| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| lizwiz |
Posted - 08/21/2009 : 23:42:14
My 14U son has two offers to play for strong AAA teams. Both teams have paid coaches. I think he will get better coaching and less playtime on Team A. With Team B, he will be a starter but the coaching seems not as good. Any advice? Is it better to have better coaching or more definite play time?
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| 21 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| lizwiz |
Posted - 08/30/2009 : 20:50:42
Thanks to everyone who replied! In the end, we decided on Team B.....more playing time. Although he will miss out on some great coaching and there were some buddies on Team A, riding the bench is no fun. So, we will invest in some extra lessons.
All of your responses really helped us(my son read all replies) to decide. |
| baseballsmith |
Posted - 08/30/2009 : 17:46:45
Chemistry is a key factor that is often left out of the team choosing process.
Does your kid like the kids that will be on the team with him? Do you like the parents that you will spend your summer with in the bleachers?
You only get a few summers of experiencing youth baseball...remember after playing time, level of play and paid coaches you still want it to be a great experience for your son and family to share and remember. |
| bballman |
Posted - 08/28/2009 : 13:40:28
That's all well and true gas. I know for my son last year, one of the teams had a bunch of guys he already knew and had played with and against for several years. He still wanted to play with whichever team we thought was best and was going to have the best coaching. It is not quite as fun to play with a team that is making errors in the field and not hitting well. It's not necessarily about winning, but playing well. I know it is tough for my son to pitch well, get routine ground balls and have defensive misplays. He would never voice that opinion on his own or say anything to his teammates, but I ask him about it, he will tell me. He also wants to play against the best competition there is.
We compared our season last year to the team that also offered him a spot. Our team played only one 15u tournament all year. All other tournaments were either HS Varsity or against 16, 17 and 18 yr. old teams. He said he didn't get why the other team would only play other 15 yr. old teams. Nothing wrong with playing your own age group, but he felt that he wanted to be challenged by better competition. For that fact alone, he is choosing not to go with that other team again this year. Maybe he is getting to the point where he can make that decision with some thought behind it. He wants to continue to get better and he wants to be challenged. The only way to do that is to play against the best competition. |
| gasbag |
Posted - 08/28/2009 : 10:02:19
The folks have done a good job in covering the considerations. I would stress, that involving your son in the discussion and decision making process is absolutely critical. I'm not saying to throw it in their lap, but I believe they learn a lot of responsibility and have to recognize "this is about them", and not us parents.
Secondly, every time I've involved my son, he has expressed his number one interest of playing with his buddies vs. all the other things that my wife and I were considering. I've come to realize that his involvement, long term with baseball, is better if we parents don't over analyze everything sooo much, and recognize that at the end of the day, this game HAS TO BE FUN or the kids will eventually withdraw from baseball. Sure you want to make sure they are challemged and well coached etc etc etc, but please make sure the FUN doesn't get forgotten in the process !
I'm just saying..... |
| Learnpatience |
Posted - 08/27/2009 : 16:52:51
Great Topic. We (and I say We because it was a decision our entire family discussed) decided to play on the team with potentially less playing time but better coaching and players. Why? Because at the end of the year, he will be a better baseball player regardless of his field playing time. He will be playing against the best teams every weekend. He will be practicing with a purpose at every practice. And lastly, he will be forced to compete for playing time. Just like in the real world, you compete. If you don't think your son can handle it, then I suggest you go the other route.
This will be age and kid dependent. Not all 14 year olds can handle this type of environment and not all 10 year olds need nurturing. |
| jscoda |
Posted - 08/26/2009 : 07:10:56
quote:
Originally posted by AllStar
quote:
Originally posted by jscoda
Why not let your son decide???
Depends on how important you think this decision is. Do you let your 10 (or 11, 12, 13 or 14 for that matter) year-old make any other important decisions?
Its important for him to "buy in" to the decision making process. I wont let him pick from teams with problems. Heck I wont go to any team with problems no matter what their record or who coaches.
But I like to see him be happy. Play with friends. Like his coaching staff. Want to go to practice.
We have been on a very successful ECB team. It was miserable due to the problems. They won alot of games but my son did not have fun.
This year we had no problems and won fewer games but he enjoyed it very much.
Doesn't really matter till they are 15+. My point, who cares who won what tournament two years ago?
Each year they grow and changes. Bring driving and girls into the mix and baseball takes a back seat in a hurry.
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| bballman |
Posted - 08/25/2009 : 16:27:57
We had a choice between a couple of pretty good teams last year. I did ask my son which team he wanted to be on, he said "whichever team is better". He didn't ask about play time or who the coaches were, he wanted to play on a good team that would back him when he was pitching.
I think the younger your kid is, the less input they should have. How can a 10 or 11 year old make an informed, logical decision. Heck, they may wind up picking the team they want to be on because of the team name or the colors they wear. I don't think they have the ability to evaluate the coaching staff or the abilities of the players before a certain age. My son is 16 and he may be able to do it now, but probably not from at least 14 or 15 or younger. |
| ECB_Insider |
Posted - 08/25/2009 : 11:13:51
I don't think there is anything wrong with narrowing the choices down to two and letting them help decide. They need to buy into the team they are going to play with. Maybe that makes them feel good about the decision, especially at 14. By that time, they have to decide what effort they want to put into it.
Lizwiz,
When you say he won't play as much with Team A, is that 20% less or 60% less time? If it is 20% less time with better coaching, that might be a better, long term, option. If 60% or more, that may be a different story. Also, by letting him help decide, if he wants to play for Team A, he may work harder to get that playing time.
Just some opinions. Good luck in your decision. I just can't see how involving your son in the decision could be a bad thing. |
| AllStar |
Posted - 08/25/2009 : 08:45:07
quote:
Originally posted by jscoda
Why not let your son decide???
