Collectively, A Thread To Celebrate Our Kids Athletic Accomplishments (4 Viewers)

[humpback]

My son has taken to flag football 10 times more than he did with basketball. He's still very raw but at least the desire is there.

He plays about 50% of the offensive snaps but they've been playing him most of the defensive snaps. Which is fine by me since I envision him as a linebacker (hopefully?)

We need to work on his burst for sure. He's pretty slow

---

The daughter is killin' it at volleyball. She's worked incredibly hard and now has a great overhand serve, even at just 12 years old, playing with girls that are much older and more advanced.

She didn't make the middle school team, but she's just in 6th and no one from her class made the team.... just 7th and 8th graders. They really should have two teams; 6th and 7th/8th.

I hear that volleyball is a great sport for girls to get into leading into college.... lots of scholarships available. Going to run with it for now.

Don't mean to burst your bubble, but while there may be a lot of scholarships available for volleyball there are FAR more girls trying to get them. Around 1% of HS players go on to play D1, and not all of them get scholarships (max of 12 per team). My daughter has played in tournaments with ~1000 teams (~10,000 girls), and it was only 1 of 3 major tournaments going on around the country at the same time. It's insane.

It's far too early to worry about that now anyway but just wanted to point that out. I have a buddy whose daughter is one of the rare ones who reached the pinnacle of a full ride and he told me he'd be better off financially if she never picked up a volleyball after all the years of club, travel, camps, clinics, private training, etc. Like so much else, it's become huge business and everyone is chasing the dream thinking their kid is going to be the next superstar.

Huh, things must have changed dramatically since I last looked at the numbers and/or heard from others about the preponderance of volleyball scholarships. Ah well, even if it's a D-2 school or partial scholarship somewhere it'll be better than nothing. If it happens. She's 12. LOL

Seeing how your daughter is 12, unless you were talking to/looking at info. before she was born I'm guessing you heard/saw misleading information. Things haven't changed all that much recently, volleyball scholarships have been extremely tough to get for a while now.

Someone saying "there are a lot of scholarships for girls volleyball" isn't necessarily incorrect in a vacuum but it leaves out the very important context that there are way more girls playing volleyball than any other sport (other than track and field). Getting a scholarship to play in college is very tough, and volleyball may be the toughest of all simply due to the huge amount of competition for them (including international). There isn't a great way to get accurate data but it's estimated that less than 2% of HS players will get any scholarship money for volleyball.

But yeah, she's 12 lol.

 

[El Floppo]

My son has taken to flag football 10 times more than he did with basketball. He's still very raw but at least the desire is there.

He plays about 50% of the offensive snaps but they've been playing him most of the defensive snaps. Which is fine by me since I envision him as a linebacker (hopefully?)

We need to work on his burst for sure. He's pretty slow

---

The daughter is killin' it at volleyball. She's worked incredibly hard and now has a great overhand serve, even at just 12 years old, playing with girls that are much older and more advanced.

She didn't make the middle school team, but she's just in 6th and no one from her class made the team.... just 7th and 8th graders. They really should have two teams; 6th and 7th/8th.

I hear that volleyball is a great sport for girls to get into leading into college.... lots of scholarships available. Going to run with it for now.

Don't mean to burst your bubble, but while there may be a lot of scholarships available for volleyball there are FAR more girls trying to get them. Around 1% of HS players go on to play D1, and not all of them get scholarships (max of 12 per team). My daughter has played in tournaments with ~1000 teams (~10,000 girls), and it was only 1 of 3 major tournaments going on around the country at the same time. It's insane.

It's far too early to worry about that now anyway but just wanted to point that out. I have a buddy whose daughter is one of the rare ones who reached the pinnacle of a full ride and he told me he'd be better off financially if she never picked up a volleyball after all the years of club, travel, camps, clinics, private training, etc. Like so much else, it's become huge business and everyone is chasing the dream thinking their kid is going to be the next superstar.

Huh, things must have changed dramatically since I last looked at the numbers and/or heard from others about the preponderance of volleyball scholarships. Ah well, even if it's a D-2 school or partial scholarship somewhere it'll be better than nothing. If it happens. She's 12. LOL

Seeing how your daughter is 12, unless you were talking to/looking at info. before she was born I'm guessing you heard/saw misleading information. Things haven't changed all that much recently, volleyball scholarships have been extremely tough to get for a while now.

Someone saying "there are a lot of scholarships for girls volleyball" isn't necessarily incorrect in a vacuum but it leaves out the very important context that there are way more girls playing volleyball than any other sport (other than track and field). Getting a scholarship to play in college is very tough, and volleyball may be the toughest of all simply due to the huge amount of competition for them (including international). There isn't a great way to get accurate data but it's estimated that less than 2% of HS players will get any scholarship money for volleyball.

But yeah, she's 12 lol.

similarly- tennis... while there are spots... have smaller teams than volleyball. so even though less kids play tennis than those other team sports, the margins are just as tough.

wait... funny- but 2% doesn't sound that bad! that's just 1 in 50 kids. WE'RE BACK IN, BABY!

 

[Gally]

Someone saying "there are a lot of scholarships for girls volleyball" isn't necessarily incorrect in a vacuum but it leaves out the very important context that there are way more girls playing volleyball than any other sport (other than track and field). Getting a scholarship to play in college is very tough, and volleyball may be the toughest of all simply due to the huge amount of competition for them (including international). There isn't a great way to get accurate data but it's estimated that less than 2% of HS players will get any scholarship money for volleyball.

If your kid wants to play in college there are many other routes than D1 and scholarships. There are also opportunities for scholarship at NAIA, lesser D1, and D2 schools. If playing is the most important thing then do your due diligence and you likely can find somewhere they can play.......this is assuming they are starting caliber players in high school and above average high school players in general.

I know for the baseball side of things if your kid just wants to play in college there are plenty of colleges looking for players especially if you are in California/Florida/Texas (year round baseball states) because those players have the chance to play a lot of games. Smaller schools in the midwest/east that have limited seasons due to weather often covet players from these areas because they just have more experience so if playing in college is the goal there are places to play. Scholarship money may not be available depending on the school which is why NAIA is a good opportunity. They have scholarship money to give and there is a wide range of playing level in that division.

 

[glvsav37]

My son made the final roster for his 14U travel ice hockey team last night. This was a big cut-down year as they moved up from a "basic contact" age group to a "full checking" age group and were merging 2 full teams into 1 with a whole new coaching staff. Relieved is an understatement. It was very rocky going through all the ID skates and trying to impress the staff.

For those who remember, I had made him the website and video reel just in case we needed it and I had sent it out to a few coaches, so I was glad to have it if I needed it.

 

[humpback]

Someone saying "there are a lot of scholarships for girls volleyball" isn't necessarily incorrect in a vacuum but it leaves out the very important context that there are way more girls playing volleyball than any other sport (other than track and field). Getting a scholarship to play in college is very tough, and volleyball may be the toughest of all simply due to the huge amount of competition for them (including international). There isn't a great way to get accurate data but it's estimated that less than 2% of HS players will get any scholarship money for volleyball.

If your kid wants to play in college there are many other routes than D1 and scholarships. There are also opportunities for scholarship at NAIA, lesser D1, and D2 schools. If playing is the most important thing then do your due diligence and you likely can find somewhere they can play.......this is assuming they are starting caliber players in high school and above average high school players in general.

I know for the baseball side of things if your kid just wants to play in college there are plenty of colleges looking for players especially if you are in California/Florida/Texas (year round baseball states) because those players have the chance to play a lot of games. Smaller schools in the midwest/east that have limited seasons due to weather often covet players from these areas because they just have more experience so if playing in college is the goal there are places to play. Scholarship money may not be available depending on the school which is why NAIA is a good opportunity. They have scholarship money to give and there is a wide range of playing level in that division.

Every sport is different and we were discussing girls volleyball not baseball but the numbers I gave include all of those levels. Sorry, but even for baseball I strongly disagree- generally you need to be much better than just an "above average" HS player to get a scholarship. That may apply if you're in a hotbed program for that sport but not at the vast majority of places for the vast majority of sports.

