| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| MariettaDad |
Posted - 06/24/2015 : 09:20:15
Our son is looking to tryout for the first time for travel baseball at 8U next month.
I have a couple questions that I was curious about:
1) Big barrel bats -- Do you recommend bringing your own big barrel bat to tryouts? Our son has been using one of the team's big barrel bat the last two summers during All-Stars, but we have held off on buying his own because big barrel bats are not allowed in rec.
2) Kid Pitching and catching -- Being that our son has like zero experience kid pitching and catching other than messing around in the backyard, does anyone have any suggestions what to work on before tryouts?
Thanks,
MariettaDad
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| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| MariettaDad |
Posted - 07/02/2015 : 09:28:24
Thanks everyone for the feedback. It sounds like everyone has different opinions on when to jump to travel. We have had a fairly positive rec experience, but we feel the time is right for us to try travel to challenge our son in new positions and faster play.
We plan on trying out at one of the big clinics and one of the small free tryouts. Driving distance for practice is a big factor for us.
Our son is having another solid All-Star summer. If he makes it, we have a big decision to make. |
| kgenerals |
Posted - 07/02/2015 : 06:29:56
With regards to the burnout issue, I may find out in the future that I'm wrong, but we just got done with our first year of travel at 9u and it felt a lot less stressful and more relaxing than rec+allstar. This spring travel season, we played around 40 games spread out over 4 month. Last year, we played around the same number of games just for the summer allstar season alone in a more constricted time frame (2.5 months), plus around 15 rec games. It's so refreshing to get done this year by end of June. In allstar, you don't get done until end of July and you have to play during the hottest month of the year.
The other thing I like with travel is that we have the opportunity to pick who we play with. My son's travel team consists mostly of his allstar teammates for the last 3 years, and all the families love hanging out with each other. In rec, there's a draft every year. You don't know who you play with. You don't know what type of coach you are getting. You don't know if you get a coach that will ask your son to run the ball all the time (as opposed to throwing it). I'm especially worried going into rec kid pitch in terms of getting a coach that knows how to teach pitching properly (bec I don't know anything about pitching). And as alluded to above, a rec team would normally have only 2 to 3 really good players that can handle pitching and catching. The 9u rec teams I see in our park this year rode these same 3 kids all season for pitching and catching.
Having said all of that, at 8u, I would try to stay in coach pitch as long as possible for the following reasons: (1) you get more reps and action on defense on coach pitch bec there are more balls put in play; (2) from the research I see, an arm only has so much pitching "bullets" in it, I would rather start pitching later than earlier; (3) as long as he has the fundamentals, he should be able to catch up with pitching a year or 2 down the road. |
| ballfan123 |
Posted - 07/01/2015 : 10:21:18
Lots of good feedback
1. Just about all the kids will be using big barrels, so get him one. Not sure of size? go to justbats.com and there is a sizing feature... would not recommend a used bat.
2. If he has the ability to throw the ball accurately, have him try pitching... My son (now 14), was "discovered" at a tryout, having never pitched before, so you never know :) I would recommend a couple pitching lessons and practice in the backyard.
A few folks said this, but don't worry about getting him into travel too early,, its overrated and not as much fun. He might want to wait till 10 to start getting serious....my 2 cents
Good luck |
| Newbie BB Mom |
Posted - 06/30/2015 : 10:03:00
quote:
Originally posted by CaCO3Girl
Georgiaboy, getting so upset you cry after a rec ball game sounds too me like your son cares too much about baseball. I have seen it many times, the decent player feels he let his whole team down, or could have saved the game somehow...etc...and what he does on the ball field dictates how he feels about himself as a person, this isn't good. For kids like that I do actually recommend staying in rec ball a bit longer and doing some other sport that they aren't good at.
If Georgiaboy's son was 12, I'd agree. We're talking about a 7 or 8 year old. I don't think a little crying after a tough loss is a real problem at that age.
