Should junior play ball?

Let him be a five year old and play with the five year olds when it's time.

They don't give fathers of 5 year olds any medals for their sons playing up with th 7-8 year olds.

Don't cheat him out of T-Ball, dad.

Let him play for someone else.

You are not qualified to coach T-Ball, anymore.

And, change your expectations, now, or, he'll never play.

Jeesh, I miss those T-ball days! My son put in 2 years in T-ball. I even think those two years made him the player he is today.

There's a lot to learn, even at the lowest form of the game.

I would encourage you to let him play with his age group. There is nothing wrong with T-Ball for a 5 year old. I think that some actually have their 17 year olds still hit off a tee occasionally.
My oldest Son played Tee-Ball as a 4 year old and a 5 year old. I am very happy we did it that way. I have never coached a team that he played on.

At 5, I think I would ask his pitching and hitting coach. Also pay attention to his showcase scores. Make sure he is hitting the weight room.

Sorry about my off the wall humor, ask him if he wants to play. He will be with his buddies and the pictures of him in the uni are worth the price of T-ball. Will he learn much from T-ball, probably not – will you and your family have a great time – YES!

I don't think a 5 year old is ready to take on the social responsibilities (girls, post game parties, 2 wheel bikes, naps) of the coach pitch crowd. Playing T-ball, he will be able to develop some leadership skills. Besides, if asked if he's been "juicin" in order to play up, he'll say "yes, apple".

Obviously I'm just kiddin with you Larry. Let him enjoy playing with his friends. However, on a very serious note remember that kids and their parents can be cruel and I can just imagine the potential situations that could come up in reference to him playing up at that age. I don't see any positives, you can work with him on the side and he'll get more out of that than a year of coach pitch.

I agree that T-ball is a waste of time ... a silly, fun, way for 5 and 6 year olds to waste some time, playing with their friends, maybe learning to catch or throw a little better, while moms and dads watch and hopefully chuckle at the pileup of players all diving for the grounder when the ball is put in play. Guess you can count me in with those who vote for playing with the kids his age for the next few years.

Oh, with all due respect, please don't be in a hurry for your son to grow up...they grow up quick enough...

Please let him be a five year old doing five year old things...and then six, and then seven, etc....

One day, you will wake up and wonder where your little boy went...

T-ball is priceless....

Larry, I would not worry about playing up just yet.
Let your boy have fun with his age group.
That's the most important thing right now.

Now if you want to play up, wait till he is 14 than play with 15/16,
16 play with 18 year old's.
Other wise it's just a game to enjoy. EH

Just a little story about son in T-Ball.

Son playing 1st, runner on 1st and 2nd.
ball hit off T in air, right to son playing 1st.
Catches ball run's to 1st, Unassisted double play.
He does not know this, it's just what your suppose to do with the ball. Run to 1st base.
Well the runner on 2nd also ran on contact.
So my son's on 1st, Runner from 2nd on 3rd.
And need's to go back to 2nd are be forced out.
Son already has unassisted Double play.
Runner on 3rd is being told to run back to 2nd.
Son see's runner going back to 2nd.
Nobody to throw to at 2nd.
Son start's running at the 2nd base bag.
Now it's a foot race to 2nd.
Runner beat's son back to the bag by just a couple inches.
Almost had an unassisted triple play in T-Ball.
Not that it mean's a thing.
But it was fun to watch.

So Larry I wish I was you, To see it all over again.
ENJOY IT.
It does not last nearly long enough.
EH

Im not sure or not-but it seems Larry has a decent amount of baseball background. In hind sight I think he is yanking our chain

It worked out differently for us. We have three sons. The youngest is just 3 years younger than the oldest. Our oldest played T-ball, didn't like it, and hasn't played organized baseball since. So we didn't sign the other two kids up. In fact, we decided to not have the boys play baseball at all, reasoning that it took more time than s****r or basketball games, and it isn't really very good exercise.
But our middle son bedeviled us into letting him play when he turned 9. It took about one month for his skills to exceed those of kids that had played T-ball and coach pitch. So I felt sure that starting later hadn't hurt him.
Now I'm not so sure. Might he be a better hitter today if he had started swinging a bat sooner? Perhaps. On the other hand, his primary position is pitcher, and I'm happy that he began that at 10,
Sure it's cute watching kids play T-ball, But our older two spent the spring trying golf and tennis and chasing the dog. Just as cute.
One more thing to consider--it isn't obvious that your child will like baseball, even if he is very good at it. Our sons clearly were pre-wired to prefer different sports. Yet it took a few years for the youngest boy to admit to himself and us that baseball wasn't fun for him, probably because it is obvious that I like baseball. My advice is to be sure that your son has full opportunity to try various sports.

Son first played baseball at 8 yrs old.

Larry,you should coach T-ball.Bring ice cream & candy for the kids(both teams) after each game.This will make it easier to "sign" all the top kids next year for your stacked team.

