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8u tournament team for baseball (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter swirvenirvin
- Start date
swirvenirvin
Footballguy
restaurant worked great, felt bad for restaurant. Ast coach kid who has been the topic of discussion is not well behaved and neither is his little brother. One other of the older kids and his younger brother also terrible children, throwing crayons doing stuff that shouldnt be done. Parents for most part ignored it but other parents and me yelled at them. Dumb
2 losses today. First game in 2 weeks and live action was tough on us for the first two innings with some costly errors and I think they put up 8 in those first two. Final was 13-6 or something. They werent great hitting but the other team made every single play, think they had zero errors which is just incredible at this level. Thier infield was outstanding and gobbled everything up.
2nd game I knew was going to be rough as these kids are all 8 and big and finished 2nd place to the cheater federation team 2 weeks ago. We played great for the first 5 innings and was 12-5 going into the top of the 6th. Their bats woke up and they started just hitting the living #### out of the ball, think they scored 10+ I have no idea actually how many they scored it was bad. No errors on our parts just line drive after line drive and saw the first over the fence homerun for a 8 yr old. They kept it to singles after the homerun, and eventually called their last batter out because he "threw the bat" which was nice of them.
Oof good experience in live games but sucks getting crushed like that in the last inning
swirvenirvin
Footballguy
Big 15-7 win today, and looks like we just got put in the good bracket with the host tournament guys putting the 2 crappy teams in their bracket. The team we beat today only lost by 1 run to another team in their bracket.
Won the toss and picked to hit first to keep the kids loose early. Went up 10-0 after the top of the 4th and could would have mercied them if shut them down in the 4th. So 4th and 5th is when I play the B squad defense and well what do you know they put up 5 run vs us. We come back and get 5 in the top of the 5th and they get 2 more in the bottom of the 5th. Put A squad back in in the 6th and get easy double play to win.
I know I talked about the rotation of players, but through 6 games I am the only manager/team that doesnt play a kid at the same position the entire game. Didnt come back to bite us today but it is hard to watch, would have sucked if we blew it in the 4th and 5th somehow.
So far 2-4, have beaten every team we should and have lost every game to 8 yr olds who have been playing together for a while or the fed team.
Ast coach kid k'd all 3 times today, and he is also making bad calls as 1B coach. Ball hit through infield and having kids run through the base, instead of turning and looking. Bad throw happens and guys could have gone to 2nd. Next batter up hot shot up th middle that SS dives for and makes a great play and easy force out at 2nd. Has kids tage when they shouldnt and not tag when they should be. Frustrating.
Im trying to scrimmage another 7U team as we now have a month in between tournaments. Ast coach was supposed to book one for next weekend but he never got a hold of the guy who was running it. I contacted the guy via text earlier in the week and he responded back instantly but said they were full
Won the toss and picked to hit first to keep the kids loose early. Went up 10-0 after the top of the 4th and could would have mercied them if shut them down in the 4th. So 4th and 5th is when I play the B squad defense and well what do you know they put up 5 run vs us. We come back and get 5 in the top of the 5th and they get 2 more in the bottom of the 5th. Put A squad back in in the 6th and get easy double play to win.
I know I talked about the rotation of players, but through 6 games I am the only manager/team that doesnt play a kid at the same position the entire game. Didnt come back to bite us today but it is hard to watch, would have sucked if we blew it in the 4th and 5th somehow.
So far 2-4, have beaten every team we should and have lost every game to 8 yr olds who have been playing together for a while or the fed team.
Ast coach kid k'd all 3 times today, and he is also making bad calls as 1B coach. Ball hit through infield and having kids run through the base, instead of turning and looking. Bad throw happens and guys could have gone to 2nd. Next batter up hot shot up th middle that SS dives for and makes a great play and easy force out at 2nd. Has kids tage when they shouldnt and not tag when they should be. Frustrating.
