just go to the practices in the next month and see how you like it and if he gets along with the other kids.    Physically he looks the part compared to the other kids much taller and more athletic looking.   He has always been a solid player batted top of the order etc.  played key positions on every team he has played on travel team or playing up in age on little league so it didnt occur to me that he would sit at the end of the bench,  but we are the newcomers and I have heard horror stories about in team politics breaking up many teams around here. 

I have two boys 10 and 13. Older son left LL after 10 and younger left at 9. Both have been playing Tournament Travel ball since. Do not miss LL. Yes they had developed friendships but they have created many more since. 

If he loves baseball then travel ball is a good option. Be sure you do your due diligence before committing. Golfman25 and Joes87 speak the truth. Make sure you know what your getting into from a coaching style perspective.  

 

Is it out of the question to do both? My son played both LL and travel all the way through. Most of the LL games were weeknight and all of the travel games were weekend. Travel came first if there was a conflict on the weekend, but I can only think of a handful of times that happened. The LL coach was on board with this. When it came time for Districts, LL came first.

This is what I did with my son and he will never forget those times with all his buddies. It became a family affair and my wife and I are still very close to a lot of the LL parents. It has not seemed to hurt my sons baseball progression either!

Get on the best team he can. My son had fun in LL too but only about 3 boys stayed w baseball, most chose football or basketball. 

If son has passion for game, time to move on. Not many kids get opportunity your son may have. They may find someone else to take his spot on travel team and not want/need him next yr. I would not try and do both ESP for a P. 

My son never had problem making new friends when he played for new team. Kids have a lot to talk about and traveling makes them closer. Just my two cents

Where a kid plays as a preteen (small field) is irrelevant to his baseball future. What's important is he have fun, build a passion for baseball and learn fundamentals so the transition to the 60/90 field will be easier.

Learning fundamentals is more a function of coaching versus what level the kid plays. There are a lot of bad travel coaches at 14u and below. There can be a lot of politics in travel.

Agree with 2boys and RJM on this.  Spending 3-4 months this spring in travel rather than LL is not going to make a bit of difference regarding his baseball development down the road.  How much fun he has with his friends and how much he continues to love the game will.

 

But if he really wants to forgo his LL season then that's different.  You should support him.

My 2017 played LL through age 12.  He was on the tourney team every year and he has very fond memories of playing in the tourney.  We never did advance out of the districts but came close twice.  In spite of that LL tourney time is special to those kids who stick with it.

 

He did play on a Part Time travel team during his LL years.  For the most part the team was local to the town where he played LL.  A good portion of the team played in the local LL and they worked their schedule around the LL schedule.  This worked out well for him.

 

He did switch over to a full time travel team at age 13, but our LL program around here really drops off after 12 and the PONY league leaves a lot to be desired.  My older son followed the same path.

 

Im with the others until you are on the big field it does not really matter where you play prior to that as long as the kid is receiving enough instruction to develop as a player.  Development is key, not winning, or playing on the local prestigious travel team that does not provide any coaching.  

 

Around here there are a couple of programs for younger kids (8U-14U) known for winning.  By the time they get to the HS level these programs become the team everyone looks forward to beating up on.  The coaches/dads go around looking for the biggest/strongest kids at the young age, convince them to be on their teams and go out and arrogantly beat the pants off all the other teams.  IMO they do this mostly to feed their own ego's.  The main reason they are no good by the time the kids are on the big field is the teams provides nothing in the way of development for the kids.  Puberty is a great equalizer.

 

On the other hand there are some programs around here who really don't care about winning.  They are stacked with kids who will most likely go on to play college ball.  The one program my kid is now involved in puts a high percentage of their graduating Sr's in college every year.  In addition they usually have one or two kids drafted as well.  A lot of other parents usually wonder how they can go .500 on the season and put that many kids in college.  Its pretty simple they are willing to sacrifice winning for player development and exposure.  I've seen them pull a hot pitcher very early in a game because he has already committed to a college and there are recruiters at the game.  They want to try to get their other pitchers in to be seen.  Same thing for development.  If they feel a kid could use some more time at a position to develop fully they may switch him into that position for a few innings in a game.  Doesn't matter if they are winning or loosing.

