Travel ball thoughts (for kids)

[dawg21]

I didn't know what to expect when we started at age 7. Now my son is 10 and I thought I'd share a few things for those that have kids or might be wondering.

1. We've been lucky- about 10 tourneys in the spring and a couple in the " fall"
2. So many tourneys in MS..you can can do this without too much travel
3. My kid has gotten so much better doing this- I can't imagine where he would be playing just league and all stars
4. There is a lot of good players in MS..it will only get better

I questioned this at first, but I advise parents and kids to at least try it if their child loves baseball.

I also advise just a few games in the fall..just light work.

Most of our experience has been good..only a few times where there were crazy coaches or parents.

[The Federalist Engineer]

How much does this cost? How much do we think it costs to make a Alex Lange or Brady Sunger?

Obviously all the money in the world won't make an untalented kid into Lange, but how much to participate in the equivalent development program?

[dawg21]

How much does this cost? How much do we think it costs to make a Alex Lange or Brady Sunger?

Obviously all the money in the world won't make an untalented kid into Lange, but how much to participate in the equivalent development program?

Depending on how much you stay in hotels..but like I said..so many tourneys in MS many times you don't have to "travel" and stay overnight. I'd say overall cost for unis, tourney fees, and food- $1500 to $2000 per year for a family of 4. Some teams travel more and tourney cost do go up with age but the cost is the hotels and food.

The reps and competitive game experience is where the improvement comes from.

[preachermatt83]

I didn't know what to expect when we started at age 7. Now my son is 10 and I thought I'd share a few things for those that have kids or might be wondering.

1. We've been lucky- about 10 tourneys in the spring and a couple in the " fall"
2. So many tourneys in MS..you can can do this without too much travel
3. My kid has gotten so much better doing this- I can't imagine where he would be playing just league and all stars
4. There is a lot of good players in MS..it will only get better

I questioned this at first, but I advise parents and kids to at least try it if their child loves baseball.

I also advise just a few games in the fall..just light work.

Most of our experience has been good..only a few times where there were crazy coaches or parents.

Amen- same for girls softball.

[ShotgunDawg]

A few thoughts on the development of young baseball players:

- Play with other good players that push your child.

- Play in the yard ALOT. Play whiffle ball, hit rocks with broom sticks, hit bottle caps, hit sunflower seeds, etc. The hit tool is not being developed currently in America because travel ball is only offering kids around 15-20 ABs a weekend while Latins playing in the streets are getting hundreds of ABs and ground balls in that time span. Baseball is 99% standing around or sitting in the dugout, and this does not offer a quality developmental path. Playing games is good, but, if you want to be bad ass in this sport, you must gain a feel and improvisation skill that only thousands of reps and pure instincts can provide.

- LEARN TO THROW! Most high school baseball players in America can't throw and it limits thier opportunities to play different positions, which limits their chances of finding a position that they can adequately play and offensively profile at. Not everyone can hit for enough power to profile at 1B or LF, but by learning to throw with a clean, compact, fluid arm action, you open up a world of possibilities for your bat to find a place on the field.

- Learn to dance and play other sports. MLB players have rhythm and excellent, light feet and body contro. Clunky white boys better hit for power or there is no place for them. Other sports teach these abilities.

- Don't worry about building muscle. Build flexibility and remove rigid, stiff, long actions from your game. Be quick, not strong. Have arm speed, not strength.

- learn to impact the baseball and generate bat speed. This piecey, pre-stride, opposite field, line drive stuff that infiltrated lessons across this country are a joke because they take the natural athleticism and rhythm away from a hitter. Most everyday ML players hit for some sort of power. Learn to do it.

Any questions?

[Coach007]

A few thoughts on the development of young baseball players:

- Play with other good players that push your child.

- Play in the yard ALOT. Play whiffle ball, hit rocks with broom sticks, hit bottle caps, hit sunflower seeds, etc. The hit tool is not being developed currently in America because travel ball is only offering kids around 15-20 ABs a weekend while Latins playing in the streets are getting hundreds of ABs and ground balls in that time span. Baseball is 99% standing around or sitting in the dugout, and this does not offer a quality developmental path. Playing games is good, but, if you want to be bad ass in this sport, you must gain a feel and improvisation skill that only thousands of reps and pure instincts can provide.

- LEARN TO THROW! Most high school baseball players in America can't throw and it limits thier opportunities to play different positions, which limits their chances of finding a position that they can adequately play and offensively profile at. Not everyone can hit for enough power to profile at 1B or LF, but by learning to throw with a clean, compact, fluid arm action, you open up a world of possibilities for your bat to find a place on the field.

- Learn to dance and play other sports. MLB players have rhythm and excellent, light feet and body contro. Clunky white boys better hit for power or there is no place for them. Other sports teach these abilities.

