when did your son start playing real competitive ball?

Welcome aboard dudesdad! Beautiful weather we are having this week,huh?

Anyway to ansewer your question, my son really began Travel Ball at the age of 11 on a 12U team in Ocala, Florida.

Prior to that he played year round since he was 6, baseball exclusively, although when in middle school he played for his schools basketball and s****r teams.

He continued to play Babe Ruth Baseball locally while he played Travel Ball until High School, when he played Travel Ball only in the Summer and Fall.

We would not have changed a thing, it has been a blast!

Welcome to the hsbaseballweb dudesdad!

Are you asking about "super" competitive baseball as in national tournaments or what a lot of people call "travel ball" but is more or less local/regional all stars playing at tournaments within 30 or 40 miles?

If its the latter, I guess my kids started into some of that through all stars, etc... at about age 10/11/12.

But since you asked for opinions...here's mine. I think we don't let kids be kids enough anymore. I think we run great risk of burning them out on baseball, schoolwork, piano...whatever...by putting them on an ultra-competitive super-duper travel team and saying it was their choice when in fact I've never known a kid yet who "chose" to do that. They may enjoy it once there, but its the parents who choose at those ages IMO.

I have two sons who have or currently play in a high-level D1 college baseball conference. The older one is a pro (minor league) baseball player now. They both thank me for 'keeping it fun' as long as we did within the local rec leagues until they ventured out to the "super" competitive baseball at about age 15/16 in both cases. They may have dreamed about being a major league baseball player, but they also dreamed about being a doctor and fireman and astronaut. And at age 11 they also played basketball, football and so**er and dreamed about being a pro in that someday too.

I still remember, with our older son, at about age 15 when one of his coaches said to get ready cause he's gonna play college and pro ball someday. I was shocked...hadn't really even thought much about it. In retrospect, it seems obvious to me now, but I'm glad I hadn't thought much about it up to then.

Now its true, thats just my way. But I actually talked at some length once with a D1 head coach...one of the best known in the nation...about just this topic. He too worried that we're burning the kids out and didn't really see the point of it at such young ages.

You will hear other opinions after mine that are likely to be, in some cases, the opposite. Just thought I'd get mine in there...and yes, it really is nothing more than an opinion...but based on some experience.

Good luck!

LL through 12. Played fall ball pony at 11or12. Travel at 13-14 part time including one season of LL Jr’s.(14) Played socc er until 12 and league basketball all the way to HS. Played basketball in HS until Sr season, then just baseball. Three year Varsity starter. Currently freshmen in college. My advice. Play multiple sports; spend more time and money on good coaching less on travel competition. Don’t over pitch. Have fun enjoy your community, they are only a kid once. OH yeah don't forget to encourage chasing frogs!!!!

Late edit: justbaseball

I agree with the "burnout" issue. My son played t-ball at 3 and played little league only through 13 (played s****r for about 6 years football for one year). He started local fall ball at 11. First travel tounament (50 miles with local kids) at 14. Major travel 15. Our progression worked for him, but every kid is different and I think it is important for one to know his or her child very well and be careful not to get caught up in the child's success and keep pushing him. If a kid says, "i need a break", I believe it is of the upmost importance to give him the break.

Welcome thedude...

I would suggest your son play at the highest level his talent allows him play. That is where he will most likely be the happiest. Just don't you or the team/coach make it a job for him. IMO the most important thing for a kid to continue to love and play the game is the fun factor. If he's enjoying the games and his teammates, he will run to the car for practice and games. If it becomes a chore, or he doesn't like the team/teammates he will not want to continue.

Also important at this age is to not get too carried away with success. Enjoy it, encourage it, and work at it, but don't let it get to your head or his head. As you will see, and many have experienced, just about everything will change by the time he is 15 or 16 years old when most of the growing is done.

Another big separator, along with pyshical growth, is work. You will easily see the players who work on baseball year around. My experience has been that these are the players that stand out as they get into high school age competition.