Depends on how important you think this decision is. Do you let your 10 (or 11, 12, 13 or 14 for that matter) year-old make any other important decisions?
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| klhmlh |
Posted - 08/24/2009 : 08:13:09
This is a great topic. The last couple years my son played on a low to mid level AAA team and probably played about 40-45 percent of the time. He loves playing Baseball but he knew his skill level wasn’t at the AAA level and he stayed stressed out. During tryouts this summer he decided to drop down to AA team and over the last couple of weeks at practices he had been the most relaxed and is enjoying playing baseball again. He is going to get more playing time and the AA coaches seem to understand where they are going. He could have stayed on the AAA team because I was an Assistant coach but he made a decision and I supported him. We are still great Friends with the AAA coach and the families. |
| ECB_Insider |
Posted - 08/23/2009 : 21:08:09
Just playing does not simply make you a better player, just more experienced. If you are playing but not improving your skills and developing, then you are not better off than if you were playing on a team where you play half the time and are developing a lot of great skills in practice.
Now if you are only playing 20-30% of the time, then that is not good, but make sure you understand the balance between the two. |
| oldmanmj |
Posted - 08/23/2009 : 20:48:01
Choices, choices, choices...Not an easy decision to make for our children. Compared to the number of kids that want to play ball, how many coaches know what they are doing? Sadly, only a very small number of coaches know how to handle and coach a team...not there son. There in lays dilemna #1. Dilemna #2...play vs. experience? Just like coaching styles, philosophies, training methods, etc., what is best for my kid? Every kid is different; abilities, physical and mental makeup, heart, want, etc. Everyone strives to be a part of the best of the best. Sadly enough, at every age, at every level, it doesn't happen. What gets in the way is the parents desire for the child to be affiliated with a level and ability of play that is not conducive to their childs improvement. Not easy to do for anyone in any sport or any level. For some players it may be more play with instruction, for others it is instruction and limited play....but you need to have a good hard look at what your son wants out of baseball and ask him what he is willing to do to get it. If he is happy in his world of friends, with his coaches and team mates, why change. If he is dominating and bored with the game, move up...and now you have begun the long painful journey of helping your athlete be happy and grow......yet there is so much more to this topic. |
| jscoda |
Posted - 08/23/2009 : 11:44:05
Why not let your son decide??? |
| a1prog |
Posted - 08/23/2009 : 11:34:04
i coached travel ball for 5 years and in my last two years we had this type of situation. i explained to parents very clearly exactly where their kid stood and allowed them to make a decision. they all asked me the same question- am i better off being on a better team getting great practice and instruction or am i better off playing? i always answered the same- playing. after watching kids go thru this exact issue on my teams i would tell you emphatically to go to the place where your kid will play. he'll get better and be happier. |
| ECB_Insider |
Posted - 08/22/2009 : 20:44:44
Most people, when making this evaluation, assume that both teams are playing the same level of play. If that is the case, the more game time is better than less. However, if one team is playing one or two age groups ahead of their age, and playing more number of games in a tournament and season, sitting out part of the time may still be a better option. You have to do the math in reverse. If a team plays higher level of competition and more number of games, playing half the time may still be a better option than playing full time with a team that is only playing in your current age group.
I think it is an individual evaluation that has to be done. |
| ljames |
Posted - 08/22/2009 : 17:10:19
Everyone has echoed my thoughts. You can't get better if you’re not on the field, BUT if you are playing with and against lesser skilled players it won't help either. Is team B going to play a completive schedule against some good competition? If the answer is yes, I would choose Team B and invest in outside training to compensate for what he is not getting from the coach. Have you spoken with the coach of Team A or B? What role does coach A see your son playing on Team A? What coaching experience does coach B have?
If this were my son I would probably choose neither. Team A is going to leave your son wanting more playing time and Team B will leave you wanting better instruction. It appears the writing is on the wall. There are a LOT of teams out there. You may have to give up some short term convenience to find the right fit for your son long term. |
| crackedbats |
Posted - 08/22/2009 : 14:02:09
the question you need to ask is which team will further his development the most. Does better coaching = development or does playing time? My train of thought has always been how can a kid develop if he isnt on the field playing? How can other teams see him for potential future teams in 15,16,17 age groups if he isnt playing? Having come from a team where my son sat behind the coach's son, I can tell you that situation wasnt good for my sons development. He got decent coaching...but it didnt do alot for him other than sour his attitude. For what its worth. |
| dmb350 |
Posted - 08/22/2009 : 13:44:09
IMO, it depends on your what your expectations are regarding the amount of actual improvement your son will get from the coach. There is no amount of coaching that can replace time and experience they get on the field.
Typically, coaches don't have the time to work with one player directly for long periods of time. That's where private lessons come into play. I would say to stick with the B team so your son plays a lot and if he needs to improve in a particular area then get him some private instruction.
The only exception to this would be if the B team coaching is really bad or the team won't be competitive at their chosen playing level. No body like losing all the time and it doesn't foster a positive atmospher for improving players. |
| oldschooldad |
Posted - 08/22/2009 : 13:19:15
IMHO, playing time is always the way to go. You learn more playing than watching. Plus he will enjoy the season more being on the field and not in the dugout. |
| bball2008 |
Posted - 08/22/2009 : 11:54:04
There is no substitute for game experience. You can always supplement the lack of coaching he may get in practice with some paid instruction on the his off days. |
| gasbag |
Posted - 08/22/2009 : 10:23:22
Neither of these is a win/win situation. What good is better coaching if he can't get his reps in real game situations ? On the other hand, what good is the reps if your not being coached properly ? I'd make the decision based on who n what you think prepares him best for high school ball. Perhaps ask your high school coach for his input on the decision. |