Im trying to scrimmage another 7U team as we now have a month in between tournaments. Ast coach was supposed to book one for next weekend but he never got a hold of the guy who was running it. I contacted the guy via text earlier in the week and he responded back instantly but said they were full
swirvenirvin
Footballguy
Also at a crossroad for next year
Some want to go into the area "fed" route next yr with kid pitch. I personally think it would be a rough go around for the boys next year but they would learn a lot if we did this.
I think it would probably be better if we kept the 7 yr olds together played in the rec league together vs 8 and 9 yr olds and used the rec as a "practice" for tournaments and played in 6 or 7 tournaments next year and actually competed in them. Then make the jump the "fed" ball as 9U.
Problem is with this though is I may have trouble keeping all 11 kids together next yr as a few would probably want to make the jump.
Some want to go into the area "fed" route next yr with kid pitch. I personally think it would be a rough go around for the boys next year but they would learn a lot if we did this.
I think it would probably be better if we kept the 7 yr olds together played in the rec league together vs 8 and 9 yr olds and used the rec as a "practice" for tournaments and played in 6 or 7 tournaments next year and actually competed in them. Then make the jump the "fed" ball as 9U.
Problem is with this though is I may have trouble keeping all 11 kids together next yr as a few would probably want to make the jump.
Angry Beavers
Footballguy
Great update. It is never fun playing "up" and losing, but as your groups of kids are getting better, developing and generally having a good time, it sounds like you are doing a great job. Also, no point in never moving the kids around to different positions. That is a mistake on the other coaches' part in an attempt to "win" at all costs at 7 and 8 years old... that makes no sense to me. Kids will further their development and be ultimately be more valuable to their high school teams etc if they can play more than 1 spot. Not that these kids are going to HS ball anytime soon, but I think you understand what I am getting at.
No matter which direction you go, you are going to lose a few kids. My experience is that it is very hard to keep the entire team together one year to the next. If you keep most of the team and say 3 of your 4 best kids, you are succeeding in that area, IMHO. You should do what you think is best, and given that you are talking about 8 year olds here, I personally would say go back to the rec league as kid pitch that young sounds a little early to me. It would be great if you could convince the league to get rid of the batting machines and allow coach pitch.
Thanks for sharing. I have 2 teenage boys, the younger one who never really liked baseball and the older one who plays year round. The younger one plays just about every other sport and has a couple of years to go. The older one is going into his Senior year, so the light is at end of the tunnel relative to spending weekends on the diamond ( like early this morning an hour away) and it is very bittersweet.
No matter which direction you go, you are going to lose a few kids. My experience is that it is very hard to keep the entire team together one year to the next. If you keep most of the team and say 3 of your 4 best kids, you are succeeding in that area, IMHO. You should do what you think is best, and given that you are talking about 8 year olds here, I personally would say go back to the rec league as kid pitch that young sounds a little early to me. It would be great if you could convince the league to get rid of the batting machines and allow coach pitch.
Thanks for sharing. I have 2 teenage boys, the younger one who never really liked baseball and the older one who plays year round. The younger one plays just about every other sport and has a couple of years to go. The older one is going into his Senior year, so the light is at end of the tunnel relative to spending weekends on the diamond ( like early this morning an hour away) and it is very bittersweet.
Mr. Know-It-All
Footballguy
This one hit so close to home - different age group - my son plays for a Senior Legion team. Yesterday we were beating a team 8-1 in the top of the 4th and the coach decided it was time to give guys that don't normally play some PT. 15 man roster, so he brings in 6 guys that normally don't get much pt. The six guys that came in combined for 1-8 with 4 ks at the plate and 5 errors in the field. We wound up losing on a walk off error to ss. To a team that was 5-30 (not that we are spectacular but heading into the game we were 18-14). Sucks to have lost, but hopefully it will put the fire in the belly of those kids to step up next time they are competing for a position or trying to hold on to a lead.
swirvenirvin
Footballguy
yes can keep them together.. thats the good thing. There are a few 8 yr olds who are too old but they are the worst on the team so somewhat of a good thing. I would essentially use the rec league as a practice for the tournaments. We would be 7 and 8 yr olds facing off vs other 8 and 9 yr olds. From the current group I would lose 4-5 players but have been in contact with 4 other players who are all age eligible and expressed interest. They could not be on the tournament team for one reason or another
swirvenirvin
Footballguy
this tournament was 5 last one was 7, except the last inning is unlimited.