However, I wholeheartedly agree that there is no reason to rush to travel at 8u. There are plenty of things still to learn and work on in rec, particularly if he is playing all stars over the summer, including letting him mature a little. I'd wait at least one more year. If he needs a little more than rec ball all stars is giving him, send him to a couple of school break and summer baseball camps and start him on some lessons at one of the academies.
Also, anecdotally, about 90% of the kids who left our rec park to play 8u travel ball are no longer playing travel ball at 12u. The number is not much better -- say 80% -- for the kids who left to join a 9u team. I think the burnout factor is very real. |
| GeorgiaBoy |
Posted - 06/29/2015 : 15:17:16
Like I said... he's good after a few minutes. I just want him to play with other kids that like baseball more than a little bit & work at getting better outside of team practices like we do... As far as it being a "GAME", well I guess I've never thought of it that way, particularly when so much bonding & many life lessons can come from it... A game, IMO, is monopoly, UNO, Sharks & minnows or Jenga... We are not defined by W/L's but I do hold him accountable for his effort & attitude, and he gives everything, gladly. When you put time & focus to become great at something it's a passion.... I teach my son to follow it... that's it. Playing with other kids that share that common interest I think could be good for him. he'll play football and basketball in the coming months... He cares just as much about all of them as well... I see this trait as an attribute not a negative...
quote:
Originally posted by CaCO3Girl
It really isn't about being left behind in my opinion. Before age 14 or so it really boils down to who has athletic ability and good hand eye coordination. The problem with burnout does happen for several reasons, you have the obvious reason of "It was dad's dream and not the child'", but the less obvious isn't so much burn out as it is a switch in priorities for the kid. Cars, girls, science, computers, or simply just time with friends...these can all become more important than baseball to the child and they will ask to quit.
Georgiaboy, getting so upset you cry after a rec ball game sounds too me like your son cares too much about baseball. I have seen it many times, the decent player feels he let his whole team down, or could have saved the game somehow...etc...and what he does on the ball field dictates how he feels about himself as a person, this isn't good. For kids like that I do actually recommend staying in rec ball a bit longer and doing some other sport that they aren't good at. A kid can sometimes identify so much with his worth on the baseball field that he can feel that defines him as a person, and no one should be so intense about a GAME, not below 15u. When your future scholarship is on the line you can be intense, because how you perform really can affect the rest of your life, but for 8u/9u I would say that kid needs some perspective on his worth outside of baseball.
This is often a double edged sword for kids. On the one hand baseball is a team sport, you only get up to bat one time in a batting order that could take you across 3 innings, so maybe 2 or 3 times a game. You can only play 1 position on the field, okay maybe sometimes two if you are super athletic, but if you are on third you have no shot of making that catch in right field...do you feel bad about yourself because your entire team made 8 errors in one game, even though you made none? Your entire team got only 4 hits that game, 2 of which were yours, are you still upset with yourself for the loss? This is the ongoing debate...it is an individualized TEAM sport...only the team can win or loose but each kid has to contribute. Where is the line where the player can be okay with his performance even though his team lost. For these 8u/9u kids that is the troublesome line, in my opinion.
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| CaCO3Girl |
Posted - 06/29/2015 : 13:31:12
It really isn't about being left behind in my opinion. Before age 14 or so it really boils down to who has athletic ability and good hand eye coordination. The problem with burnout does happen for several reasons, you have the obvious reason of "It was dad's dream and not the child'", but the less obvious isn't so much burn out as it is a switch in priorities for the kid. Cars, girls, science, computers, or simply just time with friends...these can all become more important than baseball to the child and they will ask to quit.
Georgiaboy, getting so upset you cry after a rec ball game sounds too me like your son cares too much about baseball. I have seen it many times, the decent player feels he let his whole team down, or could have saved the game somehow...etc...and what he does on the ball field dictates how he feels about himself as a person, this isn't good. For kids like that I do actually recommend staying in rec ball a bit longer and doing some other sport that they aren't good at. A kid can sometimes identify so much with his worth on the baseball field that he can feel that defines him as a person, and no one should be so intense about a GAME, not below 15u. When your future scholarship is on the line you can be intense, because how you perform really can affect the rest of your life, but for 8u/9u I would say that kid needs some perspective on his worth outside of baseball.
