Were seeing some growth in her skills and she loves the game. This includes the travel teams, specialized . For every 10 players that are forced to play at the highest level for their age, 6-8 will quit by the time they get into high school. " (Travel softball) has taken high school softball out of the equation," Hutchinson says. But besides that, if you are a Christian parent, the absolute worst thing you can do is teach your kids that anything is more important than God. Well-said. Thank you for this well thought out post. Travel softball hurts pocket books. (source). Or are they truly passionate about the sport? For others, it can wreak havoc. As one who has three sons, two of whom played travel ball for part of their youth, and one who didnt, I can affirm everything you say here. Our son never felt like he missed out on anything; he was too busy playing other sports and doing other activities. Even a child with exceptional innate talent still needs to be a good team player. Verywell Family's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Overall, you want your daughter to have a good experience on the field and off with her teammates and coaches. Crazy Baseball Parents #2 The Helicopter parent With the top-tier of competitive travelling softball teams, the coaches are generally not related to the players. Cant keep my almost 13 yr old from it since 5, and 3 yr old hits a large bucket of real balls off the tee by himself at the indoor facility in a cage while his brother hits in another. When we read books about how it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert on anything, it may wrongly motivate us to try to create little experts out of our kids by the time they graduate from high school. My weekend routine typically looked something like this for travel ball: In other words, its a lot of time on the road. The biggest softball hubs are Southern California, Texas and Florida. Looks like a good pastor (Caldwell) commented above if thats who I think it is. Of course, we dont love giving up almost every Saturday to softball. I am confident that there are better ways to steward those thousands of dollars. 12 Consideration on How to Start a Travel Softball Team I am offering these thoughts for parents who are considering whether to put their kids on a competitive team, or a travel-ball team, or a tournament team, or whatever it may be called in your sport and locale. I intend to keep it that way. Some teams charge a flat fee up front, some allow parents to pay as they go and some combine the formulas. Are you prepared and willing to skip regular family vacations because your weekends and your travel budget are going into softball? Your daughter, as the player, is going to be pooped. Baseball should be a fun game for him not a demanding job. Travel ball is good for those who are not afraid of being challenged and want to play at a higher level. Before diving into the specific specifics of what to look for, its important to understand why you should consider playing travel softball (and why its not the right choice for every player in every situation). I spent my 20s laying the foundation for what Im doing with the rest of my life, not bouncing around in the minor leagues. Watch and listen to how players respond to the coaches. Lack of skill It's not easy to admit that you or someone you love is not good enough for something. My husband also was a quarterback at a Big 10 university, and my dad was a football coach, but we both chose to direct our son away from football and into other sports because of the enormous risk of injury, especially head injury. How many travel baseball games are played in a season? Jim, We must show them how to live well so that they may flourish and worship what is enduring. I have been wanting to put my son on a travel team. My recommendation to any family looking for a single event that can put their daughter in front of hundreds of college coaches, Scout Softball is the answer. My son is 11u, and this fall was his first (and possibly final) season of travel ball. I submit that even with all the excitement of the game, and the money and fame that come with it, the life of a professional athlete is not one to be envied. Well always innovate to do whats best. On the field. Thank you for writing this. Here are a few of the factors you should consider when evaluating your options and picking a team. Alexa has been working with The Hitting Vault since 2017 as a hitting coach, social media content creator, and writer. You need the church, and the church needs you. I could rest. Voddie Bauchams Family Driven Faith. Coach B, Come play in SBMSA in Houston. Help your kids find the joy of learning in areas other than sports. The Difference Between Travel Softball and Little League. So, during pool play, playing time tends to be more evenly distributed in order to give everyone game experience (as well as the opportunity to be noticed by college coaches, when the time comes for that). Then of course you have everything for your player to use at home to practice like hitting nets, tees, practice balls, medicine balls, balance boards, etc. A travel team may be the best way for them to learn new skills, meet expert coaches, progress in their sport, and have fun in the process. A lot of well rounded and good mannered young men who enjoy competition and sportsmanship. Well, what a great life skills and bonding opportunity. There are many problems that can occur when playing travel softball. Of course, we dont love those miserable weather days where its cold and wet. No. Thankfully, we have a great group of players, coaches, and families. Does she want to be on a team that beats everyone 10-0? If you can not recover or a fix an error as quickly as another player then you will be replaced. Do the social aspects improve their values and stimulate great discussions at home, or lead them away from family?). Allows them to play against better competition. Competitiveness: Make sure you understand what level of competition you daughter wants. Keep him in rec ball, where he wont get burnt out because hes a kid facing the demands of a profession. Dads get into it for a little better competition not meaning for it to take over their lives, and the next thing they know their schedule and wallet are dominated by travel ball. I talked to a dad who was committed to having his family in church even when they were on the roadand he said they traveled as a family as often as they couldfor tournaments. Neck Pain. Sometimes coaches are not as experienced, usually a player's parent who has volunteered to help out. Catchers usually have 2-3 reps to throw to each base, while pitchers are usually given the opportunity to throw all their pitches and have their speeds checked by radar. I am very thankful we found an amazing travel ball coach at age six. Great post. Plus, thats in addition to fees and travel for camps, which many top-tier players also participate in. Sometimes travel teams also change players during the season, adding and moving around players based on performance. Of course, we dont love spending a lot of money every weekend. Stop digging through message boards and groups, search and find your next team today! If your children think you are most concerned about their being the best baseball pitcher, back-stroker, or whatever, they can become guilt-ridden for wanting to even think about spending time in other pursuits because they naturally want to please you (or the constant stress of knowing how vital it is to you, may act to make them hate it). Developing skills in (or at least having exposure to) music, art, great books, drama, theology, politics, or science-and-math-related activities makes us better, more empathetic, engaged human beings and citizens, and better leaders. Get involved with the sports governing board and voice your opinion. Below are just a few stream of consciousness suggestions as readers consider their views on how they encourage their children in sports.
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