 

 

It is not going to make a hill of beans difference in his long term baseball development which  way he goes. My advice is to stay within your community, play multiple sports and enjoy being with your friends. IMO all of this travel ball stuff before 13YO is a complete waste of time and money, you will hear parents saying that little johnny is playing for so and so (fill in the blank ex pro player). Well when puberty hits little johnny may or may not make his HS team. 

 

 Your LL sounds like they have a competitive program so if he wants to play there do so, enjoy the time with his friends, life goes by too fast. 

MY kid also plays 12u, so I may have a slightly different take on all this.  My biggest question for you is "Is there an in between?" 

 

Correct me if I am wrong, little league in my town means you practice 1-2 times a week, you have maybe 1-2 games a week.  Fall season lasts about 8 weeks, Spring about 12 weeks, and All-stars gives you another 5 weeks?  Totaling 25 weeks a year, with plenty of time for basketball, or football, or any other passion the kid may have. 

 

To go from LL to the type of team you are talking about is a HUGE change!  Most likely you will practice 4-5 days a week ALL YEAR LONG, with 3 home workouts expected to be documented per week with very little break.  Our coach is graciously cutting out 1 out of 4 practices next week due to finals, and giving us off 12/21 - 1/7 for the holidays, that likely has more to do with kids not being in town than him being nice though!  Even in the winter, we may not be picking up a baseball, but there are speed and agility practices, specialty practices for pitchers and catchers, team hitting...etc.

 

Are you ready for that?  Don't you think moving to a local travel team that practices all year round but not as fierce may be the step up he needs to decide if this is what he really wants?  I understand about getting out of the LL program to see what kind of baseball talent he really has and if it can truly go anywhere, but you seem to want to go from riding a bicycle in a park to driving a Porsche on the Autobahn!  I'm afraid the time and training commitment will put him and you parents off of the baseball idea if you don't ease into this.  But I do agree that if the boy has talent it's time to move on from LL.

A couple of things…first, my sons' LL experience wasn't quite like yours.  Our local LL was very weak, struggled to get volunteer coaches, and was 2-and-out in the All-Stars.  Also, most kids did not play in the fall (they played football, etc).

 

When we moved them to travel ball (at 11U), we were looking for higher quality coaching.  To us this meant skill development as well as learning how to play the game with intensity and focus.  We also wanted to see better, more consistent competition.  These things don't require 4-5 practices a week (plus documented at-home workouts?), and you can see by watching a few practices and games how the team is run and whether or not it's a good fit.

 

I believe my sons were much better prepared for the big field, and getting good coaching from the start put them on a better trajectory for development.  Travel ball isn't the only way to do this but for us it was the best option.

 

For what it's worth, my sons' travel teams have had great bonding experiences and the boys remain good friends, plus we have gone on some amazing family trips centered around baseball (i.e., LL has not cornered the market for good family experiences).

Couldn't agree more with this - well said! The only thing I might suggest is not to wait too long before making the adjustment to a drop 3 BBCR or wood bat.  Leaving behind the drop 10 composite bat was probably the hardest thing for my son when he eventually left LL at 13.  It takes some getting used to and requires a different hitting strategy for many kids when all those over the fence home runs suddenly become routine fly balls.

To explain, our LL experience was much the same, dad's volunteering and not knowing much about the game other than what they saw on TV.

 

We then moved to a local travel team that had a light fall schedule, some Sunday only tourneys in the fall because kids were playing basketball etc, maybe 1 workout a week indoors over winter, then 3 practices a week during spring/summer.  This is the type of program I am thinking would be the stepping stone from LL to what we are in now.

 

Our previous Travel ball team was AA/AAA and we got to experience the full year travel ball at a slower pace than the all out version we are experiencing now.  We are at an academy program now, it's pretty much a dynasty in the South, and it's beyond intense...but my kid loves all the practices and usually does 5 home workouts a week, and has asked the coach if he can hold MORE workouts...*shaking my head*...my kid loves it, he is thriving and he is learning proper fundamentals, so as long as he is happy I am happy....I just don't think either of us would have been so gun-ho going from LL to this type of travel ball environment straight away, that was my point to the OP, because from his post I would suspect the team he is considering is much like the program we are in now.