The key now is to have fun, fun, fun while playing and practicing. Good luck!

16. However that was 8 years ago and since then the local babe ruth league he played in has been cleaned out of higher level players lowering the level of play available to local kids under 16.

My son started playing very competitive baseball the first time he ever stepped on the field. He was five and it was coach pitch. He wanted to know who was winning. He wanted to know who won. My oldest son would say "You lost." He would start to cry and say "No we didn't we won!" He would then try to fight my oldest son for saying he lost. All the time the oldest son would be laughing at him for taking it so serious. He has always been ultra competitive and from the first time he played a game it was dead serious to him. Every kid is different but for my youngest son everything is competitive. From video games, horse shoes, checkers it doesn't matter. Baseball just seems to take it to a whole different level. And he was like that from the first time he ever stepped on a baseball field. Nothing has changed he still is.

Thanks for the welcome everyone.

FF: weather is great makes it so much easier to be at the field all the time. My son is same age as your sons HC son and plays in same travel circuit.

Just: this team is about national as well as state championships. just played in triple crown fall championship and planning in spring to play in both usssa & triple crown national championships. join tournaments in same age group based on competition and if not good then play the 12u bracket.

BOF & 2013: my son has played s****r & football and said was 1 season was enough. he has played baseball pretty much year round last few years.

I would say until about a year ago he said he would stop when got to high school just was happy playing LL, well then during all stars found out a bunch of the kids were playing travel ball the last year or 2 so said he wanted to do it. He has improved dramatically. First season dad coached team and did ok but then moved to a "professionally" coached team. He has done well and loves baseball and I think part of the reason he loves it so much is all the time he gets to spend with friends. He is a quiet and humble kid who is happy to just do his job on the field but seems at this level coaches say they want players like that but do not respect it as much as the kids who are loud,etc... I am questioning because I know his talent warrants this type of level but at the same time I am worried aout playing the game with so much stress and expectations will burn him out on something he loves.

I did get a great idea from the college forum though, about the list of questions that is important to decide on a college. I have started working on writing some down for the off season to make sure he is where he realy wants to be and not just because it is the best in our area, maybe state.

quote:

Originally posted by thedudesdad:
Thanks for the welcome everyone.

I did get a great idea from the college forum though, about the list of questions that is important to decide on a college. I have started working on writing some down for the off season to make sure he is where he realy wants to be and not just because it is the best in our area, maybe state.

When you state "make sure he is where he really wants to be", do you mean a college he wants to play at?

This thread is not that long; but, there's already a lot of insight here!

Because my son was getting good coaching and having a blast playing with his buddies in his rec league program, we waited until he was playing age 13 before taking the step of joining a travel team. Development is so important at the early ages that, frankly, I'm not sure what we'd have done if his rec league hadn't put a great deal of emphasis upon the quality of its coaching.

I have to also say that I got a big laugh out of Coach May's observations about his son, Jeff. He'd never told me that; but, knowing his son like I do now that he's older, I'm not a bit surprised! Coach, I'll observe in return that the trait you described is one of a number shared by both our sons!

quote:

Originally posted by 2013 Dad:

quote:

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When you state "make sure he is where he really wants to be", do you mean a college he wants to play at?

no was talking about asking him some questions to see what is important to him in baseball and once we know that, will know if this enviroment is really where he wants to be.

oh, ok. Sounds like a good plan.

quote:

He has always been ultra competitive and from the first time he played a game it was dead serious to him. Every kid is different but for my youngest son everything is competitive.

That is so much like my son. We would always turn whatever was around us into a contest of some sort. Whether it was throwing rocks at a post, or seeing who could toss a ball up closest to the ceiling without touching it, or whatever - we still can't spend 10 minutes together without finding some convenient way to have a good natured contest.

Dudesdad,

Welcome. So glad you wrote.

You are in the front seat of the rollercoaster. Be sure to fasten your seatbelt.

I am going answer a question you didn't ask. What have I learned so far (my son is a HS junior).

