School vs Travel Baseball: Which is the right choice?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ต.ค. 2024
- Let me know your thoughts on this one. We live in a different era, and the landscape of Youth Baseball is changing fast. At the end of the day, Baseball should be fun and the journey even better! And don't forget, continue to send me your questions for more insightful discussions and tips on the game.
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A problem with some high school programs is some players not getting real playing time. If your local HS has 20 or so players on each team, some players aren't going to get much playing time. One of our local HS varsity team had over 20 players on it! Most players on that team never got to play. What good does it do for them to sit on the bench? In programs like this, it might be better to find competitive travel ball teams to play for that offer just as good practices and more playing in games.
The number one point I would make here is that at all levels of baseball, competition for playing time is a REAL THING! At some point , High School VARSITY athletic programs are trying to win as a team. Playing time at all levels of athletics is earned . Cannot be purchased. I am not implying that is your point but travel baseball , as a pay to play model can absolutely offer more reps , athletes must utilize those reps to get better .
I coach flag football basketball and baseball. The one thing ive notice is these kids will come to practice with all the gear and jewelry, but cant understand the basics of the sport. When i coach i focus on strategy, i focus on tendencies of the other team. I focus on the development of these kids. I told my parents my job is to prepare these kids for the crucible of life. Alot of coaches today focus on the moment i focus on the future.
Tyler , you absolutely are going to make a difference in young children’s lives! Stay the course and NEVER let anyone tell you otherwise! Thank you 🙏 for being a LIFE mentor!
I’ve witnessed select players struggle with baseball in high school because while their select team pulls talented players from across the city/state/country, high school teams don’t have that luxury. To me, this is when having learned to be a good teammate comes in handy. It’s not always easy, but it’s always right.
I could not agree more with you ! 💯 % needed to play at the higher levels
My kid plays for his middle school, and a travel team. Middle school baseball isn't great, there are a number of kids on the team who haven't played a lick of ball. My kid (a catcher) has learned more about leadership playing with those kids. He's learned to look up and lead the defense. Learned more about the love of the game and what it means to help a teammate playing at this "lower level" than anywhere else. He's a team captain even though he's only a 7th grader and even though his legs are tired and he often has to play 7 innings then dip out to go straight to practice he's happier playing the game because he's playing with his schoolmates and friends. He's learning the stuff you can't teach. I think a lot of these kids who are leaving games early could stand to learn them.
The journey of
Childhood teaches children A GREAT deal more than just athletic skill sets! Thank you 🙏 for sharing your experience!
@@coachbeede If he's lucky, good, and busts his ass he'll be a ballplayer for another 15 years.. he'll be a man for 40-50 years after that. I try to keep that ratio in mind.
@Jbzero999 WANT / HEART will determine the final destination/opportunity for most young athletes! Best of luck to your son within the game!!⚾️
Hello, My son is a D-1 pitcher we are in our 2 year red shirt 1st year at Coastal Carolina due to a injury and he was young to be at a D-1 college I never held my son back but 80% of our baseball teams did hold the players back to gain a leg up on other players but I would not do that I felt if my son could not beat kids older or his age then he didn’t deserve to play at his high school or travel team. I cannot believe how many family held the player back and guess what none of the boys that was held back is going to a D-1 college so I think parents need to think about that. As I said my son was young on top of me not holding back straight A student and played every day all over the USA during summer. He had turned 18 in April his senior year school was out a month later and I could not figure out why his team was in a year behind him but older in high school. It was never ever suggested to me to hold him back but only 3 of us parents did not hold bad. I believe they now play community college but older than my son. As a parent you are telling your son he’s not good enoughto compete with kids his own age so I think you have set him to fail already. Trust me my son hated me for having play against older boys he was crying he could not hit the ball but after time out of the blue he was hitting the ball he tried harder and it works but it is a process and if they love the game like my son nothing is going to stop him from getting better and hitting that ball off a 18 year old when he was only 15 year’s old Travel ball did nothing for my son and it was extremely expensive but gave him play time in the summer not one scout ever came but the Phillies and New York came to Vegas to watch my son his senior year at 17 years old not travel ball high school team Due to his injury things changed right away with being drafted out of high school or I have no doubt he would have. I did not let him get the surgery either the doctor said well his arm can heal on its own or you can take him to get surgery and get out playing faster I decided to let his body work on the process and he missed his first year of D-1 college red shirt but that’s ok because he had just turn 18 years old. So he is freshman this year but he played in the woods over summer last season and we had so many schools jumping to give him scholarships we had so many opportunities it was to much for us to decide but we are talking major elit to smaller private college expensive college most expensive college baseball is paying. We had decided to take our 1 transfer because the offer was something I was told schools don’t do but people just don’t know what they are talking about