Here's a pretty good website with some numbers- Baseball scholarships and here's the equivalent for volleyball- Volleyball scholarships. One big difference is that baseball is an equivalency sport so the scholarships can be broken into partial scholarships and they decide how much to give to who. Volleyball is a head count sport meaning they all get the same full amount (although not all programs are "fully funded", so they don't give out the max of 12 per team. Some only do 6-8). DII is equivalency for volleyball but with a lower max amount to divvy up.

Either way, it varies by sport but it is more difficult than many seem to think to get a scholarship if you just do the math. Obviously if you're willing to sit the bench anywhere like at East Chattanooga Appalachian Valley State Tech A&M you'll have more options, but it ain't easy.

 

[Gally]

Every sport is different and we were discussing girls volleyball not baseball but the numbers I gave include all of those levels. Sorry, but even for baseball I strongly disagree- generally you need to be much better than just an "above average" HS player to get a scholarship. That may apply if you're in a hotbed program for that sport but not at the vast majority of places for the vast majority of sports.

I apologize as I was kind of mixing up two different situations. First and foremost I was speaking to the idea of playing in college (not necessarily being under scholarship). I was also using baseball as an example of certain areas (warm states that can play baseball year round) usually put out better players because they simply play more. So if you are in a "sunny" state and play a lot of baseball and are above average in that area you can likely find a school in the midwest or northeast that you can play college ball at. It may need to be a small school that isn't very good but at least you could play. That was my main point. Those schools have trouble attracting upper echelon players because they don't play a lot of games due to weather. Getting kids from California or Florida to play there is a challenge

I totally agree that volleyball isn't the same as that especially being an indoor sport but I would guess that beach volleyball would be similar. I know that isn't the same but it probably follows the same path (without knowing how many colleges actually have a beach volleyball program). I would guess that volleyball does have "hotbeds" of better talent and schools that have trouble pulling in talent so if you are an above average volleyball player in a "hotbed" location you may be able to play at a lower level college that isn't a great program but you would get to play. That was the point I was trying to make. Not all college athletic programs are created equal and if playing is the goal and you are an above average player you can possibly find a school to play at if you aren't picky about the location or program strength.
It boils down to what is important to the kid. Is play time the important thing? Is playing at a specific school more important than playing time? Is getting financial aide the most important thing? That has to be figured out first then you know how to approach it.

As far as scholarships it is likely that the majority of HS athletes have no shot at athletic scholarships but if you do homework on the schools you may be able to find opportunities if you aren't picky on the school. NAIA schools have scholarship money and are not typically peoples first thoughts because they are a lesser quality of play than NCAA so there may be opportunities there. That was my only point about scholarships. Looks elsewhere besides D1 and you might find some opportunities (if that is the most important aspect to you).

 

[Gally]

So this week's update:

Three day tournament (more of just a chance to play more games as there is no bracket or championship....just play four games vs teams you wouldn't normally play). They played a double header Monday, single game Tuesday and Wednesday. Since his team has used two primary pitchers for 95% of the innings this year it was going to be interesting to see how the other guys performed.

Game 1: This was the toughest matchup vs a really good hitting team. Their catcher is a D1 commit that crushes and they don't have a hole in their lineup. Probably the best hitting club we have faced this year. My son got the start. We jumped out to a 6 run lead in the first two innings as their pitcher struggled finding the plate and walked a few, hit a few and we got some timely hits. My son started strong but the ump was doing no favors with a very tight strike zone (probably a big contributor to their pitcher struggling to throw strikes) but was fairly consistent. Unfortunately that is a big problem with facing a good hitting team as they can be a lot more selective. The first two innings went well. A couple pop ups, ground balls and solid defense held them in check. The D1 commit lined a single of a 2-0 breaking ball that most HS players take ahead in the count. I was shocked he swung but can't argue the results. Second time through the lineup in the 3rd inning had the #2 batter start with a single brining up the D1 guy. First pitch fastball on the outer half fouled straight back. He just missed it. Second pitch was a good (but not great) changeup located decently down and in with some downward movement and he crushed it over the LF fence. Not really sure how he hit it so well but I guess that is why he is going D1. I talked to my son after the game about that pitch and he said he thought he set him up well for the change and located it where he wanted to but that it wasn't one of his better ones. He was surprised the guy was able to square it up. After this it seemed to light a fire for their batters. He got out of the third with no further damage. 4th inning started with an out and then a BB on a questionable call. Nice full count pitch on the outer third a tailing two seamer that seemed to catch the corner but called a ball. Next guy up hit a solid single to left that the LF let go under his glove ending up with a run and the batter on third. Then another couple hits to score two more and load the bases with one out. Score now 6-5. My son was able to strand the bases loaded with back to back K's to end the inning (two of his three K's on the day). Next inning was uneventful and he was up to about 80 pitches and they were on his pitches since he had to find a lot of the plate early in the count to get strikes and they were teeing off a bit. I thought they should bring someone else in to start the 6th but they didn't. He gave up a couple hits, an out, and a walk and then they took him out. The next guy in ended up walking in a run, giving up a hit to score two more and then got out of the inning. Score now 8-6 bad guys. All runs charged to my son. We couldn't muster any offense in the 7th and lost 8-6 giving my son his first loss on the season.

He didn't pitch great but gutted it out for 5.1 innings. He ended up giving up 8 runs (5 earned), on 10 hits, 2 BB, 2 HBP, and 3 K's. He went 2-3 at the plate with an RBI and a sac bunt. Tough to get the first loss but it was an eye opener going against D1 caliber hitters for probably the first time this year. Overall he wasn't too unhappy about his outing and felt he was hurt by the tight strikezone not allowing him to use his accuracy to hit corners and get ahead. He basically said, "its' going to be a tough day against a good hitting club if I have to go right down the middle to get strikes. I don't have the velocity to get away with pitches over the heart of the plate." Good learning experience and I was glad to see him understand the situation and mature enough to be realistic. I also asked him about going out for the 6th and he said he wanted the ball and thought he could get it done. Nice want and confidence which is what you want but I still think I would have brought someone else in for the 4th time through the lineup for a different look.

Game 2: Against a lesser team and we didn't play that great after that tough loss. My son played third and made a couple nice plays defensively and went 1-3 at the plate with a sac fly. He also K's for only the third time on the year on a nice 3-2 breaking ball that we got caught guessing on. It happens.

Game 3: Was against the cross town rival who we have already beaten twice with my son on the mound. This time we through our other starter. It was a big game as the other guys were wanting revenge for the first two games. We jumped out in the first to take a 1-0 lead and kept the pressure on by scoring a run or two to take a 4-0 lead into the 5th. They were able to push across a couple to cut the lead in half but then we answered with two more to go up 6-2. A pivotal play was while the score was 4-2 they had a runner on third with two outs and 2 strikes on the batter. They decided to try a straight steal of home with our pitcher in the wind up. He got a great jump and it would have been a close play at the plate but the pitch was strike three so inning over. I have never seen something like that with two strikes on the batter. That could kill the runner if you don't give the batter a take but with two strikes you run the risk of having strike three end the inning anyway. Very bizarre and I have no idea what their coach was thinking. Anyway we ended up holding on for the 6-3 win and season sweep over the rivals (who has 4 players that should be going to our school that transferred out because the other team is "better". It's always great to beat those guys....hahaha. My son went 0-1, 1 R, 1 RBI, and three walks.

Game 4: We were basically out of pitching for guys that have had varsity baseball experience. We started a freshman. He pitched well but wasn't helped by the inconsistent ump behind the plate. This is the second time we have had this guy and while he was better this time he was so inconsistent you had no idea what he would call on any pitch. There were times (for both teams) where the pitcher would thrown the same location three times in a row and it would be called strike/ball/ball or ball/strike/strike or ball/strike/ball. Just not a way to play a game. Anyway, our team was dead (a 10am game start) and it showed. They scored a couple in the first and then we gave them 4 unearned runs in the 3rd to go down 6-0. We were no hit into the 6th inning and ended up scratching out a run in the 7th to prevent the shutout. Lost 6-1. My son went 0-3 with a hard hit ball in his first AB right at the CF and on base by error. He ended up with the run scored. He wasn't too happy with his other AB's as he rolled over on a curveball for a groundout and a jam shot slow roller that the SS booted. Tomorrow is another day.

Overall the team went 2-2 and really hurt themselves in one of the losses while just not quite being able to hold on against the best team they faced. Back to league next week.


PS - My son is currently leading in player of the week for last week. You can still vote if you are so inclined (see post a few posted up for the link).

