why travel baseball is so great!

I don't think there is a single person on this site who is against travel ball and doesn't already (for years) see the many benefits of it all.

Most likely, as this site most often attracts parents of very good ball players...most likely 95%+ of the parents here have kids who have or do currently play pretty high level travel ball.

The advice often posted here is along the lines of how to avoid the pitfalls of it all.  And yes, there are some real pitfalls and pot holes.

BTW since you brought up HS baseball in a less than glittering way, for our second son...the very best instruction and some of the best competition he ever got along the way to college ball was at his local HS.  And yes, he played on one of the most elite travel teams in America where things were great as well.

I assume you mean to reference...."in my area"!

I agree wholeheartedly with a previous poster in regards to high scool baseball.  In our area, the better high school programs would dominate many travel teams.

As a matter of fact, the are players in certain HS programs locally, where the kids are on "travel teams", and have a hard time making the JV at the local high school.  I think we should qualify the level of travel ball that we are talking about.

Just trying to have a  more positive outlook instead of always bashing things.

I think nearly everyone on here already has a positive view of travel baseball.  The 'selling' of travel baseball is easy, whether its any good in any given area or not.  I think thats what the other discussion is all about.

Now, HS baseball?  That seems much more difficult to convince people on here that it can be very good as well. 

I asked my son to chime in to get a 12 year old's perspective on why he likes Travel Ball, here are his thoughts:

1.  I get to be on the same team with the same coach and kids almost all year.  That's good because I know what those kids can do and I know what that coach expects from me.

2. I like going away somewhere new almost every weekend, it's like a mini-vacation for our whole family.

3. I like playing against a lot of other teams because I can see how their coach talks to them during a game and which teams still have the criers and the helmet throwers, I wouldn't want to accidentally try out for them, but I also might see a really good coach and a really good team that I might want to try out for.

4.  I like seeing lots of people from past teams at tournaments.  We might not be on the same team anymore but at least I get to say hi when they are on first or up to bat, depending on where I am playing, and my old coaches always tell me to go easy on them, which I don't, but it's still funny to hear.

So says the 12 year old!

Travel ball is good.  However, it does depend on what travel organization you belong to.  Some travel programs promise the world to parents just so they will pay the $1,500 to be a part of their team. 

I coach high school baseball and I will continue to coach high school baseball as long as I can.  I like the fact that high school coaches (in my opinion) can have a greater effect on a kid by teaching them life lessons through baseball and school and not just baseball like a travel organization. 

Travel coaches don't have to worry about a player not showing up to class on time or misbehaving in the classroom so there is less to worry about as a travel coach. 

I also feel that playing travel ball doesn't guarantee a kid receiving a baseball scholarship (so parents beware).

The last few years I have had players pay a ton of money every summer to be on these expensive travel teams and not get offered a single scholarship where as I send an e-mail and a video and my kids are receiving baseball scholarships.  And the funny thing is I do it for free. Kids don't pay me $1,500 to guarantee a baseball scholarship.

I loved playing high school and college ball.  best times of my life.  I truly believe and have seen that if you are good enough you will play at the next level just so long as the player and parent are realistic about the ability of the player as to where they can actually play for a college baseball team.

Also, representing your high school in a high school baseball game is a greater feeling than wearing a travel ball jersey in my opinion. 

"I assume you mean to reference...."in my area"!"

I wouldn't add that qualification at all.

I don't care where you are, the highest baseball opportunity available to you will be in travel ball. 

It may be that you aren't good enough to take advantage of the opportunity to play at that level, and thus, it may be that you end up on a lesser travel team.  There are, of course, travel programs that aren't as strong or as sound as the local HS team.  One of the beauties of travel ball is that players can seek out their own level, or if they aim too high, they may get forced to their own level.

But no matter how good your HS program might be, somewhere there's a travel team that might take no more than your one very best player, to join others like him.  No HS can do that.  Not in my area, not in any area. 

I know of programs that are as worried about grades as the HS coaches are.  They are rare but they are out there.  My own kids travel team does not check on his grades but they are very straight forward that grades come before baseball.

I see a lot of value in HS baseball even though it may not be at the level of higher level travel ball.  The pride of reping your school can't be discounted.

