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acc041983
5 Posts |
 Posted - 04/09/2013 : 13:25:21
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| I have a 6 year old son that is beyond obsessed with baseball. He has played rec ball for 2 and 1/2 years now and I'm looking to find a better team for him to be on. He needs to receive better coaching that I can give him or than he is getting with his rec team. I also want him to play against other kids that are as good as he is or better. I live in Carrollton, GA. Anyone got any advice on finding something for him. He will be seven in October. I've looked around on here and didn't see anything. |
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AllStar
762 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2013 : 15:41:17
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quote:
Originally posted by acc041983
I have a 6 year old son that is beyond obsessed with baseball. He has played rec ball for 2 and 1/2 years now and I'm looking to find a better team for him to be on. He needs to receive better coaching that I can give him or than he is getting with his rec team. I also want him to play against other kids that are as good as he is or better. I live in Carrollton, GA. Anyone got any advice on finding something for him. He will be seven in October. I've looked around on here and didn't see anything.
Wait.
Sorry-I know that's not the answer you were looking for and it will get jumped on, but I stand by it. My son started at 11. Most of the kids he knows did, too, though a few started at 10. At least one starter on a highly ranked AAAAA team didn't start until he was 12 and he was raw as heck then.
As we approach the late stages of his HS career, I realize he could have started at 12 and still would be in the same position he is today. |
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Tribe
82 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2013 : 16:09:05
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AllStar is right. Wait. There is little benefit in travel ball at such a young age.
Let him play with his friends for a few years. I doubt that there is an ounce of correlation between high school/college baseball success and starting travel ball at a young age.
At most, I would take some of the money that you'd spend on the travel team and get him a few lessons to ensure that he's getting started on the right foot mechanically.
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bestplayinbaseball
67 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2013 : 18:22:26
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Agree!
Spend your $ on lessons, a little later. My kid started at 11 could have waited til 12. We focused on private instruction and playing a few other sports that develop athleticism. Too much of the younger ages is about 100' s of $ in matching gear, too much travel, too many vames in a weekend.
The majority of the kids we saw do that are not playing at all now, went another sport route, did not make the HS team. Have fun now ? |
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bestplayinbaseball
67 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2013 : 18:57:11
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Agree!
Spend your $ on lessons, a little later. My kid started at 11 could have waited til 12. We focused on private instruction and playing a few other sports that develop athleticism. Too much of the younger ages is about 100' s of $ in matching gear, too much travel, too many vames in a weekend.
The majority of the kids we saw do that are not playing at all now, went another sport route, did not make the HS team. Have fun now ? |
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2013 : 19:39:40
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| Agree here too. My son is playing his freshman year in college and he didn't start travel till he was 12. He turned out fine. No need to spend the money, not to mention the wear and tear on his body at such a young age. Let him play with his friends locally and be a kid when he's not playing during the off season. There will be plenty of time for hardcore baseball as he gets older. |
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excoach12
159 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2013 : 22:30:36
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Another vote for waiting.
My son started at 9 and I wish I had waited till 11. You want him to get better? Get hitting and fielding lessons now and start pitching lessons at 10.
You'll spend WAY too much money and time starting travel now and it will not do your son any good at all. |
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sharkattack
40 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2013 : 08:31:14
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| I agree to a point. I waited until 10 with my 12u but went travel at 9 with my current 9u. The exodus to travel has weakened the rec programs to the point that it is painful to watch rec ball at 9u and beyond. |
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Canton Chargers
885 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2013 : 11:14:33
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To each his own I would say. We love baseball and love travel ball. We as in EVERYONE in my family. Not sure what the boys would do as they don't like other sports other than baseball and love video games, so the more baseball we play, the less video games they play. Kids do not play in yard and in the woods and lots like when I was a kid, so the more they play ball, the more athletic and in shape they become. I see a lot of families go travel now at young ages and there is nothing wrong with that or playing rec or playing other sports. My recommendation is to do what you feel is best for your kid. Nothing will guarantee a scholarship or a MLB proposal more than talent and a lot of luck.
As for travel or rec, I think travel will eventually become rec without the board of directors from whatever program, telling a coach who he can take and how much it will cost and who will make all stars, etc... It would sure open up a lot of parks, but would unfortunately squeeze some kids out that wouldn't be chosen by a team. Can't have that obviously, so again, do what you want to do and enjoy it all, as they grow quick and seem to leave the nest before you know it.
Good luck.... |
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TAZ980002
831 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2013 : 11:28:14
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quote:
Originally posted by sharkattack
I agree to a point. I waited until 10 with my 12u but went travel at 9 with my current 9u. The exodus to travel has weakened the rec programs to the point that it is painful to watch rec ball at 9u and beyond.
