Club/select teams--What age?

I guarantee you will get many different answers to this question. Certainly some of the decision depends on the player.
My son (an '08) started playing travel ball when he was 10.
Was fortunate enough to start on varsity both his freshman and sophomore years.
He hopes to play college ball. We'll see how things play out.
As for us, at least until this point, we all feel this was the right move for him.

To clarify--he already plays on a travel ball team and has for 2 years. The rec leagues in our area were not really an option for the kind of ball he likes to play. His team is an extremely talented team made up of mostly local boys and have played all over the state and several out of state tournaments. But, the coaching is just okay and there does seem to be a little bit of favortism toward a cetain coach's son which affects the entire team. Anyhow, I know there will be lots of ideas about this but just trying to get a general feel.

jbbaseball is correct. You will get many answers to this question.

I just believe that you make sure whatever your son is doing is FUN for HIM. Note the emphasis on "HIM." Fun can often be enhanced by finding the level that both challenges him and allows him to have success. That might mean 10, it might mean 15, it might mean never.

My older son (now in college ball) started in 8th grade. He continued to mix in rec. ball at the same time into 10th grade. My younger son (now in 8th grade) started at age 10...but he still does both travel AND rec. ball as he really enjoys just playing ball wherever that may be.

I have to be frank when I say I really don't understand the comment I hear often and that is, "my son needs to move to exclusively travel ball because rec. ball hurts his game." Abusive rec. league coach? Yeah I get it. But didn't you and I play schoolyard/sandlot ball which was basically as "rec." as it can be and did it hurt us? Nope, not me...not my friends...not some pro players I know. So I really don't get that comment.

But again, maybe I'm a dinosaur on this.

Please don't think I am against rec ball.I am in no way against it. My younger sons all play but in our really small town there is only 1 team at the minor/major level (which my oldest is too old now and my 10yo played in a town over knowing that he would not be eligible for all-stars, which he deserved), a coach with no experience that had to be coerst because they said their would be no team for his son to play on and no other teams to play except every other week...So as you see, rec just isn't happening in our area. As a matter of fact, it was so bad that this year they couldn't even put together an all star team because most of the kids ended up quitting before the season ended. S****r teams are all around but not baseball, so we looked a little further and found what we have now.

Oh, I wasn't talking about you...just parents in my neighborhood. I hear it all the time where I live. Just thought this was a good time to express my (unsolicited) opinion on that.

Nope-I apologize and I solicited. Thanks for your input. Just trying to get an idea of "if and when".

I feel the 11/12 age is where you should start. If your kid is raking the pitching in Rec ball/ Little League then you should move on. My son was taking baseball really serious at 11 years old. He was getting tired of the intentional walks and striking out 15 kids a game, it gets old really quick and takes the fun out of the game. When he played select ball he thrived on it and he got pitched to! LOL!

This is my personal take but I see 9/10 year olds travelling the country. To some its fine but I enjoyed being at home with him at that age. Living here in SOCAL I can see why kids join the select ball clubs. It is really competitive and they are starting at 8 years old! Amazing but its the reality of baseball around these parts.

My son started going to tryouts at 10/11. It helped him get a feel for what ws expected. He wasnt crazy about the idea of playing with guys he didnt know. At 11/12, he was chosen for allstars and really didnt get a fair shake by the coaches (big time politics). At that point he decided to try other options. He hooked up with a team that he loved and he excelled. It really depends on the kid and his maturity level at the time. I think having him go to several tryouts helped my son and led him to the decision. I dont know about where you live, but "daddy ball" will still be present even through the HS years.

The big thing is to make sure he is getting a lot of playing time!

If you're talking about exposure to college coaches/pro scouts, I would say that he would benefit from being on a team that plays the "showcase" tournaments (in our area often on college campuses)at 15 or as a high school sophomore. I don't believe they take many notes on players younger than that anyway.

I personally believe parents are doing more harm than good if they expose their sons to highly competitive ball too early...before the age of 10 or 11. Many seem to believe its neccessary if their son is to be competitive down the road, but I have never seen anything that indicates this is true. In fact, playing in an overly competitive environment at a young age often stifles a young players' development and produces kids who are afraid to take risks and make mistakes.

IMHO I believe that even the worst local teams can be the best environment for kids under the age of 10-11 if the coaches are good role models and know the basic rules. After that it depends on what's available in your area and how your son fits into the levels of competition each year.

Keep in mind, abilities change as bodies change...especially during puberty.

I think a more appropriate question would be WHY move your son to a select travel team? If you can answer the “why” then the age becomes secondary. I think justbaseball addresses the question very well when he says: “ Fun can often be enhanced by finding the level that both challenges him and allows him to have success. That might mean 10, it might mean 15, it might mean never.

I look at the moves my son made as being necessary to satisfy his desire to compete. Competitors thrive on challenges and if you play well above your competition the thrill of victory is lessened and the game can become boring. In the big scheme of youth baseball in my opinion the most important thing a parent can do is accurately evaluate their son’s talent and help him find a fit on a team. I’m a firm believer in helping your son move up but only if he has the ability to compete.
Fungo

Fungo and Justbaseball..
Agree with everything you've said, however many problems in youth sports today are rooted in the parents inability to acurately evaluate their sons. Hopes and ambitions often cloud even the most level headed parents and lead them to put their sons in situations that aren't age and/or ability appropriate.

It's probably easier to make these judgements if your son has always been at the top end of ability at every level. However, most kids don't fall into that category, which often makes placement decisions very difficult...especially since abilities often change as kids grow.

IMHO it's better for a parent to underestimate when their sons are young and increase competition levels very carefully. As they age, others will notice their abilities and hopefully give you a sense of where they can compete.

One more thought...
I recently visited my 10 year old nephew who plays on a travel select team in CA. He receives a weekly printed report of his stats including ERA throughout the season. I don't think that's age appropriate even if he can handle the competition level. It's one example of many things that are going on in select ball today that I personally feel have a negative impact on development. However, it comes with the territory and is accepted as the norm by parents who value performance over development.

Liberty - I agree that a big issue is parents evaluating their son's talent level accurately. Most parents (including me probably) shoot a little too high.

Is it better to be on the super-duper national champion travel team and get a lot of bench time? Or should your son play for the regionally competitive travel team where he plays most of the time and at positions that make sense for his strengths?

I'm always trying to find the balance point between the former and the latter. Like most parents, I'm not sure I'm very good at it either.

quote:

Originally posted by Fungo:
In the big scheme of youth baseball in my opinion the most important thing a parent can do is accurately evaluate their son’s talent and help him find a fit on a team.
Fungo