Thats the thing yesterday if we were away team we would have lost like 12-6 or something.. instead it was 3346893 to 5 or whatever. They didnt reach 5 runs in any innings until the last one which was unlimited
swirvenirvin
Footballguy
belljr
Footballguy
Bull Dozier
Footballguy
I don't get why competitive coaches do this. My son plays VFW, and they have a fairly set starting lineup, with only a little movement based on who is pitching. Most of the time it is 10 guys rotating through the 9 spots based on the pitcher. Every once in a while, he throws the "second unit" out there with all the bench kids, and a few of the normal starters moving to secondary positions. It's like he just wants to throw the game. I don't see why he doesn't start one of the bench players per game max. They wouldn't have to concede games, or do what happened to you where they blow a lead made by the starters.
Mr. Know-It-All
Footballguy
I agree with you. The funniest thing was that after the game - the same parents who complain the loudest about why their kid doesn't play as often were complaining about why the coach removed the starters to put us in a position to lose the game. It's like they want their kid to play but only if they play well and the team wins. Any other outcome and the coach is an idiot.I don't get why competitive coaches do this. My son plays VFW, and they have a fairly set starting lineup, with only a little movement based on who is pitching. Most of the time it is 10 guys rotating through the 9 spots based on the pitcher. Every once in a while, he throws the "second unit" out there with all the bench kids, and a few of the normal starters moving to secondary positions. It's like he just wants to throw the game. I don't see why he doesn't start one of the bench players per game max. They wouldn't have to concede games, or do what happened to you where they blow a lead made by the starters.
sbonomo
Footballguy
![[scooter]](/data/avatars/m/22/22287.jpg?1659477690){kind=avatar}
[scooter]
Footballguy
Maybe instead of "B Squad" and "A Squad", you could divide the "B" players into 2 groups that can be safely hidden into the "A" lineup? Like put a "B" player at centerfield, but have your best outfielders surround him. Or put a "B" player at 2nd base, but make sure 1st and shortstop can cover for him?
belljr
Footballguy
Had no idea where to post this and didn't want to start a new thread.
This past weekend was our last tournament. We played 9 games in 3 days.
The tournament didn't go the way we hoped the last day. It was a hybrid of a double elimination bracket.
Basically, they end up with a loser bracket champion (they call it playback) but they then don't have you play the winner bracket champs again (possibly twice).
In a nutshell we lost our first game of the bracket but then won our next 2 to be the playback champ. And the winner of the whole tournament was the team we lost 2 (whom we are 2-2 against this season).
The biggest part is most of these girls have been playing for 2 years together but after this season half of us are leaving town ball for a club team and half are staying - so it was a bit emotional and bittersweet.
This past weekend was our last tournament. We played 9 games in 3 days.
The tournament didn't go the way we hoped the last day. It was a hybrid of a double elimination bracket.
Basically, they end up with a loser bracket champion (they call it playback) but they then don't have you play the winner bracket champs again (possibly twice).
In a nutshell we lost our first game of the bracket but then won our next 2 to be the playback champ. And the winner of the whole tournament was the team we lost 2 (whom we are 2-2 against this season).
The biggest part is most of these girls have been playing for 2 years together but after this season half of us are leaving town ball for a club team and half are staying - so it was a bit emotional and bittersweet.
