Not sure what the right age is for baseball or even if there is a right age.
What I do know is I live close to a s****r complex. Seems like every weekend they have a bunch of little tykes out there playing in tournaments. Sometimes they're traveling from a good distance. They look like they're having fun.
I always wonder if they will grow up to be s****r players or fans.
I think tournaments for young kids can be bad, but it can also be good. It all depends on who's leading things and why.
I've just never believed in the "less baseball the better" theory. There's a lot worse things those kids could be doing... like playing s****r. JMO
It is scary. Are the kids today better players later on because of all this? I look back and wonder about the great ones Mantle AAron Clemente playing tee ball at 5? Oh well Here is a good one. I was talking a couple of years ago about how umpires in a league could not call a player out at the plate after he struck out. They were instructed to tell the kids that "there time at bat was over" Now that is even scarier.
Will,
I don't think players necessarily end up better or worse by what they do at 5 or 6 years old.
I do think young kids can fall in love with the game at a very young age. To me that is a very good thing.
(IMO) It shouldn't be about producing star baseball players. It's should be about getting young kids to fall in love with the game of baseball. Some might end up being star players. Some might become life long baseball fans. Both are important and fine by me!
I don't think that traveling all over the country and playing in "World Series" is a good thing. But it could be with the right leadership.
At that age it's all about the leadership. If winning is the major goal some kids could end up disliking baseball. If kids are not having a "great" time, it's because the wrong people are in charge. It must be enjoyable and a very positive experience for every individual kid!
I don't think players necessarily end up better or worse by what they do at 5 or 6 years old.
I do think young kids can fall in love with the game at a very young age. To me that is a very good thing.
(IMO) It shouldn't be about producing star baseball players. It's should be about getting young kids to fall in love with the game of baseball. Some might end up being star players. Some might become life long baseball fans. Both are important and fine by me!
I don't think that traveling all over the country and playing in "World Series" is a good thing. But it could be with the right leadership.
At that age it's all about the leadership. If winning is the major goal some kids could end up disliking baseball. If kids are not having a "great" time, it's because the wrong people are in charge. It must be enjoyable and a very positive experience for every individual kid!
quote:If kids are not having a "great" time, it's because the wrong people are in charge. It must be enjoyable and a very positive experience for every individual kid!
Just my own opinion, but I think it applies to every level of amateur baseball, at least it should apply.
Will,
I agree. Political correctness has become so entrenched that even people who you would think would know better have bought in and most of them don’t even know it.
This topic is a good example. As I previously posted, traveling around with my 6 year old playing T Ball is not my cup of tea but if others have more time and money than I do to participate, more power to them. I also agree that there are a lot worse things that they could be doing and I believe that chastising these parents for doing so is misguided.
Political correctness would like us to believe that parents who take an active role in their kid’s development is unhealthy. Is it unhealthy or are people made to feel this way by parents who prefer to spend very little time with their kids so that they can pursue their own activities instead?
As I also said before, what is the age that everyone would sanction for participating in tournaments? Some people think that it’s crazy for teenagers to travel around the country playing baseball. I guess they are certainly entitled to their opinion no matter how misguided they might be.
I have no clinical evidence but it is my opinion that the kids who are playing in T Ball tournaments are going to survive this “Traumatic” experience just fine. I’ll also go out on a limb and say that the quality of the parents who take the time to share this endeavor with their kid is probably the type of parent that a lot of kids wish they had.
I am puzzled why some people wish to humiliate and embarrass the tournament directors and parents into thinking they are committing child abuse?
As I also posted previous, my son played in the 10 year old CABA tournament against teams from around the country and came out of it fine. In fact he still reflects upon it as his first homerun he ever hit was in this tournament against the Tennessee team.
If I told my 6 year old that we are going on vacation with his friends and he’d be able to play ball just like his older brothers do, he’d love it. I just can’t see how it would be a bad thing but if someone can provide empirical evidence that it is, I would reconsider my position.
I do know that if I had to, I’d travel to play T ball before I’d wish him to walk across the street to play s****r.
PS,
I agree 100% with PG when he says at that age it’s all about leadership. I would add that the leadership provided by the adults matters at every age.
I agree. Political correctness has become so entrenched that even people who you would think would know better have bought in and most of them don’t even know it.
