Travel Ball is Killing Rec Ball

[panthadad2]

The stat "6.5% of HS players continue to play in the NCAA" is a meaningless trash stat when discussing travel/club ball players that play in college. DD is one of 3 players on the 13-player varsity roster that play year-round club ball.

Add in JV and lower level HS players that will never play varsity and the percentage is probably less than 10% of her HS team that plays club ball. Her HS is in a metro area and in the "big" school level in our state. I'm guessing most smaller schools outside the metro have no club/travel players on their roster.

The difference in skill set by the time they get to varsity HS age is striking. Players who aren't accustomed to seeing 60+ mph riseball and outside-edge curves, followed by a changeup, are completely lost. Footwork on simple stuff like pop flys, technique in turning a double play, outfield backing up first base; all basics that are spotty with girls who never played club ball.

By the way, all 3 of those club players have committed to play at 4-year schools. One other non-club player will be going to a local JC and maybe playing. No other upperclassmen girls will play in college nor were recruited.

I'll add to this discussion: the original poster is referring to 10U players (I think). At that level, by all means, stay at the rec ball level if those teams fit your needs. Let your kids have fun and stay with their friends. If softball ends up being a primary sport, then the time to start considering club/travel ball (higher competition, non-parent paid coaches, year-round access to training, etc.) should be by 14U.

 

[dirtyjersey]

Coaches do show up at HS games. Usually to watch players they’re already recruiting, but I’ve seen several just observing in general. State HS tourneys usually have a decent showing of coaches.

“Best of the best” isn’t often associated with a D3 camp. I don’t doubt they were very good, but I think teams like OU and UCLA recruits when talking best of the best.

A pitcher there faced a very well known team who was top 3 finisher at PGF premier and shut them out and K'd 11 in the fall. She was the 3rd or 4th best pitcher there. The girls from the west coast were from teams that placed very high in PGF. Was at a D1 camp the week before and there was no comparison. My point was I don't care how good an athlete a kid is, if they have never seen elite pitching they're not even going to make contact.
As far as coaches going to HS games, I don't know. We have top 100 parochial programs very close by with all travel kids, never seen one. Aren't they busy with their own seasons??
The best HS teams all have corresponding travel clubs as feeder programs so the director/coach relationships are strong and the travel directors are doing the work. Again, my point is a random HS player will never be seen unless she plays travel or attends camps. Even at showcase coaches most likely won't see a player unless she emails them or is already being recruited. Please understand the context of my post.

 

[whack]

The stat "6.5% of HS players continue to play in the NCAA" is a meaningless trash stat when discussing travel/club ball players that play in college. DD is one of 3 players on the 13-player varsity roster that play year-round club ball.

Add in JV and lower level HS players that will never play varsity and the percentage is probably less than 10% of her HS team that plays club ball. Her HS is in a metro area and in the "big" school level in our state. I'm guessing most smaller schools outside the metro have no club/travel players on their roster.

The difference in skill set by the time they get to varsity HS age is striking. Players who aren't accustomed to seeing 60+ mph riseball and outside-edge curves, followed by a changeup, are completely lost. Footwork on simple stuff like pop flys, technique in turning a double play, outfield backing up first base; all basics that are spotty with girls who never played club ball.

By the way, all 3 of those club players have committed to play at 4-year schools. One other non-club player will be going to a local JC and maybe playing. No other upperclassmen girls will play in college nor were recruited.

I'll add to this discussion: the original poster is referring to 10U players (I think). At that level, by all means, stay at the rec ball level if those teams fit your needs. Let your kids have fun and stay with their friends. If softball ends up being a primary sport, then the time to start considering club/travel ball (higher competition, non-parent paid coaches, year-round access to training, etc.) should be by 14U.

Yes 10u. No it’s not really fitting them. That’s the issue they can barely get enough girls to play.


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[CMMom1740]

Do you feel like they were just out looking for kids to scout or do you feel like they were there to look at some kids they'd already had some sort of contact with/heard of?

Our freshman SS is a stud and I suspect they were there for her, but I do not know that for sure.

 

[CMMom1740]

Travel ball is as expensive as you make it. Out of town via air, 6 night stay tournaments are not a requirement to play high level travel ball and get recruited into college if desired. Make sure you have not bought into someones false narrative.

Well, when you're part of a team, you kind of have to go with the flow. This is the Colorado Sparkler. Some of our team members are driving, but we can't afford to be off work for a solid 10+ days.

 

[Gambler Bob]

I guess I am having a hard time believing that you can't find a TB team that will let your daughter play other sports at the 10u level. I coach a 10u team that is arguably the best 10u team in the state. There are 12 players on the team, and 10 out of the 12 players also play travel basketball, volleyball, or club gymnastics. The 2 players that don't play another travel sport are playing other rec sports.

We do not practice at all in November or December. I encouraged every girl to play other sports. We started practicing in January indoors, and I made it very clear to the parents that in season sports take priority over softball until May.

My daughter plays travel basketball. They start basketball practice in early October, and basketball ends the last week of February. The travel basketball and softball seasons work out pretty well with very few conflicts.

You should have no problem playing 2 travel sports during the year. I know kids that play 3 travel sports, sure there are conflicts but the parents make it work.

 

[JStar00]

That’s ridiculous.


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There are HS coaches in soccer and volleyball particularly who literally take orders from travel team coaches on who to play, where and how much to play them.

Some club volleyball coaches have also ordered players in 6th-7th grade to quit all other sports (rec or school) in order to play on the club team. Not suggested -- ordered.

 

[dirtyjersey]

DD played high level soccer and softball in 1st year 10U and was asked by the soccer coach to make a choice. She was playing 5 games a day, she'd play some at F and then they'd feel bad and put her at goalie cause she was so exhausted from 3 early games of softball. At the end of the fall the coach said let me give you your money back because it appeared softball was her priority. I said let me talk to her, and she chose softball. Still to this day it bothers me because she stood out more in soccer than softball, but a choice had to be made if she was going to continue at a high level.

JStar, you're 100% right, and don't forget about pitching and batting coaches, they are always somehow in the know. They know who did what before the HS games end, and definitely have influence. I know pitcher parents who trust their DDs pitching coach as if they were some divine being.

 

[whack]

Well My wife and I have pretty much decided she’s too young for choosing which sports to give up so she gives up none. She’ll keep getting asked to play on this team and that team but she couldn’t play for em all even if we allowed it. So when she gets older and decides I like this sport or that sport best we’ll revisit the travel stuff.


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[Strike2]

I am sitting here right now trying to figure out how we (upper-middle class family) will afford two out of town tournaments this summer, both of which require six night stays* and one of which requires airplane tickets across country for three of us. The price of travel ball is definitely an issue. And some teams do multiple summer trips requiring airfare; at least we can drive to one of ours.

*Stay to play tournaments, of course.

It doesn't have to be. There's travel, and there's overdoing it and wasting money. Unless your kid is one of the top players at her position, and you're going somewhere where D1 coaches WILL be in the stands, I wouldn't do it. Unless you live in Alaska or Hawaii, I'd bet that decent exposure tournaments are within reasonable driving distance. Even then, I think exposure tournaments are usually worthless unless your kid is already on a coach's radar and he/she knows you're there. Pay that money to go to a camp hosted by the school you'd like to attend.