Bull Dozier
Footballguy
I hear you. A buddy and I have been coaching traveling basketball together for three years. The boys were in 8th grade last winter, so they will move on from traveling and play high school ball in the fall. The team is splitting up to go to three different high schools, so they won't be playing together anymore. The core group of kids, probably 6 of the ten, have been playing together since 5th grade, some started together as early as 3rd grade. The last game was a bummer to see end. We lost, so we did not have the chance to go out on a high note, and the parents acted as bad as they ever have, so it was a double whammy. Its tough to see it end.
belljr
Footballguy
We couldn't have a better group of parents sure there's always issues but for the most part they have all been great so that's the scary part and also seen what other talent actually going to come out for a 12u team
A lot of unknowns and scary anxious times but exciting also
swirvenirvin
Footballguy
I set up a scrimmage tomorrow vs another team with kids our same age.
Playing at their good field so should be fun for the boys, real dugouts, grass infield, and starting at 8:00 and they are turning the lights on for us to play under the lights.
Seems like dad of bad coach has checked out, not a lot of texts doesnt talk to much at practice.
I did a HR derby last week and was more of a fun thing to do after our last tournament. Each kid got 15 balls or so from me pitching like 15-20 feet away, he swung and missed at probably 11 of them and was the only 1 not to hit a HR. Think the kids is starting to realize he is embarrassing himself and the dad feels bad for forcing him into this. Love the idea of yeah my kid is into baseball and he wants to practice more, but should have realized that he was in way over his head and shouldnt have set him up for failure.
Playing at their good field so should be fun for the boys, real dugouts, grass infield, and starting at 8:00 and they are turning the lights on for us to play under the lights.
Seems like dad of bad coach has checked out, not a lot of texts doesnt talk to much at practice.
I did a HR derby last week and was more of a fun thing to do after our last tournament. Each kid got 15 balls or so from me pitching like 15-20 feet away, he swung and missed at probably 11 of them and was the only 1 not to hit a HR. Think the kids is starting to realize he is embarrassing himself and the dad feels bad for forcing him into this. Love the idea of yeah my kid is into baseball and he wants to practice more, but should have realized that he was in way over his head and shouldnt have set him up for failure.
dino259
Footballguy
Good groups of coaches in this thread, My oldest is playing 10U on a town travel team with his classmates (he technically qualifies for 9U). He played machine pitch last year and not on the 9U travel team. There are 13 players (too many) with him being 1 of 5 new members. The team is much better this year. The team organization philosophy is still to rotate players. It has been a struggle as enough of the team doesn't have much focus. I think they don't really care what happens. Kids play a combination of infield and outfield. My kid has been 1 of 2 that has played short stop occasionally when the best kid doesn't play there.
My long winded question is at what point do you start slotting kids into 1 fixed position?
I think it would start helping kids with knowing what to do with the ball if it is hit to them. Although some may never figure that out. In our last game the catcher threw down to first on a pick off move. Went over the first baseman's head. Playing with 4 outfielders and the right fielder never moved 1 step. My kid playing 2nd went over and picked up the ball and got it back in.
My long winded question is at what point do you start slotting kids into 1 fixed position?
I think it would start helping kids with knowing what to do with the ball if it is hit to them. Although some may never figure that out. In our last game the catcher threw down to first on a pick off move. Went over the first baseman's head. Playing with 4 outfielders and the right fielder never moved 1 step. My kid playing 2nd went over and picked up the ball and got it back in.
Bull Dozier
Footballguy
High school?
With a roster of 12 on average, and multiple pitchers needed, kids need to know at least two positions. At 10U it is not uncommon to move kids around a lot. Some of that is need, with so many pitchers needed, and the need to move kids around. Some of that is that you don't really know who is going to develop into what positions. My good friend's son is playing 10U right now. They have four left handers. 10U is a little early to tell lefties their future is P, 1B, and outfield, so they get rotated through the other infield positions.
I would say by 12 or 13, kids should be settled into two positions (some can handle more). Setting kids into one position much before that is counter productive. A kid may eventually be a great right fielder, but if you have a good pitcher going in a game, can you imagine how boring standing in right field all game would be at that age? You have to keep kids interested at this age, and if that means putting kids in too many positions so they can try different things and find out what they enjoy, then so be it.
