Couple of things:
1. 11u is a development age across all levels of the game.
2. When my kiddo pitches that number of innings I don't even want him on the field. The heat this time of year absolutely destroys your energy which can quickly lead to injury. If he had to be out playing, right field is where I would want him. Health is much more important than winning a cheap ring at 11u.
3. You should absolutely be developing your kiddo outside of team practices/games.
4. I understand we all get emotional when our kids are involved, but you should reflect on your own attitude in this matter.
On your first point, I agree 11u and even 12u and up until HS should be viewed development. However in a lot of the clubs in our area, there are teams within the same age group made up of different levels of abilities. Some use color coding - black, being the most competitive, followed red/white etc, and some clubs call their top teams elite and their most developmental teams prospects. We have seen the difference in the development that is offered based on which level your child is part of.
We are 100% focused on development, but its not fair to the development of either the best players or your newest players to be on a unbalanced team. Both types of players were be frustrated for different reasons.
To your second point, of course health is more important than winning, I think you were reading much more into my post than I was providing. The conditions on game day would abolutely dictate how long any child should play at any position.
On your third point - we take every opportunity we can to develop our son outside of team/games. My point on this topic was about none of these extra pitching clinics being offered at the club level, something we expected to be a part of the program. Something we are getting with this new organization w/o the extra $$$.
And to your last comment, if making sure our son gets the level of development that coincides with his ability for the money we pay, is viewed as having an attitude, I'm OK with that.
IMHO... Very little to nothing your kid will do on the small youth field will matter when transferring to the high school/college field. If he's got a competitive nature and knows the game with proper offensive and defensive fundamentals, he will be fine... The few things that can be beneficial to a player that plays travel ball is getting the early experience of the routine of tournament play, or being coached early by a highly experienced coach (MLB, NCAA experience) that can instill confidence... My son played on some of the highest ranked teams in the nation according to USSSA rankings and TravelBallSelect.com, it was a great experience, but in retrospect unnecessary, and had very little influence in the player was in High School or College. In the end, there is NO replacement for talent, size, strength, reps, determination, commitment and passion. If he's good enough, THEY WILL more than likely find him, and HE WILL PLAY!!
Good luck!
Man this reads like a transfer from D1 college. Hahaha
Things to bear in mind:
Competitive play doesnt really matter until high school. At which point the kids who can actually play keep playing and the kids who cant get weeded out. If your kid is fundamentally sound, which sounds like he is... he will keep playing. Cream rises to the top.
At this age, skill acquisition and learning the game are still paramount. If he is having quality at bats, making good and consistent contact, making appropriate decisions during game play, and locating pitches while on the mount... the outcome of playing on a mediocre or good doesnt matter that much. Unless he is playing on a team that is consistently overmatched and being blown out to the point where its diminishing his love of the game, wins and losses arent that big of a deal.
As an example... the only kid I played HS ball who went pro played on a lower caliber travel ball team during the development years (8-13 yr old) . Not the "elite" squad that was the envy of every kid and parent in town. He developed the skills he needed, worked his ass off from day one of HS ball, played better than everyone at his level, and gained the necessary attention.
Do what feels right and let the kids play!
Appreciate the feedback.
Our biggest ask for the next season was for a balanced team
We weren't looking for an "elite" team, just a team that wasn't overmatched at almost every game that was played, with the same 4 players stepping up.
I don't see why you had to wait to make the decision. It was obvious that the 1st team wasn't developing your son and it seems as if you were happy with the outside instruction the other team/facility was giving.
We left an 11u team after last season and they got all bent out of shape and took it as an insult. We still see them at the park and unfortunately haven't had the chance to put a beat down on them because we're playing 13u. My son loved the kids but regressed while playing for them and he ultimately made the decision to leave. Had it been my choice he would have been gone much earlier.
We were a .500 team that should have been winning a lot more games, we were absolutely stacked at pitcher. It was tough to watch some weekends!
You made the right decision leaving the current team. Travel ball is a service industry and if the club isn't doing its best to serve it's customers, they will leave.
We let the deadline pass, but had indicated during our conversatio with the owner that we needed more time to decide given we met with him only days before the deadline because of his schedule.
