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bkball
173 Posts |
 Posted - 08/27/2012 : 09:11:48
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| Many kids are playing fall Lacrosse and Football but many travel teams are starting their workouts for next spring. I have shut my son down 100% from any fall baseball workouts, games and all until Jan 1st. Am I wrong for letting him concentrate on football and pickup baseball in the winter/spring? I don't think his travel coach is happy about it but I think I am doing what is best? I think too many parents think their kids will get behind if they don't practice and play year round, Opinions? Advice? |
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ramman999
241 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2012 : 11:05:04
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The reality is a good baseball player does not fall behind... It's more the addiction to travel ball that tells you he will...
I am sort of with you on this - We play lacrosse, and this is the first season that he has not done baseball too - we decided we would rather invest the time elsewhere rather than try and do both - we throw and hit here and there and maybe will fill in somewhere if needed, but will pick up more baseball focus come November and December gearing up for spring.. I'd rather keep the fall focus on speed and agility training and condition some other muscle groups - plus it breaks up the monotony - you miss maybe what, 20-25 plate appearances, and some mound or fielding time, but you save a kids arm? Seems worth it to me
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crzdirector
48 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2012 : 13:04:22
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| My son has always played football in the fall and we have traditionally taken July and August totally away from baseball. This is the first time we will actually be fully engaged in fall baseball. We decided to do it because it is our first season with a new team and first season of him playing on a Major level club. Football is still the main focus. He is my only child and I'm watching him hard. If anything starts becoming difficult or stressful; baseball is getting shut down. |
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SoxIn7
42 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2012 : 15:49:31
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I think it really depends on the child. If the child wants to focus on baseball during the fall, let them. If not, there are plenty of other great sports to choose from.
Some coaches won't like it and may leave you off their roster because of it, but there always seems to be some teams out there every Nov/Dec who are looking for a player. |
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AllStar
762 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2012 : 23:00:44
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quote:
Originally posted by bkball
Many kids are playing fall Lacrosse and Football but many travel teams are starting their workouts for next spring. I have shut my son down 100% from any fall baseball workouts, games and all until Jan 1st. Am I wrong for letting him concentrate on football and pickup baseball in the winter/spring? I don't think his travel coach is happy about it but I think I am doing what is best? I think too many parents think their kids will get behind if they don't practice and play year round, Opinions? Advice?
Opinion--> Great job!
My son has never wanted to play football, I think he would have loved it, because he always wanted to play fall baseball. If he had picked another sport, he would have done that only. He threw only a couple of times from mid-July through mid-August when the Fall team started working out and he will throw very little in November.
All he wants to do is baseball and rec basketball, so that's all he does.
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Edited by - AllStar on 08/28/2012 07:46:30 |
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Bigwhitevan
67 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2012 : 09:25:12
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Opinion: I have done it both ways. First and foremost you have to look at what your son did in the spring. Did he pitch? What some might consider a lot? Then a shut down is definately needed. If he threw very few innings and split time in field than a rest would help but probably not tremendous stress on the arm to warrant total shut down. Mine threw what I consider a lot of innings and we shut down after a tryout and making a team in July. We will start to throw back and forth in a couple days and work into pitching again focusing back on delivery mechanics not strikes or speed. I would have to agree and disagree about falling behind. The best may not "fall" but they most likely will be gained on. They start so far ahead, but only reps will keep that advantage. Anyone else will fall behind others playing in fall. Simple practice makes better logic. Can they regain the advantage? Depends on the effort when coming back. Pros come off the DL and go to minor team first, why? They need to knock the rust off. They have fallen behind. No different at any age group. I love other sports too and if there were infinite time and money I think I would have my kids play them all, but they have to choose one. Last year it was fall baseball, this year it is football.
Advice: If you think your child needs a break, then he needs a break. He is not the coaches or any other parents child. |
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peashooter
297 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2012 : 10:54:41
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| CRZ: Interesting comment: If anything starts becoming difficult or stressful...we will shut down baseball. Maybe I read too much into that, and I am not saying blow your kid out, but stopping something because it becomes difficult or stressful is probably not the best life lesson to be teaching the kids. I think the whole goal of sports is to teach kids how to deal with difficult and stressful situations, time management, dealing with coaches (bosses) you don't like, kids you may not get along with, bad umpires, unfair situations..... |
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DecaturDad
619 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2012 : 11:06:50
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Last fall, we did a very limited schedule. A total of five Sunday tournements and about the same number of practices. It was more for "fun" then improvement. This fall, my son wants to improve. His goal is to be the top 9th grader at his high school next fall. He has committed to making baseball his main focus and will be practicing a lot. That means throwing and conditioning. For him, I am not worried about over use. He did take a lot of time off this summer, and he is not being over worked. If I had pushed him this hard a year ago, he would have pushed back. He was not ready and wanted more time for other sports. So as others have mentioned, listen to your kid.
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Crossroads
448 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2012 : 11:24:04
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Well said Decatur...the child will tell you what he wants to do. Sometimes it's the parents that want there child to play a different sport while the child wants to play baseball. I always listen to my children...one loves baseball and can't get enough...the other loves hockey and I let him play hockey in the fall in the past. This year he wanted to play baseball so he is playing baseball.
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DecaturDad
619 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2012 : 12:51:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Crossroads
Well said Decatur...the child will tell you what he wants to do. Sometimes it's the parents that want there child to play a different sport while the child wants to play baseball. I always listen to my children...one loves baseball and can't get enough...the other loves hockey and I let him play hockey in the fall in the past. This year he wanted to play baseball so he is playing baseball.
