When do you know they are ready for select ball?

[mudbug]

Umm.... they are ready for select ball when they can make a select team, guaranteed.


No, they dont need to start too young. Many girls that do still wont develop into elite players, they simply dont have the needed athleticism, even though they may have the skills. But, the younger they start, the better their chances of making a good team will be later on.

If the girls arent ready, its either they just arent athletic enough, or its their coaches fault. If they are taught properly, they will have the basic skills quickly, if not, they wont ever have them. Most average travel teams are not filled with truly gifted players, they are filled with girls that have been taught well.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

I have coached some girls for the last few years that I think should move on to select ball/travel ball. Their parents are pretty receptive to it, also. But how do you KNOW that a girl is ready?

If they have the desire to move from rec to travel, that's great. Who cares if they take a few 'lumps'. This game is and can be lots of fun. I'm sure our area is just like others, we have dominate teams and some who play their hearts out but come up a little short. My hat is off to ya for pushing them to the next level. You will lose some win some, just teach them the best you can, keep an open mind for all 'good' advice, and enjoy the time with the parents and girls.

Travel ball is a family..........and welcome to the family.

There is plenty of good coaching advice on this forum, I thought I knew it all before I joined.

Good luck.

 

[rowdy]

I have coached for several years and it amazes me how many coaches think the earlier you start the better you will be. If a girl is a good athlete with a good attitiude chances are she would be good at any sport she sets her mind to. I think the key to success in sports and in life lies in your willingness to do the things most people are not willing to do. That means practice, but also be willing to put yourself in a position where you may fail. If you are always winning you aren't playing good enough competition or setting your sights high enough. Take your team and practice like you expect to win. Good luck

 

[bray1981]

I feel like if your daughter Loves the game and is a pretty good player take to to some tryouts see if she is good enough to make a team roster and go from there playing in most rec ball leagues will not advance your daughters skiils there are some exceptions . get them playing get them good coaching and then its up to the parents and Kids to step it up or stop playing.or just play Rec ball.
Most kids would have to start in Rec to see what level they can play at.

 

[amanda_cake]

If you have to even ask if they are ready for select ball, then they probably aren't.

To be honest, I feel that if someone is ready for select ball then you will be able to look at them and tell. You just know. It's like something just clicked, you can tell. It's like asking if the thing in my hand is a softball when it obviously is... you know and you are sure of your answer. You need to be that sure.

 

[Randall Softball]

I have an 17 year old, playing her 1st yr of full time 18U. She is also a Senior in high school and will be attending college on nearly a full ride athletic/foundation award scholarship. Anyway my daughter played what I will call in house until she was 9 then played for 3 years of semi select (30-35 games). Then at the age of 12 she switched to full time Select ball playing 60-70 games or more. My belief is and it worked for my daughter not sure about anyone elses daughter, I waited until she switched to the 12 in. ball plus she also wanted more than the games we were playing and I think the most important part was she was willing to practice more, put in the extra time to actually get better and in all the time she has not and still has not complained or groaned about practicing. If the girls are ready to put in the extra time and the dad or mom is ready to help them get better plus able to afford the added cost let them make the switch. My daughter did not make the complete turn into an all around good player until she was 14 anyway. While being decent yong it was not until she matured, got stronger, and understood the game more did she become better than the average player.

 

[mkral]

Stephanie,
First off only you can answer your question. If your kids are good then go for it. It will be an up and down year and a learning year for sure but it is fun to keep the kids together. They will continue to learn. There is a difference between select and travel ball IMO. My team plays travel ball. We play "B" and "C" tourneys. We did without 3 of our better girls dominate our rec league last year. The girls just wanted to play longer and rec league was there for them to do, so we did it. We lost one game and won the tourney. However as a travel team we struggled to get over 500. We did but just. It will be an eye opener but a good one. It will make the girls play better and they will learn.
I do agree with the basis of what Slugger is saying. Select teams and upper end travel teams are going to dismantle teams with no softball experience. That is really what rec league is for. It is to teach kids how to play the game. They should have been playing for awhile but they can make that move to travel ball whenever they want to. It is up to them and they may do very well. Every area and state will be different in the amount of talent they have.
Again I say go for it. It will be a learning time for all of you and it will be for the best. We have a great time both in winning and in defeat. It is what you bring to the game and what you take from it. Our girls have learned that and they embrace it. They have a killer mentality but when they lose they do not dwell on it. They move on.
Good Luck!!

 

[alexander58]

Commitment, fearlessness, and work ethic are much bgger factors than pure talent.

 

[jinjet95]

My daughter's team transitioned from rec ball to select ball at 10U. It was definitely an eye opener. Like mkral said, we never lost a rec ball game or tourney, but didn't even make .500 in select ball. What we found over the next 2 years was that girls that weren't truly interested in playing at a higher level or didn't have the skill either went back to rec ball or chose another sport. The girls are now 14U and only 4 are still playing select ball. You may find that only part of your team is ready for select ball, but that is not a reason to hold them back. When the skill level and interest start to separate, you may find that some girls will return to rec ball.

 

[Dave D]

I find that kids and their parents often break one of two ways: 1. they overestimate how they stack up against the competition or 2. they underestimate how they will stack up. I've worked with rec ball parents and teams with one or two experienced players (almost always a good pitcher) who won lots of rec games. They took that knowledge and translated it as a likelihood of success in HS or sometimes even college ball, along with the belief that there was nothing more they needed to do to get ready to succeed at that level. What those parents don't see from the rec ball sidelines is the 200 kids per age group at every summer ASA tournament who hit, run, throw, and pitch that much better, and who are hell-bent on improving their games. Even at the ASA B level, I've seen teams and kids who make rec ball parents' and kids' jaws drop. I always tell them to wait until they see an elite 16U team or 18 gold team play.

On the other hand, I've had a really hard time convincing some parents and /or kids that they are good enough to compete at the travel ball level, even when it's patently obvious that they are. What it comes down to, I guess, is desire. For kids and families who want to put in the time, and who have a basic knowledge of the game, there is a travel ball opportunity that is right for them. For the kids, parents, and coaches, even dropping 9 out of 10 tourney games is a better developmental experience than winning rec ball games 20-0.