Selected Reading Material 1-7-13

The Importance of Core Strength for Young Athletes by Jodi Murphy, Outside the Lines / SportsSignup  -  A look at the importance of strengthening the core, a vital part of the kinetic chain.

Travel Teams: The Time Has Come for Some Real Reform by Rick Wolff, Ask Coach Wolff  -  "Why do we even allow travel teams for kids before they’re in middle school?"... "Hasn’t the time finally come to inject some sanity and start to eliminate some of this madness?"

10 New Year's Resolutions for Sports Parents: Time for a Fresh Start by Janis Meredith, JBM Thinks  -  Great advice for 2013. A list to remember.

Parental Instincts and Youth Sports

I just read a good article by AP writer Martha Irvine about the extremes families go to these days to help their kids succeed in youth sports. Yes - more on travel ball, "elite" training and spending thousands of dollars on tournaments, gear, gas, etc. But this is pretty interesting. Check it out: To Parents, Youth Sports An 'Athletic Arms Race.'  Great title, by the way.

The article is filled with quotes that jump out at me:

A Case for Finishing Out Your Little League Days

The growing influence of travel ball has been discussed before on this site. You don't need to look far - just click on the Travel Ball search label in the right hand column - to find the perspectives of various people on specialization, elitism, burnout, etc.

But it seems that the tug from travel ball programs is becoming stronger than ever. And the problem is that it's starting earlier and earlier. Many travel teams are a business. They are in the business of relabeling your child - the same child that may still watch cartoons and play with Legos - as a Division I NCAA baseball prospect. To make enough money to support that business, the owner must sell his product. He will promise "better baseball" and make you feel special. He will impress you with fancy gear and tournament trips. And he may pressure you to buy in now, because if you don't fully commit to him now, his offer may not be there a few months down the road. He may even criticize his competition (like your son's own league) and present you with an ultimatum. These are of course major red flags that would make me turn and run the other way. After all, if he places no value on your son's own loyalty and commitment to his current situation, do you think he is going to be loyal to your son when a better player or opportunity comes along? Of course not.

Your travel ball coach may be very good at what he does. He may really offer a quality program and a good opportunity. He may even be that former professional baseball player that also happens to be a good coach. But what he won't tell you is that he needs you. Businesses need customers, and they want as many as they can get. So if you don't give in to his ultimatum and take the deal now - especially if your son is a good player - he will probably still take your son when he's ready. The offer will most likely still stand in a few months. Because he needs your talented ball player to represent his business... not to mention your money.

So while many travel ball programs indeed offer quality instruction and a great opportunity for your son, this is an argument for playing out your Little League days, before completely jumping ship to that travel team. I speak from experience. I have coached talented players - some that became Division I type talent. They played through their 12-year-old season. They had fun and learned their fundamentals in Little League, and then truly developed their talent between 13 and 18. And they always come back. They come back to the Little League park years down the road and soak up the community atmosphere as if it were the Fountain of Youth. They ask about the league, the teams, the fields. They want to help coach. They watch games. They tell stories from their playing days, especially that special 12-year-old season.

They have fond memories of that time in their lives. That was the last time they were just a kid playing a game. That was when they were the kings of the park - the big dogs. That was the last time that baseball was just fun, before they needed to "work" at their game and "develop" as a player. They would hang out at the park all day on Saturday with their baseball friends - the same guys they had been with since T-Ball... the same guys they would spend that last summer with, making the proverbial "run at Williamsport."

Why would you want throw that away? Why would you want your son to grow up so fast? I know I don't want that for my kids. My oldest is heading into his own 12-year-old year. He's a pretty good player. But even if he were Bryce Harper himself, I would absolutely want him to play out his Little League days. Because it is a life experience, not just a baseball experience. He is creating memories and building confidence that will stay with him forever. He loves being at the park. He loves his regular season and all-star teams and he is committed to them. The commitment and loyalty he has developed over the years is an important life lesson - more important than his development as a baseball player. "Better baseball" can wait. If he's that good, that "elite" team will gladly take him when he's done being a kid. And then no matter how far he goes in baseball, he will be another one that comes back, with fond memories of the days when the game was just fun.

I came back. My loyalty to the same regular season team for four years helped make me a better person. And then the thrill of representing my league in 12-year-old all-stars was the defining baseball moment of my life. I was hooked from that point on - as a player, a fan, and later a coach. The park would become a home away from home, and the league would always welcome me back with open arms. Without that special summer, everything would be different. I remember the feeling like it was yesterday. I remember my teammates. I remember the significance of representing Myers Park. After that, it's a blur until high school - the next time I would represent something special, something bigger than myself. So I came back, just like the others. And I don't want to leave. Why would you?