This is often a double edged sword for kids. On the one hand baseball is a team sport, you only get up to bat one time in a batting order that could take you across 3 innings, so maybe 2 or 3 times a game. You can only play 1 position on the field, okay maybe sometimes two if you are super athletic, but if you are on third you have no shot of making that catch in right field...do you feel bad about yourself because your entire team made 8 errors in one game, even though you made none? Your entire team got only 4 hits that game, 2 of which were yours, are you still upset with yourself for the loss? This is the ongoing debate...it is an individualized TEAM sport...only the team can win or loose but each kid has to contribute. Where is the line where the player can be okay with his performance even though his team lost. For these 8u/9u kids that is the troublesome line, in my opinion. |
| GeorgiaBoy |
Posted - 06/29/2015 : 12:02:28
Good Stuff.... We are finishing up summer all stars(rec ball) & thinking of moving to Travel... I've paid for 2 tryout clinics already but your post has given me something to think about... I'm stuck between a rock & a hard place because from a skill level I believe he's ready & being around good players will only make him better... But from a care and worth ethic level it seems like a no brainer... I'd find it hard to put him back in rec ball with kids that don't pick up a bat all year until they get to the park... My son really cares about wins & losses, he's past what's for snack after the game & will often sit alone and cry after a rec ball loss while other kids could really careless, he's ok after a few minutes but he's an intense competitor and wants to win... But it's rec ball and that comes with the territory...
But at the same time I don't want to burn him out... A friend of mind who's son plays at a very well known program said that it actually ends up being less baseball in travel than it rec... We play fall, spring & summer... He said if you include the 3 seasons travel plays less... The last thing I want him to do is get burned out... We have put so much work in and he loves the game... Always asking when's his next game... I pray with each decision, & want to be sure that it's not about me but what's best for my child as a person first and an athlete second... I was afraid that he'd be left behind in the travel ball world but this last post has given more to think about...
quote:
Originally posted by LittleDawg
I've been on both sides of it. With my oldest, I felt he had exceeded Rec at 10U and was ready for travel ball, which he was. We moved to a team and he was somewhere in the middle of the pack and worked hard to become one of the better players on a high AAA / Major team by 13U. He enjoyed the time however by 14 - was done. He was burnt. Pitched a lot at the younger levels and arm started hurting. Each year we'd see first year players come out after their rec season at 11U, 12U and even 13U who were able to transition quickly into travel ball. Were they behind? Some by a few months, others stepped right in.
Another son started at 9U and again, we felt that if he didn't jump to travel ball, he would be left behind. Not so - while he was definitely ahead of the players at an early age - others who stayed at rec at 10U and 11U did just fine transitioning to Travelball. After 16U and a HS season, he was done. Could still play but had more of an interest in girls, cars and making some money.
Final child - kept him in rec until 11U. He was definitely ready the past 2 years but honestly, I didn't want to spend the money. Also, I had learned my lesson and didn't bend to the pressures of others who said he'd be behind. At 11U he never missed a beat (maybe because of his brothers) but has High baseball IQ. He had the most fun season ever.
My point - it all depends on the child. If he is having fun in rec and doing all-stars at 9 or 10. Stay and save your money. He will be able to pick the game at 11 or 12U without an issue.
If he's an early bloomer and ready to move on. Do it.
Either way make sure he has fun because for most of the boys it will be over in just a few years.
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| LittleDawg |
Posted - 06/29/2015 : 10:18:17
I've been on both sides of it. With my oldest, I felt he had exceeded Rec at 10U and was ready for travel ball, which he was. We moved to a team and he was somewhere in the middle of the pack and worked hard to become one of the better players on a high AAA / Major team by 13U. He enjoyed the time however by 14 - was done. He was burnt. Pitched a lot at the younger levels and arm started hurting. Each year we'd see first year players come out after their rec season at 11U, 12U and even 13U who were able to transition quickly into travel ball. Were they behind? Some by a few months, others stepped right in.
