IS TRAVEL BALL leaving people/players/rec & school behind...OR...

[lostcreek1]

Seems like a lot if not most of the posts are describing income inequality as a reason kids are being left behind. That is just a fact in every aspect of life not just softball. Kids of people with money have advantages in everything they do over the kids of poor people. If you can afford to take your kid to hitting lessons and pitching lessons once a week she will have an advantage same as the people that can afford to hire tutors etc etc. It just is what it is and is not going to change. Where I live anyone can afford to play softball of some kind. Rec ball is pretty cheap and even those fees are waved for some people from time to time.

 

[lostcreek1]

I agree that there are a lot of kids playing travel ball that have no business playing travel ball.

 

[BillyB]

This is so very true. Bill Edwards, 25 year former coach of Hofstra, says we don't have a soccer and lacrosse problem here on Long Island. Sure, they're popular for the girls, but the issue is poor coaching. The Dopey Dads have zero clue how to teach a swing or how to throw a ball overhand, let alone underhand pitching. They think because they played baseball in high school 30 years ago that they're experts. P.S. I'm one of those former dopey dad coaches who was smart enough to realize I wasn't good enough to teach mine or someone else's children.

If you teach the proper fundamentals at young ages, the game is more exciting, and therefore, you don't lose as many players to those other sports.

THIS, man I played baseball for years. I know and see the differences, as well the the training it takes in softball. I help, but keep my damn mouth shut That and our girls will give the death stare at us fathers, and we don't need to be over pressuring them to wanna quit later.

 

[BillyB]

I agree that there are a lot of kids playing travel ball that have no business playing travel ball.

Hold up, is it this....OR is it talented with potential kids, led by coaches who shouldn't be coaching the sport?! I tend to think there is WAYYYYY more talent out there, and raw natural gifts untapped...because of shitty experiences with bad leagues, un educated coaches, and coaches who handle players the same regardless of personality...in my opinion, are the biggest issues impeding the sport and causing kids to not care after a season IF they even see or get have a good experience trying to learn the game.

 

[BillyB]

Seems like a lot if not most of the posts are describing income inequality as a reason kids are being left behind. That is just a fact in every aspect of life not just softball. Kids of people with money have advantages in everything they do over the kids of poor people. If you can afford to take your kid to hitting lessons and pitching lessons once a week she will have an advantage same as the people that can afford to hire tutors etc etc. It just is what it is and is not going to change. Where I live anyone can afford to play softball of some kind. Rec ball is pretty cheap and even those fees are waved for some people from time to time.

Not just that, MY point is people paying the club teams major money, are not all getting real coaches actually helping their kid develop. A lot of club teams I see taking in tons of money have a couple experienced coaches rotating through their aged groups/teams, who then pay little money for college players to run practice. In said practice how much assistance to each players development is actually happening? Very little I would guess, as they will just do stations and rotate with very little input or adjustments to even try to help player growth.

I want to be clear, I'm not painting ALL of these teams this way, just seeing it more and more.

 

[Rolling Hard]

All the talk about poor coaching and instruction is inexcusable. We have books on coaching and a ton of free valuable info on fielding and hitting on the web. Hell, if you just joined DFP and absorbed a little info you would be miles ahead of the guy that played HS baseball 30 years ago.

 

[BillyB]

Me personally, we experienced it early a couple years back, it's why my oldest walked away from the game... we are good now with my 11yr old, and solid coaching. I do assist, I do have the ability to teach and coach the fundamentals, as I have worked with middle school ages in our fall ball here...but I would not lead or head a team my daughter is on.

My statements are more for the fact that the sport is missing out on sooo much talent, becuase of these issues. These issues seem to be more rampent in softball for some reason. Plus one only has so many pitchers to work with, and we all know how important is is for pitchers to hit strike percentages/placement for learning and hitting, etc. etc.

 

[Towny9]

But what about pure athleticism? I know kids that have played since 5 years old, taken private lessons ever since, and have hit their ceiling by 15yrs. Not fast enough, no arm, nothing special. They make contact and can play a position but they don't stand out anymore. Don't you have to stand out to get noticed by college coaches?

I was just commenting merely in the “left behind” aspect. What you are describing doesn’t really apply to my comment because at the top professional levels they are all amazing athletes. What separates them is the little things. They are already the 1%.

 

[Towny9]

Probably because I do both, I relate teaching to coaching. Teachers train for at least 4 or 5 years in college to teach. Then do student-teaching. It’s a lot of work. Most first year teachers still suck even after all this training. By year 5 they mostly either quit or get better.

A coach on the other hand, needs no real training to be hired. Just because you played doesn’t make you qualified to coach anymore then the fact that we all went onto school makes us all qualified to teach.

 

[flash277]

Single mom from Chicago works two jobs and makes 40K a year. Whenever she has free time she goes to the field (if there is one to go to..that is an entirely different issue which is more solvable..) with her stud athlete kid. Kid is great, progresses through the system to the point where she plays for a good local team. Mom sees that the Bandits are looking for a player (yeah I know this isn't how the Bandits operate..just bare with me). Kid goes to tryouts and makes the team. Mom discusses finances and sees that they will be playing 10 out of State tournaments that, along with every other cost that is involved with high level TB softbal, will cost her at least 30% of her salary. What is she supposed to do?

It is what it is, and it won't change. Just don't act like it isn't an issue.

I remember seeing a quote from the late great Baseball Manager Sparky Anderson, a mother in this kind of situation came up to him and asked what to do since she couldn't afford it, he told her " If he's got the talent and the skills, we'll find him".........If a softball player is tearing it up in rec and high school, She probably could find a college team somewhere to play on, travel ball wouldn't be necessary.