One thing I did right when my son was your son's age was insist on good grades. If you wait until high school it can be hard to get them on the program. Good study habits and grades are much easier to learn at 11 or 12 than 14.

One thing I did wrong was not having him correct a hitch in his throwing mechanics when he was younger. Didn't really notice it on the small diamond. Working on the fundamentals at 11/12 can really pay dividends later. My son did get excellent hitting instruction before he was 13, and this has been hugely helpful to him as he has gotten older.

Enjoy the ride.

I tried to push my son into super competitive travel ball when he was 10-11 and he wanted no part of it. Even after LL I tried to get him to turn it up a notch competitively and (to his credit) he insisted on keeping it more local/casual playing with friends and coaches he liked. He even took a year off (8th grade and the summer following). Things picked up competitively at his HS(a very competitive situation) but he still kept summer/fall ball relatively low key. He is now a sophomore in college playing high-level D1 and living & breathing baseball pretty much year around and loving it. I am convinced that he did the right thing by listening to himself (and not me)when he was younger and finding his own "competitive stride." We certainly witnessed many of his HS contemporaries who were on a highly competitive track from an early age burn out, fade away and disappear.

"When did your son start playing real competitive ball?"

I guess you could say He Didn't, until he got to college. When he was LL age we generally skipped all of the "allstar" tournaments at the end of the year for various reasons. When he got to high school he was repeatedly asked to play for the premier travel team in the state but we declined. He played pony, JV, HS, and Legion ball. He now plays at what most would consider a high level D1 where he has had a pretty decent career thus far.

While many of his buddies were off at tournaments he swam competitively, learned the guitar, played in a band, got a job, etc. But all the while we still went to the field 6 days a week to hit, long toss, etc. Baseball was always a year round thing, even though he wasn't playing tournaments.

My son is living proof that you don't have to play 100-200 games a year to become a good ballplayer. But frankly I think there are very few people that could do what we did and get the results we did. Most would be better off playing on a GOOD travel team for part of the year. I would think the proper age depends on the kid.

“When did your son start playing real competitive ball?”

-when he put his first T-ball uni on at four, he thought he was playing real competitive ball. Hehe.
-when he first got on a mound in a game at 7 or 8, he thought so... Haha.
-when he played up in majors at 10, he thought so. Chuckle, grin.
-when he played with his first “travel” team at 11... still cute.
-when he played his first out-of-state big tourney at 12, WE even started thinking it was real competitive ball. Hehe.
-when he played varsity as a freshman, he thought OK, this is real competitive ball. Haha.
-first HS playoff game. Hehe.
-his first tourney against a team that had some JC kids playing... Eh

Currently, he’s playing in a fall scout league with some of the most high profile HS kids in a hotbed state... Well, right now it seems like he’s starting to play real competitive ball. But we’re hoping that in a few years, just as in the past, we’ll look back at this and maybe have one or two more chuckles.

I ran through this progression for a reason other than to recount my own son’s path. I think we all have been guilty to varying degrees of getting caught up in the moment and making things out to be bigger than they are and focusing on the wrong things.

It has been said here many times. I wish I had known then what I know now. I wish I had found this resource long ago. You have an opportunity to gain a lot of perspective here and learn from the mistakes of many, many others that have been down the path.


I have recently worked as site director for one of the sanctioned tournament organizations that your son is involved in. I worked mostly around 9-12 y.o.’s in this capacity. I witness a lot (not all) of parent and coaching behavior that is not good - at times, disturbing. Parents threatening umpires over strike zones or judgment calls, yelling at their kids for a poor at-bat, talking behind other parents’ and coaches’ backs over playing time, demanding a birth certificate check for the kid that just hit one over the OF against her pitcher son, etc., etc. Teams going way overboard on matching embroidered bat bags, names on the backs of all three sets of uni’s and jackets, team-colored special order $50 titanium necklaces (which they have to take off when the game actually starts), etc., etc. And, those are the 10 y.o.’s!
Generally, the kids do great. They just go out and play and have fun... until they hit about 12. I think that’s when they start hearing all the goings-on with the parents and coaches. Then, they start following the lead of those setting the example because that’s what they are supposed to do, right?