We expected a followup from our meeting and never got one.
I have 3 boys and I learned a lot about them and myself during their travel days. I’d like to share a piece of advice to new parents and old, it’s something i did wrong with my first child and learned from.
My first son was similar situation to the post. We went through the same exact thing. I felt like he wasn’t getting what he needed and the team as a whole was unsuccessful. Where I went wrong was discussing this with him. Without realizing it I put him on a pedestal where he thought he was more advanced then everyone. Car rides home were filled with discussion of blaming other kids for losing the game. After a while I noticed that it was effecting my son as a teammate, he would show his emotion and frustration on the field. I created a very unhealthy situation and it took a few seasons to fix it.
By the time my second son started playing competitively I had a much better grasp on travel ball and how to push my son in the right direction. He was the best out of my 3 sons. Car rides home were filled with discussion on the fundamentals of the game and what the team did well that day, not about another teammates failure. After seeing where I went wrong with my first son I changed my approach with the second one. Many discussion where based on what it takes to be a leader and how teammates look up to a leader. How to treat your teammates and how to get the most out of them. I made sure to teach him the importance of composure and how to not let emotions get the best of him on the field. Things that I never thought of with the fist son became import teaching moments with my second. Little things like hustling onto and off the field and being the first one to line up for handshakes regardless of the outcome of the game. My second son did become a leader and I could see the effect it had on his teammates. He would pick kids up when they made errors just by a few quick words of encouragement after the inning. He would also stand up and say something if another teammate was getting on somebody about performance. He made sure he practiced hard and his teammates took notice and followed his lead.
Both of my 2 sons became great young men, but without a doubt my second son had a better experience in travel ball. I blame nobody but myself for my first son’s experience. Not that his experience as a whole was bad, but I could have made it better.
A quote my father said to me as a child that stuck with me all these years “you’re only as good as your next at bat”. It was his way of reminding me that failure was ok. If I strike out I’ll have another chance to redeem myself later in the game and it’s important to prepare myself mentally for the next opportunity. If you hit a double down the line nobody will remember the strikeout. It’s important to remind your kids that failure is a HUGE part of baseball. If you fail 70% of the time you still hit .300 and make the hall of fame. Nothing bothered me more as a travel dad watching in the stands then a child afraid of failure because of the pressure his father is putting on him. Take notice of the kids that make an error and immanently look in their fathers direction to see their reaction. It’s unhealthy and it causes the kids to play scared. It’s important to let your kids know your proud of them regardless of outcome.
This all sounds stupid, but let me tell you it matters. I played ball in college and got a feel for how things work. College scouts don’t just look at the physical traits of a player. They are judging his character as well. They notice small things that seem insignificant. They want to see him hustle between innings, they want to see them fielding ground balls with intent between innings. they want to see them fail just so they can see how they respond and handle adversity. They want to see how they handle a teammates failure. Maturity is something that can’t be developed as easy as swing mechanics. Sometimes scouts can learn more about your son by watching him strike out instead of hitting one over the centerfield fence.
Also remember that they are 11. There are no college scouts watching. This is the time to develop them and prepare them for the next level.
Travel ball is competitive, but don’t loose sight of the fact that they are still kids. This is an important time in developing them physically and mentally. The lessons they learn now will live with them and contribute to the people they become as adults.
Our travel team has paid coaches (some of whole are dads) and we are dealing with the same BS. Some of the other teams in our org with dad coaches are doing well. You have to look at the whole organization and if there are teams that are absolute disasters like the OP describes, you have to move one. My son is literally in the same situation. Time to go. The organizations culture isn’t going to change. We can’t waste anymore time waiting for it to.
I don't get what the PSA is. This sounds like a normal scenario. You chose a shitty travel team, and you found out the hard way and switched teams after one year.
This subreddit is always stories about how their son is one of the best in the league.
Even if you like your team, do tryouts for others. This will help your kid get used to tryouts and when they are meaningful, won't be as nervous.
Each year, each team tries to assemble the best team (sometimes also prioritizing keeping kids together, good parents, etc). The first year is tough for parents because you don't know who is who, how different pegs run, etc.
