Position Rotation at 10-12U

Golfman,
I'm going to quote a few excerpts that you posted a while back in favor, for the most part, of travel ball...

quote:

Originally posted by Golfman25:
When my son started his journey, I was total against "travel ball." I viewed it as snobish and stupid -- parents paying thousands of dollars hauling Tommy from place to place to play a kids game. Cutting kids at 10, 11 & 12, etc. A few years into our rec. league and he makes the "all-star" team. We get the **** kicked out of us by "all-star" teams that were psuedo travel teams -- they worked out for more than a few weeks. My kid does relatively well and coach says "your boy could play travel." Of course, now my kid wants to play "travel."

So I let him try out for the league sponsored team. Of course, he doesn't make it... He is disapointed but trys out for a few other teams. There is an opening on a team with a few of his collegues. What I do right is contact the coach and ask him several questions -- all designed to determine if there is a fit. He trys out, coaches love his attitude and effort, ends up on the team and our journey begins.

...The time commitment is large. Practices several days a week. .... Finally, one day a few months later I get him in the car and say "kid, if you don't play a single inning, this has been worth it. I could not buy you the education you are getting." They took him from a kid playing baseball and turned him into a baseball player. They way he carries himself on the field, warms up, etc.

For kicks, I took him to a few "tryouts" the next year for other area teams. The difference was noticable -- he was head and shoulders above the other kids, including their returning players. Got called back within hours. Stayed with his current program....

..So why travel? I would say it is not the travel per se -- but rather the total experience. Better coaching (hopefully), more games, better games. Most of all, it's watching your kid develop. But you have to choose wisely. Many teams in our area are glorified rec. teams. If you get into the right situation for your family, then it is all good.

So, tying this back to your OP...
In this excerpt, you give props to travel because it is more of a commitment and develops a more competitive player, capable of playing on a more competitive team. Your son wanted to play travel because the travel teams were winning and his rec league/all star team was not.
There are lots of different coaches with different philosophies on how much to move kids around at this young age. I can certainly agree that it can benefit 12u players to get experience at various positions (in fact, I personally would tend to lean toward this model for this age) and I suspect that is what you want to hear. However, it is not that simple. Your kid wanted to play for a winner. Most kids want to play for a winner. If you take two 12u travel teams with average 12u talent and one develops kids in their best positions that allows the team to have the most success (i.e.- gives them continuity of regular positional alignment) while the other moves kids around the diamond very liberally, which team will have more immediate win/loss success? I'm not saying which is the right or wrong way to run a 12u team - just trying to illustrate one reason why there are plenty of coaches that will opt for a more set rotation.

You also state that you contacted the coach and asked several questions to determine if there is a right fit. Bingo. Part of the questioning should be clarification on what to expect with regards to position play and rotation.

Lastly, if your son considers it "getting stuck" at a single position and is disappointed, frustrated and bored, he is likely not going to stick with baseball very long. Typically, from about 12u on, players start getting funneled to specific positions based on their skill set, build, mentality, etc.
He should, instead, look at this situation as a great opportunity to really sharpen his skills at whatever position he is being put in. It will also help a great deal if you are buying in as well.

If he really likes other positions, he can continue working on those on his own, with instructors, with other teams, etc. More opportunities will continue to arise if he is willing to work to create them.

P.S. - You state "10 to 12u" as the age. I believe there is a considerable difference between 10's and 12's. 12's are one year or less from jumping to the big field and the funneling really begins, particularly for those kids who have HS and beyond as aspirations. My response assumes 12u.

quote:

Golfman25 said.....What should his expectation be? Should the expectation be that the kids play several different positions, both IF & OF, or get "stuck" at one position? Any advice I can give him? Remember we are talking youth ball -- 12 and under. Thanks in advance.

Golfman,

At this age, my philosphy is every player should learn how to play infield, outfield and pitch. I feel very strongly about that but it has to start in practices not in games. So I think the question should be how do we teach our kids to play infield/outfield/pitch so they can succeed on the field during a game.

Our team practiced infield/outfield/pithcing in the Fall, Winter and Spring from 9U to 14U. They were exposed to different positions and discovered what they were good at and what position(s) they really wanted to play in the future. We had 12-14 players on our travel team, and all of them were taught to pitch. Most of them got very good at it, and others didn't but they were given the opportunity. When we went to National or State tournaments we almost never ran out of pitching.

Strangley enough some of the outfielders that played for me, are now high school infielders. Some of the infielders are really good high school outfielders. At these younger ages, it should be about skills development and having fun IMHO.

Best of luck!

Cabbage, I think you're reading a little too much into my previous post. His joining travel ball wasn't about winning -- many teams in my area a loosing teams. It was about obtaining a positive learning experience and developing as a ballplayer. Unfortunately, things have changed with his team and right now he is discourage.

My thoughts are at the youth ages, it makes sense to mix it up and develop kids at both infield, outfield, and pitching. Certainly some kids will better suited for infield and some for outfield as a primary position. However, based on team match ups and how a particular game is going, it only makes sense to me to change things up. Would you throw your best pitcher multiple innings against the worst team in the league? Or would you take the opportunity to get the 2nd and 3rd level pitchers some innings? What about a backup CF or SS in the same situation?

From what I am seeing, I think this accomplishes two things: 1) Allows them to develop at multiple positions and 2) Breaks up the mononenty and boredom of a long season -- they are kids afterall. Thanks.

How often does the team practice? Games and tournaments are great, but kids learn baseball at practice. Regularly scheduled, well run practices should offer exactly what you’re talking about. At the youth level, all kids should be learning all positions. There is no other way to accumulate a deep understanding of baseball.

Games do not offer enough repetition to allow kids to hone skills. Even pitchers, the kid that touches the ball the most, must bow to the flow of a game instead of being able to repeat a situation to learn best approach.

I do recognize a program that practices regularly can be difficult to find and often has higher costs. Volunteer based programs – from Rec-leagues to Daddy ‘travel’ teams – run on games. I don’t mean that to be convicting, playing a lot of games meets the expectations of the broadest group of participants (players, coaches, volunteers and parents).

WAAYYY to soon to play just one position.

quote:

Originally posted by CABBallFan:
How often does the team practice? Games and tournaments are great, but kids learn baseball at practice. Regularly scheduled, well run practices should offer exactly what you’re talking about. At the youth level, all kids should be learning all positions. There is no other way to accumulate a deep understanding of baseball.

Games do not offer enough repetition to allow kids to hone skills. Even pitchers, the kid that touches the ball the most, must bow to the flow of a game instead of being able to repeat a situation to learn best approach.

I do recognize a program that practices regularly can be difficult to find and often has higher costs. Volunteer based programs – from Rec-leagues to Daddy ‘travel’ teams – run on games. I don’t mean that to be convicting, playing a lot of games meets the expectations of the broadest group of participants (players, coaches, volunteers and parents).

Good post that provides perspective. We do practice a lot in the off season and all the kids are developed -- that is a great attribute to our program. Durring the season, practice is limited by field availability and weather. And the kids are mixed up at practice as well.

It is really a game issue and a mental issue -- breaking up the monotony of playing a specific position. And, towtex I agree -- it is way too soon to be put at a single position. Thanks.