For my 2019, travel ball let's him play with kids who love baseball as much as he does. He plays soccer for his middle school team, but he LOVES baseball -- and in rec ball (which he played through 12U) there were a lot of teammates who really weren't very interested in baseball (maybe they played because their parents signed them up, who knows?). So for him, it's been great to share that passion for baseball with his teammates, or at least most of them.

For me, I don't really love travel ball -- it's a big time commitment for the parents. OTOH, I have two kids in competitive ("travel") swimming, one doing the same in track, and one doing baseball. I'd MUCH rather be at a travel baseball tournament than at a swim meet or a track meet.

I loved T-Ball

I loved Rec-Ball

I loved Travel Ball

I loved HS Baseball

I loved Scout Ball

I love College Baseball

I loved College Summer league ball

I love Minor League Ball

I love ML Baseball

OK I am done for the day. 

It is impossible to cover all the good and bad things involved in different baseball teams. Every high school, every travel team is different.  Every level contains the good, bad and ugly of baseball. What is great for one player, might be terrible for another player.

Is Travel Ball great?  For some yes, for others no.  Same goes for High School baseball. BTW, there is no real advantage in playing travel ball if the player has no ability.  I wish more people would understand that. It would eliminate a lot of frustration and waste of money.  

Maybe the question should be, what is great about travel ball at the different levels of travel ball.  Because all of travel ball is not even close to the same.

Tee ball was awesome!   Crazy and no, not great in baseball terms, but fun times.

Midlo,

I agree with you in principle.  But your view is one which is representative of a travel program that is not "average".  Not everyone can make the Cardinals, right?!

For every one of those elite rosters, there are dozens that are not even in the same area code.  I could use your very valid argument in reverse.  One of your statements aids my argument.  "It may be that you aren't good enough to play at that level"..."and may play for a lesser travel team"...

There are 18 players on this high quality high school roster.  ALL OF THEM play travel ball, yet all of them are not good enough to start for their varsity team.  As another poster suggested, I believe it's all relative.  All programs are different.

I guarantee you, that there are a few high school programs in your area, which are far better than the "average" travel team.  Of course, you already know who they are, as their players litter the rosters of your program, along with the Evoshield, and Richmond organizations.  Again, not average!  Congratulations on your success!

I and my son simply felt travel ball was great because it provides an alternative.  When the local traditional avenues for playing ball (e.g. Little League, school programs, Pony, Babe Ruth, etc.) are deemed to be inadequate, travel ball is good at filling in.  This is particularly so for those players who feel in order to get better they need to play with and/or against those who have more advance skills and where a player might also get more advanced instruction.  Along the same note, travel ball was great for providing insight into and experience with what players and team competition is like outside of the local community.

While we surely did enjoy the long distance travel that travel ball provided us and the friendships developed, looking back I realize how those events dominated our summer vacation activities where the family might have had more diverse experiences with other types of vacations.

Travel ball is a great alternative for players, but all too often it's abused by parents and the owners and leaders of travel ball organizations.  Buyer, be aware!

My son enjoyed playing travel, but he loved rec because he enjoyed working with the less talented kids so they would get better and maybe start to love the game the way he does.

What a parent expects out of travel ball makes a world of difference. My son's 11U and 12U won a USSSA World Series and a Super Series World Series. 11 young men. 9 pitched.. We were good or at least I thought we were. But who you are at 12 is not who you are at 17 or 18. Of the 11,  9 will be Seniors in 2015. As of now, only one will play D1 baseball. A couple of more 'might" get a shot at an opportunity to play. The two 2016's may have opportunities. Some of the parents may have thought about college but I hope not. It is a crapshoot. You put those same boys together today and we could still beat probably any other local team BUT you send us to East Cobb and there is not anyway that we could compete in a series of games.

As has been mentioned earlier, in general, a travel team could beat a rec team (I know there are exceptions but general rule). The difference between the bottom tier of travel team and top teams is even more so.You may have a travel team that has 1-2 players going to play at a DI powerhouse or maybe none.. You will find another travel team that has 4-8 players. That is a big difference. Maybe not in a single game but playing a series of games, definitely.

When all you've ever played is locally, you may not have seen the exposure to some really, really good travel teams (I.e. Top 20 or so teams at East Cobb). My son played locally until this last Summer. I never knew the caliber of players that were out there.  