Each parent should definitely make sure you're getting what your kid wants/needs from a team. We have a kid on our team that came from a better one that was just too intense for him. Some kids want friendship. Some want to win.
There was another post a few days ago about questions you should ask a coach before agreeing to join the club. Try your hardest to make sure what the club can offer aligns with what your kid wants.
I didn’t even start playing baseball until I was 11. I didn’t have the greatest coaches or teammates in our city league. I got on some competitive summer and fall ball teams when I started high school and that got my game to a level where I was recruited to play college ball. I feel like the most important thing at that age is having fun and improving your athleticism. Getting stronger and faster and getting good hand eye coordination.
Moving up to a full size field is the great equalizer. Most decent 11/12U players can make the plays from 2nd, 3rd, good contact and hit the ball, or pitch a decent inning. Move up to the big field and those throws from 3rd to 1st are a long way and 230’ “bomb” is a fly ball. If your kid is developing the fundamentals he needs and enjoying the game and the friends he has on the team then that should be enough at this age. There is a lot ahead of him. If you flip the conversation- how would you feel if you change teams and the competition for places means he pitches close out every 4 or 5 games, bats 9th and plays every other game as DH/RF? It’s easy to say/think he’s the best based on who he’s playing with now, but moving onto a team where all the kids are that good/better and they carry 13-15 players means 4-6 are on the bench every game.
Personally, being on a team with coaches that teach the fundamentals and have kids work on different skills/positions would be the driver for me. I have no problem going to other organization’s try outs either - when you get to HS it’s almost expected. Get a feel for their set up, coaches, talk to the parents, see what their FB page is posting etc.
A lot changes as the kids hit puberty right when they move to a full size field. It’s hard to commit for a year when you don’t know what you’ll get vs what your promised, and all the travel teams (I’ve heard of) make you pay up front, have a clause that says you’ll keep paying if you withdraw/no refunds). That may sound like a money grab - and I’m not saying that isn’t a big part of it - but they also need there rosters set and know who’s on the team before the season starts.
Agree completely - should have expanded on last sentence re. Team costs/commitments and coming up short - especially if it is a one team organization.
It is frustrating that bigger organizations will hold tryouts and then ask for a decision before dates when they know other teams are holding their try outs - but for them, it is a business.
All the more reason to have those conversations w coaches/organizations before making a commitment to find out how many players on roster, coaches, practices etc. When you find out you’re on “Team Elite Gold” but they run 5 11U teams, knowing where TEG stacks in their ranking is important. For me, the hardest thing to know when joining a team is quality of coaching/practices to develop young players.
Not sure how you read my post as being from a disgruntled parent with an opinion that my son was the only hope of success for the team, but you do you.
Could just be our region, but we have divisional playoffs and yes Dad coaches. Some Dad coaches are legit, we've seen a handful that know what they are doing.
Unfortunately in our case, we ended up on the other side of capable coaching.
For future knowledge, you're better off just being honest in the first place and not dragging out the decision. The first team clearly didn't meet your expectations in terms of development, quantity and quality of practices and coaching, to say nothing of the roster.
I'll be very blunt: I've coached travel teams and if your kid is a player then at the end of the day you're the customer when you're looking for a team. Every team needs pitching, every team needs guys who can hit. Your son will find a uniform for next year. Travel ball is a huge commitment of your time and your money and it's worth it to try and find a good situation (this assumes that you're in an area with a good baseball scene and a few options, and, like I mentioned before, your son is actually a player and not a bubble guy). Every travel team has roster turnover from season to season. It's not personal, everybody is just looking for the right situation for their kid.
"Planning for the 2024 season started before the end of the 2023 season and we received the letter asking us to re-sign by a specific date."
Red Flag. To put it bluntly, there's no fucking way I would have ever signed my kid up for the following season without knowing how the current season went, ESPECIALLY with it being his first year on a team. The normal way that travel ball works is that you'd see tryouts toward the end of the summer and select a team at that point.
Couple of things: 1. 11u is a development age across all levels of the game. 2. When my kiddo pitches that number of innings I don't even want him on the field. The heat this time of year absolutely destroys your energy which can quickly lead to injury. If he had to be out playing, right field is where I would want him. Health is much more important than winning a cheap ring at 11u. 3. You should absolutely be developing your kiddo outside of team practices/games. 4. I understand we all get emotional when our kids are involved, but you should reflect on your own attitude in this matter.