Selected Reading Material 10-24-12

7 Things Parents Do to Make Their Kids Hate Sports by All Pro Dad  -  Nice list of what not to do. Good comments too. Number 5 is probably the most common one I see.

Troubleshooting Baseball Hitting: Timing is Not Always the Problem by Jay Kolster, Cressey Performance  -  Good article on the mechanics that can help a hitter make timing a little less of a problem. Not enough young players focus on (or even know about) the correct positioning of the elbows and knees.

Trust Your Skills (Don't Think Too Much) by Jeffrey Rhoads, Inside Youth Sports  -  This one is important for young athletes. All the instruction and practice in the world won't matter if you can't relax and let it flow.

Resist the Urge to Be Elite

Heed this man's advice. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. And I would say it usually isn't.

Here is a good article at Sports Dad Hub by Kevin about his son's experience on a "bad team" (a bad fit for him). Sometimes you have no control over what team you get or who the coach is. Sometimes it's just a not-so-great experience that you must endure. You make the most of it and look forward to better seasons. But sometimes you are faced with a choice, like in this article. Sometimes your kid is coveted by an "elite" team. You are honored, and tempted to leave behind the comfort and fun.

Bad choice. Not worth it. These teams are often "a dime a dozen." They can be a haven for daddyball. Go down that road at a young age and you could be jumping from team to team every six months. Eventually your kid may be so burned out, he quits altogether.

Resist the urge. Baseball is not a job when you're a little kid. Let them have fun. Make some good memories. Teach them the fundamentals. Keep them wanting more. There will be time to be elite later.

Selected Reading Material 4-2-12

Youth Sports Travel Destination Tournaments: The Original Hunger Games by Stats Dad - Survival of the fittest at Cooperstown Dreams Park.

What Baseball Does to the Soul by Colum McCann, NY Times - Reflections of an Irish soccer fan on family and his love of baseball.

Sports Parenting: A Parent's Role in Raising Athletes in Today's Youth Sports Culture - Part 1 by Brie Isaacson - Advice for parenting elementary school aged athletes.

What's Better - More Games or More Practice?

I encourage you to read this post by pitching instructor Dick Mills about the rise of young travel/select/challenge baseball teams that place their primary focus on playing as many games as they can, and sacrifice the practice time needed for their players to develop the skills and mechanics necessary to improve and advance in the game. Mills clearly believes that these teams need to place more of an emphasis on skills development.

I agree completely. At ages 8-12, and probably beyond, serious ballplayers must develop proper mechanics for hitting, pitching, fielding, throwing and catching. Sure, they need to play against competition in order to learn the game, gain experience and build confidence. But if in doing so, they continue to perpetuate the same old incorrect mechanics, then they are probably wasting their time and money if they want to continue in the game past their early teen years.

At the youth level, players can get by on natural coordination, strength and athleticism. But if you go watch a high school game, you rarely see a player with a bad swing, awkward throwing motion or weak glove work. And you never see it at the college level. The players that make it that far were taught at a young age how to do things correctly. They got the instruction, practiced it enough to build correct muscle memory, and then they put it to use in games. They didn't just play as many games as they could from the time they were 8 years old.

If I am paying for my child to play on a select youth team - I'm not, so this is purely hypothetical -  then I am paying for skills development. I am paying for instruction in addition to the games. If there are more games than practices... if there is rarely any one-on-one instruction... or if my child's mechanical flaws are never corrected - then I wonder if the coaching staff has the knowledge and ability to really teach baseball. I also wonder if I have wasted my money.

The Allure of Being "Elite"

I encourage you to read this ESPN article by Tim Keown about the state of travel ball in America. Although not exactly new information, Keown's commentary is on the money. I think I agree with everything he says, and would only add that what actually matters in youth baseball is fun and good coaching.

Seven Reasons Against Specialization and Travel Ball

This is an old article, but an informative one: Seven Reasons Against Specializing in a Single Sport and Travel Team Play at an Early Age by Brooke de Lench of the MomsTeam website.

This is actually a series of articles with some thought and research devoted to each of her arguments. The main point is that kids should participate in various activities (may I add, not necessarily at the same time) for several reasons. If you are a parent of a talented athlete, this is worth checking out.