crawdad -- you make some good points but....
How do you define the "best" HS athlete? At Plano East, the "best" football players do not have baseball skills. The "best" basketball players do not have baseball skills. However in a few cases, the "best" football players also play basketball. Plano East has a number of baseball players that also play football.....and one or two that also have basketball skills. In these cases, I don't think the "best" athletes chose their sports for the scholarship opportunities.
Crawdad- Do you think the time put in to becoming a better athlete in baseball is equal to the time put in to becoming a better athlete in football.
I can only speak for my school, but compared to our football and basketball teams (which I will not claim have the best athletes around since we are all nerds), our baseball team's workouts have been spiratic, uncordinated, and without direction. I would be in the weight room and not be able to see any connection with what we were doing to how it could help us (yes, there is some room for not knowing everything... but it is somewhat blatant). Also, in my four years of high school, our strength program for baseball has changed 4 times (once each year). We do not spend enough time in the weight room, and I won't even go into agility work outs. However, I must say our latest approach is most definitely the most organized with a purpose workout we've had.
My entire point is not to bash my schools lack of weight training for baseball, but it seems to me that in general, schools care so much more about football, then basketball, that the baseball team can get pushed out of the weight room. I really don't know if this is the case at other schools, but I'm throwing it out there. I guess I would like to hear some input because I agree 100% with you crawdad.
Also, I guess I should say that I have gone out and tried working with personal trainers on my own, and it helps a lot, but in season, there is little time for anything but school, baseball, and recovery for me. I made a choice that I would not sacrafice the academics for weight training during the season, so all the work I do in the fall, falls off. Which brings me to another question, how often are most teams in the weight room during the season?
I can only speak for my school, but compared to our football and basketball teams (which I will not claim have the best athletes around since we are all nerds), our baseball team's workouts have been spiratic, uncordinated, and without direction. I would be in the weight room and not be able to see any connection with what we were doing to how it could help us (yes, there is some room for not knowing everything... but it is somewhat blatant). Also, in my four years of high school, our strength program for baseball has changed 4 times (once each year). We do not spend enough time in the weight room, and I won't even go into agility work outs. However, I must say our latest approach is most definitely the most organized with a purpose workout we've had.
My entire point is not to bash my schools lack of weight training for baseball, but it seems to me that in general, schools care so much more about football, then basketball, that the baseball team can get pushed out of the weight room. I really don't know if this is the case at other schools, but I'm throwing it out there. I guess I would like to hear some input because I agree 100% with you crawdad.
Also, I guess I should say that I have gone out and tried working with personal trainers on my own, and it helps a lot, but in season, there is little time for anything but school, baseball, and recovery for me. I made a choice that I would not sacrafice the academics for weight training during the season, so all the work I do in the fall, falls off. Which brings me to another question, how often are most teams in the weight room during the season?
In regard to the 'minorities in baseball' aspect of this discussion, I will add this:
My six year-old tee ball team has twelve players. Out of those twelve players seven are black or hispanic. All very good athletes considering their age (c'mon...this is the Dallas Knights
) and all seven of these minority children have already played one or two seasons of football.
You think baseball parents are fanatical? The dads of these kids practice them for an hour of organized football agility drills after our baseball practices are over. These children love baseball but are by far more serious about football not so much by choice but because their fathers are pushing them toward football. If football were played year-round I can guarantee you that these kids would never have the opportunity to play baseball.
Whereas some youth baseball coaches recruit the best athletes from football to play baseball at an early age....these dads are unabashedly recruiting the best baseball athletes to their football teams. If you come to one of our games or practices you will know these dads as they are the group of men that are huddled around each other for the duration as if they are trying to stay warm.
After two practices I had to have a talk with them to discourage them from screaming at their kids to run the hardest and be the first to finish (or else) every time we ran bases or foul poles. It was like some kind of manic track & field event where parimutuel wagering was allowed.
And this was just practice....
Crawdad mentioned that the number of small, slow, and otherwise un-athletic kids has increased in youth baseball these days.....well, if you attend a peewee football game in the city or burbs sometime you will see why. Those small, slow, and otherwise un-athletic kids have no chance of playing on those football teams.
By the way, my family attended a football game last fall of one of our tee ball teammates and after witnessing theinsanity intensity of the parents on the sidelines and in the stands.....my wife forbid me from ever letting GM Jr play peewee football.
....so baseball it is.
My six year-old tee ball team has twelve players. Out of those twelve players seven are black or hispanic. All very good athletes considering their age (c'mon...this is the Dallas Knights
) and all seven of these minority children have already played one or two seasons of football.You think baseball parents are fanatical? The dads of these kids practice them for an hour of organized football agility drills after our baseball practices are over. These children love baseball but are by far more serious about football not so much by choice but because their fathers are pushing them toward football. If football were played year-round I can guarantee you that these kids would never have the opportunity to play baseball.
Whereas some youth baseball coaches recruit the best athletes from football to play baseball at an early age....these dads are unabashedly recruiting the best baseball athletes to their football teams. If you come to one of our games or practices you will know these dads as they are the group of men that are huddled around each other for the duration as if they are trying to stay warm.
After two practices I had to have a talk with them to discourage them from screaming at their kids to run the hardest and be the first to finish (or else) every time we ran bases or foul poles. It was like some kind of manic track & field event where parimutuel wagering was allowed.
And this was just practice....
Crawdad mentioned that the number of small, slow, and otherwise un-athletic kids has increased in youth baseball these days.....well, if you attend a peewee football game in the city or burbs sometime you will see why. Those small, slow, and otherwise un-athletic kids have no chance of playing on those football teams.
By the way, my family attended a football game last fall of one of our tee ball teammates and after witnessing the
....so baseball it is.
Baseball takes more skill so HA!
quote:You think baseball parents are fanatical? The dads of these kids practice them for an hour of organized football agility drills after our baseball practices are over. These children love baseball but are by far more serious about football not so much by choice but because their fathers are pushing them toward football. If football were played year-round I can guarantee you that these kids would never have the opportunity to play baseball.
6 year old kids that practice for 1 hour after T-ball practice? Man, what is this world coming to?
These are the types of parents that think "little johnny" will be a for sure 1st round pick someday, and are trying to make up for their lack of athletic talent back in the day through their kids.