This topic is a good example. As I previously posted, traveling around with my 6 year old playing T Ball is not my cup of tea but if others have more time and money than I do to participate, more power to them. I also agree that there are a lot worse things that they could be doing and I believe that chastising these parents for doing so is misguided.
Political correctness would like us to believe that parents who take an active role in their kid’s development is unhealthy. Is it unhealthy or are people made to feel this way by parents who prefer to spend very little time with their kids so that they can pursue their own activities instead?
As I also said before, what is the age that everyone would sanction for participating in tournaments? Some people think that it’s crazy for teenagers to travel around the country playing baseball. I guess they are certainly entitled to their opinion no matter how misguided they might be.
I have no clinical evidence but it is my opinion that the kids who are playing in T Ball tournaments are going to survive this “Traumatic” experience just fine. I’ll also go out on a limb and say that the quality of the parents who take the time to share this endeavor with their kid is probably the type of parent that a lot of kids wish they had.
I am puzzled why some people wish to humiliate and embarrass the tournament directors and parents into thinking they are committing child abuse?
As I also posted previous, my son played in the 10 year old CABA tournament against teams from around the country and came out of it fine. In fact he still reflects upon it as his first homerun he ever hit was in this tournament against the Tennessee team.
If I told my 6 year old that we are going on vacation with his friends and he’d be able to play ball just like his older brothers do, he’d love it. I just can’t see how it would be a bad thing but if someone can provide empirical evidence that it is, I would reconsider my position.
I do know that if I had to, I’d travel to play T ball before I’d wish him to walk across the street to play s****r.
PS,
I agree 100% with PG when he says at that age it’s all about leadership. I would add that the leadership provided by the adults matters at every age.
Dad04,
BINGO!!!!
BINGO!!!!
I will agree that kids need to have a great time. But at different ages the focus starts to change and should. For instance when they are playing t-ball at 5-6 it should be a heavy dose of fun followed with a short period of teaching some basic fundementals. You can not hold their attention span long enough to teach teach teach and they are not going to have fun. Let it be fun. As kids get older you will have the kids that just want to have fun and dont want to put alot of (work) in to improve. Then you will have the kids that are driven to excell. These are the kids that are not having fun unless they are challenged and see themselves getting better. When kids start getting into the 10-12 or sometimes 9-10 ages if its all about (just having fun) you will see the divide. The really competitive kids that want to excell will be unhappy. Having fun means different things to different ball players. Having fun for a competitive driven player is taking tons of hacks in the cage and working off a t. Taking tons of ground balls and long tossing. Breaking a sweat and seeing his improvement at the game. Then taking this to the game and having some success. To the other kid having fun has nothing to do with working at the game. They want to put on a uniform and play a game. They really dont want to practice and they dont want to be pushed. Now I dont think this happens at 5-6 years old. But at some point and time it does because I have seen it all too often. It needs to be fun means different things to different kids. Thats a fact.
Redbird
I'll address this to you since you started it. Sorry, I've been away with my hockey-playing son for a while.
I've not seen too many competitive coach-pitch teams lately. I'll bet one with Nolan Ryan pitching would be pretty good.
Perhaps, if that team would like to venture to this end of the woods, we can organize a coach-pitch/kickball doubleheader. If we split that, break the tie with dodgeball.
I'll address this to you since you started it. Sorry, I've been away with my hockey-playing son for a while.
I've not seen too many competitive coach-pitch teams lately. I'll bet one with Nolan Ryan pitching would be pretty good.
Perhaps, if that team would like to venture to this end of the woods, we can organize a coach-pitch/kickball doubleheader. If we split that, break the tie with dodgeball.
Dad04 and PG-I Agree totally about the leadership. Not only does it apply to baseball at ALL levels, and I would even add the professional ranks as well(although you would think that an average ML salary of $2.6 mil/year could make even the worst manager tolerable).
Coach May, I believe you've hit on the key point here and that is "What is fun?".
My middle son-now a senior in High School cannot wait for college to start. He is going to the University Of North Florida next year and the Coach, Dusty Rhodes is known as a strict disciplinarian that has his players in the weight room in the fall
at 5:00AM three days a week and they do this in the spring but the lifting is not as intense. The players dress properly, are respectful, on time and always hustle. This
is FUN to my son. Most of the boys on his high school team would consider this work
and would be miserable under this program.
