There are many problems that can occur when playing travel softball. After establishing a manageable budget for your softball team, you need to start promoting your program and recruiting players. If team dues seem ridiculously high, make sure youre getting your moneys worth in terms of equipment, facility use, uniforms, etc. The only time we had awful politics was before our team separated and we joined the head coach. Moen F, Hrozanova M, Stiles TC, Stenseng F. Burnout and perceived performance among junior athletes-associations with affective and cognitive components of stress. If youre coaching your 12 year olds travel ball team, what does that mean for the rec league opportunities your 7 year old has? How knowledgeable are they, and will they be able to facilitate the proper degree of skill development for their athletes? So we are playing upward thru our church. Several thoughts on that: Their chances are greater for continuing their sporting lives, whether at college or recreationally as adults, if they arent burnt out on competition by the time they turn 18or 13, as Ive seen occur far too often. I know because I was her coach for years. My daughter is involved in a local homeschool league. Here in our area not so much. A majority of these tournaments are qualifiers for the organizations national tournament, where the top teams from different regions compete in one location. With our current circumstances, it would be extremely hard with our job schedule to juggle two girls practices and tournaments with everything else. Lack of specified instruction. The journey the Lord had me on led to me being cut from the team after I did not play summer ball following my sophomore year. Of course, we dont love giving up almost every Saturday to softball. Overall, you want your daughter to have a good experience on the field and off with her teammates and coaches. This can include not having enough balls, bats, or gloves. Im coming at this topic from a multi-dimensional approach. For us, it boils down to priorities. softball, a variant of baseball and a popular participant sport, particularly in the United States. The roster includes 35 players, 27 of whom can receive scholarship money. Survey: Youth baseball participation on the rise - ESPN ), playing time and how its divided up, and the coaching staffs goals and priorities. The irony is that if you dont value your commitment to church (and Christ) enough to pass on sports to commit to church, you arent likely to step out and preach the gospel at the sports events either. Feel free to ask about financials (whats included in team fees, fundraising, etc. Articles like this help. 3. It's not just what you'll spend on equipment and fees, which can be significant, but extras such as travel costs and required apparel purchases (like a team jacket or bag). We pretty much know that were not ready to commit to a large amount of travel and that will be a consideration as our daughter gets older. Take the 59 second "Unlock Your Power" Analysis Tool, and find out exactly how your athlete can add 30-50 feet to their line drives (instead of ground outs). I see quite a few girls that are not willing to put in the extra work to get better. Ask former or current players and parents to describe the coaching staff, and see if they would be a good fit for your daughter. Chemistry: Consider the overall chemistry of the program, not just the chemistry among the players. With all of that said, here are some things you need to know about competitive travel softball. I just watched a program not too long ago on the rise of Tommy johns surgeries. How dedicated is your child? Lesson learned. These are good thoughts. These reflections grow out of my own experience playing and coaching and watching other families. What are they learning? In fact, most experts believe that if your goal is for your child to go pro, the worst thing you can do is overplay them. No formula exists, but here are a few ideas to think about: Variety: Encourage your children to play a different sport each season until their upper teens. Either way, you shouldnt be sideline coaching. Here are a few of the factors you should consider when evaluating your options and picking a team. Watch and listen to how players respond to the coaches. You are spot on with all your assertions, and I wish Id been able to absorb something like this when my oldest two were starting out. Joining a team where youre not among the absolute best players can motivate you and build your work ethic, but joining a team where you get virtually no playing time or attention can hinder your development. See also: How to Pick the Right Softball Bat. I think this is an important topic that needs to be discussed. Competitive travel softball players come to the field every day with the intent to compete, push past their limits, and get themselves to the next level. Thankfully, this was a better fit for all of us. It is important that each player is available for every team practice and game. If youre exalting baseball over all these other things, areyou serving a false god, an idol, that is going to use you and then throw you away? coming down the