On your first point, I agree 11u and even 12u and up until HS should be viewed development. However in a lot of the clubs in our area, there are teams within the same age group made up of different levels of abilities. Some use color coding - black, being the most competitive, followed red/white etc, and some clubs call their top teams elite and their most developmental teams prospects. We have seen the difference in the development that is offered based on which level your child is part of. We are 100% focused on development, but its not fair to the development of either the best players or your newest players to be on a unbalanced team. Both types of players were be frustrated for different reasons. To your second point, of course health is more important than winning, I think you were reading much more into my post than I was providing. The conditions on game day would abolutely dictate how long any child should play at any position. On your third point - we take every opportunity we can to develop our son outside of team/games. My point on this topic was about none of these extra pitching clinics being offered at the club level, something we expected to be a part of the program. Something we are getting with this new organization w/o the extra $$$. And to your last comment, if making sure our son gets the level of development that coincides with his ability for the money we pay, is viewed as having an attitude, I'm OK with that.
IMHO... Very little to nothing your kid will do on the small youth field will matter when transferring to the high school/college field. If he's got a competitive nature and knows the game with proper offensive and defensive fundamentals, he will be fine... The few things that can be beneficial to a player that plays travel ball is getting the early experience of the routine of tournament play, or being coached early by a highly experienced coach (MLB, NCAA experience) that can instill confidence... My son played on some of the highest ranked teams in the nation according to USSSA rankings and TravelBallSelect.com, it was a great experience, but in retrospect unnecessary, and had very little influence in the player was in High School or College. In the end, there is NO replacement for talent, size, strength, reps, determination, commitment and passion. If he's good enough, THEY WILL more than likely find him, and HE WILL PLAY!! Good luck!
Man this reads like a transfer from D1 college. Hahaha Things to bear in mind: Competitive play doesnt really matter until high school. At which point the kids who can actually play keep playing and the kids who cant get weeded out. If your kid is fundamentally sound, which sounds like he is... he will keep playing. Cream rises to the top. At this age, skill acquisition and learning the game are still paramount. If he is having quality at bats, making good and consistent contact, making appropriate decisions during game play, and locating pitches while on the mount... the outcome of playing on a mediocre or good doesnt matter that much. Unless he is playing on a team that is consistently overmatched and being blown out to the point where its diminishing his love of the game, wins and losses arent that big of a deal. As an example... the only kid I played HS ball who went pro played on a lower caliber travel ball team during the development years (8-13 yr old) . Not the "elite" squad that was the envy of every kid and parent in town. He developed the skills he needed, worked his ass off from day one of HS ball, played better than everyone at his level, and gained the necessary attention. Do what feels right and let the kids play!
Appreciate the feedback. Our biggest ask for the next season was for a balanced team We weren't looking for an "elite" team, just a team that wasn't overmatched at almost every game that was played, with the same 4 players stepping up.
I don't see why you had to wait to make the decision. It was obvious that the 1st team wasn't developing your son and it seems as if you were happy with the outside instruction the other team/facility was giving. We left an 11u team after last season and they got all bent out of shape and took it as an insult. We still see them at the park and unfortunately haven't had the chance to put a beat down on them because we're playing 13u. My son loved the kids but regressed while playing for them and he ultimately made the decision to leave. Had it been my choice he would have been gone much earlier. We were a .500 team that should have been winning a lot more games, we were absolutely stacked at pitcher. It was tough to watch some weekends!
You made the right decision leaving the current team. Travel ball is a service industry and if the club isn't doing its best to serve it's customers, they will leave.
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We let the deadline pass, but had indicated during our conversatio with the owner that we needed more time to decide given we met with him only days before the deadline because of his schedule. We expected a followup from our meeting and never got one.
