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jpandnickmom
2 Posts |
 Posted - 04/26/2012 : 09:07:44
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Hello NWBA! I am the mom of two boys; oldest, age 8 and youngest, age 5 1/2. They are currently in rec ball with Southwest Baseball Association. I am looking for the how and where, etc. to get my oldest son (age 8 as of January 2012) into travel ball in Cobb County. He has a lot of potential, very eager to learn and highly coach-able. He is a leftie and switch hits. His father wants him to develop into a pitcher (for obvious reasons) although he currently plays center outfield and occasional first base. I am bias, but he has some true natural talent.
PLEASE help guide and direct me into the direction I should go. Thank you in advance for any advise. 
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Coach Pete
33 Posts |
Posted - 04/26/2012 : 09:49:18
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East Cobb Baseball has a tryout clinic every summer in August. You can find it on East Cobb Baseball's web page, by putting your mouse over calendar of events and clicking ECB Tryout Clinic. It's too early for them to post anything for next season, but check back periodically to see when it is. More or less it's an instructional two day session, and from it, the coaches of the teams pick the players for their teams for the 2012-2013 season.
Other places have similar things. Check out the 8U and 9U discussion forums and you'll see a list of teams there that you can then look up. Good luck. |
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in_the_know
985 Posts |
Posted - 04/26/2012 : 10:36:01
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You might want to check out some of the local Rec parks travel teams as a starter. There are some pro's and con's, but it can be a very good starting point if you have NO real knowledge of the coaches and teams in the travel arena within your age group.
Pro's
CAN be less expensive. Typically not paying high fees per player to be associated with a team or program. ECB, 643, etc., charge fixed per player fee, in addition to the actual team tournament/uniform/equipment fees. Rec travel teams have to pay a fixed fee per player for their field/umpire time, but that tends to be lower than the other marquee name programs.
Provides you an opportunity to see where and how your kid stacks up at this level. Usually the 8/9u teams at ECB are teams that are mostly all-star teams from a Rec park that the coach has transplanted over to ECB to being their travel team journey. Those teams tend to look for a few players to upgrade their core. Similar to what you'll see in the Rec park travel teams as it's usually the all-star teams making their migration into travel.
Provides you an opportunity to scout future team opportunities. The best way to find where you want to be, long term, is to spend a season watching all the other teams and coaches in action. I liken a tryout to a job interview. Both sides are trying to show you their best. The behavior of the coach will never be better than at the tryout. That might be the same as you'll see in game situations or a FAR cry from it. Watch these guys in the heat of games to see their true colors. Every tournament game can be an interview of sorts for you. You can also see if they move players around for development, bat their lineup, etc., and look to match your goals with their style for a good fit.
Con's
May or may not get good/great coaches. Of course no different risk with an ECB team there as well. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. As parents of players on the team. Try and find out how much turnover there is year to year (probably not much history there if you're talking about 8/9u).
If you kid is far more advanced than the other players, he may not develop or get the challenge you want. I really don't think this is a big deal at this age. You have PLENTY of time if your kid is going to make this his sport and play beyond rec/travel/school. So many people think that if they don't "nail" it for their kid at 8, then he's behind. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have a couple in high school and one heading there. They have taken varied routes, even taking a season off, and I haven't seen any major setbacks as a result. When the kids hit 13/14/15, and puberty hits, you'll see studs become duds and duds become studs. You'll also see studs become bigger studs.
Politics. It's everywhere, some places more than others. Rec parks do have the tag that they're greater there because of the "all-star" bias and daddy ball, but truthfully, it's everywhere.
Since you specified Cobb County, I think it might be worth your time and money to schedule a lesson or two at ECB Academy AND 643 Academy. Get a hitting lesson and pitching or fielding lesson from both. See how your kid responds. Have a conversation with the instructor about what you're considering and get their input on how your kid might fit in and what level (AA, AAA, Major). You can use this as an opportunity to see how that program looks to you as well.
I do have a question for you since you didn't mention it in your post. Has your kid played all-stars at his current Rec park? If not, why? I would think that having done so would already have given you some idea of how he stacks up and some of the direction you might want to go.
Best of luck to you and your sons. |
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jpandnickmom
2 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2012 : 18:41:05
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Just a followup note, and I do appreciate all of the advise.
My son did make the all-Star team at his park. So, we will see how that goes and go from there. He will be moving up this fall to 9/10 yr old team. I'm sure this will be an adjustment to go from coach pitched.
He's a leftie and his dad is looking into some pitching lessons with a few ECB coches he used to umpire for. of course, we would be doing this after the All-Star season (and before Fall ball).
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OldeTymer
42 Posts |
Posted - 06/23/2012 : 09:35:01
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Here's my recommendation: Continue to watch both your son's play and the kids on the other teams. If your allstar team is winning a bunch and you know in your heart your son is not only one of the best on his team but would be one of the best on another team, then find a travel ball team to try out for.
If your allstar team isnt winning AND your son wouldn't be one of the best on the teams beating you, stick to rec ball and allstars. Trust me, playing travel for the sake of being a "travel ball player" usually ends up with you being on a horrible team 12 months instead of just 2 - 3 and spending a ton more money to do so.
If you really want your son to develop, dont hang his development on "travel" ball. He will get much more out of the time spent with your husband and/or private lessons than getting beat down week after week as you travel across Gerogia. |
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