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bmoser
1633 Posts |
 Posted - 01/14/2011 : 09:28:03
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By 13U, over 75% of kids who played organized baseball (Rec and Travel)have quit. Some of them very good players who could have progressed further along, and perhaps even made the High School team. One I know just made the Freshman team, but is giving it up anyway.
I've asked many of these players why. They said it was boring. The "it" they were referring to was practice. They all said the games were fun, but they had to endure too much practice time in relationship to the amount of game time.
I read excerpts from a study on childhood obesity recently that said 80% of the time a kid spends on a sports team is spent standing around, and not playing the game at all.
If a player isn't having fun, he WILL quit. Very few kids are driven to the point to where they will endure excessive practices(by whatever their definition of excessive is, not yours) for very long.
Parents and Coaches...be careful. Don't overdo it, and know your sons/players limits. Find a team that fits your sons work ethic. |
Edited by - bmoser on 01/14/2011 11:42:31 |
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loveforthegame25
448 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2011 : 10:31:56
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| My son played for 12ucoach, that seemed to be a pretty good system. Every kid has some situations where they are sick, PARENTS wont let them come to practice for some family situation (usually at the younger ages) etc. Every member of the team knew the ground rules from day 1. If you have a habitual misser some action needs to be taken........ |
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11UFAN
149 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2011 : 16:02:29
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As with anything, things can be taken to an extreme. I know of many parents that put baseball (practice & lessons) above just about everything. In my household baseball is a huge commitment and you should make every practice or game. As long as my sons are making A's and B's in school and staying out of trouble then they will be there. This is ultimately the parents call. If a parent puts non-school related activities above baseball then they should expect it to affect their sons playing time.
But bmoser makes an excellent point. There is such a thing as over doing it with practices, especially during the season when you are playing 60-80 games. Limiting practices and making those you have productive and fun for the 12 and under teams is the coaches responsibility. |
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PATbb
58 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2011 : 21:43:58
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lefty,
what is an honest error Vs error caused by missing practices? are we talking physical error Vs mental errors?
quote:
Originally posted by Leftypitcher
I am not saying that an honest error should cause a revolt on a team, but errors caused by missing to many practices is inexcusable because it affects a lot more than just the offending player, it can affect a whole teams win loss record, and more importantly team morale.
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Leftypitcher
26 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2011 : 19:39:22
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PATbb,
How about both types? Mental for not knowing the signs, (1st base not knowing the sign for a pick off attempt by the pitcher or catcher, missing the hit and run sign and the runners get caught stealing, batters not making contact on a sac bunt and watching a strike go by, etc.), or how about not calling for the ball on pop ups or fly balls and causing a collision or worse yet nobody catching the ball, or not knowing single cuts vs double cuts on throws from the outfielders, or not knowing who covers second on the throw from the catcher, or the pitcher not looking the third base runner back before throwing to first on a come-backer, etc..
Physical errors for too few times doing something that needs improvement (running down a base stealer, 1st baseman flipping the ball to the pitcher instead of hard throws when the pitcher covers first, getting a big enough lead for stealing, learning how to read the pitcher's delivery to avoid getting caught in a run down, setting your feet before a throw to avoid the wild throw, etc.).
There are so many things that players need to learn during team practices it is almost impossible to think of them all right now.
Those are just a few of the many errors than can occur when you do not practice with your team, but just show up for the games.
At this level of play, the number one thing that will sink a team is the number of errors they commit. One error in a bracket pool game at the wrong time can make the road to the playoff round in most tournaments very very difficult.
An honest error is having a ball slip out of a fielders hand because the ball is wet because the grass is wet, or getting hit by a batted ball while running to a base (if the runner is in front of the fielder), or a pass ball on the catcher due a really bad bounce, etc. Those things happen and not much can be done about them.
But once again, just my two cents worth. |
Edited by - Leftypitcher on 01/15/2011 20:42:42 |
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nastycurve
244 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2011 : 14:12:23
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| very well said lefty |
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not coming to practices equals not playing?