“This season he tried out and made a very competitive team whos goal is to play in the national tournaments and win.”

The primary goal should be to provide a competitive environment for them to enjoy, teach them how to play the game properly and teach them how to be good teammates. If you do so, wins will come. More kids will want to come. More wins will come. Winning is great but if winning is goal #1 with 11 y.o’s, there will be problems, IMO.

Remember that he is 11. He will change his mind many times about lots of things over the next 6-8 years. I echo the sentiments of others. Let him fill his youth with all sorts of stuff, not just baseball. He can do both or all ten. If he wants to play competitive baseball for part of the year and you are able to accommodate, go for it. But don’t get caught up in the talk of “if he wants to be really good, he has to play all/most of the year” or “he has to play for Team X because they travel out of state to the BIG tournaments”. That stuff can come later. What if he ends up liking something else, as so many do? What if he gets hurt and can’t play baseball anymore? What if he burns out on baseball and hates it at 15? What will the rest of his youth memories consist of then?

Son started playing local travel ball early - 8 years old? He continued with that team untill they disbanded at 13. He then joined a team that played nationally and has continued to play in that arena. (HS senior now). We had the best of both worlds because the 8-13 team was one of the best teams around (2 or 3 state area)with good coaches and happened to be made up of all kids he went to school with. So really he just spent nights and weekends with his buddies as he would have without baseball. When he moved to the more competative arena he made new friends and learned a great deal from professional coaches and better competition.

We did begin with "lessons" to instill fundamentals of pitching at a very early age - I agree that bad habits are hard to break in high school players.

Hey thedudesdad, I see you are getting some good responses. I'll add to the discussion that my son started playing travel ball at 10. It was mostly a 9u team with three 10's due to the coaches kid age of 9. The coach was having trouble filling out the team with 9's. What a team though. All the kids except one would have played at the same park league and would have been their park all stars. Great summer, son greatly improved playing skills alongside very competitive team mates. Every kid on the team sounded like some of the other posts when it comes to being competitive. We went back to the park the next year and he actually regressed in attitude because many kids on this team were not really "baseball" competitive and had that "so what" attitude if they did not make a play or got a hit.

A lot of people talk about burn out and I saw it to some extent in other kids. I believe, for the most part that they would not have continued palying baseball any way. Hard to say though, as others point out, they are all different kids and will never fit into the same mold. I can say that my son could not get enough baseball. We would get home from a long practice and the first thing out of his mouth was "dad let's paly catch". He wore out three pitch backs. He could never get enough and still can't.

If I had it to do again I would wait until 13/14/15 to put serious money into travel teams. They grow and change so much between 10 and 13 that it is almost like starting over again with a new body once they get through that first (and second) big growth spurt. I would also stick to local travel teams because many kids (that I knew) end up going to a school within 4 to 5 hours drive from home. Why travel across a couple states to play teams from other states when you have no interest playing ball in those states?

By the time he was 14 he was playing 16u on travel teams and that is where he really started to shine. When scouts found out he was that much younger they were really impressed and promised to watch for him in a couple of years. 16/17/18u teams is where the scouts (college and pro) really start paying attention. That is why I say 13/14/15 is plenty of time to prepare for 16/18.