Crossroads, My son's other fall sport is also hockey :-) |
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crzdirector
48 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2012 : 17:01:01
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PEASHOOTER:
I probably should have elaborated. I'm not going to have him quit b/c he's not playing well or struggling in one or the other. I was meaning more if he starts struggling with school, socially, or emotionally. The only sport factors would be if he's not giving his all because he is worn out (he's a 100 mph kid, its VERY OBVIOUS when he run down).
I'm all about the life lesson of working through adversity and situation, but he is 9 and sometimes I have to trust my parenting gut if it looks like its too much for him right now. |
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bball2000
39 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2012 : 23:07:12
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| I think it depends on how much a kid enjoys baseball. By the age of 12 to 13 they usually decide which sport is their best. Football related injuries can blow chances at baseball. We played with a kid who had great baseball talent, he decided to play football. He suffered a broken leg in football which required surgery and a metal rod, now he has no future in either. Just something to consider. Fall baseball is light and fun. It is minus the drama that the spring season brings. |
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HITANDRUN
436 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2012 : 07:31:33
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quote:
Originally posted by bball2000
I think it depends on how much a kid enjoys baseball. By the age of 12 to 13 they usually decide which sport is their best. Football related injuries can blow chances at baseball. We played with a kid who had great baseball talent, he decided to play football. He suffered a broken leg in football which required surgery and a metal rod, now he has no future in either. Just something to consider. Fall baseball is light and fun. It is minus the drama that the spring season brings.
No offense but they decide at 12 to 13 LOL some don't even have hair under the arms and until they have hit puberty and I mean real puberty not just the 13 year old puberty we, them, you, don't know jack about which sport is their best. 13 is way too early to tell. Obviously Michael Jordan's coach knew he had no future in basketball so he should have stuck to baseball. |
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bball2000
39 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2012 : 08:35:22
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| To clarify, they should be able to choose which fall sport to participate in by 12 or 13. Keeping up middle school homework and participating in 2 sports can be too much. What you want at 12 most likely will not be what you want at 17. |
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offspeed4
169 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 22:17:27
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| I don't think you miss much by taking off in the fall to play other sports. Frankly, I believe playing others sports will compliment baseball. Regardless of what you decide, I would put the glove down for at least 60 days before next season. |
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kidsgame
35 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2012 : 10:00:15
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| At the risk of sounding dense,why is there so much emphasis placed in taking time off of baseball? My boy is only 11U, but it seems that there is a natural break in the season - his team has taken almost two months off of baseball, with just a few practices/work outs and will play a light fall schedule. Is there not a similar break in the older age groups? My son is playing football for the first time and loves it (despite breaking his arm during the first week of practice), but that doesn't diminsh his love of playing baseball. In talking with other parents, I understand that swimming, gymnastics, cheerleading, etc. are year-round sports, with practice multiple days each week and very competitive - but, this topic about taking time off of baseball seems to come up a good deal. I'm just wondering. |
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AllStar
762 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2012 : 12:12:21
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quote:
Originally posted by kidsgame
At the risk of sounding dense,why is there so much emphasis placed in taking time off of baseball? My boy is only 11U, but it seems that there is a natural break in the season - his team has taken almost two months off of baseball, with just a few practices/work outs and will play a light fall schedule. Is there not a similar break in the older age groups? My son is playing football for the first time and loves it (despite breaking his arm during the first week of practice), but that doesn't diminsh his love of playing baseball. In talking with other parents, I understand that swimming, gymnastics, cheerleading, etc. are year-round sports, with practice multiple days each week and very competitive - but, this topic about taking time off of baseball seems to come up a good deal. I'm just wondering.
At least for 16 and up tournaments ran right up to the end of July.
Then tryouts and some organizations' 2012/2013 teams are already selected, practicing and will be competing in tournaments starting next week.
There is no "natural" break, which is why the parents and players, hopefully in concert with their coaches, have to find one.
Even then, if he's not throwing, hitting or fielding, he is probably doing some kind of sport-specific conditioning.
The Spring/Summer season ends a little earlier for the younger ages.
I never played past July 4 with my sons' younger (11-14) teams. |
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Mad1
252 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2012 : 12:58:58
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Kids game,
To me the break re energizes the players. We took an 8 week break after the state tourneys this past June. The last two weeks of that we held two tryouts for some selected players, then started a light practice and tourney schedule for the fall. For us it was the pitching arms and mental aspect that needed the rest. After the break our players all came back more energized and eager to play ball again. Our objective for fall is conditioning for the spring, not necessarily winning tourneys, but getting playing time in every few weeks. We have played two tourneys, done well and i believe only 1 pitcher has thrown over 45 pitches in a tourney so far. |
Edited by - Mad1 on 09/04/2012 13:55:31 |
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in_the_know
985 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2012 : 13:14:07
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| at 15 and above, you'll see a heavy schedule in the fall, mostly around showcase/college/recruiting events. Right now, high school coaches are in their hands-off period. Most players with aspirations of playing beyond high school use this time to get on college radars and prepare for high school season. Most older teams will go pretty hard through October, then lighten up over the holidays. High School coaches can begin on field team activities in February. You'll see the 15u and older teams pretty much "shut down" until May, then go hard through July, take a month of down time, then start the cycle over again. + or - a bit on this blanket statement, but pretty standard of what you'll likely see. |
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kidsgame
35 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2012 : 14:27:04
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| Thanks for the responses! It seems that this just hasn't been an issue for us yet, at his age group, since his team takes time off during the summer, then proceeds with a light fall schedule. I agree that the kids can benefit from a break, as well as experience in other sports. I will definitely keep this in mind as he gets older. At this point (age 11), we are simply trying to encourage and support him in doing the things that he loves - baseball, and, now football (which I'm trying hard to like as much as baseball. But, its not happening for me yet, and the broken arm did not help matters.) |
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Fall baseball & other sports take a break?