Looking back, as some have said already, where your son plays now means very little in his skills development. What really matters is how much fun he is having. PO jr's path was a bit different, didn't play TB until 13 year old and even then, limited play. He played other sports. A lot of his buddies that played 24/7 in every tourney available are now finished. Some never played in HS. You better love the game if you are lucky enough to play in college. Baseball becomes a full time job. My son still talks about his LL days and how much fun it was compared to now. Three LL guys out of thirteen still play baseball, 1 DI, 1 DII(last year champions) & 1 JC guy. One other kid plays football for the #2 team in the country, Go Ducks. All four of those kids didn't play TB full time. Relax, enjoy the game as it all goes by so fast.

I hesitantly disagree with the posters who claim where your son plays mean little to his future.  IMO, the three main factors (outside of talent) are coaching, practice, and competition.  If you can get those in LL, then by all means stick with it.  But the reality is that it is difficult to get in your average LL (or Rec ball) organization.  They generally don't have the resources to provide it. 

 

While there are some really bad travel teams out there, many aim to provide the coaching, practice, and competition at various levels.  They can pick their players.  Pick their coaches/trainers.  Pick who the play against.  And basically design a program to get the most out of the players.   

 

Now travel doesn't automatically equal future success. Nor does LL equal failure.   There are many bad travel programs and players who weed out.  Likewise there are LL studs who advance.  The bottom line is you need to find that level of coaching, practicing and competition which suits your kid.  Good luck.      

My boys are currently playing travel ball at 10 and 13. Moved on from LL to find better coaching and skill development since both of their passion is baseball. I will say finding the right coaching does take some time to find the right fit! Our LL did not offer that level of coaching or competition. Since both want to play at the next level (HS), I felt it worth the investment to make the move to travel ball. If the competition and skill development was at LL, we would have stayed. Had some great experiences at LL, but travel is very enjoyable as well.

Playing travel before the big field will not make your son better. Talent is talent and hard work is hard work regardless of the league you play in especially at a young age. People that play travel at young ages thinking that it is advantages to their kids development IMO are wasting their money. Now if you are doing it because your son gets more enjoyment out of it, okay.

 I will echo these two statements.  It is different for every kid.  Lefthook played one season of travel ball(12u).  We figured out it was pretty much a money grab for the local "baseball guru" and we were out.  He did not play again until HS, a 16u team.  He did jump in here and there to help a team out for a weekend, but was never a regular roster player.  We spent a lot of time talking baseball, playing catch, taking BP and working on fly balls.  He made to JUCO without going the expensive and extensive small field daddy travel ball.  While that journey is not for everyone, when I talk to the parents of young kids and they ask about it, I recommend that that find a local, reputable private Coach to work with and spend the money there, unless they have some disposable income and just want to do travel ball inflate their kids resume.

 

I agree with those that say let them have fun, play other sports if the choose.  But, which ever direction they go, it is no big deal, no contracts to earn, no money to be made.....hopefully they are doing it for the love and passion for the game

Talent is developed thru good coaching and repetition. Where you find that coaching depends on what your local area provides. For us that coaching exists in travel ball. I will take my chances on developing my boys before the big field. For now they love baseball- cannot get enough of it. I will support them. Not a waste of money IMO.

I don't think the facts support this.  If you look, you will see that the best HS teams in your area (Mater Dei, JSerra, El Toro, etc) are stocked with kids that grew up playing travel ball.  Kids that started travel ball at 13/14 seem behind the 8 ball.

Because those kids are already very talented. TB at the early ages did not make them better players. Until puberty you don't really know. There are thousands of kids that start early and don't play HS, what about them?

My contention is that getting good coaching and developing good skills early will help in the long run.  Puberty will get you bigger, stronger, faster but won't suddenly make a swing better or a more skilled catcher, etc.  I suppose skills can develop anywhere but I think high level travel ball is an excellent way to go to get this training.

I have to agree with standball on this one. This is more of the very Talented were playing Travel Ball. How many of these Kids TB team mates are still playing?

In agreement here with Smitty. No reason to wait around until 14 and or puberty. Why not gain the skills before? TB is not the only avenue to gain the skill and development. 

It is not all or nothing!  The 12 year old KID (remember he is 12 and probably in 6th or maybe 7th grade) has the chance to play for the relatively successful LL or drive 30 minutes further away for each practice to play on a travel club that is relatively unknown in terms of coaching/playing time/etc.  This kid is a few years away from high school ball!  Moreover, the parent mentions that the kid has and does play travel as well, just not for this new slick team that practices at a college facility! 

