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Newbie BB Mom
141 Posts |
 Posted - 11/09/2011 : 12:45:45
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Okay, I've been reading some of these advice threads and keep seeing some variation of "do your homework" before you join a team.
As a family who is relatively new to baseball, I'm not sure how to go about doing that. We've formerly only played rec ball. Last summer our son played on an 8U summer travel team made up of some rec ball all-stars. His team was very good, and he did very well on the team.
When our son returned to fall rec ball, we learned that a number of other talented rec ball players had made the jump to travel teams. We had wrestled with whether to try out for some of these teams at the end of the summer. In the end, we decided to wait. He was moving from coach pitch to kid pitch, and we thought rec ball might be a better place to learn without a lot of pressure. Also, we have been warned of burn-out when a kid starts travel ball too early (including by his hitting coach, a former minor league player who played at ECB).
Now, we keep seeing these postings for teams that still need "one or two good players." Our son's transition to kid pitch in fall rec ball went well. But going back to rec ball after a summer of high-level playing was frustrating for him. We are beginning to see the limitations of rec ball and are once again wrestling with whether to make the move to year round travel ball.
But, I don't know much about these teams. Unfortunatley, our rec ball friends aren't playing for them. How do we "do our homework?" Without good information, we are hesitant to let our son tryout. |
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klhmlh
42 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2011 : 13:18:40
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| I think 8u/9u is early for travel, but as a family you need to decide that. It would be good to also have him play more sports than just baseball. You never know he might find something he likes better or 2 or 3 sports that he really enjoys and wants to play them all. If you decide to go with travel you should find out how many games your son will be playing at 8u/9u. The kids can get burned out. My son didn't start travel until 12. Which looking back was a year late. I would say 10 or 11 is the best time to start. Most of the time at 8u/9u the team is new and the coaches are new so you may not know what you have until you get in the middle of it. |
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EastsideBB
44 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2011 : 13:31:21
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If he is good (for his age group) and your family is not ready for travel ball yet, I would let him play up in rec ball. At 9, let him play up with the 10 or 11 year olds. At this age I believe rec ball and then summer all-stars or a couple of end of season tournaments would be good. But as you see on this site, a lot of players start travel ball at 8U. If you go that route, you should start with your rec ball friends who are now playing travel ball. Maybe they can get you in contact with their coach for a tryout. Finding the right team for your son is a lot work and may take a couple of years. Once you start playing travel and see all the different skill levels of teams and coaching you will have a better idea of what is best for your son.
Also, you son will let you know of burn-out. If he doesn't want to go to practices and seems not to be having as much fun as he did when he played rec - take notice. As we all know - each kid is different - some can play travel at 8U and all the way through high school with no problems. For others it might be best to start travel ball when they get older and become more dedicated to the sport. |
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coach0512
123 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2011 : 14:38:12
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To answer the question you asked:
The best way to "do your homework" is to go to the discussion thread for your age group here at NWBA and ask about a team. Stan has a great rule that he will not allow disparaging remarks about a player, team or coach on the site but if you simply post "Anyone know anything about XYZ team out of Atlanta. Please respond via email" then the very knowledgable people here will send you an email, good or bad, and it doesn't get seen by everyone. (You'll have to change your settings to allow people to email you.)
Next, go watch the team you are thinking of trying out for. Watch a practice or game. Any team that is looking for players will suggest you do so.
During the practice or game talk with the parents and ask them about the coaching style and philosophy, how are practices organized, what are the goals for the team, etc. After the game or practice talk to the coaches. Have a list of questions ready and do not be afraid to ask too many questions.
If the parents won't talk with you or the coaches seem annoyed at the questioning then you know that is not the team for you and move on.
More homework- Check out USSSA and search for the team. They may not be listed for several reasons but if they are listed then you can see who they have played and how well they did. Look at the roster and see how many players are new to travel ball and how many have stayed with the team. See how many team jump.
One thread on here asked what questions you should ask a coach when looking at teams. Do a search and find that thread and you'll see tons of questions to ask.