ETA: Here is the link Vote For Spencer

 

[Nigel]

Lacrosse is also a D1 equivalency sport, 12.6 scholarships available to spread among rosters of 50+. Ivy league schools don't give athletic scholarships in any sport. Need-based only. I'd always dreamed of somehow breaking even on all of the money spent on years of club sports by getting something but it didn't shake out that way. In fact its quite the opposite - my son gets hardly anything for free. One example: I called him the night before a game to wish him luck, a Friday night before a February game the next day in northern New England, forecast for heavy snow and temps in the 20s. I asked him what he was up to and he said "I'm at ****'s Sporting Goods, me and some of the boys are here looking for long sleeve shirts to wear under our uniforms tomorrow." Unreal to me that something like that isn't freely distributed in the locker room. My impression is that administrative support for athletics is very weak at most Ivy League schools, a "you're lucky to be here" vibe towards athletes. Fortunately alumni/donor support is very high so they're not going anywhere but I swear some would do away with them altogether if they could.

 

[Chadstroma]

Lacrosse is also a D1 equivalency sport, 12.6 scholarships available to spread among rosters of 50+. Ivy league schools don't give athletic scholarships in any sport. Need-based only. I'd always dreamed of somehow breaking even on all of the money spent on years of club sports by getting something but it didn't shake out that way. In fact its quite the opposite - my son gets hardly anything for free. One example: I called him the night before a game to wish him luck, a Friday night before a February game the next day in northern New England, forecast for heavy snow and temps in the 20s. I asked him what he was up to and he said "I'm at ****'s Sporting Goods, me and some of the boys are here looking for long sleeve shirts to wear under our uniforms tomorrow." Unreal to me that something like that isn't freely distributed in the locker room. My impression is that administrative support for athletics is very weak at most Ivy League schools, a "you're lucky to be here" vibe towards athletes. Fortunately alumni/donor support is very high so they're not going anywhere but I swear some would do away with them altogether if they could.

Unlike some other schools- they don't get their money from popular athletics like football and basketball.

Hopefully your kid is generous when he gets out of the Ivy league with a nice job and gives back to good ole' Dad for helping him get where he is. My youngest tells me he is going to be a sports doctor and then picks out various cars he will buy for me. He is 7.

 

[ChiefD]

My youngest tells me he is going to be a sports doctor and then picks out various cars he will buy for me. He is 7.

Lucky.

I'm just hoping mine will change my diapers when I'm 92.

 

[Gally]

My youngest tells me he is going to be a sports doctor and then picks out various cars he will buy for me. He is 7.

Lucky.

I'm just hoping mine will change my diapers when I'm 92.

Ambitious hoping that you last until 92 until your diapers need changing

 

[El Floppo]

Lacrosse is also a D1 equivalency sport, 12.6 scholarships available to spread among rosters of 50+. Ivy league schools don't give athletic scholarships in any sport. Need-based only. I'd always dreamed of somehow breaking even on all of the money spent on years of club sports by getting something but it didn't shake out that way. In fact its quite the opposite - my son gets hardly anything for free. One example: I called him the night before a game to wish him luck, a Friday night before a February game the next day in northern New England, forecast for heavy snow and temps in the 20s. I asked him what he was up to and he said "I'm at ****'s Sporting Goods, me and some of the boys are here looking for long sleeve shirts to wear under our uniforms tomorrow." Unreal to me that something like that isn't freely distributed in the locker room. My impression is that administrative support for athletics is very weak at most Ivy League schools, a "you're lucky to be here" vibe towards athletes. Fortunately alumni/donor support is very high so they're not going anywhere but I swear some would do away with them altogether if they could.

this is sad that it's still the same as it was when I played.

my youth club coach was the coach at USF (CA, not FL) and had tons of equipment he'd give even us on his club team. when I got to Columbia, I intentionally went with old cleats figuring I'd be getting a new set of molded/studs from the team. nothing. we got a jock, a crap cotton pair of shorts and t-shirt for practicing... and team sweats for games and colder weather. had to find the cleats (not easy in NYC for a dumb 18yo on his own for the first time- and not budgeted for the extra couple hundred dollars for them) and then had to make do with whatever cold weather gear I could cobble. this was a couple years following the team losing the national championship D1 finals after an undefeated season.

the only people that give to the program are former players- not even sure where the money gets spent, although what I've seen lately is nicer than the set up we had (helped by Rocco Commisso donating a stadium and then some).

 

[El Floppo]

My youngest tells me he is going to be a sports doctor and then picks out various cars he will buy for me. He is 7.

Lucky.

I'm just hoping mine will change my diapers when I'm 92.

Ambitious hoping that you last until 92 until your diapers need changing

92 in dog years if you've ever seen chiefd. he's talking NOW.

 

[Gally]

Thanks to all that voted. My son won the athlete of the week with about 58% of the vote.

 

[El Floppo]

Thanks to all that voted. My son won the athlete of the week with about 58% of the vote.

the power of the FFA strikes again! (and your kid deserved it)

 

[Gally]

Here is the article about winning the player of the week.

Cabrillo pitcher Spencer Gallimore is Times area Player of the Week

Spencer Gallimore has been consistently productive on the mound for the Cabrillo baseball team this season, and he delivered again last week.

santamariatimes.com

 

[Chadstroma]

Thanks to all that voted. My son won the athlete of the week with about 58% of the vote.

An alum from my kids elementary/middle school Catholic school got nominated for having a good game at the plate and then hitless 2 2/3 inning for save. The school put it on their FB and he was 4th then (at least when someone noted it in the comments) and I went in and voted, he was in 1st by just about 400 votes. Now, he is leading by 1k votes. I saw it and thought about your kid, glad to see he brought it home! How did he react?

 

[Gally]

He was happy. Not as happy as he would have been if he pitched better this week and didn't get his first loss. He is a bit of a perfectionist...hahaha.

 

[Chadstroma]

He was happy. Not as happy as he would have been if he pitched better this week and didn't get his first loss. He is a bit of a perfectionist...hahaha.

The better athletes often are

 

[Drunken knight]

The girls have a 5 game win streak going and are now 2nd in division. Daughter is fighting through a toe injury from the fall. It’s pretty ugly and it’s hard to plant/push off. She is getting plenty of pt but definitely looks a step slower. Doing great. Coach is resting her for bigger games at the end of regular season. We lost a wonderful senior defender to multiple concussions (cheer and lacrosse), so they are thinner at the position.

8 game win streak. 2 regular season games remaining. In 1st place. Will play 2nd and 3rd next week.

12 teams in conference. Top 2 make playoffs. Will play 3rd place team wed. A win on Wednesday secures playoffs. 2nd place team is strongest….. so that Wednesday game is big for them

 

[CGRdrJoe]

my kids lacrosse team tonight was down 7-2 at half and came back to win 15-11!! my kid played unreal defense and now they should for sure lock up going to texas for the D2 college lacrosse championships! i’ve never stressed/yelled so much in my life. he hadn’t played in 3 years and he is dominating on defense for cal state san marcos

 

[Drunken knight]

my kids lacrosse team tonight was down 7-2 at half and came back to win 15-11!! my kid played unreal defense and now they should for sure lock up going to texas for the D2 college lacrosse championships! i’ve never stressed/yelled so much in my life. he hadn’t played in 3 years and he is dominating on defense for cal state san marcos

Coincidentally, I checked to see how my college is doing today (USD) and noticed how well cs San Marcos is doing. It did not exist back in the day

 

[El Floppo]

I mentioned my gb's kid way upthread... signed with U of Arizona as a sophomore pitcher (throwing consistently in the low 90s wiht a mean slider). at some point, the UofA staff left- so he, or the new staff, rescinded that signing. he subsequently got injured and lost a bunch of time Junior year... but was on a lot of preseason all-american lists heading into senior year, where it sounds like it took a while to get back to his pace.

despite massive interest as a sophomore from all the big baseball schools, that all mostly disappeared...and he ended up signing with USF (CA not FL), still with a scholarship. had a decent preseason in the fall- getting to actually pitch a lot in games as a true freshman with a lot of upper classmen on the squad.

I haven't talked with my buddy at all this spring- couple texts about other stuff- so checked in on how USF was doing and how his kid was going. Scanning the USF stats... couldn't find him. huh. maybe hurt again? scanned the roster... he's not there. wha?

