Just getting serious - looking for advice!

[SBdad]

Hey, first post here, and looking for advice for my 9 year old - I guess you call 'em DD's - who is really starting to enjoy softball. She's played baseball/softball for the last 5 years (started as a 5 year old in boy's t-ball, then moved to softball as a 7 year old and is in her 3rd year, moving to the 9 & 10 year old - or 10U - traveling team this year), but this summer has been different. She's got practices on Tue. and Thu. at 10 a.m., and she has decided that every other day of the week we need to go out in the back yard and practice - playing catch, pitching and hitting - at 10 a.m. too. Plus, she wants me to find a camp for her to attend.

So, here's what I'm wondering:

1) What would be the best training aide to get for her? I've been thinking of a pitch back, or a screen that she can throw pitches into. We play catch, and I "catch" for her when she pitches, but my knees can't hold up to squatting anymore (I played catcher when I was young). Limited amounts of time, I'm fine, but she wants to keep going.

I would recomend the Ultimate Hitting Machine. (Beebe Sports Inc.) This is a soft toss machine for baseball and softball players. Your DD can use this machine to get a lot of swing reps in every day... when dad or mom isn't around to soft toss to her. Just set it up in front of a net or in front of a high fence. Most all kids love to hit off this machine.

 

[sluggers]

I guess I'm not as worried about her not being "well rounded" athletically. I just want her to be active.

Fair enough. Sign her for several different sports and see which one she likes--again, make sure that if she signs up for something, then she commits to do it for the season. No quitting. At some point, you will notice that some sports you have to drag her to practice, and other sports she is waiting in the car for you 15 minutes before it is time to go.

The problem with girls is that they love being in a group. So, she will want to play some sports even though she doesn't like the sport, just the social aspect of it. If you listen carefully to her, she will tell you which sports she enjoys to play.. Many, many parents simply refuse to listen to their DDs about sports.

All three of my girls played softball, basketball, soccer, and swimming. One or two of them all did tennis, track, water polo, and cross-country. They tried a lot of different sports. At some point, each of them figured out what they liked the best, which (surprise) tended to be the sport they were most suited to. One DD went softball, one DD went tennis/hoops and the third played water polo. They were all happy with what they did.

Kids figure out which sports they are good at way before the parents.