I have a 2nd son who is 12 and in 6th grade. We will be looking for a program to help prepare him for High School. We are looking primarily in San diego. I would like to hear any experiences good or bad that people have had with various programs.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
The premier program in San Diego is the "San Diego Show".
Having been through it with my son already and if I had to do it again, I would focus more on individual skills development and instruction and less on playing until HS. Yes he will need to compete against higher competition, but I would not go overboard with it and focus more on skills first. JMO.
The Show during S's playing days was amongst the top programs, but I absolutely agree with BOF that skill development is a higher priority.
What positions does your son play, or would like to play?
He is a very good infielder , decent catcher. I agree with development, looking for a program that caters to that. The Show has good teams, it does not develop players.
Back awhile, I would agree with your assessment of the Show - i.e, it signed the best players then tried to win and sacrificed development.
You would need to dig deep to separate the travel teams which try to win from those where winning is a by-product of development. I'd try local batting cages (e.g., JP Longball) for input or even tournament venues (e.g., Poway Sportsplex) - those guys have handles on the various teams.
FWIW, S played on teams before HS which were exclusively developmentally oriented. Most of the teams were not very competitive when playing teams like the Show; looking back, it was the right path for him.
imo, keep away from most dad coached teams and go where your son feels he fits and enjoys both the boys and the coaches.
Dos, sent you a PM.
Thank you. Good info
Most programs will let you "work out" with the team to see if it's a fit for you and them. Others (like the Show) have "tryouts" where they let you know if your son is good enough to join their team. Ask around to find out and go to their actual work outs. Then, you can see what they are actually teaching the kids...what kind of drills, do they work on how to steal...how often do they practice, does it look organized. I will PM you about our personal experience. There are a number of good programs in San Diego that will help develop your son and not just get together to play tournaments.
Send you a PM.
We played with the The Show last year. They are now in Nor Cal. Son enjoyed it!