My son started competitive travel at 10 (live in the Northeast). Which caused a problem with our local little league. We were the first in our area to play outside the community and it was not well received by many. He continued to play little league but some weekends we were away. Starting at 11, we traveled to Florida for some of the winter tournaments. We were fortunate to be able to do this. Took some planning and extra jobs but the trips served many purposes( baseball,.vacations and bonding). Since then he has played on many quality travel teams throughout his high school years. He has been lucky enough to play in just about all of the major tournaments at one time or another up and down the East Coast. I can honestly say if I could I would not change anything. Some coaches were not very good role models....others were. He learned a lot of life lessons..for example: it's not always fair but to make the most of the situation your in and no matter what if you want something you need to work harder than the next guy while keeping you mouth shut. He learned to let his play do the talking. Don't get me wrong their were many tough times which has made him the player and man he is today. Currently he is a freshman playing on a very good D1 program. I look back and what is most memorable to me are the 1000 mile car rides.. It's not the actual games or winning of championships it's the times to and from the tournaments in the car that at some point it's father and son times(trying to calm him or reassure him or even lecture him), best friend times (laughing , joking, busting each other, and even fighting over music we each wanted to hear). This past summer, 2 weeks before starting summer workouts /classes in college we took one last road trip. Once again we had a great time but i must admit the last day or two was really hard on me. Knowing it was our last baseball/travel/road trip together. Now my wife and I are planning our own road trips to see him at some of these same schools we traveled to. Final advice...Do what you feel is best for your son. We changed teams due to better exposure, coaches conduct, financial reasons..etc. But we also found that it was best to be up front and honest with the coaches. Enjoy the times .....because in a blink of an eye it's behind you. That is the approach I am trying to take now that he is in college. I have read many comments on here that have said the same thing about their kids college experience. ..Sorry for the long response ..initially it was short but I started rambling.

I see two different questions: 1) When did your son become competitive and 2) When did he start playing competitive ball? The second question is still vague.

I knew my son was competitive when he threw a participation trophy in the trash before leaving the field when he was seven. When I asked why, he said his team didn't win the championship.

Gauging what is competitive baseball is subjective. Little League and other like programs have World Series. We could argue rec ball is competitive. We could argue his 9U town summer travel team had cuts and played other towns for championships. Maybe it was when he played in a USSSA Sunday doubleheader league concurrently with LL in 11U.

There's a difference in being competitive and competitive baseball. In terms of high end baseball I can't consider anything played on a field smaller than 60/90 high end baseball. But even top 13U USSSA teams are slow motion compared to 14U when the kids are so much bigger and stronger one year later.

To me competitive baseball is relative to whom you are asking. My son was always competing from the day he took the field, court, etc.. But to me competitive ball is high school, Legion and showcase ball.

It doesn't matter where a kid plays before high school, Legion and showcase ball as long as he has the fire and the training leading up to high school. Growing up a kid should play at the most competitive level he can compete and his parents can afford.

Note: I don't consider USSSA Tee Ball National Championships a step up from town tee ball. I consider it insanity.

My son learned a valuable lesson playing rec ball with less talented kids in his preteens. I'm talking about kids who weren't going to play past LL.

My son learned composure. He has to learn to deal with errors when a play should have been made. I told him as he gets older the defense may get better. But it will never stop making errors. I told him he loses control of the situation once the ball leaves his hand on the mound.

My son pitched through high school. You could never tell by his emotions and body language when someone made an error behind him. I believe rec ball turned him into ice on the mound.

quote:

Originally posted by thedudesdad:
... he has already said his goal is to play in high school and college...

One more point worth mentioning...

In case you haven’t seen this math on the site before - college athletic scholarships for baseball rarely exceed 25% and that isn’t showing any signs of improving. Academic money, on the other hand, is far more readily available.

The travel teams that hit the big tourneys can be very expensive. Showcases and private instruction can be expensive. Figure out how much you are likely to pay out over the next six years, assuming your son is going to play on a high profile travel team, go to a handful of high profile showcases and take some private lessons. Now, take half of that money and put it away for college. Then, make sure your son does his best in the classroom. Then, budget baseball expenses accordingly.

What you are likely left with is a player who is probably just as good, money in the bank for college, and a student who has far more options for playing baseball and going to a good school.