I google him yesterday... and find him pitching (and getting lit up) at a ncal juco I'd never even heard of. I haven't had a chance to talk to the dad yet... not even sure how to handle/broach that conversation. I mean- I don't care/judge the kid at all- just curious what happened and hope the kid's ok.

 

[Andrew74]

My son had his first two rugby games today. After a week of sunny and 75, it was cloudy, windy, rainy, and a balmy 45 degrees at game time.

His team isn’t very good. Only second year of the program and half the kids have never played. But he played every minute of both games and gave it his all. I still tense up when he flies down to tackle some kid twice his size. I was also happy to see him have some adversity and bounce back. In the second game he chased a kid down across the field, leveled a great chop to try and knock out the ball, but didn’t get a good grip with his left hand and slid off the runner. He scooted in for the try. He was really upset - pounded the pitch with his hands and seemed beside himself. Back in the fall he missed a safety in the youth Super Bowl when the RB hit him with a great stiff arm. It bothered him for days. Today he took the proceeding kickoff to the house on a damn fine run if I do say so myself. He didn’t say a word about the missed tackle. We talked some recently about failing and how you just keep going. I hope he’s starting to be able to handle that.

Anyone have tips on how to help him recover post-match? I talked him into a soak in a cool tub. Last year he got worn down by the rugby season and I’d like to help him learn how to take care of himself. I had zero of this as a kid when I played.

 

[Chadstroma]

I mentioned my gb's kid way upthread... signed with U of Arizona as a sophomore pitcher (throwing consistently in the low 90s wiht a mean slider). at some point, the UofA staff left- so he, or the new staff, rescinded that signing. he subsequently got injured and lost a bunch of time Junior year... but was on a lot of preseason all-american lists heading into senior year, where it sounds like it took a while to get back to his pace.

despite massive interest as a sophomore from all the big baseball schools, that all mostly disappeared...and he ended up signing with USF (CA not FL), still with a scholarship. had a decent preseason in the fall- getting to actually pitch a lot in games as a true freshman with a lot of upper classmen on the squad.

I haven't talked with my buddy at all this spring- couple texts about other stuff- so checked in on how USF was doing and how his kid was going. Scanning the USF stats... couldn't find him. huh. maybe hurt again? scanned the roster... he's not there. wha?

I google him yesterday... and find him pitching (and getting lit up) at a ncal juco I'd never even heard of. I haven't had a chance to talk to the dad yet... not even sure how to handle/broach that conversation. I mean- I don't care/judge the kid at all- just curious what happened and hope the kid's ok.

That is rough. I would prob just ask "How is Jimmy doing" somewhere along the conversation but not specifically about sports. Let the father tell you or not tell you etc

Speaking of friend's kids is the 4th best baseball prospect in college right now. I was pretty close with his mother and uncle when we were HS/college aged. I can't say I was friends with his father though we were met and hung out in groups a couple of times but not that much and it was so long ago that I am sure he doesn't know who I am but he ended up having a good long MLB career with an all-star year and it looks like his son may end up being better than him. It is pretty cool to see. I keep my eye on him and cheer him on.

 

[Gally]

OK, first real hiccup on the season with regards to attitude. We played the last place team so the game wasn't expected to be close (they have already lost 33-0 on the year). We play them twice this week and they are actually weekday games and not a double header (thank god). My son got the start yesterday.

I could already tell he was of the mind set that these guys were terrible so he didn't really have to try. Most watching probably couldn't tell but since I have seen him play every game he has played I could tell based on his body language. First inning he gets three groundouts on 7 pitches. His first AB in the bottom of the 1st was with a runner on 3rd and one out. He hits a sac fly to center. We end up scoring another run. So it's 2-0 after one.

2nd inning he gives up a soft liner for a hit, a K, a pop out and a ground out. We then proceed to go through the lineup almost three times and score 18 runs. Mostly on walks and a few hits. I think only one error. Anyway after walking twice in the inning my son grounds out on the first pitch to end the inning. I can tell he is mad about it. He proceeds to go the mound and just quick pitches everything. Even before his fielders are in place. Again, an outsider looking in you might wonder about him quick pitching and think it's a bit odd but nothing that is too terrible but I know different. He is basically throwing a hissy fit because he got out by swinging at a terrible pitch while everyone else is getting hits. Gets through the inning 1-2-3 but I am getting pissed now. If I am the coach I pull him and sit his butt on the bench. We score two more on basically 4 or 5 more walks. They did pull off a double play (5-3 with the bases loaded) which really helped speed things up.

4th inning was uneventful on the mound. A BB and he struck out the side. He did get up one more time and lined a single to right center. Now the 5th inning (mercy rule is 10 after 5 so this is the final inning). Well a bloop behind the mound perfectly placed for hit which the 2B tries to do a weird backhand and throws the ball away to advance the runner to 2B. Then a ball in the 5-6 hole that the batter beats out for another infield single (with runner holding at 2B). A strike out and a pop out. to follow. Then an 0-2 pitch that he grooved an 80% FB that the batter hit right back up the middle that the 2B made a nice play on but tried to flip it with his glove to get the force out at 2B that goes awry and allows the run to score from 3B breaking the shut out. Next batter hits an infield popup that the 3B drops. My son is now getting pissed because he lost the shutout on 3 errors. He then strikes out the last guy to end the game. Bad body language and just an overall primadonna air about him coming off the field.

As a parent it is very frustrating to see a 17 year old act like a little baby in a game his team won 22-1. I could see the coaches lecturing him after the game. I also knew that he will be in a bad mood when he gets home which is typically a bad time to talk about the fresh wounds. He is much better (and understanding of his actions) the next day once he has time to reflect on things. So he gets home and the first things out of his mouth is "I don't want to talk about it right now". Of course I press and he says I already heard it from the coaches and I know I was wrong. I get it but I am fuming and want to talk. I let it go and plan to talk to him today. Ugh.

Games like this (where you know going in it's going to be ugly) can be very tough to play. It's hard to stay in it mentally and typically it's much harder to perform because the pitching you are facing is terrible so your timing is off etc. It makes it all the more important to focus and really concentrate when you are called on (hitting, pitching, etc). I think this is where I will start with the discussion emphasizing that staying focused at trying to work on your game and not worrying about what should happen is so important because it will help keep you in tuned and not playing half speed. He is mad that he didn't perform well but he did that to himself by not taking it seriously. A point to work on for the game Friday (against the same team). I also want to stress that if he has aspirations of playing the next level these kind of tantrums are the quickest way to quash those dreams. A coach sees that and you get crossed off. We have discussed this many times but sometimes it doesn't quite stick in the heat of the moment.

Very disappointing overall. I will see what he has to say about it tonight.

ETA: I figured I had to post the bad with the good since I have been posting a lot in this thread this year. Only fair to have the entire picture....hahahaha. Also, anybody else have a similar kid that have found ways to improve on this mental aspect of things? These always seem to happen when expectations of himself get really high and with all the press he has been getting this year it is easy for him to get a little big headed and expect to be perfect. Need to find a way to stay grounded and focused.

 

[Kuz]

OK, first real hiccup on the season with regards to attitude. We played the last place team so the game wasn't expected to be close (they have already lost 33-0 on the year). We play them twice this week and they are actually weekday games and not a double header (thank god). My son got the start yesterday.

I could already tell he was of the mind set that these guys were terrible so he didn't really have to try. Most watching probably couldn't tell but since I have seen him play every game he has played I could tell based on his body language. First inning he gets three groundouts on 7 pitches. His first AB in the bottom of the 1st was with a runner on 3rd and one out. He hits a sac fly to center. We end up scoring another run. So it's 2-0 after one.

2nd inning he gives up a soft liner for a hit, a K, a pop out and a ground out. We then proceed to go through the lineup almost three times and score 18 runs. Mostly on walks and a few hits. I think only one error. Anyway after walking twice in the inning my son grounds out on the first pitch to end the inning. I can tell he is mad about it. He proceeds to go the mound and just quick pitches everything. Even before his fielders are in place. Again, an outsider looking in you might wonder about him quick pitching and think it's a bit odd but nothing that is too terrible but I know different. He is basically throwing a hissy fit because he got out by swinging at a terrible pitch while everyone else is getting hits. Gets through the inning 1-2-3 but I am getting pissed now. If I am the coach I pull him and sit his butt on the bench. We score two more on basically 4 or 5 more walks. They did pull off a double play (5-3 with the bases loaded) which really helped speed things up.

