What else besides baseball?

Imo it doesnt have to be HS sports. He can do a little tennis or take up running for fun.  Its more about conditioning. I would  be careful w contact sports like football. We ve had a lot of fball  injuries this yr at our HS. You have to weigh the benefits to helping w baseball vs injuries.  If my son gets injured It will be playing his  sport not in one he really doesnt care to play.

Good topic.

 

First, I'd say let him do what he enjoys!  Maybe it will be a "team" sport.  Maybe it will be fly fishing or hiking.  After my baseball career ended I started white water kayaking.  Baseball is fun.  But the adrenaline rush of Class V whitewater is on another level.  His non baseball time could be used to explore something totally different.

 

Second, if he or you are looking for a nice "complementary" sport I'd suggest volleyball.  Back row defense IS ground ball position!  Add extensive footwork & explosive actions plus spiking/serving is like throwing.  Its an awesome spectator sport when played well.  Much faster pace than baseball.

 

Third, consider golf.  Baseball ends.  You can golf until you die.  Its a life long activity.  I don't play at all.  But often say if I went back to high school I would.  Practice is usually 9 holes free from August until Oct/Nov... has to be the best deal going from a high school sports stand point.

 

Rich

www.PlayInSchool.com/bus_tour

www.twitter.com/PlayInSchool

Track... My son loved it!

My son has said if his baseball playing days end he is going to join the cheerleading team.

 

In his words... "I can't do that gymnastics stuff, but I'm good at picking up hot chicks."

 

Yes, he is a little conceited. 

Canyons' Mom,

 

There are two team sports I wish I could've played while I was younger in high school or college.  First is lacrosse, and second is Ultimate Frisbee.  I learned and played both after college in adult rec leagues, and it was a lot of fun.  It was very social and a great way to meet new people (girls!) for a young man. 

 

Have him try a bunch of things and see what he likes.  There a bunch of individual sports out there as well.  I'm partial to tennis as I've been playing my whole life....it never gets old.

 

Good luck!

And it does not need to be at the Varsity level either. My sons favorite  sport was Basketball when he was in MS. We did not think so back then but when he was cut from the MS Basketball team in 8th grade, it was probably the best thing that could have happened. He continued to play with a local rec league (optimist). He had a great time. Kids wanted to win but it was also tons of fun.When he was asked to try out for the freshman team in HS he declined. He said he had too much fun in the rec league.The HS BB coach was not happy.

 

Plus that allowed him to do the Baseball off season activities and still play Basket ball. He missed the championship game for the rec league several years because Baseball Coach would non varsity sports participation after Baseball officially started.

Classic

I asked my son what he would like to do together when baseball was over and his words were like music to my ears... he said "Dad, lets go fishing, I really like to fish"!

 

Since he has been back this off season we have been three times and planing the next trip right now for next week!

CanyonsMom.

 

What position does you son play?  That will help me answer your question.

 

 

A good friend of our family's sons took up water polo in HS.  I have never seen any other players develop more from year to year than those two boys...both went on to play D1 college and both now play pro ball (younger one was just recently a 2nd round pick).

No one here can help decide for your son. It has to be his interest and passion. It doesn't have to be a team sport. It doesn't have to be a high school sport. It could be a rec sport or something he enjoys doing on his own.

Total agreement that water polo will get you in superb physical shape.  My son
really enjoyed it until his horse drowned at the third game........

One thought before your son signs up for another sport...if he is planning on doing any fall exposure events junior or senior year, think long and hard before picking a fall sport. Son loved water polo but quit jr year bc he was going to be missing several weekends and it wouldn't be fair to the other players to be a part-time teammate. (he would have returned sr yr after committing but was recovering from an injury in the fall). BTW nothing will get their cores in better shape than water polo...and coach says he loves baseball players bc he can teach a baseball player to swim, but it's really hard teaching a swimmer to throw!

I have seen basketball do good things for my kid. It is a very athletic game, so it improve athleticism, quickness, speed, conditioning, etc.  When he first came back from a full offseason of basketball everyone noticed the difference. 

Cross Country is a great HS team sport.  Around here it's not only co-ed, but very social, with weekly team parties.  The kids are the kind of kids you want your own kid to be  hanging out with.  Also, it's no cut, so it's not a difficult sport to start at your son's age, as the slowest kids are treated with the same respect as the quickest kids so long as they buy into the culture of maximum effort, and it's a life-long sport.

My 14 YO son was a counselor-in-training last summer for a skateboarding camp as well as a mountain biking camp. He loved it, and it was hard work, but he got to show off his skateboarding skills, which he honed by going to their camp as a paying camper for the preceding 5-6 years.

 

Last summer was his "indentured service" requirement (as in, camp free but no pay). Next summer he will make about $300 a week, which is not too shabby for a 15 YO.

 

Baseball is his only team sport.

Wow, y'all are great!  So far cheerleading is his favourite idea (yep, like Rob's son, he's a bit conceited) with swimming & golf coming close.  He is completely left handed, but my BIL says he golfs better right handed (go figure) which apparently won't mess up his batting.  He checked with some friends on the swim team and they say if you can swim a 200 free without dying (he can) then you can make the team...they work with you from that point.

 

MADad, he's a LHP that also plays 1st & OF (just so he can be in the game all the time)

 

RJM, his passion both outside of and in baseball is competing, He loves it all, from chess to cooking to athletics, he loves to compete.   The good thing is, his academics fall right into that desire, so he's rank pretty high (always helpful.)

 

Swampboy, he has done track and cross country through MS, but thought it might drop his weight.  That's an area that he stresses about.  His doctor & trainer have told him not to worry, it will come, but I'm not sure he's convinced.

 

Batty67, that's what I did all through HS & college and loved it.  I'll have to look into it, but I'm thinking his summer baseball season might interfere.

 

Thanks for all the input.  We really appreciate it!

Like others said, whatever he wants.

 

My son likes playing the trombone so he is in marching band.  He really enjoys it and has had a lot of fun doing it.  If your son enjoys swimming there is always the swim team.  That activity certainly wouldn't hurt from a baseball perspective.  

 

Just make sure he is doing whatever he enjoys.