I have had teachers in HS and college that taught the most demanding courses but I
couldn't wait to get to the class because I knew it was going to be an enjoyable hour-hour and a half. THEY made it so.
Fun is many things to many people but bottom line is that the coaches are the ones that hold the key and make the game of baseball enjoyable or not. JMHO
Coach May, I believe you've hit on the key point here and that is "What is fun?".
My middle son-now a senior in High School cannot wait for college to start. He is going to the University Of North Florida next year and the Coach, Dusty Rhodes is known as a strict disciplinarian that has his players in the weight room in the fall
at 5:00AM three days a week and they do this in the spring but the lifting is not as intense. The players dress properly, are respectful, on time and always hustle. This
is FUN to my son. Most of the boys on his high school team would consider this work
and would be miserable under this program.
I have had teachers in HS and college that taught the most demanding courses but I
couldn't wait to get to the class because I knew it was going to be an enjoyable hour-hour and a half. THEY made it so.
Fun is many things to many people but bottom line is that the coaches are the ones that hold the key and make the game of baseball enjoyable or not. JMHO
Moc1
You are right, of course. We all know the team that is having fun usually plays better. Or is the team that plays better having more fun?
I should ask Johnny Damon, I guess.
quote:and I would even add the professional ranks as well
You are right, of course. We all know the team that is having fun usually plays better. Or is the team that plays better having more fun?
I should ask Johnny Damon, I guess.
Who said this???
Yes, I coached his Coach-Pitch team. We started working our kids right away. I worked them like my coach worked my teammates and I in college, at ****** (Junior College) in ***XX Alabama. I had practices for little kids like we had in college, believe it or not. We worked at five and six years old at turning double plays, the correct way to field a ground ball, the correct way to swing a bat (etc.). Simple mechanics, things that I didn't learn in high school. And subsequently we started winning. If you know anything about Little League or any kind of ball at that age, you know you can get hated in a minute when you start beating people bad. We won like 54 games in a row in one stretch, and we were winning like 45 to one. People would hate me because they didn't like getting beat that bad by our teams, but at the end they would say, Hey Coach, I sure hope you pick my son next year."
Clue: perfectgame.org
Yes, I coached his Coach-Pitch team. We started working our kids right away. I worked them like my coach worked my teammates and I in college, at ****** (Junior College) in ***XX Alabama. I had practices for little kids like we had in college, believe it or not. We worked at five and six years old at turning double plays, the correct way to field a ground ball, the correct way to swing a bat (etc.). Simple mechanics, things that I didn't learn in high school. And subsequently we started winning. If you know anything about Little League or any kind of ball at that age, you know you can get hated in a minute when you start beating people bad. We won like 54 games in a row in one stretch, and we were winning like 45 to one. People would hate me because they didn't like getting beat that bad by our teams, but at the end they would say, Hey Coach, I sure hope you pick my son next year."
Clue: perfectgame.org
Blackheart-- I find that hard to believe regarding 6 year olds-- I have found they do not have the attention span for lengthy practices similar to College !!!
Question: does a parent wanting his kid there make it right !!!!
Question: does a parent wanting his kid there make it right !!!!
Since when are "having fun" and "doing it the right way" mutually exclusive.
Teacherman
Who said they are?
Who said they are?
The quote came from Tony Rasmus, Head Coach Russell County High School, #1 rated HS.
That still does not mean it is the right thing?
It seems that we have all types in a free society. For every parent who neglects their kid and doesn't give any attention, we have some parents that overdo it.
Then we have the great majority who seem to get it right.
Then we have the great majority who seem to get it right.
TRHit,
I didn't say that Rasmus was right, did I? Quit reading into my point. I just pointed out that the father of two maybe three exceptional players and the coach of the #1 rated HS team in the country, had little ones practicing turning two in t-ball. Whereas as you say it is too young to teach them, another successful coach has a different point of view.
I didn't say that Rasmus was right, did I? Quit reading into my point. I just pointed out that the father of two maybe three exceptional players and the coach of the #1 rated HS team in the country, had little ones practicing turning two in t-ball. Whereas as you say it is too young to teach them, another successful coach has a different point of view.
Blackheart
I never said it was too early to teach them--but it has to be done in the right venue--not tournaments--
I never said it was too early to teach them--but it has to be done in the right venue--not tournaments--