Not every kid needs that I know. I know my kids would have been totally happy with just playing one position and mastering that. But, at 10, my oldest was a catcher. Then he hit is growth spurt, has Osgood Schlatters (not good for playing catcher). If you asked my youngest at 10, he'd say he wanted to be an outfielder (he wanted to be Bryce Harper). At 14, if you ask him now, he'd rather stab his eyes out with a dull stick than play outfield. Had he never had the chance to play infield, he wouldn't have the skills to make the switch.
belljr
Footballguy
I agree with Bull D. This year at 12U we started focusing on primary and secondary positions but OF was outfield.
For example, and this is not trying to be a look at me but my daughter plays center, catcher. occasionally pitches but also plays SS or 3B on occasion She is definitley rusty at SS. only played a few innings and the natural "coverage" and rotations is not there like our normal SS>
She will do that again next year. Once she hits 14U we will probably start to really focus on limiting her placement.
Some of our kids play OF and 2B. Some it's SS and 2B. So it varies by kid and talent.
But 10U give them a chance to learn
For example, and this is not trying to be a look at me but my daughter plays center, catcher. occasionally pitches but also plays SS or 3B on occasion She is definitley rusty at SS. only played a few innings and the natural "coverage" and rotations is not there like our normal SS>
She will do that again next year. Once she hits 14U we will probably start to really focus on limiting her placement.
Some of our kids play OF and 2B. Some it's SS and 2B. So it varies by kid and talent.
But 10U give them a chance to learn
Late to the party here but have a few thoughts on some of the things being discussed. I coach a 8-11 year old "minors" Rec team and assistant for out 10u all-stars.
Have to decide you goals, is it winning or development. If it's development is it for everyone or the top few? That will answer a lot of other questions. Make sure the parents and kids know that goal, it will help them understand and cope with a lot of the playing time and position decisions you make.
During our rec season we play 4 other parks, not all have the same goal. We are 100% development of all kids orientated. One park we play keeps 3-4 good 11 year olds on each team, and plays set potions all year with the older kids playing P, C, 1st, SS. They kill us, always... But when all-stars came around their 10u team was 0-4, because they had no experience.
I did a rolling batting order, kid who was next up when a game ended, started the next game. I put a couple kids who walked a lot and were good base runners in front of my best hitters, and the slowest kids all in one group. seemed to work fine, and never heard a single complaint about batting order from a kid or parent.
We also moved kids all around most played every position at some point in the season. One kid was deathly afraid to catch so I didn't push it, and a couple younger ones didn't play 1st. When we got to the 10u all-stars we settle into positions for most kids and have a few float around to multiple positions as needed. We had an agreement with one other team to treat our 2 games against each other as kind of a practice game, and both pitched our kids with no other experience. We let the umpire know to give us a little bigger strike zone and encouraged our batters to be swinging. It was a good chance for those kids to get an opportunity to learn it's a little harder than it looks, and if they want to do it regularly they have to work at it.
Not sure any of these things work as well in a travel team type format where you have to win to play more games though.
If you want them to learn cutoffs and backup responsibility at a young age.. get MLB the show 17. The kids who play that a lot (specifically the create a player mode) are so far past everyone else in knowing situations and their responsibilities.
Have to decide you goals, is it winning or development. If it's development is it for everyone or the top few? That will answer a lot of other questions. Make sure the parents and kids know that goal, it will help them understand and cope with a lot of the playing time and position decisions you make.
During our rec season we play 4 other parks, not all have the same goal. We are 100% development of all kids orientated. One park we play keeps 3-4 good 11 year olds on each team, and plays set potions all year with the older kids playing P, C, 1st, SS. They kill us, always... But when all-stars came around their 10u team was 0-4, because they had no experience.
I did a rolling batting order, kid who was next up when a game ended, started the next game. I put a couple kids who walked a lot and were good base runners in front of my best hitters, and the slowest kids all in one group. seemed to work fine, and never heard a single complaint about batting order from a kid or parent.
