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loveforthegame25
448 Posts |
 Posted - 09/24/2009 : 19:14:41
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| I dont know about all of you but i havent seen a huge change for our kids at each distance change over the last couple years. They seemed to have been able to adjust pretty quickly from 46-60, 50-70, 54-80, and now 60-90. Are you all in agreement or am i way off. Or does it depend on talent level and maturity of our boys? |
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Alter-Ego
802 Posts |
Posted - 09/24/2009 : 21:49:26
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| I think at each level you have a certain percent that can't keep up and fall off. But at the same time, players mature at a different rate and some that are a little slow to catch up on the early fields, may catch up at the bigger fields. The trick is staying with it long enough to catch up. |
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sward
369 Posts |
Posted - 09/24/2009 : 22:01:24
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| what gets players is the field size. 300+ foot fences. Much fewer home runs. At each level up the small game becomes more and more important. I would like to see 12u play on 250'-275' fields. |
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coachdan06
433 Posts |
Posted - 09/24/2009 : 22:40:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Alter-Ego
I think at each level you have a certain percent that can't keep up and fall off. But at the same time, players mature at a different rate and some that are a little slow to catch up on the early fields, may catch up at the bigger fields. The trick is staying with it long enough to catch up.
Time was the kids didn't take the field of a high school size until 15 or 16 .
Just as many then as now were good players in to college and professional ranks.
60&90 before 15 or 16 is nonsense in my judgement you canott deny that the smaller or weaker kids canott hit the ball hard enough to even leave the infield area on the big field |
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Alter-Ego
802 Posts |
Posted - 09/25/2009 : 12:16:03
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Coachdan,
If memory serves me correctly (and many times it does not) I played Babe Ruth baseball (13-15 yrs old) on a 60/90 field.
Am I mistaken or did the field just look big? |
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loveforthegame25
448 Posts |
Posted - 09/26/2009 : 11:33:47
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| 13 was 60-90 in Pennsylvania back in the good ole days. |
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coachdan06
433 Posts |
Posted - 09/26/2009 : 22:29:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Alter-Ego
Coachdan,
If memory serves me correctly (and many times it does not) I played Babe Ruth baseball (13-15 yrs old) on a 60/90 field.
Am I mistaken or did the field just look big?
Youve forced my age hand :)
Im referring to the mid 1950s |
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playhard
16 Posts |
Posted - 09/28/2009 : 08:13:51
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| Many High School Freshman start high school at 14, so they must play 60/90. So most kids have to start getting ready at age 13 for the bigger field. |
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loveforthegame25
448 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2009 : 21:19:27
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| Heres a question related to this topic, do you get ready for the field size or is it youll be able to play on it or not????? |
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AllStar
762 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2009 : 21:42:00
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quote:
Originally posted by loveforthegame25
Heres a question related to this topic, do you get ready for the field size or is it youll be able to play on it or not?????
Well, you won't know until you get on it, but as soon as my son got back from his vacation after his season-ending tourney we started working on the bigger field. First thing we did every time we went to a bigger field was have him stand at third while I stood at first and did "long toss". Then he went into the outfield and worked on all the throws out there. Then he worked off mound at the new distance.
I won't really consider 14U definitive, though. It's only his first year at this distance. He will grow and get stronger and smarter, so even if he is challenged at the new distance in his first year I won't consider it settled. Now what he will consider may be a different story.
By the time he plays his first game, he will have been working at the new dimensions for several months. It already seems "normal" to him. Now only time, his work ethic, will tell. |
Edited by - AllStar on 09/30/2009 09:02:50 |
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gasbag
281 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2009 : 10:24:50
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| I think with each change, the emphasis changes from the slower more powerful kids dominating at the younger ages and smaller fields to the faster more athletic kids excelling on the larger fields. I also think that with the bigger fields comes the necessity to specialize and finding role players for your team. Lastly, the bigger the field, the more importance of "5 tool players" become...ie athlete's ! |
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boom24
13 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2009 : 14:26:19
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| Our team is made up of mostly 8th grade kids that will be playing Middle School ball come mid Febuary. The league plays a 54/80 field with 300 ft fences. All of our players will be 14u after Middle School season around April 15th. The Only league affilliation with these dimensions is Dizzy Dean for 14u. We along with 5 other middle school teams in our area have been ask to particpate in this league.How would this effect our team when playing USSSA ,USTBA BPA . Do you guys think it would hurt us when playing weekend tournaments ? |
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goyard
217 Posts |
Posted - 11/12/2009 : 08:43:52
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| Boom I would have to say yes, that it may have an adverse affect if you jump back and forth, to and fro from 54/80 & 60/90. I believe it best to starta season at 54/80 and as the season develops, migrate to the 60/90 and keep with that dimension. My son is of the same age/ We started our 13u season at 54/80 and then halfway to 3/4 the way through, made the change to 60/90. Once we adjusted to those field dimensions, there was really only one tourney left I believe that we had slated to play under the 54/80 dimension. Jumping back and forth makes it difficult in areas of infield throwing, throwdowns and just the game being very different/ I also think PITCHERS would suffer the most from a back and forth dimension schedule. IMHO is all. |
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Steve Neadow
20 Posts |
Posted - 11/23/2009 : 13:52:22
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| In Maryland I played 60-90 at 13. So, when I played high school ball, the "separation in talent" became rapidly noticeable - a weeding out process. |
Edited by - Steve Neadow on 11/23/2009 21:33:45 |
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SMASH
253 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2009 : 08:07:57
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| Kids these days are spoiled. When most of the dads and coaches on this site played ball we went from little league(46-60) until age 12 straight to the big diamond (60-90) at age 13. Talk about a transition. Today the kids play primarily against other kids their own age and the field dimensions increase steadily every other year. The good players adapt with no problems as they mature, |
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Alter-Ego
802 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2009 : 09:24:27
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warrior,
I agree. I have talked many times about when I played the teams were made up of 3 age groups at each level:
Minor League - (7-9 yr old)
Little League - (10-12 yr old)
Babe Ruth - (13-15 yr old)
The first year you were on a team, you just practiced and did not play a lot. If you did, you just hoped not to get hit by a ball thrown by one of the 9, 12, or 15 year old kids pitching. Your 2nd year, you were playing most of the time, and a lot more comfortable, but not usually one of the primary players. Your 3rd year, you were dominating the 2 age groups below you, and competing against the others your age. Then the next year you went back to being the small fish in the pond.
When I was 7 I broke my arm in early spring and I could not play baseball. I was not that disappointed because it was a throw-away year anyway based on the details above.
I like it how it is today because there are not those throw-away years. If you want to play up, you have the opportunity to, but are not forced to. |
Edited by - Alter-Ego on 12/17/2009 09:45:53 |
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