4th inning was uneventful on the mound. A BB and he struck out the side. He did get up one more time and lined a single to right center. Now the 5th inning (mercy rule is 10 after 5 so this is the final inning). Well a bloop behind the mound perfectly placed for hit which the 2B tries to do a weird backhand and throws the ball away to advance the runner to 2B. Then a ball in the 5-6 hole that the batter beats out for another infield single (with runner holding at 2B). A strike out and a pop out. to follow. Then an 0-2 pitch that he grooved an 80% FB that the batter hit right back up the middle that the 2B made a nice play on but tried to flip it with his glove to get the force out at 2B that goes awry and allows the run to score from 3B breaking the shut out. Next batter hits an infield popup that the 3B drops. My son is now getting pissed because he lost the shutout on 3 errors. He then strikes out the last guy to end the game. Bad body language and just an overall primadonna air about him coming off the field.

As a parent it is very frustrating to see a 17 year old act like a little baby in a game his team won 22-1. I could see the coaches lecturing him after the game. I also knew that he will be in a bad mood when he gets home which is typically a bad time to talk about the fresh wounds. He is much better (and understanding of his actions) the next day once he has time to reflect on things. So he gets home and the first things out of his mouth is "I don't want to talk about it right now". Of course I press and he says I already heard it from the coaches and I know I was wrong. I get it but I am fuming and want to talk. I let it go and plan to talk to him today. Ugh.

Games like this (where you know going in it's going to be ugly) can be very tough to play. It's hard to stay in it mentally and typically it's much harder to perform because the pitching you are facing is terrible so your timing is off etc. It makes it all the more important to focus and really concentrate when you are called on (hitting, pitching, etc). I think this is where I will start with the discussion emphasizing that staying focused at trying to work on your game and not worrying about what should happen is so important because it will help keep you in tuned and not playing half speed. He is mad that he didn't perform well but he did that to himself by not taking it seriously. A point to work on for the game Friday (against the same team). I also want to stress that if he has aspirations of playing the next level these kind of tantrums are the quickest way to quash those dreams. A coach sees that and you get crossed off. We have discussed this many times but sometimes it doesn't quite stick in the heat of the moment.

Very disappointing overall. I will see what he has to say about it tonight.

ETA: I figured I had to post the bad with the good since I have been posting a lot in this thread this year. Only fair to have the entire picture....hahahaha. Also, anybody else have a similar kid that have found ways to improve on this mental aspect of things? These always seem to happen when expectations of himself get really high and with all the press he has been getting this year it is easy for him to get a little big headed and expect to be perfect. Need to find a way to stay grounded and focused.

Dumb question here but why was he still pitching with a 22-1 lead? Wouldn't it make sense to save his arm & have someone else pitch..

 

[Gally]

OK, first real hiccup on the season with regards to attitude. We played the last place team so the game wasn't expected to be close (they have already lost 33-0 on the year). We play them twice this week and they are actually weekday games and not a double header (thank god). My son got the start yesterday.

I could already tell he was of the mind set that these guys were terrible so he didn't really have to try. Most watching probably couldn't tell but since I have seen him play every game he has played I could tell based on his body language. First inning he gets three groundouts on 7 pitches. His first AB in the bottom of the 1st was with a runner on 3rd and one out. He hits a sac fly to center. We end up scoring another run. So it's 2-0 after one.

2nd inning he gives up a soft liner for a hit, a K, a pop out and a ground out. We then proceed to go through the lineup almost three times and score 18 runs. Mostly on walks and a few hits. I think only one error. Anyway after walking twice in the inning my son grounds out on the first pitch to end the inning. I can tell he is mad about it. He proceeds to go the mound and just quick pitches everything. Even before his fielders are in place. Again, an outsider looking in you might wonder about him quick pitching and think it's a bit odd but nothing that is too terrible but I know different. He is basically throwing a hissy fit because he got out by swinging at a terrible pitch while everyone else is getting hits. Gets through the inning 1-2-3 but I am getting pissed now. If I am the coach I pull him and sit his butt on the bench. We score two more on basically 4 or 5 more walks. They did pull off a double play (5-3 with the bases loaded) which really helped speed things up.

4th inning was uneventful on the mound. A BB and he struck out the side. He did get up one more time and lined a single to right center. Now the 5th inning (mercy rule is 10 after 5 so this is the final inning). Well a bloop behind the mound perfectly placed for hit which the 2B tries to do a weird backhand and throws the ball away to advance the runner to 2B. Then a ball in the 5-6 hole that the batter beats out for another infield single (with runner holding at 2B). A strike out and a pop out. to follow. Then an 0-2 pitch that he grooved an 80% FB that the batter hit right back up the middle that the 2B made a nice play on but tried to flip it with his glove to get the force out at 2B that goes awry and allows the run to score from 3B breaking the shut out. Next batter hits an infield popup that the 3B drops. My son is now getting pissed because he lost the shutout on 3 errors. He then strikes out the last guy to end the game. Bad body language and just an overall primadonna air about him coming off the field.

As a parent it is very frustrating to see a 17 year old act like a little baby in a game his team won 22-1. I could see the coaches lecturing him after the game. I also knew that he will be in a bad mood when he gets home which is typically a bad time to talk about the fresh wounds. He is much better (and understanding of his actions) the next day once he has time to reflect on things. So he gets home and the first things out of his mouth is "I don't want to talk about it right now". Of course I press and he says I already heard it from the coaches and I know I was wrong. I get it but I am fuming and want to talk. I let it go and plan to talk to him today. Ugh.

Games like this (where you know going in it's going to be ugly) can be very tough to play. It's hard to stay in it mentally and typically it's much harder to perform because the pitching you are facing is terrible so your timing is off etc. It makes it all the more important to focus and really concentrate when you are called on (hitting, pitching, etc). I think this is where I will start with the discussion emphasizing that staying focused at trying to work on your game and not worrying about what should happen is so important because it will help keep you in tuned and not playing half speed. He is mad that he didn't perform well but he did that to himself by not taking it seriously. A point to work on for the game Friday (against the same team). I also want to stress that if he has aspirations of playing the next level these kind of tantrums are the quickest way to quash those dreams. A coach sees that and you get crossed off. We have discussed this many times but sometimes it doesn't quite stick in the heat of the moment.

Very disappointing overall. I will see what he has to say about it tonight.

ETA: I figured I had to post the bad with the good since I have been posting a lot in this thread this year. Only fair to have the entire picture....hahahaha. Also, anybody else have a similar kid that have found ways to improve on this mental aspect of things? These always seem to happen when expectations of himself get really high and with all the press he has been getting this year it is easy for him to get a little big headed and expect to be perfect. Need to find a way to stay grounded and focused.

Dumb question here but why was he still pitching with a 22-1 lead? Wouldn't it make sense to save his arm & have someone else pitch..

Short answer is yes. He should have been pulled to get other's work. Their bullpen is questionable as the two starters have pitched 95% of the innings on the year so this would have been a good opportunity to get in some game action.

The likely reason why he wasn't pulled is because the team also doesn't have a lot of kids on the team and with the blow out the coach put in all the backups already so there weren't any bench guys available. He could have switched him out to another position in the field for sure but I guess decided to get playtime for them in the field.

He threw 66 pitches in 5 innings so he wasn't overworked. He hadn't pitched in over a week and won't pitch for another week. It was a glorified bull pen getting in his work for the week so it really wasn't taxing as he was also throwing probably 75% for most of his pitches. But you are right. He should have been pulled.

 

[Chadstroma]

ETA: I figured I had to post the bad with the good since I have been posting a lot in this thread this year. Only fair to have the entire picture....hahahaha. Also, anybody else have a similar kid that have found ways to improve on this mental aspect of things? These always seem to happen when expectations of himself get really high and with all the press he has been getting this year it is easy for him to get a little big headed and expect to be perfect. Need to find a way to stay grounded and focused.

It might be best to change the title of the thread to "talking about our kids and their sports" which I would be all about. I think it is worthwhile to talk about the struggles and challenges as much as the achievements and overcoming adversity.