It's also painful to watch some of the so called travel teams ... |
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3sportfamily
107 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2013 : 11:50:12
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I have a contrarion view...
IMO - it really depends on what your goals are and your personal family situation.
My short answer - absolutely no reason to start travel at 6. Go (next year) find a rec program that has an all star program. Assuming your kid is good enough - you will experience 'travel like' conditions starting in June and going into July if you go play in a World Series. That 6 weeks is intense enough (too intense for many) for a 4-7 week period.
If your goal is to give your child a chance to play (and be successful) in high school - who knows what the right answer is? Some kids will find another sport. Some will quit, some will burnout. Some would rather study, chase girls, whatever. Some will find out that are just not athletic enough. You will not know the answers to any of these until age 14 or so.
I often see posters say that they didnt start until 11, 12, and their son is the starting ss in high school. Those kids are also probably the most athletic kids on the team. It probably would not have mattered if they started early. I see our high school backup ss on jv team did not play travel until 13. I see kids who were the '6u studs, can't miss, best athlete in the park' not even tryout at for the high school team. The size of the fields outgrew them - and they just lost interest. I also see kids that were helped immensely by playing advanced ball with great coaching for a long time (it helped overcome their lack of athleticism). Learned how they can help a team by doing the small things.
If you do not have the money to pay for travel - AND save for their college - then save the money for college. If you have multiple kids, and spending all weekend at a ball field would diminish overall family time - then you have to prioritize.
BUT - If your kid (and you of course) enjoy the more competitive aspect of travel baseball, you enjoy spending hours with other like minded kids/families - then there is nothing like travel baseball. What is the right age to start - I remember thinking that we were doing our boys good by having them in kid pitch travel at 8 - so we would be more competitive at 9.
Looking back on it - who cares! We lost to good teams. We lost to weaker teams. We played good. We played bad. We won a few tournament. It had nothing to do whether we played at 8!
I promise that most coaches cannot look at all of the boys in our age group (11u) and pick out which kids started travel at 6u/7u (more common on the south side of Atlanta), versus 8u, 9u or 10u. Yes - you can see the kids who are new to travel at 11u - but by the end of the season the difference will not be very pronounced (imo).
IMO - if you choose to play travel baseball starting at the age of 9 - you do it NOT to groom the kid for baseball success. You decide to do it because it is something you share with your kid, your family. Our BEST friends in our life right now - are families that we started playing all-star baseball at 6u. My entire family looks as forward to our end of season baseball trip as much as any other event we do as a family all year.
Understand all experiences are not the same. Some families/teams will break up each year. Some want different coaching. Some want to be on a better team. The key is to find the environment that works for you and your family...and stick with it.
Sounds like you want a higher level experience than rec. I say - go all star until 8. Make some friends. Understand the 'advanced' baseball scene. You will learn the parks/programs in your area. And then try and find the right one. BUT - if you can make your all star experience work - build on that!!! Use that team as your foundation for a travel experience. For clarity - if primary goal is to prepare your kid for high school - I agree with most of the previous posters - no reason to rush. But if you want to enjoy the experiences as I describe - why wait!!! I would not have done our 8u-10u any differently! I understand the position that it is too much for some families at an early age. But not for us!
I am smiling as I write this - as you do not yet even know the ups and downs your are getting ready to embark on...but OMG - what a ride!!! |
Edited by - 3sportfamily on 04/10/2013 12:09:57 |
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acc041983
5 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2013 : 10:30:12
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| It isn't about paying for college or getting him ready for high school. It is just about the fact that he loves baseball so much and I want him to have better coaching and get to experience a higher level of play than he does right now. He has been the best on his team the last few years (coaches words not mine) and I'd like to see what he can do with better instruction and better competition. We also really love baseball as a family and I think would enjoy the experience. |
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splendid splinter
11 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2013 : 12:30:09
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quote:
Originally posted by 3sportfamily
I have a contrarion view...
IMO - it really depends on what your goals are and your personal family situation.
My short answer - absolutely no reason to start travel at 6. Go (next year) find a rec program that has an all star program. Assuming your kid is good enough - you will experience 'travel like' conditions starting in June and going into July if you go play in a World Series. That 6 weeks is intense enough (too intense for many) for a 4-7 week period.
If your goal is to give your child a chance to play (and be successful) in high school - who knows what the right answer is? Some kids will find another sport. Some will quit, some will burnout. Some would rather study, chase girls, whatever. Some will find out that are just not athletic enough. You will not know the answers to any of these until age 14 or so.
