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Hello, I posted something similar to this a while back. I am coming off of an elbow surgery (still rehabbing) and should be back soon. This upcoming summer, I would like to start working out at a great facility with great trainers in the area. I would really like to spend time focusing on my development to get ready for HS. With that said, travel ball fees can get expensive and so can the training. I can do my fielding and hitting at home (maybe go to a hitting coach 1x every 1-2 weeks). My family will also be paying for private school so I don’t want to spend money that I don’t have to. Because my coach will also be coaching 3-4 other summer ball teams in our organization , I don’t see him having too much time for us to practice or play. The other age groups will be playing some local and a few national tournaments. I feel that the monthly fee would be a waste if we would be paying $150 for 3-4 field practices a month. I think I can get the same out of the practice by working out on my own at the park (bunt defense and some other things are exceptions). I am considering not playing/practicing this summer and focusing on eating better, getting faster, stronger and working to prevent any injuries. It would be too expensive for my family for me to train and play in a lot of tournaments during the summer. Plus, I’d like to save the money that would be spent on tournaments/ monthly fees for when it actually matters. I understand that at my age, national tournaments and showcases mean nothing. Should I take the summer off and start to play games again in the fall? I’d like to take the best course of action to be prepared for HS ball. If any of you have ever been in a similar situation, or have feedback, please share.

Thank You,

       2025

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there's plusses and minuses to both, obviously. a lot depends on where you are in your physical development. if you haven't had your growth spurt/been through puberty yet, there's less benefit you'll gain from working out all summer. if you've already gone through puberty or are going through it, the gains can be staggering. my 2023 son focused on gaining strength and flexibility during the pandemic and his improvements have been crazy.  he throws the ball harder (t81->t87 from the  mound), hits the ball harder (t83->t91 tee exit velo) and runs faster (7.6->7.1) in the 10 months from april to january. how much of that is natural growth and how much is due to the increased strength, i dont know, but he's a lot stronger.

What about the social side of life? you should be with kids breaking balls, laughing at stupid shit in the dugout, generally growing up. The training is important and not a waste of time but the truth is there is a big world out there and baseball is a very tiny not important part of it.

Work hard, do your training get prepared but be a kid and have some fun playing the game you love while you still can.

Yes, I am able to guest play on teams.

I will assume guest playing is free just cover your travel/hotel. Given the unpredictability of your return to full play, maybe just reach out to those teams that you can guest play so they have you on the call list. I would also reach out to pitchers you know and see if you can hit on their bull pens as it will keep your timing in shape. 

@2022NYC posted:

I will assume guest playing is free just cover your travel/hotel. Given the unpredictability of your return to full play, maybe just reach out to those teams that you can guest play so they have you on the call list. I would also reach out to pitchers you know and see if you can hit on their bull pens as it will keep your timing in shape.

This is what I’m thinking of doing. Or playing more local tournaments to save money since hotel/travel fees can get expensive.

i reread my answer and wanted to add that reps are important.  the kicker is, they don't have to be national showcase level reps. local tourney/league reps at your age.  going into HS, one thing i saw with a lot of my son's teammates is the total lack of baseball iq and lack of timing.  if you can latch onto a local team, that would be the best option, imo.  focus your schedule around your workouts and play sore if need be. 

one more thing.  my son and one of his best friends hit the weights hard this past year but not together.  both gained a lot of strength but mattysson focused on lower half (deadlift, squat, lunges, cleans) and friend focused on upper body (neither neglected the other body parts but there was a definite focus to their training).  Both gained about 15-20 lbs of muscle.  son cut .3 from his 60 and friend added (got slower) a tenth.  son also had more significant velo and exit velo gains.  curls are for the girls and you can't shoot a cannon out of a canoe.

@mattys posted:

i reread my answer and wanted to add that reps are important.  the kicker is, they don't have to be national showcase level reps. local tourney/league reps at your age.  going into HS, one thing i saw with a lot of my son's teammates is the total lack of baseball iq and lack of timing.  if you can latch onto a local team, that would be the best option, imo.  focus your schedule around your workouts and play sore if need be.

one more thing.  my son and one of his best friends hit the weights hard this past year but not together.  both gained a lot of strength but mattysson focused on lower half (deadlift, squat, lunges, cleans) and friend focused on upper body (neither neglected the other body parts but there was a definite focus to their training).  Both gained about 15-20 lbs of muscle.  son cut .3 from his 60 and friend added (got slower) a tenth.  son also had more significant velo and exit velo gains.  curls are for the girls and you can't shoot a cannon out of a canoe.

Thank you for the advice. My team won’t be playing much national tournaments, maybe 1 or 2 but the other age groups will be playing a lot which is why I feel the coach wouldn’t have time for our age group. My current team is a local team but it’s the monthly fee that’s the problem.

@old_school posted:

What about the social side of life? you should be with kids breaking balls, laughing at stupid shit in the dugout, generally growing up. The training is important and not a waste of time but the truth is there is a big world out there and baseball is a very tiny not important part of it.

Work hard, do your training get prepared but be a kid and have some fun playing the game you love while you still can.

Agree.

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