I'm going to go with around 13. My son is a senior in high school and sorting through various offers from all levels. He played local Pony ball with his friends until then. At 13 we left looking for professional coaching, tired of having 7 or 8 daddy's all as coaches! Those years however were fantastic. A bit more ball then LL but with local kids. Once you go club every weekend is spent at tournament and it's hard to have a family life. I wouldn't rush into it as not that my son is getting ready to leave home, I certainly don't say i wish I'd seen more baseball games...I do say I wish we'd done more things as a family. He had to give up basketball by 8th grade and did continue with football until giving it up his Junior year as he has no life. It was a tough call and he misses it but he chose to focus on bball.

Life is a marathon, not a foot race. I agree, focus on professional instruction and stay home a while.

quote:

Originally posted by cabbagedad:
“When did your son start playing real competitive ball?”

-when he put his first T-ball uni on at four, he thought he was playing real competitive ball. Hehe.
-when he first got on a mound in a game at 7 or 8, he thought so... Haha.
-when he played up in majors at 10, he thought so. Chuckle, grin.
-when he played with his first “travel” team at 11... still cute.
-when he played his first out-of-state big tourney at 12, WE even started thinking it was real competitive ball. Hehe.
-when he played varsity as a freshman, he thought OK, this is real competitive ball. Haha.
-first HS playoff game. Hehe.
-his first tourney against a team that had some JC kids playing... Eh

Currently, he’s playing in a fall scout league with some of the most high profile HS kids in a hotbed state... Well, right now it seems like he’s starting to play real competitive ball. But we’re hoping that in a few years, just as in the past, we’ll look back at this and maybe have one or two more chuckles.

Cabbage my son followed your son't path pretty much exactly. Just returned from the PG World Wood Bat Whatever in Jupiter, pitched very well against the team that ultimtely won so he's probably played at the very highest level in HS, but I sincerly hope we look back at this and chuckle.

My advice to thedudesdad is to go out, have fun and take every practice, game, tournament, trip, etc. for what it is: An opportunity to have fun playing the best game in the world, while spending some quality time with your family and friends while creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Ask him, "what is his goal", a fully populated trophy room or the opportunity to play HS, college and possibly beyond? Chasing trophies is expensive and not necessarily the best path to HS ball at age 11. For some it is, for others it isn't.

Boy does that sound familiar. Only difference in our case was that it was the HS team that was so bad. I told him the same things you did, but it was his mom, who thought he was showing up a teammate one day, who REALLY taught him this lesson.

The two main things that my son learned in HS was how to deal with the type adversity your son faced and how to deal with unpleasant people. (I guess Nietzsche was right). Both have served him well in college. Funny how the negatives become positives.

quote:

Originally posted by RJM:

My son learned composure. He has to learn to deal with errors when a play should have been made. I told him as he gets older the defense may get better. But it will never stop making errors. I told him he loses control of the situation once the ball leaves his hand on the mound.

My son pitched through high school. You could never tell by his emotions and body language when someone made an error behind him. I believe rec ball turned him into ice on the mound.

I would say when he was about 18 months old, holding a HUGE plastic bat, and his mom starts him off with a fastball up and in. Real chin music.

The next week we had his right arm duct taped behind his back cause a LHP is a hot commodity. I still believed this could have worked had the nosy neighbor lady not threatened to call Child Services.

He is a D1 commit and just got back from Jupiter. It's starting to get real competitive. I just picked up some more duct tape.

Alot of great input and I appreciate it. I did have a talk with him yesterday about what is most important in baseball to him and after this season(end in Dec) we will sit down and see if the experience on this team matches that.

I know this is just the beginning but have to admit there is time I have gotten caught up in it but then realized I have to take a step back and just enjoy it. I thank you all for sharing your experiences with me, even though you hear it you have really reminded me it doesnt matter as much until you step on the big field.

quote:

We certainly witnessed many of his HS contemporaries who were on a highly competitive track from an early age burn out, fade away and disappear.

My observation as well. Kids will drop out by 16 who you would not guess would drop out.

My son is a 13U player, so I won’t pretend to give you any advice or thoughts on baseball for older kids, but I can tell you that the next two years will have enormous changes for your son.