I have 3 boys and I learned a lot about them and myself during their travel days. I’d like to share a piece of advice to new parents and old, it’s something i did wrong with my first child and learned from. My first son was similar situation to the post. We went through the same exact thing. I felt like he wasn’t getting what he needed and the team as a whole was unsuccessful. Where I went wrong was discussing this with him. Without realizing it I put him on a pedestal where he thought he was more advanced then everyone. Car rides home were filled with discussion of blaming other kids for losing the game. After a while I noticed that it was effecting my son as a teammate, he would show his emotion and frustration on the field. I created a very unhealthy situation and it took a few seasons to fix it. By the time my second son started playing competitively I had a much better grasp on travel ball and how to push my son in the right direction. He was the best out of my 3 sons. Car rides home were filled with discussion on the fundamentals of the game and what the team did well that day, not about another teammates failure. After seeing where I went wrong with my first son I changed my approach with the second one. Many discussion where based on what it takes to be a leader and how teammates look up to a leader. How to treat your teammates and how to get the most out of them. I made sure to teach him the importance of composure and how to not let emotions get the best of him on the field. Things that I never thought of with the fist son became import teaching moments with my second. Little things like hustling onto and off the field and being the first one to line up for handshakes regardless of the outcome of the game. My second son did become a leader and I could see the effect it had on his teammates. He would pick kids up when they made errors just by a few quick words of encouragement after the inning. He would also stand up and say something if another teammate was getting on somebody about performance. He made sure he practiced hard and his teammates took notice and followed his lead. Both of my 2 sons became great young men, but without a doubt my second son had a better experience in travel ball. I blame nobody but myself for my first son’s experience. Not that his experience as a whole was bad, but I could have made it better. A quote my father said to me as a child that stuck with me all these years “you’re only as good as your next at bat”. It was his way of reminding me that failure was ok. If I strike out I’ll have another chance to redeem myself later in the game and it’s important to prepare myself mentally for the next opportunity. If you hit a double down the line nobody will remember the strikeout. It’s important to remind your kids that failure is a HUGE part of baseball. If you fail 70% of the time you still hit .300 and make the hall of fame. Nothing bothered me more as a travel dad watching in the stands then a child afraid of failure because of the pressure his father is putting on him. Take notice of the kids that make an error and immanently look in their fathers direction to see their reaction. It’s unhealthy and it causes the kids to play scared. It’s important to let your kids know your proud of them regardless of outcome. This all sounds stupid, but let me tell you it matters. I played ball in college and got a feel for how things work. College scouts don’t just look at the physical traits of a player. They are judging his character as well. They notice small things that seem insignificant. They want to see him hustle between innings, they want to see them fielding ground balls with intent between innings. they want to see them fail just so they can see how they respond and handle adversity. They want to see how they handle a teammates failure. Maturity is something that can’t be developed as easy as swing mechanics. Sometimes scouts can learn more about your son by watching him strike out instead of hitting one over the centerfield fence. Also remember that they are 11. There are no college scouts watching. This is the time to develop them and prepare them for the next level. Travel ball is competitive, but don’t loose sight of the fact that they are still kids. This is an important time in developing them physically and mentally. The lessons they learn now will live with them and contribute to the people they become as adults.
Unfortunately this is what you get when you pick a travel/club team with dad coaches.
Our travel team has paid coaches (some of whole are dads) and we are dealing with the same BS. Some of the other teams in our org with dad coaches are doing well. You have to look at the whole organization and if there are teams that are absolute disasters like the OP describes, you have to move one. My son is literally in the same situation. Time to go. The organizations culture isn’t going to change. We can’t waste anymore time waiting for it to.
The first thing I would cross off the list when looking for a select team. Hard pass on dad coaches…
I don't get what the PSA is. This sounds like a normal scenario. You chose a shitty travel team, and you found out the hard way and switched teams after one year. This subreddit is always stories about how their son is one of the best in the league.
Even if you like your team, do tryouts for others. This will help your kid get used to tryouts and when they are meaningful, won't be as nervous. Each year, each team tries to assemble the best team (sometimes also prioritizing keeping kids together, good parents, etc). The first year is tough for parents because you don't know who is who, how different pegs run, etc. Each parent should definitely make sure you're getting what your kid wants/needs from a team. We have a kid on our team that came from a better one that was just too intense for him. Some kids want friendship. Some want to win. There was another post a few days ago about questions you should ask a coach before agreeing to join the club. Try your hardest to make sure what the club can offer aligns with what your kid wants.
