DREAMING TO GO PRO

Big goals don't come without big dreams. You don't just wake up one day and become a pro ball player. It something you dedicate yourself to at an early age which seems like he has done. I 100% believe if you try enough, work hard enough, have a little bit of talent, you can make it to pro ball. Now whether or not you stay around is a different question...

[QUOTE]Originally posted by PlayWithHeart:
What do you tell a kid who was born into the world with a baseball in his hand? Who would rather do nothing more than play the game 24-7? QUOTE]

DREAM BIG!!

Set your goals high and do everything in your power to reach those goals.Tell him to understand that there will be obstacles in the way to reaching those goals but never lose focus or the desire.It's good to give him a dose of reality but I'd rather encourage then dwell on the negative.Let him know that you believe in him as well and more importantly allways will in whatever he sets out to do even it the MLB isn't that.

quote:

Originally posted by PlayWithHeart:
What do you tell a kid who was born into the world with a baseball in his hand? Who would rather do nothing more than play the game 24-7?

I tell him the truth.....I give him the ODDS (true stats on chances of becoming a pro) so he knows what he's up against, but I also tell him ANOTHER truth.

NOT ONE OF THEM THAT DID MAKE IT, EVER MADE IT WITHOUT DREAMING IT FIRST!!!

Good stuff. I believe in dreams and visualization as the key to making this all happen.

Based on experience though, I see parents out there mucking the dream up however. Pushing their kids. Riding their kids. Constantly critiquing their kids. Vicariously living their own dreams through their kids. Big, big mistake imho.

The key for young players is to have FUN with the game. Learning to love the game. Having fun being a kid that includes MANY activities other than the game. When a kid realizes he loves the game with all his heart, then something magical will happen. That inner drive and passion will guide his activities until his dream of becoming a pro comes true.

Try and push the dream and the passion it takes to achieve the dream on a kid, and you'll ruin him (his desire and love for the game) imho. Not suggesting anybody in this thread has implied these things, but just putting it out there for people to consider.

I agree with ClevelandDad --- If he loves it enough things will happen!

If I may add a word of advice:
As a parent you need to be prepared to REACT accordingly.
Fungo

This is what I have done with my son. He is one of those big dreamers. He is an 8th grader now but he has talked about nothing but being a big leader since he was seven.

I gave him the reality talk early on. I told him that the odds are remote that he would make it to the big leagues but that it is possible. I also informed him that making that dream come true would require a lot more work than he probably understood. I informed him that becoming a big leaguer would require practice and conditioning, training and a lot of off the field work for him to be a success.

I also told him that even with all this work there is no guarantee that he would make it all the way to the professional level. Illness, injury, something missing in their game or simply bad luck can derail that dream. I informed him that I was willing to do what I could (within my means) to help him reach that goal but I also needed a commitment from him to put forth the effort that this would require.

I also put a requirement on him that he needed to maintain his grades and remain a decent kid if I was going to put forth the sacrifices that I knew both myself and his mother would have to make. I informed him that even if he never played a game after high school or college there are still plenty of opportunities in baseball and maintaining his grades and acheiving something in the classroom would be the best way to succeed, both in and out of baseball.

So far he is still dedicated to his dream but there are times I have to kick him in the rear. He is a teenager now and sometimes teenagers act like, well teenagers. During those times when he doesn't want to go out and throw or do his band drills or some of his stretching and mobility exercises I ask him if he still has that dream. When he says yes I remind him that he needs to put in this work to become successful and if he doesn't want to do the work then I won't put in the effort that I do.

That works for him. I also keep everything open ended and inform him at least once every six months that if he decides that this isn't what he wants to do that it is ok, but he needs to tell me.

Dream big. But have a backup plan.

Not sure if you all ever heard the story about Derek Jeter. True story told by himself when asked about his mom and the influence she had over him when growing up.

Remember back in grade school when the teacher would ask you the first day of class what you wanted to be when you grew up. Jeter's answer was "a Yankee". Year after year, was always the same response. The older he got the more he talked about being a Yankee. Teachers talked about him, how they felt sorry that he was stuck on a dream that would never happen. During a parent teacher conference when he was older, the teacher told his mom that she needed to have a serious talk with him about the odds against becoming a Yankee and perhaps help him to explore other career interests.

His mom's reply was that she would never tell him that, because he WAS going to be a Yankee someday.

Jeter said in the interview if it weren't for mom's constant encouragement he's not sure he would be what he is today (a Yankee).

Moms of today with that attitude would be considered by some as nuts.

There's nothing wrong with the dream, but make sure it stays his dream, not yours.