We also moved kids all around most played every position at some point in the season. One kid was deathly afraid to catch so I didn't push it, and a couple younger ones didn't play 1st. When we got to the 10u all-stars we settle into positions for most kids and have a few float around to multiple positions as needed. We had an agreement with one other team to treat our 2 games against each other as kind of a practice game, and both pitched our kids with no other experience. We let the umpire know to give us a little bigger strike zone and encouraged our batters to be swinging. It was a good chance for those kids to get an opportunity to learn it's a little harder than it looks, and if they want to do it regularly they have to work at it.
Not sure any of these things work as well in a travel team type format where you have to win to play more games though.
If you want them to learn cutoffs and backup responsibility at a young age.. get MLB the show 17. The kids who play that a lot (specifically the create a player mode) are so far past everyone else in knowing situations and their responsibilities.
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Peak
Footballguy
I agree with this statement. My son playing 11U ball is a lefty, but he is also the only lefty. With that said, he plays 1B, P, and OF - but he's also seen time at 3B and SS. At 10U, let the kids explore all of the positions and learn as much as possible. His team focuses on their top 2 positions, but still expands on the opportunity to learn new ones. We've had kids who were catcher last year turn into a great SS. We've had a great SS turn into an even better catcher. Our best OF learned 3B this year and is developing much better there. It's a crapshoot each year as to what positions are their "primary" or "secondary" as the kids are still growing physically/mentally - not to mention learning new aspects of the game each year (positionally, strategically).
I know in our area, HS is where they are fit into slots for primary/secondary. I could make a case to start this as early as 13U, just because of the learning curve to prepare for HS Baseball tryouts. But until at least 13U, let the kids explore and learn how fun the game is from each position. They'll tell you where they feel comfortable playing.
SwampDawg
Footballguy
You can do both depending on how your league runs and if you set expectations for parents up front. My son plays 10U and here is how we operate. All the kids play on one of our in-house teams and we play in a small in-house league with teams from 3 neighboring organizations (11 teams total, we have 3 of them). During in-house play we emphasize to our coaches every kid should get a shot at any position they want as long as they can do so safely. You might have kids that you just don't feel safe with at pitcher if a ball gets drilled back to them or playing first base if your short stop fires a ball. That is ok, work with those kids if they really want to play there in practice and try to help them. And it is ok to be honest sometimes and just say a kid can't safely play a spot, just talk to the parents. I had a kid this year, had never played before because he had brain cancer so he was behind the other kids and a little hesitant. He said he wanted to pitch but was in no way ready. We worked with him and moved him around during the season getting him to feel more comfortable. We had a non league game toward the end of the year and I was moving kids all over and we felt comfortable with giving him a chance, he came in and pitched a nice inning and even struck out one of the tournament team kids. I didn't see it but they said his mom was crying because he had gone out to tell her he was going to pitch and she didn't believe him until he actually did.
Now as for our tournament team, these are the top 12 kids as selected at tryouts and play on this team in addition to their in-house teams. In April and May they play in 10U Sunday afternoon league where three teams get together and play a round robin. During this time they will get moved around and tried at different positions that they seem to have a knack for, keep in mind on the in-house teams they are usually the best 3 or 4 players, now a few of them are the 11th and 12th best. Each kid might play 4 different field positions and get a shot to pitch during these games. Some of the teams we play will play all out to win this little Sunday league, we use it as a way to sort out the team for tournament season. Come tournament season in June it is usually pretty obvious who fits at what position so the kids will start to focus on usually two positions plus probably 6 or 7 will also pitch. In the early tournaments we will still bat all 12 each game and everyone will get at least 2 innings in the field. Once we hit our last few tournaments and start Districts (we are Cal Ripken affiliated) we tighten that even more, we will bat everyone in the pool play games but come elimination rounds we bat 9 and sub the bottom of the lineup so everyone still gets some play time but our top 7 will usually play the whole game or at least 5 innings. If it is a blow out one way or the other then we will adjust on the fly and give the other kids some additional PT. The coach talked to the parents and let them know this was the plan ahead of time and how the kids did in practice and the opportunities they got would determine who those subs were. he emphasized they were still important and part of the team but if we wanted to be competitive we had to do this (and actually during Ripken play it was required). It seemed to work, they all improved over the year and when we got to the end batting just 9 turned our lineup over quicker and really helped us. We ended the season 14-13-2 but over the last 3 weekends were 7-3-1, won Districts against a much bigger program, finished third in a tournament losing a close game in the Semi's to the team that easily won the championship and won three games at the State tournament before losing in the quarter finals.