Another son started at 9U and again, we felt that if he didn't jump to travel ball, he would be left behind. Not so - while he was definitely ahead of the players at an early age - others who stayed at rec at 10U and 11U did just fine transitioning to Travelball. After 16U and a HS season, he was done. Could still play but had more of an interest in girls, cars and making some money.
Final child - kept him in rec until 11U. He was definitely ready the past 2 years but honestly, I didn't want to spend the money. Also, I had learned my lesson and didn't bend to the pressures of others who said he'd be behind. At 11U he never missed a beat (maybe because of his brothers) but has High baseball IQ. He had the most fun season ever.
My point - it all depends on the child. If he is having fun in rec and doing all-stars at 9 or 10. Stay and save your money. He will be able to pick the game at 11 or 12U without an issue.
If he's an early bloomer and ready to move on. Do it.
Either way make sure he has fun because for most of the boys it will be over in just a few years. |
| CaCO3Girl |
Posted - 06/29/2015 : 08:59:10
Have to disagree about the waiting until 12u for Travel Ball. The problem with leaving a talented kid in rec ball is that he will become over used. Rec ball has to take all kids, whether they are total studs, or never picked up a glove before. This leads to a talented little Johnny who pulls his throws to first because he knows Timmy can't catch it, that means Johnny is throwing incorrectly or he hurts Timmy in the hard throw, or it gets passed Timmy because he can't catch that fast moving ball and the runner just keep running.
I kept my son in rec ball for 9u thinking it was too soon to commit to the travel ball world, I was wrong. That season he and one other boy rotated from Short Stop to pitcher to Catcher...both were overused in pitching, and catching, and both had an OBP of 1.00, which just made the other kids feel like crud because they didn't have the natural talent of these early bloomers. I even heard one kid say "No Mom, I'm not going to be able to smash it to the fence who do you think I am *insert my son's name*...and I heard similar grumblings from other kids/parents. It wasn't a fun game for them anymore it was actually detracting from their joy of the game because they couldn't move like the two "good" kids, or throw, or catch, or hit.
If your kid is exceeding the talent of rec ball by an extreme amount move them as soon as kid pitch starts. |
| bfriendly |
Posted - 06/28/2015 : 12:30:23
quote:
Originally posted by brball
quote:
Originally posted by AllStar
Wait 4 years.
Not to sound like a smarta$$, but what AllStar said. If your kid really has the talent, 12U isn't too late to start travel ball and will save you a ton of money! I would wait til at least 10U if at all possible.
Good luck to your son,
That is NOT a bad idea at all. Below 10u, I would expect rec ball to be as fun, exciting, AND Rewarding as any travel ball..........Catch and Throw, catch and throw...first things first...........hes gotta be able to catch and throw with Confidence.
I remember when I was afraid to throw the ball directly to my son(first year playing 7u) in fear it would hit him in the face, so I always threw it to the side of his face.....I love to Burn it to him now |
| brball |
Posted - 06/27/2015 : 22:54:39
quote:
Originally posted by AllStar
Wait 4 years.
Not to sound like a smarta$$, but what AllStar said. If your kid really has the talent, 12U isn't too late to start travel ball and will save you a ton of money! I would wait til at least 10U if at all possible.
Good luck to your son, |
| AllStar |
Posted - 06/27/2015 : 13:39:32
Wait 4 years. |
| Critical Mass |
Posted - 06/27/2015 : 11:47:46
Welcome to the world of travel baseball and good luck to you and your son on the tryout. Let him swing whatever he feels most comfortable with and most kids usually end up where their talent takes them on the field. Have fun and let it be a fun exercise...i remember those days and as i moved my son into college last weekend i found myself thinking of them on the ride back home. |
| CaCO3Girl |
Posted - 06/25/2015 : 08:54:36
quote:
Originally posted by MariettaDad
Thanks for the feedback.
I was assuming most kids could catch and throw well if they are trying out for travel, but again I guess there are different levels of travel baseball.
