what do you see as competitive?
competitive can happen in the backyard in a wiffle ball game
quote:Originally posted by TPM:quote:Originally posted by thedudesdad:quote:Originally posted by 2013 Dad:quote:.
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.
I am not talking about colledge at all, heck we are still in 5th grade
. I got the idea of asking questions of what is important to him in baseball from a thread about colleges. I wanted to make sure that he wants to play on a super competitve team for himself and not because he thinks dad wants him too. Some of the questions I asked are:Do you want to play alot of positions or just a few
Do you like pitching and do you want to do it more
Do you care about winning
I asked about 10 questions to see if this or a different enviroment would be better for what he really wants. He does pitch here and there on his current team but not very much as he only throws a fb & change up. I know the jury is still out on CB & sliders but I would rather play it safe so will not let him throw it or teach it right now.
As far as proball like probably most dads, I think it would be great but am very realistic that it probably will not happen which is the same as college but he has said he wants to play in college and I will help anyway I can just like if he loved playing an instrument, I would take him to lessons and support him in anything he loves. I guess I am just not sold that a 10 yr old(league age 11) needs to have the extra stress and expectations of playing like this. He does well in school, basically what he likes doing is baseball and playing with friends. I have put him in other sports to try and ask him all the time if he wants to try something else and he says no, baseball only.
Ok, I understand.
Just some advice, I am a firm believer in keeping it simple when they are young, has nothing to do with me being a MOM (some think otherwise), Mr. TPM felt the same way. In 5th grade son was playing local travel, it was about going to the park to play a game, hot dogs and hamburgers afterwards and if it were early in the day the kids hit the bowling alley or the swimming pool or street hockey. Baseball was an activity to keep busy and stay healthy (no couch potatoes in our house). That was the love of his life and he lived for it, but he also enjoyed lots of other stuff. As light as we kept it, in HS we pumped it up, ended in a really nice scholarship at a really good D1. My son just turned 26 and still in the game. He was competitive then and still is now, in everything he does, but I don't think that is because he started playing competitive ball at an early age or a later age, that's his makeup, that's the way he is and nothing will change that. If you sat down for a game of checkers he would find anyway to beat you in the game. I do beleive that is something that is an inborn trait and that is what drives the player to keep getting up after they get knocked down, whether at 10, 20 or 26.
I do realize that times have changed, but I don't think that kids have. I don't think that you have to ask those questions, because IMO, what answers are you going to get from a 10-11 year old? Just let him play the game, you will know if the situation you have placed him in is too much, just let it happen, don't think about it right now, enjoy it.
My suggestion to you would be to go with the flow, what your son wants to do at 10 (pitch) may not be what he wants to do at 17. Of course he should care about winning, but he (and you) need to learn that winning at 10-11 isn't as important or the same as it is at 17-18, or later on. This is a time when you need to begin to focus on his skills, his understanding of the game, learning to co exist as a member of a team and being a good teammate, and learning to overcome failure (yes begin early).
As I said, I beleive in keeping things simple when they are young, some people don't believe that, at 10,11 they are already trying to prepare their sons for more than they need to, and to be honest, I just find that thought to be more entertaining than realistic.
I see that you are from FL, great weather for bb, but try not to keep it year round, this prevents burn out and possible injury.
The above is just a suggestion, some others may give other opinions as they see things differently.
Most importantly, have fun!
Just some advice, I am a firm believer in keeping it simple when they are young, has nothing to do with me being a MOM (some think otherwise), Mr. TPM felt the same way. In 5th grade son was playing local travel, it was about going to the park to play a game, hot dogs and hamburgers afterwards and if it were early in the day the kids hit the bowling alley or the swimming pool or street hockey. Baseball was an activity to keep busy and stay healthy (no couch potatoes in our house). That was the love of his life and he lived for it, but he also enjoyed lots of other stuff. As light as we kept it, in HS we pumped it up, ended in a really nice scholarship at a really good D1. My son just turned 26 and still in the game. He was competitive then and still is now, in everything he does, but I don't think that is because he started playing competitive ball at an early age or a later age, that's his makeup, that's the way he is and nothing will change that. If you sat down for a game of checkers he would find anyway to beat you in the game. I do beleive that is something that is an inborn trait and that is what drives the player to keep getting up after they get knocked down, whether at 10, 20 or 26.