- Don't worry about building muscle. Build flexibility and remove rigid, stiff, long actions from your game. Be quick, not strong. Have arm speed, not strength.

- learn to impact the baseball and generate bat speed. This piecey, pre-stride, opposite field, line drive stuff that infiltrated lessons across this country are a joke because they take the natural athleticism and rhythm away from a hitter. Most everyday ML players hit for some sort of power. Learn to do it.

Any questions?

I had to jump in this ...

-Play small. By that, I mean play with very small sticks. and use very small balls. Think the little round bouncing balls out of gum ball machines and a wooden dowel.

- Dance... It's not just about the feet. It's core and it's flexibility. It's also strength in flexibility. Meaning it reduces the odds of injury. I have actually seen what dance can do for players. A major advantage. If the instructor understands the goal, they can move them quicker in the right direction. Ballet.... seriously. Give me a running back, and I can take him to the right person and he improve drastically. Give me a lineman on either side, and I can take him to the right person and they will improve drastically even being able to defend another sec when getting beat backwards.

[BrunswickDawg]

A few thoughts on the development of young baseball players:

- Play with other good players that push your child.

- Play in the yard ALOT. Play whiffle ball, hit rocks with broom sticks, hit bottle caps, hit sunflower seeds, etc. The hit tool is not being developed currently in America because travel ball is only offering kids around 15-20 ABs a weekend while Latins playing in the streets are getting hundreds of ABs and ground balls in that time span. Baseball is 99% standing around or sitting in the dugout, and this does not offer a quality developmental path. Playing games is good, but, if you want to be bad ass in this sport, you must gain a feel and improvisation skill that only thousands of reps and pure instincts can provide.

- LEARN TO THROW! Most high school baseball players in America can't throw and it limits thier opportunities to play different positions, which limits their chances of finding a position that they can adequately play and offensively profile at. Not everyone can hit for enough power to profile at 1B or LF, but by learning to throw with a clean, compact, fluid arm action, you open up a world of possibilities for your bat to find a place on the field.

- Learn to dance and play other sports. MLB players have rhythm and excellent, light feet and body contro. Clunky white boys better hit for power or there is no place for them. Other sports teach these abilities.

- Don't worry about building muscle. Build flexibility and remove rigid, stiff, long actions from your game. Be quick, not strong. Have arm speed, not strength.

- learn to impact the baseball and generate bat speed. This piecey, pre-stride, opposite field, line drive stuff that infiltrated lessons across this country are a joke because they take the natural athleticism and rhythm away from a hitter. Most everyday ML players hit for some sort of power. Learn to do it.

Any questions?

This might be actually the hardest part to accomplish in today's world. When was the last time you saw kids playing an improvised baseball type game? When I was a kid, there were only 4-5 of us in the neighborhood, but our parents MADE us be outside all the time. We played different versions of baseball constantly -2 on 2 with a tennis ball and ghost runners, pepper, cup ball, pickle, shag, all the time. Kids don't play like that anymore.

[ShotgunDawg]

This might be actually the hardest part to accomplish in today's world. When was the last time you saw kids playing an improvised baseball type game? When I was a kid, there were only 4-5 of us in the neighborhood, but our parents MADE us be outside all the time. We played different versions of baseball constantly -2 on 2 with a tennis ball and ghost runners, pepper, cup ball, pickle, shag, all the time. Kids don't play like that anymore.

Agree & it's the main reason baseball is becoming more & more Latin.

Look at it like surfing:

No one really teaches someone to surf & most of the best surfers in the world never took lessons.

Reason being, is that every wave is distinctly different & requires feel, manipulation, & instincts to ride. Hitting is the same way. You can't teach someone to hit because every pitch, pitcher, etc is different & requires instincts, manipulation, & feel to hit.

Because baseball isn't played in the yard anymore, kids in America are not getting the opportunity to experiment, fail, see hundreds of pitches in one day, etc...

This leads to groove, piecey swings with poor recognition & timing

[Cooterpoot]

Leave MS and you'll see even better ball, but it will cost you. And don't get into local daddy ball travel teams.

[Coach007]

I didn't know what to expect when we started at age 7. Now my son is 10 and I thought I'd share a few things for those that have kids or might be wondering.

1. We've been lucky- about 10 tourneys in the spring and a couple in the " fall"
2. So many tourneys in MS..you can can do this without too much travel
3. My kid has gotten so much better doing this- I can't imagine where he would be playing just league and all stars
4. There is a lot of good players in MS..it will only get better

I questioned this at first, but I advise parents and kids to at least try it if their child loves baseball.

I also advise just a few games in the fall..just light work.

Most of our experience has been good..only a few times where there were crazy coaches or parents.

It's that way with most things. Dance for example.