Still reminds me of a kid wearing a t ball all star shirt

Allow the 5 year old to be a 5 year old


T-Ball means squat at the end of the day other than to make mommy and daddy happy


Larry--you are a coach and can probably teach him more in the backyard

Husband said no T-Ball, and no Coach pitch....so son first started playing baseball at 8.....and hasn't stopped yet.

Larry keep youe head down, you are taking some serious incoming shots.
Playing up at 5 what a concept. Our favourite years were the rookie ball years (machine pitch) and you even get a lesson in politics.

If he wants to play t-ball, let him play! I can't imagine wanting to move up a five year old.

My son began playing t-ball at five and then went straight to baseball at eight. Never did coach or machine pitch. It was an easy transition and looking back at those t-ball years, there were many lessons learned outside of the fundamentals of running bases, etc.

Those are amazing years of a child's development that are quickly gone. Enjoy each and every day to the fullest! You don't ever want to regret rushing a single moment.

No way. Until he gets to be 9YO, just let him be a kid.

Send him & the other kids out into the backyard. Give them a wiffle ball and plastic bat. Let them make up their own rules, play as long or as little as they want. Let them whack the neighbor's cat with the bat. Just let them play. Make sure the adults stay inside.

At 9YO, they are old enough to play the game properly. Too many bad habits picked up when they start so early. Saw a lot of kids who swings was messed up by machine & coach pitch (e.g., dropping the back shoulder to plaster those rainbow throws coming in). And many of them had a hard time breaking that habit. Some never did. At a little older age, kids can better handle - physcially & emotionally - getting hit by a pitch or bad hop. Some kids who get hit at the younger ages develop a strong fear of the ball that they never overcome.

Wait until 9YO for organized ball. For the first season or two, he may be behind those who started in the cradle. But he will catch up with them if he has a knack for the game. {If he doesn't have that knack, it won't matter if he starts at 3YO or 9YO.} And he will probably pass many of them by the time he hits 12YO.

Too many kids burn out emotionally when they start so soon.

TR & I have been known to disagree at times, but we are in complete agreement on this one.

My son developed his love of BB at 5-6 and at 20 is going strong.
As I said some of the greatest moments at this age. My son didn't show any real talent until 9 and we have always just enjoyed the experience. No pressure and no great expectations.
If your son wants to play at 5 sign him up but let him enjoy interacting with teammates. The only pressure he had was his own internal pressure which we can help him deal with.
At the HS agees my son played on as many as 4 teams in a season and I feared he would lose his love for the game. i would ask him and he gave me the stupid question look. Only in his fianl year of HS did he decide on his own that he didn't want to play HS ball that year electing to work and concentrate on college. I was disappointed but it was his call. He still played his elite ball which was very demanding.
Personnally I feel that if your son burns out he should take a break. Every year I asked my son what he wanted to do. If you are the type of parent who pushes too hard, acts up at the park or in anyway interfers you run the risk of your son quiting any sport. Let them enjoy and you will to.

My boy started ball at 4.5 in the peanut league. LOVED it immediately and has played every season available for ten years. We never had him play up because the friends on the team kept the social part of the game fun when he was young. When his skill outgrew his age group in league ball, we switched to travel ball which kept him in his age/peer group. I would hold off playing up until JR is older, and then consider playing more competitive ball in his age group rather than playing up.

I agree you should wait until he is older. At 5 you don't have a definable skill level.
My son started playing up at 15. It was not our plan but coaches aked and he wanted to do it. He played 18U district allstar at 15 and he was very comfortable doing it. Thsi gave him the confidence to face anyone. He also played Major bantam when he was minor bantam in tournaments only. At 17 he faced a team that was full of top players who were expros, current and ex college players. He attcked with no fear and struck out 5 of the six batters he faced. This is part of gaining the mental game as well as the confidence.
I asked my son what it was like facing Florida State in his 1st appearance on the mound. He shrugged his shoulders and said just another trip to the mound.
Playing up is very important but wait until your son shows a skill level that warrants it. I always told my son that he will make friends on what ever team he plays for and cannot let the social part hold him back. he played on a great 17U team one year and I told him we had to change teams due to cost and he was not happy but made the move and made new friends.

larry - Some of the very best memories for my wife and me are of the kids playing t-ball. And absolutely the VERY best photos are from that time.

Don't be so committed to skipping it. Your son will probably enjoy playing with his peers a lot more than the added challenge of 7-8 year old baseball at this point in his life.

In the end, where he plays now won't mean a hill of beans. For now, its the experience, the laughs, the snacks afterwards and the memories that are most important.

You guys are too funny.

You're talking 5 year olds and burnout. It's about socialization, learning to take direction from someone other than mom and dad or the kindergarten teacher and learning to be PART of a team.

Bobblehead,
I don't know, but nothing more exciting for my son and his team mates than facing teams such as FSU, GA Tech, UM, UGA, UNC, UVA, Cal. Yes, another trip to the mound, but the best competition most likely he will face while in college. That's more than just a trip to the mound.

