Would like to here from anyone
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Having fun, respect for the game, how to work hard, how to hustle and how to play the game right.
Check your fundamentals.
I agree with what coach2709 posted, especially if he's serious about the game.
The one thing that separated the kids who moved on past high school was one thing IMO. Personal drive. This led to a whole bunch of things but really added up to them putting in a lot more work than the other players.
My son is back from college and has been working out at his old HS field and he mentioned that he did not see any kids staying later doing their own individual work to improve themselves after practice. All of the kids that moved on from my son’s program within a couple of years of him, without question, were the ones who were there long after practiced ended. Taking extra ground balls, balls in the OF, BP, throwing, bull pens. Every one of them got keys to the cages, or were on the field at all hours of the day, before, after and on off days. Off the top of my head I can’t think of one player who did it based on talent alone.
Stay healthy, learn the right way to pitch AND hit, and have fun. No game outcomes, individual or team, matter at all. You don't want to drive that message home too hard as a parent, because you want your son to compete and care about the end result. Having that in the back of your mind, though, lets you focus on personal improvement and having fun rather than getting wrapped up in silly political things or whatever else can distract you at that age. The fact of the matter is that this is all building to where you are at age 17 and nobody will care what you were doing at age 13 if you aren't doing it at a college level when you're 17.
The best way to get there is not to get so crazy that you lose the fun. You'll never work hard enough to get better if you don't love doing it.
Originally Posted by JPontiac:
Stay healthy, learn the right way to pitch AND hit, and have fun.
The thing to remember in balancing hard work with fun is that the game IS more fun when you play it right.
It might take some not-as-much-fun time in practice (with your team, and by yourself - don't count on team practice to get your individual skills where they need to be), in listening to instruction and really taking the time learning and perfecting a skill - but when you actually get to execute that perfected skill in a game, THAT'S where the fun is!
SWAG! Greatest reply ever, BiggerPapi. Nothing truer could be said. Gear rules this age group.
As for a real recommendation: The player’s baseball IQ must grow. Youth baseball is about clean fielding and one throw. Bigger fields mean more rundowns and the likelihood of more mental errors; theirs and yours. Watch lots baseball. Regularly enjoy a game on TV with your son.
Balance. Faith Family Fundementals Fun. Keeping everything in perspective. And parents who do the same thing.