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What would you do?

S sloroller10+ posts
A scout from the MLB Scouting Bureau told my son to work on his speed and agility and his leg muscles just after his sophomore season ended. We are currently working out with a local track team. My son is also doing preseason conditioning for the high school basketball team. The track coach believes that my son could possibly overwork his core and diminish any possible results from the track workouts. He suggested that if my son really wants to benefit from the track training then he needs to forget about basketball if he is not going to be a starter on Varsity and just play for recreation. The track workouts so far have consisted of core work, speed training, plyometrics and agility, not much running. My son has benefited already. He told me last night at bball practice that they were trying to dunk and that he jumped so high that his eyes were even with the rim and he did not know how to dunk because he had never done it before.He said they were high fives just because he was so high.
He is a junior earned his letter last year. Baseball is his sport. Do I suggest he listen to the track coach to get the most out of his off season training or let him decide to play bball. He knows that he will probably be on jv. He has been clocked at 6.9 but his goal is 6.6 consistently. What do you guys think?
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RJMRJMHSBaseballWeb member since 2007
My son stopped playing a winter sport after frosh year. Soph year he participated in FASST (fitness, agility, speed, strength training). Every aspect of his physical attributes improved and therefore his game. He gained twenty-five pounds and his speed dropped .2 to 6.7.

The only disclaimer I could add is he was in a growth spurt from 5'11", 135. He was 6'1", 160 when the season started. Part of his training was his head was always in the refridgerator and he drank protein shakes every day.
RJMRJMHSBaseballWeb member since 2007
quote:
Originally posted by sloroller:
RJM
Did he have any regrets?
Given the circumstances, no. He's in a large classification high school. He was the starting point guard on the freshman team. He was cut soph year for not playing on the high school summer team or AAU team. He was playing travel baseball. He also missed all the "optional" fall workouts due to playing s0ccer and fall ball. The coach said while he has ability and athleticism he lacks the dedication to the sport. Not one varsity basketball player plays another sport

Maybe if he was 6'5" the coach might have felt otherwise. He could have been a backup forward as a junior. The team's first six are all college prospects. At 6'5" he could have been tied for 5th tallest player on the team. This year at 6'1" he might have been a five to eight minute defensive specialist and third point guard, and possibly start senior year.

As it is he's playing two varsity sports. He plays in the town high school rec basketball league and dominates. The league is full of basketball cuts and good athletes from other sports. He's very happy with how things worked out. Winter gives him breathing time even though he's doing some kind of baseball workout every weekday.
Last edited by RJM
T topoldscoutMember
Let him play all he can.. multiple sports just add to the one he is concentrating on the most, he can over train but i dont believe he is, be it that track and Basketball both will add to the skills he needs in baseball, his core so to speek in track is his lower body,,,,, definate plus,, basketball .... hand to eye coordination another plus, and the running in both adds endurance!!!! let him play but most of all let him enjoy doing it,,, if he is not enjoying all of training then let him just concentrate on the one he enjoys most, but most of all HAVE FUN DOING IT!!!!
Last edited by topoldscout
B bhick3310+ posts
I stopped playing basketball my jun yr of high school. To work harder as a baseball player. I made the decision and it helped me become who I wanted to be. Basketball was fun but I was ready to get to work. I caught a lot of criticism but they shut up when I got drafted. Truth is you have to make an honest evaluation of your talents. Once you do that figure if you love it enough to get 5 days off in 6 months making 875 a month. If all checks out go for it.
observer44observer441,000+ posts
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Simply hated by coaches on both ends and paid a big price for it...but both continued to play other sports...great mental break from the year round baseball grind, great cross training, less "future" pressure and considerations let them relax and "play free" and stay in top shape without the weight of expectations, loved the big crowds/the intensity/the pressure. If asked, to this day they treasure those teams, those memories, those friendships, those accomplishments.

Cool 44
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igballigball500+ posts
My son is in the middle of this same issue now. Senior committed to play in the ACC next year and is just getting over stress fracture in lower back. Has played basketball his entire life, starting guard on excellent high school team last year. This year he choose to skip basketball and work on developing strength, speed, etc. Met with coaches yesterday and instead of support for his decision and his future, he's getting worked over by these guys trying to make him play. It's a very tough decision and my son has very mixed feeling about it (and so do I) but the potential for another injury is there I think (he plays basketball like its a football game).

The two arguments boil down to:
1. Your only in high school once in your life.
2. Get ready and prepared for college.
Last edited by igball
B bhick3310+ posts
My decision was clear and nobody talked me into quitting. Nobody could talk me out of it. I knew I was ready and would not regret it. Injury is a part of sports that you cant control in most cases. If your son thinks he may regret quitting. He should play and work to get his arm in shape in his spare time. Basketball is better than nothing and helps with a players mental toughness, but when you make yourself do the work you become extremely mentally tough. Mental toughness sets equally talented players apart.
BOFBOF10,000+ posts
The best advice I recieved when I found this site was for a similar question and it was "play both sports until the competition convinces you otherwise"

Do this and he will not regret the decision either way.

My son continued to play basketball until this year(Jr year) when he decided he wanted to play D1 baseball and needed to get in the additional work during the off season to insure this. He misses basketball a little but he would not have had the time to work on his baseball conditioning and summer/fall schedules. My son made this decision on his own. Yours will know what he needs to do once he plays against the talent level he wants to play at in college.
S sloroller10+ posts
thanks all, I had thought this topic had died down. But just last night we left track practice and I noticed he was quiet all the way home like something was on his mind. After about a half hour he came into my bedroom and said that he thinks that he will work on his baseball instead of playing basketball. His reasoning was that his school has a lot of good players this year and since he would probably be on JV that he would just work on his game. I felt kind of sad really. He enjoys being in the mix. We had a tryout Monday for one of the better programs in the area and that coach told him that his junior year would be the most important for his college ambitions. I guess that kind of convinced him. I have never told him one way or another, but the kind of sadness he had last night makes me want to tell him to go ahead and play basketball. Sadness can be contagious.
BumBum1,000+ posts
There was a kid in Bum, Jr.'s hometown who, until age 16 was considered one of the best. His dad put him on the football team, the wrestling team, and the baseball team. At 17 it was clear to me that his skill level was dropping relative to the other top players. Since I coached the kid a few years, every time I saw him I would suggest he concentrate on baseball (he always told me baseball was his first love, but his dad insisted that he play three sports).

By 18, six players in our small town were drafted -- not this kid -- and he went to a J.C. where he red shirted because of a bad back (presumably from getting sacked so many times).

Playing multiple sports can work both ways. There's no right or wrong move, just weigh your options carefully.

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