For what’s it worth, I consider 11U to be king of the kids. It’s been straight line growth and development for all kids into that age-group. The kids that were big 5 year olds are big 11 year olds. The kids that were little 5 year olds are little 11 year olds. At 11U, parents are still the nearly exclusive focal point of their kid’s world.

On the other side of 11U, the kids, in a completely unknowable and random order, begin to pop. Some pop a lot, some pop not very much. Sports in the Middle School age groups are defined by the difference in size. In baseball, it’s not uncommon to see a runner on First whose helmet only comes up to team name on the 1B’s jersey. Or for a 160lb batter to dig into the box and say, ‘Hello,’ to the 95lb catcher.

Also in the 12U age group, you start see kids giving push-back. I don’t mean in a purely insubordinate manner, but in a way that shows they are on the threshold of starting to take control of their lives (and seriously: what’s more important to a parent than that?).

As a result, and let’s not kid ourselves, size matters. The biggest kids win. What’s takes discernment at 12U and 13U (14U also?) is which kid is leading the pack because of his size and which kid in buried in the pack because of it. To that end, I’d recommend ensuring any program/team is heavily weighted on practice and instruction. Far flung championship tournaments have been won or lost before any team arrives based on how deep each player is into puberty. So spend the money that is comfortable for your family and enjoy the broader experience; today’s focus should be on fundamentals and what it will take to succeed at – and only at – the next level. (Sorry, a little preachy in that last sentence … )

Size is a more significant aspect when the kids are younger. However, I've seen several big 13 year olds drop to the bottom of the list at 15, once the mashers meet the curve ball, or the speed of the pitches picks up. The kids who were buried in the pack start coming out. It is a lot of fun to watch the reshuffling.

Have fun!

quote:

Originally posted by all322:
The next week we had his right arm duct taped behind his back cause a LHP is a hot commodity. I still believed this could have worked had the nosy neighbor lady not threatened to call Child Services.

I literally shot coffee out my nose reading this. My son and I are both LH in EVERYTHING but throwing / hitting a baseball. Eating, shooting, all LH. When he was a little guy I was sorely tempted to duct tape his RH to his body and make him use his LH..of course I think my wife would have had something to say about it.

I literally shot coffee out my nose reading this. My son and I are both LH in EVERYTHING but throwing / hitting a baseball. Eating, shooting, all LH. When he was a little guy I was sorely tempted to duct tape his RH to his body and make him use his LH..of course I think my wife would have had something to say about it.[/QUOTE]

If you don't provide evidence, no one will believe you. Video would be great but a photo will keep you credible.

My oldest has been competative since five years old. He was always mad if he didn't get every game ball awarded to him. Our younger son has ice water in his veins and I have rarely seen much outward emotion or talk from him win or lose.

As far as the baseball itself...both boys played all star rec travel ball until starting travel ball. My oldest was 12 when he started in 14U and my youngest was 13.

As far as when I believe my sons realized the ante had been way upped? I think these were the times for them:

I still remember the look on my oldest son's face when we were in Florida for his first big time tourney. A top Texas team pulled up in a fancy bus with their name on the side and got off in their top of the line uniforms and matching bags. He also was peeking through a door to watch BJ Upton work out on exercise machines. That trip was such a 'we aren't in Kansas anymore Toto" moment for him.

And with my youngest son the realization of the giant step up came when we played (at that time last summer) the number one team in the nation. The game sure was lopsided. Wowza did they have big talented boys. Their hitting was memorable up and down their line, but especially with their number four and two blond headed brothers. And that comes from a mom that rarely remembers games or players from the past. We still talk about once you have played this team, having anxiety about a team becomes moot.

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Originally posted by twotex:

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We certainly witnessed many of his HS contemporaries who were on a highly competitive track from an early age burn out, fade away and disappear.

My observation as well. Kids will drop out by 16 who you would not guess would drop out.