 

Those with older kids know that your persepctive changes as you go through the process, and you have the value of hindsight.  Very few of us have the luxury of thinking we did everything perfectly!  My own 2 cents is that you cannot play LL forever and this is the year for this kid.  In our case, as I mentioned, mine was able to follow his dream to help lead his team to the regional finals.  Some coaches hate LL with the rules and dimensions, but it is still baseball.  it isn't as if you are not practicing or developing. 

 

Our boys made friends on any team or any sport they ever played.  That isn't really the issue.  I think there is a convenience factor here as well everyone has missed -- one hour a day in the car adds up over time.  It means one hour more of driving but also one hour less of something else (homework, other sports, downtime, etc.).  We had great advice (not from this site as we didn't find this site until recently) that we had competitive baseball locally and we did not need to drive far to get our second son to a different travel team when he was younger. 

 

Indeed, LL does not have a monopoly on magical baseball memories, but if you have not ever been to Williamsport or Bristol or any other LL serious tournament, it really is once in a lifetime. 

 

My son is a catcher, did not start catching until 13 yrs old. Why do you think you see a lot of players switch to positions they never or barely played when they get into HS, college and pro ball?

They can play different positions because they are good athletes and good ball players.  Is this meant to refute my contention that good early training will help in the long run?  We can agree to disagree on this one.

Though 8th grade my son only played baseball from March through August. He played other sports in the fall and winter. In high school and understanding what the future could bring baseball became a year round effort despite playing two additional sports freshman year and a second varsity sport through high school. I wouldn't have wanted him to focus on one sport.

 

Being on an academy team at age twelve does not drive the passion and guarantee success. I saw plenty of kids play academy travel ball through 14u fail in high school, much less play college ball. The drive comes from within, not where the kid plays.

A friend of mine has a son that was in the same situation as you are. Except that he thinks his kid is the next coming of Derek Jeter, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper put together. His son played on a competitive (way to serious) U11 team. The coach said that no one would be allowed to play rec when they moved up to U12. After many cold beverages I convinced him to let his son play his last year of rec. The all star team made it to the Southeast regional and his kid was on Sports Center top ten. Priceless!!! 

 

JMO does not matter where your son plays U12. Just make sure he is having fun! My son never played for an academy team and played Rec in spring and travel lite daddy ball in the fall till he was 15. He just signed with a top 5 college team. 

OK I just read through the  comments one more time  Thank you everyone for your advice.   We are getting close to do or die time in our decision.   I have been dropping hints and trying to nudge him back to little league.  Everything dropped off from the travel team during the holiday and with basketball season.    Practice starts up next week though and he will get a taste of the routine and see what its like.   I don't know any of the kids or their parents so its very unknown situation for both of us( his friend that he did know on the team moved away) but its what he still wants to do.  Little League tryouts are in two weeks so depending on how next week goes will either tell them to take him off the list or we go back.  I am going to chat up the coaches and figure out the philosophy etc, that was great advice.  I am confident though that the coaching will be good from what I saw at the one practice he attended as a kind of tryout.   The main coach is the grandson of one of the top 5 college coaches of all time and currently is an assistant for another future no doubt college hall of fame coach.  How much time we will get with him once the college season gets rolling will be interesting so we shall see.   Oh and to add to the confusion another travel team has popped up that we have played with before and he knows most of the kids on the team is being quite persistent in trying to get us to play with them this spring,  a good compromise as many of the kids play little league but spread around the 2 or 3 very strong programs in our district.  

Rookie,

Sounds like you have options which is good. I would suggest letting him make the decision and give him the facts as you know it about the team options.. Ie. Pro's and Con's of each of them. It's OK to walk into a team not knowing anyone. We have done it a few times. Never going to find the perfect fit with a group of 11 families!

As you mentioned- ask a lot of questions to coaching staff and other parents.

I believe its all about finding the right coaching fit. By that I mean: style,knowledge of baseball fundamentals,practice time, how they teach the game, etc. 

Good luck with your decision. In the end make sure to have fun along the way!

The main coach is the grandson of one of the top 5 college coaches of all time and currently is an assistant for another future no doubt college hall of fame coach. 

 

This means nothing. One of my son's basketball coaches was the son of one of the most heralded basketball coaches in the country. He was a stud basketball player. He was a terrible coach and an arse.