Is it good to be playing other sports in high school besides baseball, such as basketball or football? It seems they would help with the strength/speed aspect of it, but would it be better to not do the cross sports and just work on the baseball skills? Thanks for any input you guys have.
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If I recall correctly, you are just finishing 8th grade. If you love the sport and you can handle the commitment along with your other responsibilities (studies, chores), play.
But remember, each HS sport requires a fairly significant time commitment, so if you are thinking of playing other sports just for the advantage of enhancing your baseball skills, you're probably not going to stick it out. You gotta love to play.
In a few years, depending on which sport you find yourself most attached to, you may have to cut something out. There are plenty of very good baseball players that finish their HS careers having played multiple sports. In fact, I would guess that most do, at least for much of their HS years. You don't want to look back and say "I wish I would have tried out for..."
Let your son decide. My son had 5 8th grade starters on football give it up for baseball only in HS, then 3 more 9th grade both way starters gave up football after 9th grade. My son missed it every Friday night for 3 years ( never missed practice)but for him it was an easy decision, he wanted a future in baseball. I would have supported him either way.
Mine is all state in basketball in addition to playing basketball. Nearly every coach we have met with has said they love the fact he is a multi sport athlete.
the college coaches I've spoken with tend to be impressed with multi-sport athletes as they tend to be more athletic (fitter) than those who concentrate in one sport. Although each sport has it's own sports specific training needs (usually skills based), you'll find a great deal of synergy in the training regimens among sports. For every sport in high school you need a base level of strength, typically filled with the strength, agility, quickness training that football players go through. Our high school highly recommends that all athletes participate in the school's SAC program in addition to sports specific training. So yes, football linemen lifting with female volleyball players, they all need explosive strength. My son is a multi-sport athlete and trains year around - he's in very good condition and never runs out of gas. It's easier to do than if you're only in one sport.
the college coaches I've spoken with tend to be impressed with multi-sport athletes as they tend to be more athletic (fitter) than those who concentrate in one sport. Although each sport has it's own sports specific training needs (usually skills based), you'll find a great deal of synergy in the training regimens among sports. For every sport in high school you need a base level of strength, typically filled with the strength, agility, quickness training that football players go through. Our high school highly recommends that all athletes participate in the school's SAC program in addition to sports specific training. So yes, football linemen lifting with female volleyball players, they all need explosive strength. My son is a multi-sport athlete and trains year around - he's in very good condition and never runs out of gas. It's easier to do than if you're only in one sport.
I heard that alot as well. One thing I have noticed is that baseball is the only sport that encourages players to play another sport to increase their athletic ability. Never really see football or basketball players playing baseball to gain an advantage in their main sport.