We had lots of fun from 8-12U in travel ball. Still friends with many of the parents. I have an older daughter and I still feel a little guilty sometimes when I think back about all the vacations planned around baseball. She is 21 and reminds me sometimes.

Doing something helps keep an idle mind busy. Probably keeps some young men out of trouble. My son has mainly played baseball. Tried basketball and football, hated it. He loves to shoot, hunt and fish so he does have other hobbies. He still sees many of his former players. He met many new ones this Summer and has made several solo trips to re-visit this during the Christmas break and he's only know them for 3-4 months.  Lot of good memories.

Travel ball-We'd do again in a heart beat!!!!

Parents: be realistic in your son's talent level. You may not be able to judge that on your own. If you can afford it and your son enjoys it, go play travel ball BUT don't do it with the expectation that it will pay off in the end with a college scholarship. IMO,

Had two pairs of twins on the T-Ball team... I could never tell them apart...

They always seemed to do things in pairs... One pair of twins were once laying down on the field during the game, and the other pair were sitting and crying because it was too hot...

It was hilarious...

The issue isn't whether or not people can construct a travel team roster better than a high school team.  The issue with high school ball is whether it provides a different challenge and experience than travel ball does.  I believe they are completely different animals and other than they are the same sport provide vastly different experiences. 

In many cases, travel rosters are hand-picked and many of the players have no worries about their respective playing time.  In some high school situations, you might have to beat someone out who plays the same position as you and they also happen to play on an "elite" travel team in the summer.  Baseball is harder to play when there is pressure to perform. 

Beyond the competitive issue, you just might be the best player on your high school team but can you elevate the team?  Can you lead lessor talents to a district title? Can you lead them into the state tournament?  Can you lead them to a state championship?  Can you still hit when the other team routinely tries to pitch around you?  Can you still function at a high level and with a positive attitude when your less than "elite" teammates are not carrying the load you are used to?  I could go on and on.  I believe travel baseball is just as important as high school baseball but not more important.  Both experiences can be equally rewarding albeit for different reasons.  

And I would say similar about rec ball. My son played it because a lot of his school mates did. He understood that it was more for funsies or bragging rights at school. He quit playing at age 13 but went back and play again at 14. Age 14 is the last year for our area. 

Most fun, he and we, ever had was play pitching machine at age 7 and 8. Age 9 was when live arm started and, oh my, did the game ever slow down. Boys learning how to pitch and having 5+ walks in a inning. I don't miss age 9.

Loved T ball, loved the wonderment and excitement of making a basic play like catching a thrown ball or scoring a run.

As far as travel ball, My sons like the competition, they all 3 played different levels of travel, they kind of "rose" to thier abilities over a short time and they generally played in tournaments / leagues that matched the talent of the team.

Some of the things they and I loved were when we went to play another HS, they almost always knew at least one and most times several players on the team. I knew the parents (as well as the kid), whether they were former or current travel ball teammates or competitors.

I loved the time as a family, I think they did too. In later years when the youngest son was really traveling across the midwest, I loved the times he and I got to bond in the car.

HS baseball is magical in that it is with lifelong friends fighting together for a common goal, It is more for community, school and team. NOTHING like that in the world. His awards and his teams achievements mean the world to him in this area.

Travel baseball (for my kids) was about the love of the game of baseball. A group of guys coming together to play the game they loved and that was the common thread on the team. They, also, fought together to win the game / league/ tournament. When it was over, the trophy (if any) was cool for about 2 days, then went on a shelf and eventually in a closet. But what they never put away was the guys who loved the game of baseball as much as they do, and getting to playin along side, with and against other young men who felt the same way.

I think everyone has their own ideas about travel ball and why they love it.  Myself and a handful of people I barely knew started a 9U travel team back in 2004.  Our goal was simple: prepare these kids for high school baseball and play the highest levels we could play.  

There was a core of 8 kids that stayed with us from 9U all the way to 14U.  Others joined the team over the years.  Everybody on our roster made their high school team, and the coaches remain very good friends.  We get together for cocktails every now and then. Mission accomplished, and it was one of the most satisfying things I've ever done.  I love those kids.  Some are playing college baseball today, and will know more about baseball than I ever dreamed.