I don't have any advice as I am heading into that storm that you are coming out of. I fear and expect a similar attitude from my son. I am very scared about it because he has yet to be on a bad team. The worse season he had was last year's football and they were above 500. He has commented several times about how a team was not any good and they were going to destroy them, etc. His reaction to last years swim season where he was not winning heats/races because he was a very young 9 year old in a the 10U gave me a glimpse where he was fighting me on going to practice all the time and even pushed to skip this current season even though he was doing very well if you looked at just the 9 year olds and made the conference and regional teams and then later won the 'most improved' award for the 10U and got all his awards.... he has been all in for swim season so far as that changed his attitude. He has a lot of natural athletic talent that I think can work against him because at times he doesn't want to put in time to get better because he is already 'good' comparatively to his peers. Though he isn't playing baseball, I can see a very similar thing happen to him where he is expecting to have a cake walk.... even does have a cake walk but gets upset about not getting a sack or TD or hitting a 3 or stopping a goal kick or whatever.

As a father..... I have no idea. I have thought about it a lot and don't have any real answers and I am bracing for it. All I have done is try to reinforce sportsmanship, a focus on team, having good perspective at all times and a focus on end results.

As a coach.... it sounds like the coach already laid into him which is good. Having those expectations is important and all of the above is something that I stress with my teams that I coach.

Hoping the conversation goes well and he cools off but he is 17 so....

 

[Gally]

As a father..... I have no idea. I have thought about it a lot and don't have any real answers and I am bracing for it. All I have done is try to reinforce sportsmanship, a focus on team, having good perspective at all times and a focus on end results.

As a coach.... it sounds like the coach already laid into him which is good. Having those expectations is important and all of the above is something that I stress with my teams that I coach.

Hoping the conversation goes well and he cools off but he is 17 so....

I try and combine these two things into one as I have been his coach for many years so trying to be a coach and a father can get tricky. Especially when you see the potential and want to push (sometimes gently,.....sometimes not so gently) to get there. I have had discussions periodically about what coaches expect and what coaches look at having been a coach for 20+ years (15 at the HS varsity level). Those go well when they aren't right after games or meltdowns. Baseball is a really tough sport for young kids that expect success every time because it is a game of failure. We have had many a discussion as my son has matured over failing and moving on and how baseball is one of the most difficult sports mentally because there is so much failure along the way. He has made vast improvements in this realm and by and large really has impressed me with how good his attitude has been the majority of the time. I always give him praise after games when this happens to try and reinforce that good behavior in difficult situations.

The biggest issues have come when his expectations are very high and then he falls a bit short of those expectations. It's why I really want to discuss the preparation and level setting of expectations to stay on that even keel during situations that happen. Especially in situations where he is playing against lesser competition. He is very smart so he does strategize to some degree to not go 100% at times when he feels he doesn't have to. He likes to "save" something for later in games or when he needs a big out. Sometimes he takes that too far (like yesterday) when he plays against obviously inferior talent. We need to discuss how to approach these situations so he can get a focus to not let these things derail him mentally.

It's all a learning experience but the older he gets the more these types of showings can hurt your future. That is where I am trying to go with this.

 

[Gally]

Next installment. Game was the second in the home in home week vs the team they just beat 22-1 in 5 innings. This game wasn't much different. The biggest difference was their team was able to mostly throw strikes so there weren't 14 walks. We won 17-0 in 5 innings. My son played 3B. Made a great play to preserve the shutout in the 5th inning even if it was fundamentally the right play to make given the situation. We are up 17-0 with a runner on 3B with one out. Hard hit ball to his glove side and he picks it clean. Checks the runner a few times then fires a perfect throw to beat the runner by a step. Great play in a 1 run game. In a seventeen run game forget the runner and make the play to first. Who cares if he scores. I asked him about it afterwards and he said the shoutout was important to the team. He wanted to make sure they made it happen. OK. He made the play. It was good practice. Can't argue with it too much.

He ended up going 3 for 4 with a walk and three really hard hit singles. All line drives. All great swings. His 4th AB he just rolled over a pitch and grounded out to SS. Still a good day overall.

Next games this Saturday for a double header. Should easily beat this team twice.

 

[The Z Machine]

Why are they playing this same team so often?

 

[Gally]

Why are they playing this same team so often?

They only played them twice. They play every team in their league twice. The schedule just has that happen in the same week either with a double header or a Tuesday/Friday. It forces a team to use a different starter each time so you can't stack your best guy to go against the same team every time.

 

[The Z Machine]

My son really struggled in his 4th baseball game on Sat. He got spooked in his first AB. Pitcher threw the first ball behind him and the second ball at his feet. In any case he looked really nervous in he box. On the day, 3 strikeouts, all looking. Two of which were with bases loaded and ended the inning. I think he swung at 1 pitch total, which was a half-hearted swing.

It was tough to watch. I went over to him after the 3rd K and he had tears in his eyes, just sitting on the bench alone with his helmet on. I told him I was proud of him for sticking with it and working through this. That he was a good kid and he'll get better.

Thankfully his team won the game 7-3 so he was happy to celebrate the win with his team.

The next day we played a bit in the park and I asked him about the game. He said he didn't swing because the first 2 pitches were balls so he figured he'd play the odds and try to get a walk. At least he was using his head...

He's a very different soccer player where he's much more sure of himself. Thankfully he's not one to dwell on things but the mental aspect of baseball makes it such a different game than soccer where sometimes you can just turn off your brain and just run and play. I hope this sporting adversity benefits him some in the long run.

 

[The Z Machine]

Next games this Saturday for a double header. Should easily beat this team twice.

I took "this team" to mean the not so good team you had been talking about. I now see you're talking about a different team altogether.

 

[Gally]

The next day we played a bit in the park and I asked him about the game. He said he didn't swing because the first 2 pitches were balls so he figured he'd play the odds and try to get a walk. At least he was using his head...

This is one of the biggest detriments to learning to hit especially at younger age groups if pitchers can't throw strikes. It is also one of the worst things a bad coach can feed into because he will tell his players not to swing trying to get walks. It really grinds the game to a hault.

It could be a silver lining that he struck out three times (if he was really thinking the pitcher wouldn't throw strikes instead of being a bit afraid after the first couple pitches being at him). If he is scarred (not sure how old he is) it is a really hard thing to get past. I don't really have a good drill to get over that. Just more experience and realizing you can get out of the way fairly easily so you won't get hit and then if you do get hit it generally doesn't hurt as much as you think it will.

 

[Andrew74]

I am really bummed that my son has thrown in the towel on lacrosse for the future. He seems good at it, even for not putting in much work, but he doesn’t enjoy it. He finally told me this weekend that it’s because he can’t tackle people. I think he may be legit psycho.

I had some issues in football with him being down on himself for mistakes. With rugby though, he’s getting the big head. I mean he’s probably the best player on the team, even if the team stinks. I met the 7th/8th grade coaches this weekend. They asked which kid was mine and after I said, they go, “the Legend?”, yeah he’s good. This doesn’t help. He was pissed not being named man of the match after the 2nd game. So I’m trying to figure out how to deflate the bubble w/o being an ***.

He did have a good weekend even though they got smoked twice. He had a fantastic try, taking it the entire length of the field. He’s a tackling machine. There was one series (whatever it’s called between whistles) where he made 6 straight tackles. Some of the opponents had to be 175lbs+, but he’s full speed attacking everything. I counted 12 bruises on his right leg alone. He would be legit dangerous if he wasn’t just 85lbs (and his body would prob be better off, too).

 

[BigJohn]

Son's freshman baseball game tonight. He's 6'3" and a terrific athlete. But, he normally gets tuck at 1st base and pitcher. He's been spending most of his time in the outfield this year and he finally got the chance to really extend himself.

The video isn't great, but he's playing centerfield. Covers a lot of ground and lays out full extension. By far his best catch ever.

Video Link

ETA: The appeal worked and the kid gout doubled up. Home plate umpire had no idea what he was doing.

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

My son really struggled in his 4th baseball game on Sat. He got spooked in his first AB. Pitcher threw the first ball behind him and the second ball at his feet. In any case he looked really nervous in he box. On the day, 3 strikeouts, all looking. Two of which were with bases loaded and ended the inning. I think he swung at 1 pitch total, which was a half-hearted swing.

