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TMB
80 Posts |
 Posted - 03/04/2010 : 15:54:11
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I think this has been a topic but I"m not sure.. I would really like some views
Travel Ball, is money being paid just to "play" and say "I'm on a Travel Ball Team" or is it supposed to be a form of development? If you're a good player, wouldn't that player want to play for a team/coach that will develop him to take him to the next level? Why would other coaches get upset if a player is approached by a coach who teaches development and has a history of making players better? (Is it NOT okay to want a player?) At the end of the day, it's up to the Parents/Players on where they play correct? Or did things change? |
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AllStar
762 Posts |
Posted - 03/04/2010 : 22:45:55
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So is your question:
Why play travel ball?
or,
Is it OK if my son jumps teams? |
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TMB
80 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2010 : 10:25:29
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| AllStar, Well in a sense both! Travel Ball is better competition but I thought the purpose was development while playing on travel ball teams
..?? |
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LeftyBat
160 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2010 : 11:10:06
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quote:
Originally posted by TMB
AllStar, Well in a sense both! Travel Ball is better competition but I thought the purpose was development while playing on travel ball teams
..??
I think the reasons for playing travel ball are two fold. First, if your son has talent and a competitive emotional makeup, playing for a team with kids playing in th dirt in right field gets old really fast. Simply put, for a baseball player with talent, bad baseball is really not much fun. Clearly playing at the highest level he can, where the level of play is better is more fun for him. Secondly, if he has talent and a love for the game and wants to get good at it, for the most part, that's where the coaches who can help him get better are.
From what I see, for the most part the coaches who develop players for the most part have the best teams. Coaches who approach other teams players with potential for development are another story. You are right, in many cases, they seek the glory that comes with having one of the best teams and to some extent only to be concerned with a kids development as long as another kid with more potential does not find the coaches radar screen. Look at the track record of the coach, the roster history of his players. Maybe talk to some of the parents who have left the team for a perspective. Let the buyer beware. It's a tough act to balance the competitve desire to have your son play for the best and the idea that you are playing for a coach with your sons best interests and development in mind. |
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Alter-Ego
802 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2010 : 12:04:29
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TMB,
There are a lot more components to the issue that what you have brought up.
Yes the purpose of travel ball is to get better development by playing for coaches that have a good development plan, and playing against better competition.
No the purpose is not to hop around looking for the next better option.
No it is not ok for coaches to come recruiting kids before nearing the end of the season.
No it is not expected that ALL the development your kid needs will come from the coaching staff of the team they are on. They need to work with you or an instructor to become better pitchers, hitters, and fielders.
Is this more of what you were interested in discussing? |
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TMB
80 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2010 : 16:03:48
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Leftybat, that's a pretty good point, I agree with the development research (in a sense) to find out about the information
Alter-ego, great points! I think it all ties in together. I (personally) don't see a problem w/ a coach approaching a kid that has a lot of upside to "think" about joining his program the following year. Because it boils down to the player and parent of where they want to suit up...right? |
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6bomber
68 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2010 : 21:03:19
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in our case travel ball started with the right group of kids and the
right coaches for the situation. once we realized league ball wasn't
challenging them, that's when tournament ball started. each year the
reasons change slightly. whether you play just to boost all stars or
to reach disney or beyond. the older my son has gotten the more
travel ball is training him for high school ball. this game can
open doors that give him endless opportunity.
all i can say is ENJOY every minute you can while you can. |
Edited by - 6bomber on 03/05/2010 22:10:53 |
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billbclk
164 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2010 : 16:07:33
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We played for the cool uniforms.
Actually, my focus was development. Another question might be is ... does development come from coaches who teach or from playing better competition?
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LeftyBat
160 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2010 : 23:06:45
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quote:
Originally posted by billbclk
We played for the cool uniforms.
Actually, my focus was development. Another question might be is ... does development come from coaches who teach or from playing better competition?
I think mostly from coaches who teach. I think lots of motivation comes from playing better teams as players realize what is possible and develop desire to push themselves to higher levels. Of course they learn things from playing better teams, but its a tedious way to learn. Many times, young boys don't always realize WHY they are losing, WHY the other team makes it look so easy, they just realize they got beat. Good coaches help them see it. |
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bturner
231 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2010 : 12:03:04
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Why play travel baseball?
My 10 year old son answered this for me. He said "Dad if I played in the rec league and had 3 hits and pitched good, the whole ride home I would wonder if I could do it against better teams."
He definatley has heard to many baseball phone calls in his young life. quote:
Originally posted by LeftyBat
quote:
Originally posted by billbclk
We played for the cool uniforms.
Actually, my focus was development. Another question might be is ... does development come from coaches who teach or from playing better competition?
I think mostly from coaches who teach. I think lots of motivation comes from playing better teams as players realize what is possible and develop desire to push themselves to higher levels. Of course they learn things from playing better teams, but its a tedious way to learn. Many times, young boys don't always realize WHY they are losing, WHY the other team makes it look so easy, they just realize they got beat. Good coaches help them see it.
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teddy41
421 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2010 : 16:43:15
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| i am with bllck, my kid sucks but i wanted a garage full of ballbags and matching helmets so i can parade him around the neighborhood. One thing about travel ball is most parents and kids do not want competition for a starting spot but claim they want to face good competition. The best competitoin comes within the team for playing time. |
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wjeggert
29 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2010 : 17:39:12
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| travel ball... repetitions are the key to travel ball. if you think your son will see action in park and rec that will get him ready for H.S. good luck. Ihope you are right but from what i have seen in the past rec ball plays about 12-15 games and about 6 all-star games if they are great. travel ball is flexible enough to get exactly what you want out of it. 30 games or 130 games. high competition or low. you can cater to your kids talent level and progress at the pace needed... seems like a no-brainer to me.... but of course thats just me. |
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BROOKSTEAM
145 Posts |
Posted - 03/14/2010 : 19:11:10
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How about:
*It is really a lot more fun than playing rec/league ball
*Some of these kids would really endanger a rec player hitting or throwing
*Doing a little bit of traveling and playing other teams in other places rocks!
*Travel kids bond more than rec kids
As to level of instruction and development, I think that just looking at the math you have to see that it would be impossible for there to be 2000+ travel teams in the area and all of them have great coaches/instructors. That being said on an overall when you put a group of kids together and they are all at similar levels then the learning (of any kind academic, music etc) is accelerated. To me that means more than whether the coach is great or not.
**And did I mention that it is a lot of fun  |
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Topic |
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What's the reason for Playing Travel Ball???