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swirvenirvin
Footballguy
Very cool experience for the boys to play on infield grass and at night with the lights on. We crushed the other guys 21-10 or something like that.
first inning machine was a little out of whack and we k'd 3 straight times, then got 1 across in the 2nd inning. After that we scored the max of 5 every innings. Sun was setting and think was in their eyes a little bit too. Boys loved it
first inning machine was a little out of whack and we k'd 3 straight times, then got 1 across in the 2nd inning. After that we scored the max of 5 every innings. Sun was setting and think was in their eyes a little bit too. Boys loved it
Mr. Know-It-All
Footballguy
Sometime around 12U seems right. Looking back, my best advice (which I wish I had followed) is practice more than you play. Too many team practice before the season then do nothing but play games for the entire season. Teach the games, compete for positions at practice - display your hard work in the games. And have kids competing for playing time through the practices - make playing time a privilege earned through hard work not doled out. 13U and 14U are ideal for instilling the notion that high school ball playing time is earned not given.
swirvenirvin
Footballguy
I don't think you ever have to slot kids into 1 fixed position. Baseball is a thinking game. Part of that thinking is knowing that you have to go somewhere every pitch. Whether that is backing up somewhere or going to the ball or whatever. Players should know the basics of every position because it only helps them the further they go in the sport. The best way to improve a kids chance of playing at upper levels is if they are flexible and can play anywhere. There will always be the potential of someone better than you at SS or RF or whatever so if you can play anywhere you will have a chance to play.
At all ages players should do drills for all positions. When I set up a practice I have infield stations, outfield stations, pitching stations, and catching stations. Every kid rotates through every station. Most of the positions skills start out the same. The basics are the same of throwing whether you are fielding a ground ball and stepping through to make the throw to first or if you are pitching. The basic mechanics are the same so players won't get hurt going through the pitching station even if they probably aren't suited to ever be a pitcher for whatever reason.
Bottom line is don't limit positions for kids. If they are interested in the sport explain to them that knowing how to play all positions will help them be a better player at whatever position they eventually settle into. As high school comes up players will start to settle into specific positions but having the knowledge of every position will help them even when they only play one position.
swirvenirvin
Footballguy
Kid with the best arm has developed major yips at 3B... Scared of ball doesn't get in front lifts heads and does the swipe at the ball thing.
Has a very good glove but starting to get into bad habits.
Anything to work on besides constantly throwing balls hard at him until he stops doing it? I do lots of drills when I focus the kids watching the ball in the glove already but those are mostly slow moving grounders
Has a very good glove but starting to get into bad habits.
Anything to work on besides constantly throwing balls hard at him until he stops doing it? I do lots of drills when I focus the kids watching the ball in the glove already but those are mostly slow moving grounders
belljr
Footballguy
Only 11 kids of 40 registrations showed up. And only 2 of them were remotely decent
I'm in full panic right now........ If we don't end up with a team we are absolutely screwed.
Did he recently take one off the chin or chest? Was there an event that caused the yips to start? Sometimes it just becomes a confidence thing if there wasn't a specific bad hop/hard hit off the chest event. Is this occurring in games or just during infield practice. I have had a kid that looks terrible at practice sometimes when you fungo balls at him but he reacts completely different when it's in a game. It's like night and day.