he signed a 4 year contract injury to happen in the future or not they would pay no matter what happens if we switched his gpa was only 3.5 or 3.7 this school he is at you have to have a 4.1 none athletic student so all the years I went crazy on him for trying harder and to get that score up in high school he didn’t believe me the doors will open even more. He would say well the players say it don’t matter because I am a good pitcher I can go anywhere not true I would say and he would get upset at me for pushing him so hard about his scores in high school he gets it now but didn’t at the time. The Phillies told me and my son if not for me putting this as a priority and if not for me putting him against older players and not holding him back they would not be on the phone with me. I was crying. Because it was the first time my son was told by a coach I was right. I don’t know a lot about baseball at all my husband is from Sweden so he knows nothing it was me sticking with a moral compass and not getting confused with what was important and school work was first. I dragged him off the field if it was after 10pm and his travel team was still practicing. The coach could not believe what I was doing but the other players parents were so happy because they were upset too but to scared to say enough. l didn’t care he needed his sleep too. I was fighting with travel ball coaches all the time that would play him as a pitcher catching and third base to win a championship but had players that paid sitting out the whole time. I dragged him off the field. I told the coach no more he is done playing this is to much they don’t care he told me I had to let my son play for the team to win. No you don’t you must be at every game as a parent because these coaches will use and abuse your son to win they don’t care and my son would not speak up and say ha I think my arm is getting tired. Let someone else play. So my son is very passive doing what he’s told he will learn on his own going forward I can’t help him anymore but I do step in the off season and it’s not playing this summer it’s building up muscle and command of his pitching he’s not playing over the summer he will eat right train mentally and physically. He’s healthy and I don’t want to push the luck to keep playing summer ball training isn’t talked about but it’s a must to get to that next level in college and of course his wanting to go pro but unfortunately at low 90’s it’s not going to happen regardless of his pitching he has some good stuff but he has to increase velocity and command on his stick zone. We train with a proven program and excited to see him grow this summer but of course it’s not near our home. So the day he’s done playing at college they are in Florida today for making the seeding in his conference so I don’t know when the season will end but he’s off to physically and mentally train. It’s not easy being a pitcher I have to walk away at games when fans are out of control and doing terrible things at home games for the other team. I believe they have to train for this mentality abuse as well. But my point is travel ball did nothing that your local home team can’t do and we wasted so much money. And high school is so much more important my son felt he had to win or he would hear about it in class from his friends and teachers. It’s a positive experience it’s to bad people don’t understand and it’s only about taking your money with travel ball.Nothing can replaced high school I just spoke to my sons high school coach last week it’s not just getting the letter jacket your making a mistake in my opinion not play high school and I have been right this far. Like I said the pro teams came to him on his school team. Rebecca
Thank you 🙏 for sharing your experience Rebecca ! I feel this experience allows families to understand that the student athlete has to perform and be prepared for the physical and mental challenges that come with being a college student athlete!
You are wonderful. Parents need to listen to you. I wish I had this knowledge you’re sharing. I was just guess the whole time. I still am guessing this game. But the high school cares about your son’s future and as a player. I was never allowed to speak to the coach I still can’t in college my son has 1 rule and I have respected this but I now have a high school coach that has my sons back always. I go to him and ask what do you think my son should do this summer? It’s being the superstar that week at school or not being the star but he learned more in high school than any other team because you have to earn that position and trust me dads would get into with the coaches all the time. But my son was worried if he did bad at the game to show up in school the next day. No one cared in travel ball. High school has done so many things that no travel team can teach. My sons high school said last week to me your sons not going to listen me I am just his high coach I said are you crazy he respect you more than anybody. And my sons listen to him about not playing this summer. Because he was arguing with me about what gym I had to call his high school coach to act like he was just checking on him but help me push my son to the right gym. I never spoke to his coach in high school but I talk to him all the time now. He has his back for ever. And you are right it’s a community thing so it’s not just his school involved ever high school baseball player in Nevada was wanting to play against us and win it was huge.
@rebeccaralamb5855 Would you consider joining me as a guest on a podcast?
@@coachbeede yes
@@coachbeede you are so right. It can do major damage on your performance.
Mr. Beede, I've been hooked on your channel since I came across it a couple weeks ago. I'm almost done with THE PROCESS too. I have a dilemma here...My son is a 10 year old Little Leaguer. Our local LL is corrupt with favoring one coach over another and stacking their teams, etc. But the final straw was yesterday, when my son was at bat, the opposing coach started talking trash: "He don't want to swing", "He don't want it", "They only got one good player", etc. Even though I told the umpire that trash talking is disallowed by Rule 4.06(b), he did nothing about it. The League tolerates this behavior. There's plenty of other examples I won't get into.