I often see posters say that they didnt start until 11, 12, and their son is the starting ss in high school. Those kids are also probably the most athletic kids on the team. It probably would not have mattered if they started early. I see our high school backup ss on jv team did not play travel until 13. I see kids who were the '6u studs, can't miss, best athlete in the park' not even tryout at for the high school team. The size of the fields outgrew them - and they just lost interest. I also see kids that were helped immensely by playing advanced ball with great coaching for a long time (it helped overcome their lack of athleticism). Learned how they can help a team by doing the small things.
If you do not have the money to pay for travel - AND save for their college - then save the money for college. If you have multiple kids, and spending all weekend at a ball field would diminish overall family time - then you have to prioritize.
BUT - If your kid (and you of course) enjoy the more competitive aspect of travel baseball, you enjoy spending hours with other like minded kids/families - then there is nothing like travel baseball. What is the right age to start - I remember thinking that we were doing our boys good by having them in kid pitch travel at 8 - so we would be more competitive at 9.
Looking back on it - who cares! We lost to good teams. We lost to weaker teams. We played good. We played bad. We won a few tournament. It had nothing to do whether we played at 8!
I promise that most coaches cannot look at all of the boys in our age group (11u) and pick out which kids started travel at 6u/7u (more common on the south side of Atlanta), versus 8u, 9u or 10u. Yes - you can see the kids who are new to travel at 11u - but by the end of the season the difference will not be very pronounced (imo).
IMO - if you choose to play travel baseball starting at the age of 9 - you do it NOT to groom the kid for baseball success. You decide to do it because it is something you share with your kid, your family. Our BEST friends in our life right now - are families that we started playing all-star baseball at 6u. My entire family looks as forward to our end of season baseball trip as much as any other event we do as a family all year.
Understand all experiences are not the same. Some families/teams will break up each year. Some want different coaching. Some want to be on a better team. The key is to find the environment that works for you and your family...and stick with it.
Sounds like you want a higher level experience than rec. I say - go all star until 8. Make some friends. Understand the 'advanced' baseball scene. You will learn the parks/programs in your area. And then try and find the right one. BUT - if you can make your all star experience work - build on that!!! Use that team as your foundation for a travel experience. For clarity - if primary goal is to prepare your kid for high school - I agree with most of the previous posters - no reason to rush. But if you want to enjoy the experiences as I describe - why wait!!! I would not have done our 8u-10u any differently! I understand the position that it is too much for some families at an early age. But not for us!
I am smiling as I write this - as you do not yet even know the ups and downs your are getting ready to embark on...but OMG - what a ride!!!
I could not resist replying to this post. This is without a doubt the most sensible thing I have read in these forums. It's refreshing to see that there are others on here who view youth baseball with what I consider to be the proper perspective. Well said, 3sportfamily. |
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Shut Out
512 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2013 : 13:45:35
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| Wait - let him have fun being the best on the team. Play summer all-stars from within your league. Dizzy Dean is a lot of fun at that age. It will help keep the passion burning until he gets older. |
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Heater
74 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2013 : 14:59:42
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| I think he was just asking for a solid 7u travel program in Carrollton, GA. |
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acc041983
5 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2013 : 15:11:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Heater
I think he was just asking for a solid 7u travel program in Carrollton, GA.
That is exactly what my question was. Thank you. |
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acc041983
5 Posts |
Posted - 04/24/2013 : 08:57:27
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| My son did get invited to try out for the all-star team. His tryout is on Sunday. I'm hoping that all goes well for him. He is very excited about the tryout. He tried out last year, but the all-star coach took only six year olds and my son was five at the time. It will be interesting to see where he is compared to the other really good children his age in our area. |
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AllStar
762 Posts |
Posted - 04/24/2013 : 15:14:10
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quote:
Originally posted by acc041983
quote:
Originally posted by Heater
I think he was just asking for a solid 7u travel program in Carrollton, GA.
That is exactly what my question was. Thank you.
Wow. Could have said that two weeks ago and we could have saved our breath.
That said, if the question had been put, "Can someone point me to a good 7U Travel program in or near Carrollton?", I (and I suspect most of the other posters in this thread) would have stayed out of it, because I don't know. If I had responded, unlikely, I probably would have still said, "Wait".
Best of luck with the All Star tryout! |
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acc041983
5 Posts |
Posted - 04/29/2013 : 12:14:49
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| My son had his tryout yesterday and made the team, so I am excited to see how the allstar season goes. This will be the best competition that he has played against yet. The allstar coach for this age group is in my opinion the best coach I've seen in the age groups I've played with so far. I think that he will be able to get a lot from this experience. |
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gvblack
50 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2013 : 23:10:56
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| Do All Stars through age 8u. Don'r worry about Traveball until you have removed the car seat from the backseat of your car. |
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Help Finding Travel Team