I do realize that times have changed, but I don't think that kids have. I don't think that you have to ask those questions, because IMO, what answers are you going to get from a 10-11 year old? Just let him play the game, you will know if the situation you have placed him in is too much, just let it happen, don't think about it right now, enjoy it.
My suggestion to you would be to go with the flow, what your son wants to do at 10 (pitch) may not be what he wants to do at 17. Of course he should care about winning, but he (and you) need to learn that winning at 10-11 isn't as important or the same as it is at 17-18, or later on. This is a time when you need to begin to focus on his skills, his understanding of the game, learning to co exist as a member of a team and being a good teammate, and learning to overcome failure (yes begin early).
As I said, I beleive in keeping things simple when they are young, some people don't believe that, at 10,11 they are already trying to prepare their sons for more than they need to, and to be honest, I just find that thought to be more entertaining than realistic.
I see that you are from FL, great weather for bb, but try not to keep it year round, this prevents burn out and possible injury.
The above is just a suggestion, some others may give other opinions as they see things differently.
Most importantly, have fun!
At 11 frogs have priority...
pm me and I will answer. Will not start this on here again. My youngest son is 11. This thread is about to go down an ugly path as others have gone.
At age 9, three months before his 10th birthday. And... it got more intense thru his senior year. I'm talking about out-of-state travel teams, etc. GUN guest played on a few major teams too. At age 15, he moved to another city for three summers to play. What worked for GUN, may not for everybody. Every player is different, some want more and some want less. As a parent, I just tried to be there for him and provide.
It was (still is) a good ride! GED10DaD
It was (still is) a good ride! GED10DaD
quote:Originally posted by BOF:
At 11 frogs have priority...
BOF, i respect you as a knowledgeable source on this website... but do you have a think with frogs? It always comes back to frogs in a lot of your posts... just sayin'
Age 9 with a bunch of his Little League/school friends, but pretty casually. He played LL each spring and the "travel team" played only Sept-November with two tournaments (1 local, 1 about 2 hrs away). He always played other sports too. This fall is the first time in his life he is only playing baseball(he's in 11th grade).
I started playing travel ball at just about the highest level in Arizona at 9 or 10. Stopped playing travel ball at 13ish, but not because I was burnt out. Today at 19 I have many kids ask me what cartoons I watched on a Saturday morning and my response is always a laugh and I say " I was at the field by 7 for at least 2 or 3 games". The only person who knows the right time is the kid. Imo I had the best childhood any kid could ask for.... the one that took place on a baseball field. I still remember the day after the tryout for my first that 10u travel team, they told me I had a spot on the team if I was interested. On the way home my dad asked me if it was something I really wanted to do. My answer was YES! As long as the player wants to play, it is the right time.
It is great that he wants to play so much. However, children grow up and change. Even if he wants to play year round right now, in 4 years, the year round playing may catch up to him and he may not want to play as much, the problem being is that is when he needs to play all the time. A child cannot make that decision, but merely provide input. I personally would not let my 10 year old son play year round even if he begged me. He will love it even more with time off. Going to the cage and fun practices with dad is one thing, but I think the probability that he burns out from playing year round is exponentially larger than the possibility that he will quit if he is only playing half the year. JMO of course.
quote:Originally posted by 2013 Dad:
A child cannot make that decision, but merely provide input. I personally would not let my 10 year old son play year round even if he begged me.
I agree. What other response would one expect from a 10 year old other than, yeah this is what I want to do?
Forget the burn out factor, what about injuries that occur later on?
quote:Originally posted by TPM:quote:Originally posted by 2013 Dad:
A child cannot make that decision, but merely provide input. I personally would not let my 10 year old son play year round even if he begged me.
I agree. What other response would one expect from a 10 year old other than, yeah this is what I want to do?
Forget the burn out factor, what about injuries that occur later on?
These are the best two considerations of the entire thread, stated above.
Starting earlier doesn't ensure a jump on the competition. I recently read Auggie Garrido's book. The great Texas Coach gave this advice to a wealthy Dad asking what would be the best thing to do to give his 11 year old son a head start; hire professional hitting and pitching coaches and or a personal trainer.
Auggie said; "enroll your son in Karate classes to learn discipline and build confidence. Sign him up for Yoga and learn to control his breathing and how to stretch." All those skills are necessary (I'm paraphrasing here) to deal with the failures that accompany baseball! In the end, the ability to relax, perform under pressure, slow the game down, breathe and believe in yourself often separate those who make it, from those who do not.
