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nabaseball
8 Posts |
 Posted - 10/01/2012 : 22:17:31
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| My son is on a fairly new 11u team. It has good coaching and I can see an improvement in his hitting after only a few weeks. He is by far the best player on this team. He could have gone to 2 more successful teams, but he chose this one because he liked the coaches. The team has some players new to travel ball and some players who are not top level. Do you think a child can improve on a team like this? We are committed thru the fall. |
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nastycurve
244 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2012 : 22:35:45
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I think a child can improve and also learn a valuable lesson. That lesson being that sometimes you create something great instead of just joining something great. Too often in life, people look to be a part of something instead of creating something for other people to be a part of; this situation could lend to him being a leader in life and on the field.
I would say take a look at your son, and give him a personal evaluation (Contact and power hitting, speed, defense,pitching, baseball knowledge, enjoyment of the game, etc). both before and after the fall. If you see an increase in his skills, knowledge and enjoyment, then you are in the right place, if not it may be time to make a change. |
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in_the_know
985 Posts |
Posted - 10/02/2012 : 09:07:25
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Interesting post.
From what you state, he already IS improving. What you need to really ask, is why? What are the goals of the team and coaches? What are your goals as a family and his as a player? It may very well be that the team and coaches are focused on developing and teaching first and foremost and winning is secondary. Your son may be responding early to this approach, and perhaps it's a new approach over previous teams. It may also be that you've found coaches that know how to instruct well at this age and the player(s) are responding.
Fall is a very different beast than spring. If you see the entire team improving over the fall, then you've likely found a good group of players and coaches that are growing. If this meets your goals, excellent. What may be the deciding factor is tournament time if and when the team isn't going deep into tournaments, or begin to face sub par competition because of their brackets (maybe silver or bronze vs. gold). If they aren't getting to square up against some real challenging pitchers as individuals, etc., then they may not truly be getting tested. How will things be perceived or hold together for the families if this becomes the case.
When all is said and done, if your son is in a nice environment, responding and growing from the experience, and likes the coaching, then you've probably found a great home for the season. Remember, no player is being scouted or drafted at 11, so even if it's not the perfect season, nothing lost. Unless you're being pressured to commit for spring, let the fall play out and see how you and your son feel at the end. There are a lot of winning teams and programs that aren't necessarily developing and improving their players, so always consider what's best to meet your goals and go with it. |
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bigmcbb
46 Posts |
Posted - 10/02/2012 : 09:28:43
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quote:
Originally posted by nastycurve
I think a child can improve and also learn a valuable lesson. That lesson being that sometimes you create something great instead of just joining something great. Too often in life, people look to be a part of something instead of creating something for other people to be a part of; this situation could lend to him being a leader in life and on the field.
I would say take a look at your son, and give him a personal evaluation (Contact and power hitting, speed, defense,pitching, baseball knowledge, enjoyment of the game, etc). both before and after the fall. If you see an increase in his skills, knowledge and enjoyment, then you are in the right place, if not it may be time to make a change.
Agree with you 100% NC. Been there, done it, glad we did it. You are spot on with the idea of developing leadership skills. You can't put a pricetag on these types of life lessons. I think that parents sometimes get too caught up in the whole team ranking debate. I know that I've been guilty of this. At these ages we just need our kids to develop as ball players and get as fundamentally sound as possible. If you are lucky enough to find a team with solid coaching, kids that get along, good parents, and the ability to compete against solid competition, stick around and enjoy the season. Everything else will take care of itself.
Best of luck to you and your son nabaseball! |
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What do you think?