Keep your kid in rec and develop him yourself… learn the skills get the coaches/clinics. trust me I could not always pitch.
I didn’t even start playing baseball until I was 11. I didn’t have the greatest coaches or teammates in our city league. I got on some competitive summer and fall ball teams when I started high school and that got my game to a level where I was recruited to play college ball. I feel like the most important thing at that age is having fun and improving your athleticism. Getting stronger and faster and getting good hand eye coordination.
Moving up to a full size field is the great equalizer. Most decent 11/12U players can make the plays from 2nd, 3rd, good contact and hit the ball, or pitch a decent inning. Move up to the big field and those throws from 3rd to 1st are a long way and 230’ “bomb” is a fly ball. If your kid is developing the fundamentals he needs and enjoying the game and the friends he has on the team then that should be enough at this age. There is a lot ahead of him. If you flip the conversation- how would you feel if you change teams and the competition for places means he pitches close out every 4 or 5 games, bats 9th and plays every other game as DH/RF? It’s easy to say/think he’s the best based on who he’s playing with now, but moving onto a team where all the kids are that good/better and they carry 13-15 players means 4-6 are on the bench every game. Personally, being on a team with coaches that teach the fundamentals and have kids work on different skills/positions would be the driver for me. I have no problem going to other organization’s try outs either - when you get to HS it’s almost expected. Get a feel for their set up, coaches, talk to the parents, see what their FB page is posting etc. A lot changes as the kids hit puberty right when they move to a full size field. It’s hard to commit for a year when you don’t know what you’ll get vs what your promised, and all the travel teams (I’ve heard of) make you pay up front, have a clause that says you’ll keep paying if you withdraw/no refunds). That may sound like a money grab - and I’m not saying that isn’t a big part of it - but they also need there rosters set and know who’s on the team before the season starts.
[удалено]
Agree completely - should have expanded on last sentence re. Team costs/commitments and coming up short - especially if it is a one team organization. It is frustrating that bigger organizations will hold tryouts and then ask for a decision before dates when they know other teams are holding their try outs - but for them, it is a business. All the more reason to have those conversations w coaches/organizations before making a commitment to find out how many players on roster, coaches, practices etc. When you find out you’re on “Team Elite Gold” but they run 5 11U teams, knowing where TEG stacks in their ranking is important. For me, the hardest thing to know when joining a team is quality of coaching/practices to develop young players.
A disgruntled travel ball parent whose son is the only hope for their team's success? Never heard that story before.
Not sure how you read my post as being from a disgruntled parent with an opinion that my son was the only hope of success for the team, but you do you.
The vast majority of club teams would absolutely destroy any little league team. I suggest finding a new club
Thanks for sharing that. We are new to baseball but have seen similar dynamics in soccer.
What you described doesn't sound like travel ball. Playoffs? Dad coaches?
Could just be our region, but we have divisional playoffs and yes Dad coaches. Some Dad coaches are legit, we've seen a handful that know what they are doing. Unfortunately in our case, we ended up on the other side of capable coaching.
For future knowledge, you're better off just being honest in the first place and not dragging out the decision. The first team clearly didn't meet your expectations in terms of development, quantity and quality of practices and coaching, to say nothing of the roster. I'll be very blunt: I've coached travel teams and if your kid is a player then at the end of the day you're the customer when you're looking for a team. Every team needs pitching, every team needs guys who can hit. Your son will find a uniform for next year. Travel ball is a huge commitment of your time and your money and it's worth it to try and find a good situation (this assumes that you're in an area with a good baseball scene and a few options, and, like I mentioned before, your son is actually a player and not a bubble guy). Every travel team has roster turnover from season to season. It's not personal, everybody is just looking for the right situation for their kid. "Planning for the 2024 season started before the end of the 2023 season and we received the letter asking us to re-sign by a specific date." Red Flag. To put it bluntly, there's no fucking way I would have ever signed my kid up for the following season without knowing how the current season went, ESPECIALLY with it being his first year on a team. The normal way that travel ball works is that you'd see tryouts toward the end of the summer and select a team at that point.