That is one thing I remember about having large chunks of time baseball-free; it was like Christmas morning for my son and all his buddies the day baseball started up again! (They're all still playing high school ball, BTW).quote:Originally posted by 2013 Dad:
... I personally would not let my 10 year old son play year round even if he begged me. He will love it even more with time off.
quote:Originally posted by thedudesdad:
I have been reading the site for months but just now registered. I have learned a ton already.
My son just started his 11u travel ball season. He has played LL since tee-ball and has 1 year of travel ball under his belt. This season he tried out and made a very competitive team whos goal is to play in the national tournaments and win. I do realize that a championship at 11u means nothing but this is the team he wanted to play for. In saying this he has already said his goal is to play in high school and college, I am sure he dreams of playing proball also but has never stated this.
Anyways that is just a little background, looking for some input and experiences on other kids progression in getting into super competitive ball. It is cool to be on a team like this but I also realize there is another side of just letting them play without pressure which we have done before. I am not sure which way is the right way. I have talked with him and he sees pros and cons with both.
My son is 25 and still in the game. He started playing at 8 and only played for the local LL until he was 13...Then he played LL and on a summer team.
I think most boys want to play pro ball at 10 yrs old
He always put the pressure on him self at every level of baseball,which is why I think its good to have other interest. He played s****r, roller hockey,fished and played hard at just being a kid.
There was a time in pro ball when his team had lectures on why they are more than baseball players, that baseball was only their job and they should find interests out side of baseball (which was kind of funny because there is very little time in pro ball out side of eating sleeping and playing baseball and they were spending that time at the lectures!) So even pro teams realize players need a mental break from the sport.
If the team is that competitive it maybe more important to ask whether your family not your son is ready for the pressure.... much depends on the commitment of the parents. I would also check out the attitudes of the coaches and other team parents.. This could be a great family experience or a waste of time and money.
Different opinion on what "competitive" means. Some leave for "travel ball" as young as 8. Depends on what competition is like in your area and where you are traveling too. I've seen really "BAD TRAVEL TEAMS" where honestly the kids would never make a LL all star team-and that's not difficult sometimes. Some people spends several thous. each yr traveling out of state to play when they can get the same level of play instate. I say look for a program, or start a team that has good coaches that can develop a group of kids. Find a good fit and stay for a few yrs. Some people have a new team every yr. Find the kids who have a real passion for the sport, and parents you can stand being around. IMO too much too soon is what causes some kids to get burned out by Jr. yr. Baseball should be one aspect of their lives, not the only one. Even the "star" player needs a bit of a break.
TPM,
I knew that was going to come, and I'm on my way back from a s.l.a.p. tear of my labrum and have missed all fall of my freshmen year of college baseball.
I knew that was going to come, and I'm on my way back from a s.l.a.p. tear of my labrum and have missed all fall of my freshmen year of college baseball.
quote:Originally posted by justbaseball:
But since you asked for opinions...here's mine. I think we don't let kids be kids enough anymore.
I feel the same way. My son wasn't interested in travel ball. (neither was I) He wanted to do other things. And he did. He never thought he'd play baseball in college. But he does. No one knows how it will turn out. That's part of the fun. Don't worry about it. Let him be 11.
Just baseball, I had to chime in here. Your comment about what a coach had said about burning kids out struck home.
In the not too distant past, we had an individual take out a full page ad in the Daily Oklahoman. It is our largest newspaper and is out of OKC. This fellow was looking for top tier 5 and 6 year olds to form an elite team.
One of the local news channels picked up on it and questioned him about his sincerity and he reiterated that he meant every word of what he had stated. This took place a couple of months ago.
As far as I am concerned, this becomes a little wierd for my taste. The sad part about it is he will probably fill a full roster. Go figure.
In the not too distant past, we had an individual take out a full page ad in the Daily Oklahoman. It is our largest newspaper and is out of OKC. This fellow was looking for top tier 5 and 6 year olds to form an elite team.
One of the local news channels picked up on it and questioned him about his sincerity and he reiterated that he meant every word of what he had stated. This took place a couple of months ago.
As far as I am concerned, this becomes a little wierd for my taste. The sad part about it is he will probably fill a full roster. Go figure.
Twelve. At that age he showed what he really wanted to do. He got the chance to play junior level s****r, football and basketball and he decided that baseball was his game.
I always figured that any decision before that age was one that I made and he just went along with.
I always figured that any decision before that age was one that I made and he just went along with.