I read about summer family vacations being planned around baseball. My son played travel ball as well, but the last tournament was always some time in late July and early August. 

Every year our vacation was 2 weeks, the second and third week in August. We usually hauled the camper to Rhode Island and camped for two weeks. When my son traveled we did not go to any week long tourneys. I had enough vacation time to take those two weeks and then some Fridays if a tourney started early. They got an opportunity to fish with dad, go to the beach and hang out with cousins. There was usually some baseball. my sons usually got one or two pick up games with other campers. Sometimes the parents even played if they needed more players. 

I don't see how Travel Baseball would rule out other vacations. 

Some have talked about swim meets and track meets. I have a son that wrestles. A dual last several hours to watch your son wrestle once. If he is Really Good or Really bad, that may last all of 10 seconds. A tournament is well over 8 hours and If he is good you will see him wrestle 3 or more times. If he is over matched he may only wrestle one. My son just finished a two day tourney in Medina Ohio and he was 3 and 2, or 5 matches over two days. each day was over 8 hours long. I love wrestling but those are some long days. 

Our grandson is a DI college swimmer. In my experience there isn't anything quite as painful as watching a swimming meet.

Gymnastics, diving.  Similar.  Daughter.  Painful.

I have never seen a swim meet so I will have to take your word for it. I beleive it has to be a similar experience. 

Dance competition for a 12-14 yr old daughter. 10 hours. Dance 4 times in 10 hrs. 45 seconds per episode. Pretty bad.

But my daughter swam for one year when she was 8 or 9. Steamy hot pool areas...magic markers on the arms...I remember that too.

Baseball is much, much better.

My son felt the same way.  He had fun on the 14U league team I coached.   Although I structured practices similar to the travel team he was more relaxed.

After 2 years of travel ball (12U and 13U) on a very good team my son got tired of traveling on weekends and having to get up early in the morning on Sunday's if the team didn't do well on Saturday. 

I'm wondering if he is changing his opinion now that he is 16.  Time will tell. 

Unless you have cheerleaders to help the swim team. 

I don't know. My daughter's honors choir competition is two hours away. Monday. 7:30 MST. Two hours. That's right. During the first ever NCAA NC game.

Wow! Yes. My daughter used to be into the Irish Dance thing. Traveling all over the country. Let me set the stage for you. All day for two days. Live Irish music. The only catch was it was the same song over and over for hours while three girls at a time (some boys) danced on stage in front of judges. Mind you, they were not dancing as a group of three. Each person was doing their own dance. To the same music. Over and over and over. My kid would be competeing in four categories and literally competed for a grand total of 12 minutes or so during the whole weekend. Excrutiating.

Had a very similar experience ... son came home from school one day and announced he wanted to play baseball with his friends from school instead of the rec team he had played on at 8 and 9 years old.  Met a couple of the coaches/dads that weekend and before I knew it we were on a local "travel team"  My son as a player and myself as a coach!

We had a core of 10-12 kids, all from the same school or area of town.  Played local league during the week where we were quite successful and tournaments on weekends where we won our share but often times were humbled by some true "travel teams"! We had a great group of kids and parents.  Lots of memories over the 5 years leading up to HS ball

This Spring (my son's senior year) seven kids on that team will start for the local HS team, while 4 more will play for another HS across town.  Six (so far) will go on to play in college.  The parents and coaches still hold an annual Holiday gathering where the cocktails and the baseball stories flow!

Daughter swam with the local club one summer.  Meets are hours of boredom with maybe one or two events of sheer cheering.

I do remember one thing though.  End of summer district meet - everyone swims in their chosen event - regardless of how good or bad you are.  My daughter was among the slowest in her event - often the last one to finish.  As I recall she was in the 100m backstroke (or was it freestyle? I forget).  As her heat progressed, all the other competitors had finished with her still in the pool. I witnessed something amazing -  as she approached the finish, everyone, competitors and teammates, were cheering her on.  It was truly amazing.  When she finished there was loud applause and cheering.  Louder than the final heat races that would come later.  I was truly taken by surprise. 

I've never forgotten that one moment.  At the end of summer team ceremony, she was recognized as "Most Improved".  I was just as proud of her then as I was when my son's HS baseball team won the district tournament.