If there is a concern, it's the development of the human body at an early age. Certain things can harm kids creating damage that can not be undone. Certain pitches by youth will harm them due to not being fully developed.

I might add that the brain is not fully developed until about 26 and pot will cause permanent damage in younger developed brains.

Feet of a dancer... Same thing. no kid under the age of 13 should ever be on pointe'. It will harm them.


Need more examples?

[shoeless joe]

Travel ball is definitely a catch 22. It's almost necessary at this point if you want your kid to develop fully. But at the same time it can be the worst thing for a kid. GOT to make sure the kid loves it...and continues to.

Also have to keep tabs on pitching. There is zero doubt that travel ball is a major reason for all the teenage tommy johns

Be very wary of the team, program, and who the coach is. A coach that acts like every game is the World Series and doesn't focus on development is not a good thing.

I wish travel ball wasn't as necessary as it is. I hate being around it. 90% of the teams are "selected" cuz somebody's little johnny got left off another team so mom and dad made their own team.

But if you can find a good program with a good coach it can also be crucial in the development of a really talented kid. .

[dawg21]

I agree with most of that. My kid loves it, and loves playing other sports too. I make him put the baseball down in the fall and winter.

On teenage tommy johns- I seen a 9 year old for another team pitch 154 pitches in one weekend.

Our coaches limit ours kids to 50-60 per weekend. Most not even that.

The one thing I will say- the better the competition the better the team gets. And that cannot be replaced in the front yard.

[ShotgunDawg]

I agree with most of that. My kid loves it, and loves playing other sports too. I make him put the baseball down in the fall and winter.

On teenage tommy johns- I seen a 9 year old for another team pitch 154 pitches in one weekend.

Our coaches limit ours kids to 50-60 per weekend. Most not even that.

The one thing I will say- the better the competition the better the team gets. And that cannot be replaced in the front yard.

They both are important. Yes, playing against good competition helps, but getting tons of reps against good competition helps even more.

Travel ball is fine, but it's not enough. Kids simply don't get enough reps at weekend tournament to gain the feel & instincts necessary to reach their ceilings as players.

[Anonymous]

In reality, and this kind of goes along with the playing in the yard tip, travel ball isn't necessarily the answer. If you must travel to allow your kid to play year around, then sure. But really the repetition and year around practice is where the development comes from, not so much the game experience. As stated, not all that many reps actually take place in a game.

[shoeless joe]

In reality, and this kind of goes along with the playing in the yard tip, travel ball isn't necessarily the answer. If you must travel to allow your kid to play year around, then sure. But really the repetition and year around practice is where the development comes from, not so much the game experience. As stated, not all that many reps actually take place in a game.

Very true...but instinct and "feel" for the game do take place only in live game situations. There have been a lot of kids that lack those two intangibles that can't max out because of it. But you're right about reps in regards to physical tool development...just don't over do it.

[Tbonewannabe]

Very true...but instinct and "feel" for the game do take place only in live game situations. There have been a lot of kids that lack those two intangibles that can't max out because of it. But you're right about reps in regards to physical tool development...just don't over do it.

Live games also get the kids used to the pressure situations of game action. When you are fielding ground balls, it isn't as big of a deal to miss one but in a game the pressure is amped up. That is why teams that are experienced at the big games do better in future big games. It reduces the nervousness if you have had the experience before. You can look at the women's title game this year. We had just come off a big win and we came out flat in the title game. USCe has consistently been in higher level games compared to us. They played a lot less nervous than we did.

[GoDawgz]

My son played select travel ball one summer only.....worst summer of our life!
Too much travel, way too much money and ended up being too much ball for him which made him lose the love for the game and felt like a job.
Its not for everyone....some kids love it and then some parents love it more than their kids do.......

[IMissJack]

My son played select travel ball one summer only.....worst summer of our life!
Too much travel, way too much money and ended up being too much ball for him which made him lose the love for the game and felt like a job.
Its not for everyone....some kids love it and then some parents love it more than their kids do.......

+1 There were weekends that we were playing at 1 in the morning due to rain or something. Too many teams are put together by dads who were really good, but their kids aren't that good. If your kid is average at baseball, they are probably not going to enjoy the competition level.

[GoDawgz]

+1 There were weekends that we were playing at 1 in the morning due to rain or something. Too many teams are put together by dads who were really good, but their kids aren't that good. If your kid is average at baseball, they are probably not going to enjoy the competition level.

yep, we played in a couple tourneys like that. Breezed through a couple and got it handed to us in a couple. Those 8am games were the worst! What really was the end to our time in it was when they started pushing games to Sunday's. Couldn't allow my son to think in was ok to miss church to play baseball.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

What really was the end to our time in it was when they started pushing games to Sunday's. Couldn't allow my son to think in was ok to miss church to play baseball.

And that is how you really develop a kid. Good for you.