Coach pitching straight and firm is stressed in our rec league. I totally agree the kids can not hit the looping lob pitches. The one thing I would like to see is our coaches pitch the ball faster. I understand that some kids just don't have the bat speed, but with practice I am sure they can learn to speed up their swings.
That right there is why you are making the transition to travel ball. In short, your kid needs more, and that is why you are searching for something like Travel Ball. At the AAA or Major level kids should be able to catch and throw well, but then again at 8u there are going to be many different skill levels and you just can't be sure of anything. |
| MariettaDad |
Posted - 06/25/2015 : 08:37:47
Thanks for the feedback.
I was assuming most kids could catch and throw well if they are trying out for travel, but again I guess there are different levels of travel baseball.
Coach pitching straight and firm is stressed in our rec league. I totally agree the kids can not hit the looping lob pitches. The one thing I would like to see is our coaches pitch the ball faster. I understand that some kids just don't have the bat speed, but with practice I am sure they can learn to speed up their swings. |
| bfriendly |
Posted - 06/24/2015 : 20:33:09
quote:
Originally posted by MariettaDad
Our son is looking to tryout for the first time for travel baseball at 8U next month.
I have a couple questions that I was curious about:
1) Big barrel bats -- Do you recommend bringing your own big barrel bat to tryouts? Our son has been using one of the team's big barrel bat the last two summers during All-Stars, but we have held off on buying his own because big barrel bats are not allowed in rec.
2) Kid Pitching and catching -- Being that our son has like zero experience kid pitching and catching other than messing around in the backyard, does anyone have any suggestions what to work on before tryouts?
Thanks,
MariettaDad
spend A LOT of time "Messing around in the back yard"....make sure he can Catch the ball and throw the ball.....find a field and throw him batting practice; dont worry about getting thrown out. There are fields on Fairground rd by the quiktrip......find a way in.
When you throw batting practice, throw the ball Straight and firm! Looping lobs are almost impossible to hit......spend a lot of time Throwing and catching; did I say that already? |
| CaCO3Girl |
Posted - 06/24/2015 : 14:32:49
Teddy41...thank you for the compliment.
MariettaDad, if your kid doesn't make the first team he tries out for there are other teams and other levels. Also, up until pretty much Thanksgiving there are always teams looking for players, you don't HAVE to take your first offer, you do have options because you have the commodity, remember that. If it doesn't feel like a good fit don't commit. |
| MariettaDad |
Posted - 06/24/2015 : 13:41:27
Thanks so much for the feedback.
Bats -- I think our best option is to borrow one of our all star team's big barrel bats for the try outs otherwise we might check out play it again sports.
Tryouts -- Hearing what the coach will probably be looking for made me feel a lot more confident about his chances. Our son is a good line drive hitter(not much power but he's small), above average fielder, and plays 3B for his All Star team because he's one of the few on the team who can make the throw and also play close in case of bunts. |
| teddy41 |
Posted - 06/24/2015 : 13:34:26
we need a ask cacogirl thread. LOL She is very helpful and is on every thread i read. thanks gal |
| CaCO3Girl |
Posted - 06/24/2015 : 09:49:56
Well, he will need a bat a tryouts, and what kind is really personal preference. I would suggest you try looking at play it again sports to get an older model at a fraction of a price for an 8u kid...no need in buying a million dollar bat before you really have to.
A word of caution too though, I know of SEVERAL kids who were not allowed to share their bats with other kids, mostly because they were the aforementioned million dollar bats. Make sure your boy gets permission from the kids parent if he is going to use another kids bat...some people are REALLY freaky about this!
As for what to work on...don't worry about pitching or catching, no one has really done it before and the coach will likely try everyone at those positions, most 8u teams have most of the kids pitch. What the coach will likely be looking for are the hard to find traits in an 8 year old. In my opinion those are 1. Hitting line drives, not just pop ups. 2. Being able to catch a pop-up, ball tracking is not great at 8u, and 3. being able to throw the ball in a straight line from third to first...not a rainbow throw.
Good luck! |
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