Finally, when you select a team and your player makes the team don't stop doing your homework. At every game watch how the opposing team and other teams in the tournament are managed. Do the players lack basic baseball knowledge and skills? Do the coaches yell at the players from the dugout constantly? How do the coaches handle bad play making by their players? Is the #4 hitter really weak but has the same last name as the manager? Is that same player the starting pitcher who just walked in his 3rd run? How do the coaches interact with the umpires? All that stuff. With a season under your belt newbies will be emailing you asking for information. |
Edited by - coach0512 on 11/09/2011 15:07:45 |
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in_the_know
985 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2011 : 15:32:29
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The single most important thing you need to do (and do it first) is define exactly what you want from the experience. What are your expectations? What are your sons? Are you looking to win trophies or is it development you seek? Does he want to play with his current circle of friends? Is it important to you that the park you play for have a "status" brand? How far are you willing to travel for practices? How many games do you want to play? You can't begin to sort through the many options in this area before you define exactly what you want. The last thing you want to do is sit down at your table at Ruth's Chris and wonder why there isn't Chinese food on the menu.
Once you've defined your needs, then begin to seek the teams that fit. Go to some tourneys (if you decide to spend next season doing rec) and watch how the coaches coach. Do they move players around? Do they play differently in pool vs. bracket? What's the aura of the team? Parents? How do the parents behave toward the umps? How do coaches and parents react to failure on the field? An error? A strikeout?
Ultimately you should know what you want, what your child best responds to, and seek accordingly. Your homework begins with determining what you want, then observing and inquiring to find it.
Realize that it may take you a couple of seasons and teams before you find it. Read around this board for a ton of info. There was a thread debating the differences between parks and programs (ECB, 643, Roadrunners, Rec Park travel, etc.). Alot can be gained by reading and asking questions here.
Good luck!
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Edited by - in_the_know on 11/09/2011 17:42:26 |
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Outtahere
43 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2011 : 11:45:17
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| Coach 0512 You might want to be careful about a private referral email from a forum poster. Some parent whose kid got cut from a team may have an axe to grind. Just saying. When I do my homework I let my kid go practice with the team in the fall if possible in between football. See what the coach is teaching and how he holds a practice. I have seen coaches who stand around and do little to nothing but bark orders. Plenty of teams can win on their kids talent but is the coach teaching them anything for the next level? I have also been to a coaches practice where he had them moving on and off the field and he was running around giving solid fundamental instruction. Other than that you will play teams during your season and may see something you like from a team/coach and can follow up that way. We personally stayed in the rec park and did allstars until my son was 10U.Good luck to you! |
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coach0512
123 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2011 : 08:49:52
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| Outtahere, precisely why it should be a private email. Just because a kid was cut from a team does not mean the player was cut for being bad. Doing your homework includes getting insight from both sides-those who stay with a team and those who leave. The ones who leave or get cut will not necessarily lie about it. Take in all information and decide for yourself. Hence-do your homework. |
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Newbie BB Mom
141 Posts |
Posted - 01/11/2012 : 10:53:26
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I'm sorry for my late follow up. I wanted to thank everyone who took the time to give me their thoughts. This is all very helpful.
I have started doing some of the things suggested here, including looking through old threads with advice about finding a team that fits or what to ask a coach. I also went to USSSA's website and looked at rosters. It looks like some of the 9U teams in our area had some major roster changes (and musical chairs) this year. I'm not sure why. I suppose there could be lots of reasons for this. We put some feelers out with a few people we know, but so far we haven't heard anything, good or bad.
Unfortunately, playing up in rec ball isn't really an option this spring. Our son is already playing in the 9-10 age group as an 8 year old. He will not turn 9 until March. The next level is 11 to 13 year olds, and I don't think he's quite ready for that.
We love our rec league. We have had such a good experience there. After much navelgazing, we decided to sign him up for one more spring in rec ball. But, this summer he will be trying out for 10U travel teams. If we could find a travel team with the same positive approach that our rec league takes, we'd be very happy.
I've tried to get our son interested in other sports, but he is a baseball guy through and through. It is his passion. He would play baseball all day every day if he could (okay, maybe with a little xbox thrown in). So travel ball is where we are heading, it's just a matter of when.
We have thought about what we want from a team. We prefer development over winning at this age. Our first priority is a positive coaching style.
I really appreciate all the knowledge on this board and am so grateful to those who are willing to share their advice/experience. |
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rippit
667 Posts |
Posted - 01/11/2012 : 21:31:10
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LOL. I looked at this thread thinking we'd be talking about how to get a baseball player to do his homework when he's practicing 10 out of every 12 nights.
Bueller??? Bueller??? |
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"Doing Your Homework"