Try not to make too many demands on your players (and yes even high school players) who really fully don't understand yet the commitment it takes. We all know that perhaps Jeter's mom woulnd't let him stop dreaming, but most likely he was the one who did the work to become a Yankee.

The most important thing is about enjoying the game. It's ok if they don't want to go out and practice everyday or do their bandwork. Once you make them feel like it's a chore or a requirement on your terms, you are gonna lose them. They have to learn this themselves.

If your son loves the game and wants to reach the highest level, he will do what he has to, may not be to your liking right now, and chances are he will go to college first.

No parent should have to ask every 6 months if this is still something the player wants to do. JMO.

My son had the same dream they all have, and he couldn't get enough of bb when he was a young boy. As he became older, seemed like sometimes he'd rahter be doing other things than concentrate on bb, he even had a job in HS, he'd much rather do that than work out in the gym, so it appeared. He did well in school and showed up for every game and never late for a practice, got himself a nice scholarship to a great bb program and just finished his 4th season in pro ball. In other words, he took care of business without us having to ask or make deals. We let his dream play out in the way that was best for him and if it didn't it wouldn't have mattered because it was his dream.

I'd wager that every parent on this board has faced this issue: the balance to strike between realism and the dream.

Who wants to tell a young baseball player that making the majors is next to impossible? But who wants their child to make baseball the sum total of his identity?

That's the delicate balance, as I see it. How do we encourage our kids to reach for and achieve a dream and at the same time make sure they develop all the other skills and abilities they will need to be a success in life, especially if the baseball thing doesn't pan out?

There isn't any single answer. With my son it was a long term discussion. As he reached his teens kids are intellectually developed enough to understand uncertainty, the risk of career ending injury, the odds of making MLB, etc.

With my son, we discussed this kind of thing quite a bit, in the context of the importance of getting a good college education and having other marketable skills - both in case the baseball thing didn't work out AND so he would have something he could do AFTER his MLB career!

So I think it is a long term discussion. Realism, when they reach the age they can understand it without being discouraged. But never tell him it is impossible, or discourage the pursuit in any way.

I vividly remember one moment. Jeff and I were driving somewhere, perhaps to or from a game. I think he was about 11 years old.

We were talking about the climb on the baseball pyramid. He looked up at me from the other seat in the car, and asked: "So, dad, do you think I can do it?"

At that moment, all these issues raced through my mind. How do I not discourage him, but stress the importance of an education, get across the need for a marketable skill in case baseball doesn't end up being his career? How do I use this moment to strike that balance, teach him about the improbabilities of making the majors and drive home how important it is for him not to put all his eggs into this one basket? How do I prevent him from defining his whole identity as his standing in baseball?

But I realized that this wasn't the moment for all of that. There were LOTS of teachable moments, car rides and conversations when I could get those points across. What he was really asking, was "Do you believe in me?" It wasn't important at that moment to teach some lesson about backup plans and keeping other options open.

I said: "Yes. I honestly believe that you could make the majors."

I'll never forget that moment. For some reason it is just frozen in my mind. I even remember where we were - exactly which intersection we were waiting for the light to turn.

I think I remember that moment because I realized in a way that I had never before that the dream IS IMPORTANT. You son wants to know that you believe in the dream too.

There are times to teach the importance of school, the realities of the odds of making the majors, and the necessity of having a fall back plan in case baseball doesn't become his profession.

But there are also times when we should just share in our boys' dream, and tell him that yes, you CAN do it, and I believe in you.

Great post Rob, I really enjoyed that.

quote:

I 100% believe if you try enough, work hard enough, have a little bit of talent, you can make it to pro ball.

Hi!
Based on our experiences, I'm not sure its a good idea to tell this to your kids.

I would never discourage a kid's dreams, but our most important job as parents is to prepare them for the twists and turns their life journey will take. Encourage them to work hard, focus on team goals, enjoy each day for what it brings, and seek God's purpose in everything they do. If that leads them to MLB, great. If not, that's great, too!

 

Wow this is a great topic! I was searching on "go pro" as in the video camera and this thread was at the top. I love TPM's and Rob's posts especially. 

 

My 2016 learned the game partially from backyard baseball when he was 2 1/2. Now at 16, he still can't get enough. He has very lofty goals for college and beyond. I'm starting to get a little worried because he has defined himself as a baseball player from a very young age and he barely has other interests. He loves basketball as a player and a spectator, loves football as a spectator, but he is first and foremost a baseball player. 

 

He is a good student and works hard. I just wish he would open his mind to other things. I know it is out of my hands, but if he doesn't make it at least in the near future to a good college program, I don't know what will be :/

 

 

ETA: I'm curious about the OP's son but I see he hasn't been on here for two years.