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toprank
138 Posts |
 Posted - 04/24/2008 : 10:31:59
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After watching a lot of baseball tournaments this season I think these tournaments are trying to jam too many games into too short a time period and this is probably not good for young baseball player’s bodies. I think at the 8-9-10-11-12 year age (before teams have designated full time pitchers that don’t play positions) teams should try and focus on more rec type schedules to play. I think if more teams got together in an organization like the NWBA and setup solid schedules and weekend games we could bypass a lot of these tournaments and kids could get just as much out of it. We would save some kid’s arms in the process and maybe have a weekend day off for families also. A double header on a Saturday or Sunday and maybe a single game on Tuesday and Thursday night during the week would be plenty. Kids would probably get more out of playing 2 games in a day rather than playing 3 and 4 in one day after playing 2 or 3 the day before. Sure you could still do a tournament every other month or so. The bottom line for the kids should be having fun and improving fundamentals of baseball. NWBA could have a 20 game schedule starting in March and going until June, plus you could schedule other open games with teams around your area. Add a playoff type tournament at the end that goes over a 2 week period or so, not jammed into one weekend. Could this work?
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stanlewis
545 Posts |
Posted - 04/24/2008 : 10:59:02
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For those that have not been involved in NWBA over the years, this is exactly how most teams operated until a few years ago. There was a 20-27 game NWBA league schedule and teams might play one or possibly two small tournaments before Memorial Day. Then in June they would play in some State Tournaments and those that wanted to played in a National.
Today, teams want to play in a lot of tournaments and place the emphasis on tournaments and the league games get less emphasis because pitchers are tired, etc.
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 04/24/2008 : 11:05:46
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| Sure it could work. There are teams out there that do this. As a parent you just have to ask the right questions to get on a team that suits your goals. Some of the teams in the NWBA play a very aggressive tournament schedule and some of them only play a select few. Even at the 14 yr. old level. |
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Hurricane
351 Posts |
Posted - 04/24/2008 : 11:05:46
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Lets get it back to the way it was. I would pay more money to enter the NWGA to get this to happen if that is what it would take. If you could put 10 teams from the same area you could get it to work. Only tough thing would be field time and scheduling. I think there should also be fines for teams missing games unless it's do to weather. If a team bypasses a game for a tournament they should be penalized with a dollar amount.
Example 9U
1. Eastside
2. Kennesaw
3. Hobgood
4. Shaw Park
5. Sandy Plains
6. Acworth
7. 6-4-3 DP
8. Canton
9. Kennesaw #2 team ?
10.Hobgood #2 team ? |
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BREAMKING
323 Posts |
Posted - 04/24/2008 : 11:24:15
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| A long time ago well not that long. lol. East Cobb ran there 13-14 year old league like this and it worked fine. You played league games until school was out then formed your team and played summer ball the rest of the way. I am sure there is a need for this type of baseball out there. |
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clemsonnun
52 Posts |
Posted - 04/24/2008 : 12:59:13
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| Absolutely works. We are 13U/7th grade feeder team playing in Lanier League. Having played in East Cobb for years there are a few teams that benefit from being a tournament only team in order to face higher level competition. We found that we have 18 teams in our 13U division divided into three divisions. We play everyone in our division twice(home and away) and then play everyone else atleast once. most all of our league games are during the week which leaves weekends open to add additional games against NWBA teams or a tournament. We will end up playing 22 league games followed by double elimination league torunament, 6-10 non league games and then an additional tournament a month giving us about 50-60 games. Not for everyone but seems to work great for us and I see no reason cant work in other areas of twon |
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Pronate
156 Posts |
Posted - 04/24/2008 : 13:21:55
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And if you want to learn how to throw a baseball with genetic maximum release velocity without injuring these kids's arms let me know. Whether you do this NWGA thing (which you should) or the crazy tournament schedule these kids are on, with every pitch they are slowly but surely destoying their arms.