It was tough to watch. I went over to him after the 3rd K and he had tears in his eyes, just sitting on the bench alone with his helmet on. I told him I was proud of him for sticking with it and working through this. That he was a good kid and he'll get better.

Thankfully his team won the game 7-3 so he was happy to celebrate the win with his team.

The next day we played a bit in the park and I asked him about the game. He said he didn't swing because the first 2 pitches were balls so he figured he'd play the odds and try to get a walk. At least he was using his head...

He's a very different soccer player where he's much more sure of himself. Thankfully he's not one to dwell on things but the mental aspect of baseball makes it such a different game than soccer where sometimes you can just turn off your brain and just run and play. I hope this sporting adversity benefits him some in the long run.

Baseball is hard.

 

[The Z Machine]

The next day we played a bit in the park and I asked him about the game. He said he didn't swing because the first 2 pitches were balls so he figured he'd play the odds and try to get a walk. At least he was using his head...

This is one of the biggest detriments to learning to hit especially at younger age groups if pitchers can't throw strikes. It is also one of the worst things a bad coach can feed into because he will tell his players not to swing trying to get walks. It really grinds the game to a hault.

It could be a silver lining that he struck out three times (if he was really thinking the pitcher wouldn't throw strikes instead of being a bit afraid after the first couple pitches being at him). If he is scarred (not sure how old he is) it is a really hard thing to get past. I don't really have a good drill to get over that. Just more experience and realizing you can get out of the way fairly easily so you won't get hit and then if you do get hit it generally doesn't hurt as much as you think it will.

He's 9 years old and has never played baseball before. He does fine when adults are pitching or there's a pitching machine, but he thinks that the kids are going to throw the ball at him every time. You're right, he just needs reps to be able to stay in the box calmly and not get spooked by erratic pitching.

 

[Chadstroma]

My son really struggled in his 4th baseball game on Sat. He got spooked in his first AB. Pitcher threw the first ball behind him and the second ball at his feet. In any case he looked really nervous in he box. On the day, 3 strikeouts, all looking. Two of which were with bases loaded and ended the inning. I think he swung at 1 pitch total, which was a half-hearted swing.

It was tough to watch. I went over to him after the 3rd K and he had tears in his eyes, just sitting on the bench alone with his helmet on. I told him I was proud of him for sticking with it and working through this. That he was a good kid and he'll get better.

Thankfully his team won the game 7-3 so he was happy to celebrate the win with his team.

The next day we played a bit in the park and I asked him about the game. He said he didn't swing because the first 2 pitches were balls so he figured he'd play the odds and try to get a walk. At least he was using his head...

He's a very different soccer player where he's much more sure of himself. Thankfully he's not one to dwell on things but the mental aspect of baseball makes it such a different game than soccer where sometimes you can just turn off your brain and just run and play. I hope this sporting adversity benefits him some in the long run.

Baseball is a tough sport to learn. Natural athletic talent does not automatically mean success where as many other sports you can carry your athleticism to be somewhat successful from one sport to the next. Among the more popular American sports, Baseball/Softall stand out on this.

Baseball was my first sport, starting in kindergarten t-ball and only sport until a few years later. I had a fair amount of natural athletic talent when I was a kid. Playing basketball, I was always the better (or best) player on the team. Pretty much most sports, even if I never played in organized competition, could join a pick up gain and be one of the better people playing. When joining serious players of a sport, I usually could hang with them- for example, I had a group of friends that all played volleyball (one went on to play pro for a number of years in Europe and he wasn't the best of the group), and I would play with them. Now, I wasn't one of the better players when playing with them but I could play well enough to be included. That all said, I was always average to above average in Baseball and it is the sport that I spent the most time on until basketball took over around 5th grade or so as my primary sport.

Hitting is so specific and does not translate well from other skillsets or just athletic talent. Same with pitching to a lesser degree. Fielding is the one area in baseball that athletic talent can help in but hitting is hard.

I never got my kids exposed to baseball/softball outside of a multi-sport summer camp. It wasn't on purpose. My daughter, my oldest, never showed interest in sports until she wanted to play with her friends at school for basketball and volleyball. She still has not shown any interest in it. She likely would have if the school had a team. She loves Volleyball but is much less enthusiastic about being on the club team than her school team. For my sons, between COVID and scheduling- it just never panned out. Last summer, I took a hard look at getting my older son in but it would have a lot of conflict with what was his first swim season as well as his school soccer team. I decided to pass. He has actually asked about it twice now saying that he wanted to try it.... but I told him that he just couldn't fit it in. On top of that, he has excelled so much in swim and it is so beneficial for him in his other sports, I wouldn't want to cancel that for trying baseball out.

You are 100% right too about the mental part of baseball. It is something that was never coached to me as a kid and I only understood it until later in life looking back at my baseball time. (I played up to 9th grade with Jeff Weaver on my team... and one at bat when I hit the dirt thinking I was about to get beaned and heard 'strike' with the catcher laughing.... decided right there and then, baseball was done for me.) The mental part of batting, pitching, base running, and even fielding (essentially paying attention for that split second of excitement after long periods of boredom) is very different from other sports. It is another reason I don't think my son would enjoy it. The thing he dislikes amount swimming the most is the boredom of meets waiting for your events. Yea... well... try the boredom of standing in the field but that is you actually playing the game kid.

Baseball is a great sport. A beautiful sport. Much more watchable now with the changes they made and I am getting back into it. But the whole point of this was the part you mentioned him not being himself.... he probably isn't because baseball is an acquired taste in a sense to play and even more so if his primary sport has been soccer. They are just so way worlds apart.

 

[Chadstroma]

I am really bummed that my son has thrown in the towel on lacrosse for the future. He seems good at it, even for not putting in much work, but he doesn’t enjoy it. He finally told me this weekend that it’s because he can’t tackle people. I think he may be legit psycho.

I had some issues in football with him being down on himself for mistakes. With rugby though, he’s getting the big head. I mean he’s probably the best player on the team, even if the team stinks. I met the 7th/8th grade coaches this weekend. They asked which kid was mine and after I said, they go, “the Legend?”, yeah he’s good. This doesn’t help. He was pissed not being named man of the match after the 2nd game. So I’m trying to figure out how to deflate the bubble w/o being an ***.

He did have a good weekend even though they got smoked twice. He had a fantastic try, taking it the entire length of the field. He’s a tackling machine. There was one series (whatever it’s called between whistles) where he made 6 straight tackles. Some of the opponents had to be 175lbs+, but he’s full speed attacking everything. I counted 12 bruises on his right leg alone. He would be legit dangerous if he wasn’t just 85lbs (and his body would prob be better off, too).

I love the "can't tackle people" comment.

Our close friends have been trying to get their son (2nd grade) into a sport. They tried baseball and a couple of others ones with comedic results of him basically not caring. I love him but he is a handful of a kid and any attempt to explain him would not do him justice here. They recently told me that he started lacrosse and apparently really likes it and my reaction was the same as my wife's when I told her "Ahhhhhh, yea, running around with a stick being physical.... of course he does! Why didn't we think of that before!"

Is your son playing football? Sounds like SS is hit spot for now.

 

[Chadstroma]

Son's freshman baseball game tonight. He's 6'3" and a terrific athlete. But, he normally gets tuck at 1st base and pitcher. He's been spending most of his time in the outfield this year and he finally got the chance to really extend himself.

The video isn't great, but he's playing centerfield. Covers a lot of ground and lays out full extension. By far his best catch ever.

Video Link

ETA: The appeal worked and the kid gout doubled up. Home plate umpire had no idea what he was doing.

Tall? yea, you are going to play first a lot.... even more so if you are lefty or there isn't a tall lefty on the team. I was tall with a strong arm but no mental game to pitch so it was 1st and center with some appearances at 3rd once in a while.

 

[Chadstroma]

The next day we played a bit in the park and I asked him about the game. He said he didn't swing because the first 2 pitches were balls so he figured he'd play the odds and try to get a walk. At least he was using his head...

This is one of the biggest detriments to learning to hit especially at younger age groups if pitchers can't throw strikes. It is also one of the worst things a bad coach can feed into because he will tell his players not to swing trying to get walks. It really grinds the game to a hault.

It could be a silver lining that he struck out three times (if he was really thinking the pitcher wouldn't throw strikes instead of being a bit afraid after the first couple pitches being at him). If he is scarred (not sure how old he is) it is a really hard thing to get past. I don't really have a good drill to get over that. Just more experience and realizing you can get out of the way fairly easily so you won't get hit and then if you do get hit it generally doesn't hurt as much as you think it will.