pike. Travel softball teams will also sometimes have two different dates options for tryouts, so that athletes can attend the one that best fits their schedule. Im embarrassed to admit this, but I accidentally conditioned myself to fall asleep every time I was in a car for more than 45 minutes. Were enjoying the homeschool league to which we belong right now, but also realize that our daughters team is not a highly competitive team, but the JV/Varsity teams are a bit more competitive. During my travel softball career, I played for some amazing coaches that pushed me to be a better person and athlete, as well as some that didnt believe in me. If your kid is good and loves to play, you wont be able to keep them from it. But, this isnt rec league either. Have your church thru fellowship and reach others who may be lost. I wanted to play at the highest level I could, and they were willing to sacrifice to make that happen. It would surely come in handy as a travel ball parent. My thoughts will be mainly applied to baseball, but I think they are valid for basketball, volleyball, soccer, lacrosse, swimming, and whatever else. Let kids be kids, they and their bodies will decide what they can and cant do. On the contrary, travel baseball is pure commitment! Small towns breed professional athletes, and the reason seems to be that kids in small towns arent over-coached, over-organized, and over-specialized by the travel ball opportunities found in larger cities. Then you get all of that extra gear and position specific lessons. The cost for a year of travel softball can range from $500 to $5,000 and up, which includes a full uniform, and sometimes includes equipment. That means that even if your kid is the best thing since Babe Ruth, if he goes off to play major college baseball, the baseball team isnt paying all the expenses. If you dont put in this extra work, you will quickly fall behind your teammates and ride the pine (plus risk being cut at the end of season). Again, like you said, church should not be sacrificed by families of 8, 10, and 12-year olds, and oftentimes not even by families of high-schoolers. These rankings are modified based on your feedback and recommendations. I love excellence. Car pool or fund transportation for those who cant get their children on time. God bless. We dont have Sunday games and Id venture that shes in the lower end of competitive teams. Sports (Basel). The travel teams are turning into a true business. Messages conveyed: We parents need to pray daily about what messages we are sending our children by the sports or other activities we have them in. The U.S. government tracks about 23,000 pieces of debris larger than a softball orbiting the Earth. As a mom of a 10 year old girl who has played both travel and rec softball we have seen first hand the pros and cons of both. Waiting lists for leagues. 3. We enjoyed Upward for what it was and knew that it wasnt hugely competitive (for the most part). I appreciate the attention to burnout as well Ive seen that in some kids where theyre pushed to keep going and just dont want to do it anymore. With the top-tier of competitive travelling softball teams, the coaches are generally not related to the players. #momof3boys. For example, when you look at a solid team of 12u girls and there is that one girl that is nowhere near the level of the rest of the team. Top Six Most Common Softball Pitching Injuries - Rothman Ortho We played Upward for quite some time and my wife was amazed at how many parents going to the practices are unchurched. RelatedReading: Alexa Petersons College Softball Recruiting Journey. Levels are separated by age and skill level. And while its obviously better to find a coaching staff that believes in you and is committed to nurturing your talent, I was able to learn important lessons and grow in both types of environments. Maybe its you? Solving the Umpire Shortage in Youth Sports Requires a Team Approach There is a big time commitment: practices; games; travel; and parent volunteer hours all add up. Talk through the process and help her see the pros and cons of each option. Im not willing to give up the Lords day for sports as much as I want him to play in a better league. I played four years at the University of Oregon, where I was First Team All-American, played in two Womens College World Series, and went on to play six years professionally. Christian Smiths Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers But lets recap. My older brother played sports from t-ball to college, probably would have went pro if he hadnt hurt his shoulder (yes, he was THAT good, Im not just saying it, he had an unhittab,e curve ball), but the decision was made when he first started that God and His church would always come first, and he would not play if there was a conflict between his first priority and the game. Id bet if you polled the MLB players the vast majority of them would agree. I imagine that we could have lived a little more comfortably had I not been playing softball. The most elite tournament teams (especially at the high school level) travel the farthest and play the most. Its Saturday and its 10 am. Our time in sports opened up a world of opportunities, and more importantly taught us much about life, ourselves and God, so we are very pro-sports. Jesus is God not baseball. Check out: The Nehemiah Institute (nehemiahinstitute.com) Hitting, pitching and defensive skills should be worked on roughly four days a week. I would also ask to establish contact with you for a best practices sharing of information and spreading of the works you are enjoying. Travel is not glamorous but grueling. Yes, they are young and this is not college softball players we are talking about here. This can be a big problem if you are trying to compete in tournaments or leagues. 