JMO.

Larry T-ball rocks!! I read a survey and 94% of MLB players played t-ball. OK, I made that up.

Let him enjoy and learn to love the game as long as you can, then he'll learn to need the game, jmho.

quote:

Originally posted by Tiger Paw Mom:
You're talking 5 year olds and burnout.

I had a kid, about 11 or 12YO, tell me he was just tired of baseball. He had started playing around 6YO. He sighed and said, "It seems all I have ever done in my life was baseball." He was burned out.

quote:

Originally posted by Texan:

quote:

Originally posted by Tiger Paw Mom:
You're talking 5 year olds and burnout.

I had a kid, about 11 or 12YO, tell me he was just tired of baseball. He had started playing around 6YO. He sighed and said, "It seems all I have ever done in my life was baseball." He was burned out.

That's most likely because mom and dad, not he, wanted him to play.

JMO.

I think there is a difference between having burn out, and just not ever really having the passion or understanding needed for the game.

There are many reason's for burn out.

I would have to say the #1 reason for it,
Is that the player just is not having FUN anymore playing the game.

Parent's/Coaches of young Player's, You must make the game Fun. Period.
Nothing else matter's in the whole game more than that.
Let me repeat that, NOTHING Matter's more than having FUN.
EH

quote:

Yes, another trip to the mound, but the best competition most likely he will face while in college. That's more than just a trip to the mound.

I'd have to disagree and say that a successful pitcher has to treat every outing like its "the" outing regardless of who he's throwing against. A "team" as a whole may look differently when playing against a specific team but a pitcher has a specific mental and physical routine that they follow. I think most pitchers will say that approach and/or mindset does not change regardless of who they are playing against. You always want the rock for the big games, but in the end it's still just another trip to the mound. If that pitcher does well then those on the ourside say he was pumped to play that big game, if he fails they say he can't handle the pressure or wasn't up for it. IMHO

There will always be a special place in my heart for T-ball, and I always catch at least 1 game a year.

Our T-ball was really coach pitch for ages 4-7.

Both of mine started at 4 yrs old.

If a little one couldn't hit off the coach pitch (from where ever the coach wanted to stand) they could use a "T" but most coaches could "hit the bat"

Some of MY best friends are friends I met while mine played T ball. Both of my boys have very good friends who they played T ball with, but not everyone continued playing baseball.

Would I do it all over again? OH YEAH!

quote:

Originally posted by theEH:

Parent's/Coaches of young Player's, You must make the game Fun. Period.
Nothing else matter's in the whole game more than that.
Let me repeat that, NOTHING Matter's more than having FUN.
EH

I'll repeat it, too. theEH is absolutely right.
Nothing matters more than having FUN!!!

quote:

I asked my son what it was like facing Florida State in his 1st appearance on the mound. He shrugged his shoulders and said just another trip to the mound.

I would hope he was pulling your leg --- OR ----are you one of them that thinks the Grand Canyon is just a hole in the ground and baseball is just a game?

There's more to life than competition. T-Ball is a great way to learn fundamentals - of how to play as part of a team. Besides which, you don't want to cheat yourself out of some very funny and precious memories!

i played t ball till i was 9,loved it.that's when i signed my contract.drafted out of 5th grade,decided to sign.didn't like school.
the kid has to play t-ball ,if he wants to be drafted at 9.jmo

20dad, I remember YOU!!

I said to myself, Look at that.
Where did that kid come from.
Big old Head and everything.
I said how could he hit with such a big head.
EH

IMO, playing T-Ball is more for the adults than the kids but I guess if it done the proper way the kids may get something positive out of the experience. You would probably be better off working on fundamentals with your son two or three afternoons each week and keeping it fun. Go get ice cream,soda, candy, etc... after you practice but keep it to 30 minutes or less. Introduce your son to team baseball when he is around 8yo. I did this with my son and it seemed to work very well.

EH:

quote:

Originally posted by theEH:
20dad, I remember YOU!!

I said to myself, Look at that.
Where did that kid come from.
Big old Head and everything.
I said how could he hit with such a big head.EH

It can be done EH...here's proof...

quote:

Originally posted by LenexaMom:
There's more to life than competition. T-Ball is a great way to learn fundamentals - of how to play as part of a team. Besides which, you don't want to cheat yourself out of some very funny and precious memories!

Amen. My favorite baseball photo is still on the refrigerator. 5 year old T-baller in cap, team t-shirt with his glove posing for his "baseball card", huge grin no top front teeth. Priceless. Besides, running the wrong way after hitting the ball isn't as cute in those high pressure coach pitch games.

cbg

quote:

IMO, playing T-Ball is more for the adults than the kids but I guess if it done the proper way the kids may get something positive out of the experience.

I agree that in baseball development, That T-Ball is not that Important.
But the playing and running around with your friend's is PRICELESS.
EH