What should I do? Baseball is dear to me and has been passed down to me from my dad and grandpa. I don't want my son's love of baseball to end because of this disgusting behavior. I feel like my only option is to find a select/travel team since our local league allows this nonsense. Thank you for all your hard work and information, and I'd be happy to ask in your next live chat if you could tell me when that would be.
We will be doing a LIVE stream this evening and we will discuss this topic if you would like to join in. I truly appreciate you taking the time to share this story with me. I will tell you , this topic is near n dear to me as this used to occur with me when I was 11. The number one thing my Dad always taught me was that each game, each at bat was mine and mine alone. No one was there with me, people can talk and try to discourage me but in the end , the moment, the at bat was mine! So explain to your son that mental and physical strength is needed to play baseball . This a game, a sport and simply play and compete every pitch to the best of his ability! It is important for adults to try and understand that these are children who are going through their childhood, unfortunately some adults feel like they are competing instead of coaching.
@@coachbeede Great, thank you sir. I'll try to hop on tonight.
A player should focus on whichever helps him become the ball player he wants to be. We need to stop being so for or against either the travel ball or high school experience. We all have different situations, and we can experience both and figure out what’s best in our/sons’ situations. There’s no way each high school team out there is about “community” and playing with “friends”. That’s just not reality. Some places this is true, some places it’s not. High school ball should be fun, travel ball should help you get to the next level, but it’s such a mixed bag out there that people need to experience it on their own rather than immediately declaring one experience more worthwhile than the other. As baseball fans who have an interest in the game we should promote all kinds of baseball, and not continuously slam one experience over another.
I’m not sure anyone is slamming one side or another. Travel baseball at older levels can be a good experience. The issue is travel baseball is no longer what it once was with regard to college baseball. College programs now focus on summer college leagues. The narrative of travel baseball has shifted to baseball “ PG” Academy
I listen to your interviews, and they are really good and should be recommended to most parents, but colleges still recruit heavily out of high school and rely on travel teams to showcase high school talent at the major tournaments. Most coaches you interview say the same and do show up at these tournaments. Yes, they’ve added new focus to recruiting from the portal because things do change, but anyone who has been to one of these travel ball tournaments can see it for themselves. People need to evaluate travel teams for themselves, but there’s no doubt there’s some really good ones that develop kids properly and get them recruited.
@erikhayes979 I truly appreciate your feedback and kind words . Erik it means a great deal to me to know that you value my thoughts and content!
This is the best response I’ve heard and most accurate.
I myself believe school sports are way more important. You are representing tour school and community and there is a sense of pride tou have doing so. I was at a middle school game last week and a kid left mid inning to go to a travel game. If I were coaching he would be leaving his uniform.an the bench on his way to his car.
I saw this recently and thought it was odd for the parents and athlete to just get up and leave
I agree 100%. My Son is in the 7th grade and was the best player on his Middle School team this year and last year. Last year 1 player quit with 3 or 4 games left to play with his Travel team. One kid that is a good Pitcher and Middle Infielder did not play because his Dad wanted him to hit his 1st HR in 12u.
This year when the competition was too hard the Travel players quit to play Travel. Sad to say it, but those kids will never succeed at the school and will be cut at the JV level.
My Son and 3 other really good players only reported to their travel Teams after the School's season was over.
They have 4 solid rivalries against teams that they see every year. My Son was hated by 1 team because what he did in football. He is a Linebacker and the best Player on that team was the QB. You can not recreate that in Travel. Travel is a money grab and the Parent's Social Media.
High school or travel, in order to get better you need to practice a lot and you need to face worthy opposition. Some high schools dont offer good training or any chance of getting noticed. Who's gonna go see a division 8 team. I strongly believe a good education and a good sports program can co exist. If not at your school? Change school. Find a good travel ball team that will accept you. You need to face the best.
Important for young athletes to understand the meaning of community and team . Thank you for sharing your thoughts
My son was at private Christian school no one ever heard of them. It was not the best in Vegas we were at the bottom but when he started at the school we went there because of it being not a top baseball school so he could play. Key word PLAYING No good to make a travel team that you pay and the coach has to play you son because you paid regardless if he is good. High school you have to fight for a spot I disagree we went to the school we did because we wanted him to PLAY not sit at a top baseball school they develop when they PLAY and he did just that they became the best school in the state his senior year. So just because your high school is not a top school doesn’t necessarily mean you’re at disadvantage we picked a school that was not the top school in baseball so he could play.