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. Do I think that she will go pro? Team fees may cover tournament entry costs, batting cage rental, practice field rental, uniforms, equipment and organizational costs. Does your child have the discipline, maturity, and attention span required to succeed? Thank you for this well thought out post. Im betting you would be better off saving your money to help him with college expenses. Recreational Ball vs. Travel Ball - RIP-IT Sports For us, travel has been amazing. This is great information, but unfortunately rec ballaka little leagueis a political nightmare where I am from and for many others. One of the most common problems is not having enough players to field a team. Another common problem is not having the right equipment. She also coached collegiately for 3 years at the University of Montevallo (D2). (This, too, however, isnt a litmus test. Third, most days my family enjoys family travel ball, together. I was impressed when we showed up that the Varsity girls took a little time to welcome her and get her situated before the coaches were ready. She does it for fun and its not overwhelming even though its a little more competitive than a local rec league. While some languages are much harder to grasp than others, a lack of words is a travel problem with an easy solution. Kids need to see that Jesus and his church are more important to their parents even than baseball. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); on Dont Play Travel Ball: Stay in the Rec League, Great Books Selections for Fall 2015 and Spring 2016. I needed a break, and I wanted to be a counselor at a Christian camp that summer (Kanakuk). Find out: Travel team play isn't right for every child, but it can be a lot of fun if you make the right match between child, sport, and team. Our daughter played travel softball for 9 years. I got an education, got married, we started having children, and now I get to coach my kids. . I have been wanting to put my son on a travel team. Small town kids grow up playing lots of sports not getting burnt out playing the same one all year round. You may be betting on the kid getting a scholarship. And keep in mind, the level of competitiveness usually coincides with how much work is expected outside of practice. 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. Thanks to all who replied. And if she has a hard time deciding what she wants? Travel ball is good for those who are not afraid of being challenged and want to play at a higher level. That makes YOU the problem parent. You can tell the girls that go home and dont touch a bat or glove until their next practice. Kids blossom at different ages. Its wonderful that your child wants to play at a higher level, but you need to be sure they understand what all youre signing up for if they make the team. Its also increasingly common for elite travel softball organizations to have two 18U teams, with the highest level designated as 18 Gold. There are no tournaments for which classification as an 18 Gold team is mandatory for entry these teams participate in the same high-level tournaments as A-level teams. The nature of sport is that participants will learn in the course of their play, practice, games or meets, all about discipline, perseverance, punctuality, teamwork, goal-setting, how to handle disagreements, disappointment and failure, as well as success and recognition. This is the one your wife wants you to care about. Listen to truthful, accurate feedback from coaches. They need to run and jump and exercise other muscles than the ones required by baseball. Dont get me wrong, there is definitely room for improvement with all players. How should we choose which travel team to play for? Any extra lessons are usually a large chunk of money. These are presented in the order in which I suspect most dads think about them, not in the order of importance I would rank them (#6 would be #1, and #4 would be #2). What are you waiting for? "The cost for parents is steep. As a long-term pastor Ive watched parents who were convinced their sons would benefit by travel ball deeply regret their decisions a decade later. God will open doors to tell others about Christ as we are faithful to follow Him. Stop digging through message boards and groups, search and find your next team today! Its also likely that kids will need to miss school for team commitments. I pray that God keeps me humble and rightly focused. Set the example for the kids.
problems with travel softball