And please look out for your catchers
e
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Pronate
156 Posts |
Posted - 04/24/2008 : 16:06:55
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If anyone knows of any 17 and/or 18 y/o teams that are like you guys are describing around the Cobb area that need players please let me know. Thanks |
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humanitarian2112
11 Posts |
Posted - 04/24/2008 : 17:43:57
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| Epiphany! I absolutely agree. I'm taking my boys down to the recreational park next season. 15 games and ice cream for us. |
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Hurricane
351 Posts |
Posted - 04/24/2008 : 20:56:34
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| What do you mean please look out for your catchers? Throwing too much during games back to the picture, and down the second and third? Elaborate some if you dont mind I would love to hear more. While on the subject do you think a catcher can pitch? I find its a totally different throwing motion and bad for kids to try and do both? |
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Pronate
156 Posts |
Posted - 04/25/2008 : 00:43:56
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quote:
Originally posted by Hurricane
What do you mean please look out for your catchers? Throwing too much during games back to the picture, and down the second and third? Elaborate some if you dont mind I would love to hear more. While on the subject do you think a catcher can pitch? I find its a totally different throwing motion and bad for kids to try and do both?
Hurricane:
It's always good to know the age of the kids when answering a question like this but in general:
My concern with catchers is primarily with all the squatting they are doing in these marathon tournaments. Google something like Osgood Shlatter syndome in the knees. As with pitching we have to be aware of the growth plates in the knees. You will probably come across the tibial tuberosity in your research. This is the area of concern with too much squatting. Obviously, kids should wear knee savers. If your catchers complain of knee discomfort you should take it seriously.
Sometimes youth catchers will complain about quadriceps discomfort. The common tendon attachment of the 4 quadriceps muscles - Rectus
Femoris, Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Intermedialis and Vastus Medialis
- is at the tibial tuberosity.
As for catchers pitching:
At the ages that Top Rank is talking about I would allow it. I would not let catchers pitch in games they have been catching if I could avoid it. I won't revisit the way I believe catchers should throw but if they draw the baseball back such that the hand is closer than the elbow to the pitcher at the moment that they start their upper arm forward to throw the ball then they will place a lot of stress on the front of their shoulder and inside of their elbow. I'm talking about throws trying to catch kids stealing here.
I thought the NWBA was a good league.
e
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Hitcoach
26 Posts |
Posted - 04/26/2008 : 10:42:54
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| To the thought of catchers. If you really think about it your catcher is actually throwing more then your picther.I will explain you remove your starting picher and replace him at some point in the game. Now the catcher stays and is catching the other picther, and so on.If your catchers are actually stressing their arms more by thowing to all 3 bases which are farther thows then from the mound to the plate.I am by no means stating a picther is not throwing a lot ( my son pitches )and I personally have caught. |
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Hurricane
351 Posts |
Posted - 04/28/2008 : 09:14:43
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| I agree you have to have atleast 3 quality catchers especially when it gets hot. I would catch a kid (catcher A) 2 innings 1 and 2, sit him out (catcher B plays 3rd and 4th) two innings then catch the original catcher the 5th inning and Catcher B the 6th inning. Problem is I see alot of kids pitching then going to catcher or moving to SS and throwing another 8 to 10 balls between innings then a few during the inning. No body is counting all these throws as pitches but Hitcoach is right these are further than the throw from the mound. Maybe someone needs to implement some type of rule where you have to sit for so many innings after you pitch? Problem is tournaments you might play another game and you may be better off throwing while you are warm than sitting 3 innings then playing SS the next game? |
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billbclk
164 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2008 : 13:35:22
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What happen to this post? I can't follow it from the original question. There are travel teams and tournament teams. You play the one you want or both. There is NOOOOOOOO way that USSSA, Grandslam, etc. will let this happen. Tournaments are money making events. We play them for trophies, points or T-Shirts. The kids enjoy the tournaments because they get to play different teams and have a shot at winning a trophy and getting a T-shirt. Some Managers play because they are chasing points looking for the mythical State championship or they just want to see how they stack up outside of their league. If you don't have enough pitching to play three games in one day or 6 games for that weekend then don't enter tournaments. Tournaments serve a purpose; you get to play more games. Most coaches will tell you whether they are a tournament or league team before you accept their offer to play. If they are a league team they will also tell you how many tournaments they will play.
Bill Clark
Collins Hill 13U Silver Eagles
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Can doing a Travel Team like this work?