He's 9 years old and has never played baseball before. He does fine when adults are pitching or there's a pitching machine, but he thinks that the kids are going to throw the ball at him every time. You're right, he just needs reps to be able to stay in the box calmly and not get spooked by erratic pitching.

So very hard.... specially coming in at 9 years old to play and if he is used to playing other sports... that is super rough.

 

[Gally]

But, he normally gets tuck at 1st base and pitcher.

I find this wording interesting (and I am not referring to the typo). I assume it is primarily associated to playing 1B as most people like to pitch (although not everyone) and think 1B is boring or not difficult.

First Base is one of the most difficult positions to play well. It is also a key position to improve your infield defense greatly. If fielders know they don't have to make perfect throws then they can relax and just throw. it's a huge benefit to the entire infield. Being 6'-3" and athletic I can see why a coach would want your son to play 1B. He has a chance to give a big target and being athletic allows him to have the proper footwork to become an excellent 1B which is a huge benefit to a team. In addition, being able to play multiple positions as he gets older is a huge advantage if he wants to keep playing. The more things he can do the better. I woudl try and keep him interested in 1B and work to become really good. it's an unheralded position but teams that have great ones really appreciate it.

One of the things as a coach that is very hard to change is the mindset of players regarding various positions. First Base and RF are two of the primary instances. Most think 1B is easy and that RF is your worst player. Once you start getting to "real" baseball those sentiments are the furthest from the truth. Typically RF is your best OF's as he has the longest throws and the hardest reads off the bat. Getting over that mentality is hard for a coach to convey.

Great catch and keep up the good work!

 

[BigJohn]

But, he normally gets tuck at 1st base and pitcher.

I find this wording interesting (and I am not referring to the typo). I assume it is primarily associated to playing 1B as most people like to pitch (although not everyone) and think 1B is boring or not difficult.

First Base is one of the most difficult positions to play well. It is also a key position to improve your infield defense greatly. If fielders know they don't have to make perfect throws then they can relax and just throw. it's a huge benefit to the entire infield. Being 6'-3" and athletic I can see why a coach would want your son to play 1B. He has a chance to give a big target and being athletic allows him to have the proper footwork to become an excellent 1B which is a huge benefit to a team. In addition, being able to play multiple positions as he gets older is a huge advantage if he wants to keep playing. The more things he can do the better. I woudl try and keep him interested in 1B and work to become really good. it's an unheralded position but teams that have great ones really appreciate it.

One of the things as a coach that is very hard to change is the mindset of players regarding various positions. First Base and RF are two of the primary instances. Most think 1B is easy and that RF is your worst player. Once you start getting to "real" baseball those sentiments are the furthest from the truth. Typically RF is your best OF's as he has the longest throws and the hardest reads off the bat. Getting over that mentality is hard for a coach to convey.

Great catch and keep up the good work!

Agree completely. He is always wanting to play multiple positions. It's something I've always preached, so he just gets frustrated. He is an excellent first baseman. For all the reasons you listed, it just fits him. He just gets very excited when he gets to try something new. They've even had him catch a few games this year.

 

[Andrew74]

I am really bummed that my son has thrown in the towel on lacrosse for the future. He seems good at it, even for not putting in much work, but he doesn’t enjoy it. He finally told me this weekend that it’s because he can’t tackle people. I think he may be legit psycho.

I had some issues in football with him being down on himself for mistakes. With rugby though, he’s getting the big head. I mean he’s probably the best player on the team, even if the team stinks. I met the 7th/8th grade coaches this weekend. They asked which kid was mine and after I said, they go, “the Legend?”, yeah he’s good. This doesn’t help. He was pissed not being named man of the match after the 2nd game. So I’m trying to figure out how to deflate the bubble w/o being an ***.

He did have a good weekend even though they got smoked twice. He had a fantastic try, taking it the entire length of the field. He’s a tackling machine. There was one series (whatever it’s called between whistles) where he made 6 straight tackles. Some of the opponents had to be 175lbs+, but he’s full speed attacking everything. I counted 12 bruises on his right leg alone. He would be legit dangerous if he wasn’t just 85lbs (and his body would prob be better off, too).

I love the "can't tackle people" comment.

Our close friends have been trying to get their son (2nd grade) into a sport. They tried baseball and a couple of others ones with comedic results of him basically not caring. I love him but he is a handful of a kid and any attempt to explain him would not do him justice here. They recently told me that he started lacrosse and apparently really likes it and my reaction was the same as my wife's when I told her "Ahhhhhh, yea, running around with a stick being physical.... of course he does! Why didn't we think of that before!"

Is your son playing football? Sounds like SS is hit spot for now.

Oh yeah, he love football. Play LB for now. We will see how he grows before 7th grade this fall. I could see him being moved to SS.

 

[Chadstroma]

I am really bummed that my son has thrown in the towel on lacrosse for the future. He seems good at it, even for not putting in much work, but he doesn’t enjoy it. He finally told me this weekend that it’s because he can’t tackle people. I think he may be legit psycho.

I had some issues in football with him being down on himself for mistakes. With rugby though, he’s getting the big head. I mean he’s probably the best player on the team, even if the team stinks. I met the 7th/8th grade coaches this weekend. They asked which kid was mine and after I said, they go, “the Legend?”, yeah he’s good. This doesn’t help. He was pissed not being named man of the match after the 2nd game. So I’m trying to figure out how to deflate the bubble w/o being an ***.

He did have a good weekend even though they got smoked twice. He had a fantastic try, taking it the entire length of the field. He’s a tackling machine. There was one series (whatever it’s called between whistles) where he made 6 straight tackles. Some of the opponents had to be 175lbs+, but he’s full speed attacking everything. I counted 12 bruises on his right leg alone. He would be legit dangerous if he wasn’t just 85lbs (and his body would prob be better off, too).

I love the "can't tackle people" comment.

Our close friends have been trying to get their son (2nd grade) into a sport. They tried baseball and a couple of others ones with comedic results of him basically not caring. I love him but he is a handful of a kid and any attempt to explain him would not do him justice here. They recently told me that he started lacrosse and apparently really likes it and my reaction was the same as my wife's when I told her "Ahhhhhh, yea, running around with a stick being physical.... of course he does! Why didn't we think of that before!"

Is your son playing football? Sounds like SS is hit spot for now.

Oh yeah, he love football. Play LB for now. We will see how he grows before 7th grade this fall. I could see him being moved to SS.

A buddy of mine growing up was a REALLY good LB in club teams but he was just so short... like an inch from being a midget legally kind of short (that may be an exaggeration). If he had 9 more inches on him then I think he likely would have been a D1 type of player. Insane instincts and understanding of the game, super hard hitter that could knock the crap out of bigger than him (like me when we were messing around) and no one could block him. He always got out of it. Just too small and not fast enough. Him in my body.... dude would have been dangerous.

 

[The Z Machine]

Son got 2 walks on Tuesday and actually swung at a pitch and fouled it off on a 2-2 count. He admitted he was way behind the pitch, thought it was going to be a ball based on the release point, then realized it was going to be a strike so he swung in a desperate attempt to stay alive. At least he's thinking...

 

[Drunken knight]

The girls have a 5 game win streak going and are now 2nd in division. Daughter is fighting through a toe injury from the fall. It’s pretty ugly and it’s hard to plant/push off. She is getting plenty of pt but definitely looks a step slower. Doing great. Coach is resting her for bigger games at the end of regular season. We lost a wonderful senior defender to multiple concussions (cheer and lacrosse), so they are thinner at the position.

8 game win streak. 2 regular season games remaining. In 1st place. Will play 2nd and 3rd next week.

12 teams in conference. Top 2 make playoffs. Will play 3rd place team wed. A win on Wednesday secures playoffs. 2nd place team is strongest….. so that Wednesday game is big for them

won the first one, lost the second. got the 2nd seed. This week was a repeat of last week: played the #3 on Wednesday, and won, but lost our best offensive player due to ACL/MCL. Playing the #1 tonight for conference, but is going to be rough.

edit: last friday's match up: our two scorers fouled out (each received 2 yellow cards) and were a "man" down for the final 20 minutes of the game.