I've seen questionable outside influences distract some kids at sixteen. With the ones I know the parents they never saw it coming.

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Originally posted by all322:
The next week we had his right arm duct taped behind his back cause a LHP is a hot commodity.

Pretty funny joke...

But in all seriousness, I remember my mother telling me to do the opposite with my son who was LH all the way from day 1. She told me to tape his left hand behind him and make him learn how to do everyting right handed, because it's a right handers world (she was a HS teacher for 40+ years). "He'll never be able to sign his name properly, or write legibly, he'll never succeed in school. He'll certainly never drive a stick shift, or use scissors, he'll flunk out of kindergarten, etc"

Everything in life is made for right handers, except baseball.

As both a baseball Dad and youth Rec and Travel Team Coach, I've witnessed misguided parents and coaches. that were far more competitive than were the child athletes.

After a tough loss the adults would be into analyzing what went wrong while the boys were already in the pool or playing video.

PrimeJr. started travel at 12U and for him, that was plenty soon enough. I don't believe he ever put too much stock on the out come of Travel ball games or tournaments. He, we always viewed those times as necessary, fun and competitive reps that were to prepare him for H.S. and College baseball. Personally, I think that is a very healthy overall approach early on. There will be plenty of time in the game of baseball as you progress, to deal with the failures.

All kids are different, I was one of those overly competitive children, athlete, Dad and Coach. There is a time and place for competitive spirit but at the youth level, there should be a much bigger emphasis on letting kids just play. learn and enjoy!

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Originally posted by thedudesdad:

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Originally posted by 2013 Dad:

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When you state "make sure he is where he really wants to be", do you mean a college he wants to play at?

no was talking about asking him some questions to see what is important to him in baseball and once we know that, will know if this enviroment is really where he wants to be.

Welcome.

Why would you ask him those questions, he's 11, let him go out and learn to play the game and develop his skills, it doesn't matter at this point where he's getting that in, when he gets to HS and still playing then you can begin college discussion. I am not big on championship teams for 11 year olds, but if that is what "he" wants, and you can afford it go for it.

Allow your son time off from year round baseball, get him involved in other activities as well, if he loves the game he will want to continue no matter what negative or positive challenges it brings. In other words, your son is 11 let him be 11, work on each goal at one time ( playing HS ball then playing college ball). If your son shows potential for the next level, then you can approach that issue at that time. Most folks really have no idea what that is, but you will know, trust me, you will.

I am sorry, I cannot help but to chuckle at your line "I am sure he dreams of playing proball also but has never stated this". May I ask, is this your dream? That's ok if it is, just be honest about it and then be realistic. The reason I say that is that it is normal for young bb players to have that dream and it's ok to dream the dream, reality is that most of the time it's dad's or mom's. Encourage your son to be the best he can be at everything he does on the field, on the court, on the green, in the bowling alley, etc. that competitive drive is what will determine his future in the game, not how much he played or didn't play when younger. Don't forget about school either.


My son was always competitive, just like some others have stated, he took his ball real serious, even his 2 seasons playing tball. But he took lots of stuff serious, at one point he was striving for being the best magician the world has ever seen. Do you get what I am saying?

To me, real competitive ball didn't happen until HS, when it MATTERED the most. IMO, all this other stuff before HS is really insignificant. Most who are past that point understand, most not in that situation yet may find it puzzling.

I have found that most parents these days begin worrying about this stuff way too soon.

Never? Actually the PONY league he played in at 13yo was full of eventual early round draft picks and college scholarship types but we never really went the full out travel bit. We just took the group of local kids we had and tried to find tournaments they could compete in and win a few games here and there. The local competition wasn't too shabby as we'd run into teams like Chatsworth HS's feeder team every now and then. We also played some fairly weak teams at times.

We actually recommended one player who was looking into our team look for a stronger team feeling he needed to see better competition than we would face most of the time. He ended up going in the first round so hopefully that was a good decision for him. Realistically it probably didn't make much difference as that kind of talent will make itself known.