There is nothing like win State Championship with your school…
I agree HS Baseball is more about "community". I live in the Atlanta area, where BB is HUGE. There are only a small handful of HS BB teams that get any recognition. However, the travel programs are substantially more relevant around here. East Cobb/Lake Point are mechas for elite travel tournaments. College and pro scouts are always around.
You live in a great area for High School baseball as well. East Cobb and Lake Point , especially in July are great for baseball
For us travel baseball was a means to an end with the goal to play baseball at the high school level. Around here almost everyone played travel ball prior to high school baseball thus it is highly competitive. With that, our return on investment is playing at the high school level.
My family, our coaches, and I think our team as a whole has this mindset. My son is on a “Community based” select team focused on development with kids from our school district and one neighboring district. We play tournaments every other weekend and travel some. The end goal is to be a competitive player at the next level, which at this point in time, is high school. Right or wrong, it works for us.
Just out of curiosity, what advice would you give to me, a father of a 10 year old son who is a pretty good player on a travel team, but seems to be getting burnt out. Would you prioritize travel or Little League until he gets an opportunity to play for school when he’s older? Any input from someone who’s been there and done that I would value much appreciated!
@danielmusfeldt6393 Daniel , the absolute key is to make sure your son grows to love the game and appreciate how truly difficult the game is. Kids need to learn there will be good days and bad days , playing local allowed my sons opportunities to learn how to compete, how to be a teammate, how to prioritize team first and more importantly create life long memories with friends and families. Burn out occurs when adults force young athletes into ultra aggressive schedules that require time away from friends and events that are fun for kids! There will be plenty of time for competitive events latter years of middle and then high school. Keep it fun , keep the time commitments to a minimum and once the game is over let them reflect and share with you
100% agree. My Son has been on well known travel teams that had parents complain and network for playing time. My son just took the JV starting catcher role this year from a kid who's travel coach is the assistant HS coach. That kid bragged for weeks that he was the starter. My son stayed quiet, worked hard, and then he heard the assistant coach told this player he wasn't catcher material... all of those years of putting his head down and outworking everyone with no excuses led to this hard earned moment. It was a very important moment for my son and the family because, like Walter said, HS ball is different.
Now, I think all too often we think of the organizations who are money grabbing and I hope the travel teams that do it for the right reason's could get more publicity because they play better fundamental baseball than those big name/taxi player teams. We live in a competitive Mid-Atlantic area and my son opted out of the big name regional teams to play for a travel team run by City HS coaches. I cannot explain to you how refreshing it is on these teams to see kids from all walks of life humbly earn their spots, be taught at a higher level how to be good men as teammates, and become better than they would on the big name teams.
Just a thought, but it would be nice to see interviews with travel teams that do this for the right reason so parents can see the non-canes options. I can DM a couple of teams to check out if you are interested.
Please
Please do ! Would enjoy chatting with good baseball people!
Players are responsible for their own development. Travel ball will have better competition but there are too many rich families that think they are going to pay their way into a kid becoming an MLB player. It doesn’t work like that. MLB players come from anywhere - High School, Travel, Dominican Republic etc. You can get more practice in on your own time than you will ever get by playing 60+ games on a travel team where your spending 3 hours a day sitting in a dugout.
Self repetition with skill set development, strength training, nutrition/sleep schedules are TRULY essential and controlled by the student athlete! 100% correct! 👍 Thank you for sharing your thoughts
It goes all the way down to little league. My best kid hasn't made a practice because he is on a travel team and he would be playing 6 out of 7 days if he made my practice to.
Absolutely right
High School in spring. Travel in summer.
🎯👀⚾️🙏BINGO
Coach, you have created a fantastic channel for up and coming baseball players! But I have to respectfully disagree with you that the debate between school and travel baseball is so black and white. You and a lot of the coaches you interview think so highly of high school ball because it sounds like you all played for great coaches and programs. Some of us are stuck at dysfunctional ones. For us, travel ball, under good coaches (my son plays for a former major leaguer) can be a godsend. (It says something BTW that all the college coaches you interview are still recruiting at travel team / player venues.) Playing time at certain travel teams is more of a true meritocracy, instead of being at the whim of team politics at the local school. The additional bonus for us has been how playing travel ball has my son thinking that he might actually be able to play at the next level. It's a wonder what playing against good competition and getting coached up by people who know what they are doing can actually do for you.
High School athletics are viewed very strongly by college coaches because -typically- there is a community element and a conference that has meaningful playoff format, travel baseball has no such thing as “ meaningful “ conferences or community. Travel baseball absolutely is a good experience with a good coaching staff, but similar to HS / Travel has good n bad