I would maintain the focus on the fundamental groundball techniques using hand rolled balls to build some confidence in fielding the ball properly. Then I would progress to hitting balls from a shorter distance (again focusing on proper technique). This should build some confidence (provided he makes the plays). I would look to do this in an area of the field that would minimize bad hops to try and take that out of the equation. If you can get him staying down on the ball and fielding correctly then move to full speed fungos and live reads off of the bat during controlled intrasquads.
There is also a big difference of reading balls off the bad from 3rd and SS. If he has a good arm maybe his groundball recognition and approach may be better suited for SS than 3B. You have to take different routes and the ball comes off the bad differently so that may be a possible solution as well if he just doesn't get 3B down. Or put him in RF (usually your strongest/best OF) if he just isn't capable of staying in front on the infield. Some kids just can't do it no matter how hard/often you practice it.
dino259
Footballguy
Have you been chucking wrenches at him?
Just keep giving more reps. Go back to basics and have him do a few without the glove? Barehand slow rollers.
swirvenirvin
Footballguy
Nope that's the think he hasn't.. Would totally understand if he did.. Yesterday we were doing football and working on throws after and flips to 2nd base so were giving the kids nice easy grounders and he struggled with those.
Occurring in games (some big ones like bases loaded 2 outs) and in practice
Not a matter of 3rd or SS, he is just scared doesn't get in front of the ball and lifts his head up
Very good outfielder still but at this level outfielder most of the balls are not hit in the air
swirvenirvin
Footballguy
We are also going with the fed 8U kid pitch next yr. I would rather have done the rec one more league with machine but is what it is.
Anyways tryouts are this week, we know we have 5 from the team 100% a couple of maybe's and a couple of other good kids we know about coming. I'll be on vacation so wont get to witness the tryouts, but any tips on hosting the tryouts.
Any specific drills to run during them? Should batting be just throwing to them live or see what the do on side toss too?
Anyways tryouts are this week, we know we have 5 from the team 100% a couple of maybe's and a couple of other good kids we know about coming. I'll be on vacation so wont get to witness the tryouts, but any tips on hosting the tryouts.
Any specific drills to run during them? Should batting be just throwing to them live or see what the do on side toss too?
Tryouts are really difficult to run well. The key is to get to see technique and attitude. When I have set up a tryout I try and do many stations and divide the kids into different groups that come at different times. If you have 6 different stations going on all at the same time you cannot evaluate the kids properly. If you have 20 kids all at once they will get bored standing and waiting to go through a particular station all at once. I try and have multiple stations that highlight a particular skill or two: Here is what I would recommend:
- Station #1: Fly balls to RF with a throw to 3rd base. This allows you to see how they can judge a fly ball and set up for a longer throw. You can also see arm strength as the throw is long. Ideally you would hit fungos but if you don't have someone that can hit them consistently use a machine. Never just throw them. That doesn't give you a true ability of tracking fly balls. Depending on the number of kids I try and do at least 3 balls to each kid. One left, one right, and one back.
- Station #2: Ground balls to LF with a throw to home. This allows you to see how they can read ground balls at a distance and how they approach in order to set up a throw. It gives you another opportunity for arm strength and accuracy. Again, I do at least three balls (left, right, and right at them). Fungo is the best but a machine is ok.
- Station #3: Ground balls at SS with a throw to 1B. For this I would divide the group in half and use the kids to play 1B as well. You can learn a lot about ability/scared of the ball/etc from seeing how they receive the ball at 1B from a throw at SS. A minimum of 4 balls (backhand, forehand, harder at them, & slow roller). The slow roller is a good measure of footwork and coordination, the harder one at them is good for seeing if they are scared of the ball). The kids should rotate from SS to back of line at 1B and from 1B to the back of the line at SS. Continue until all kids have completed both aspects.
- Station #4: Baserunning. I usually like to see them go from 1st to 3rd and then from 2nd to home. Seeing how they round bases is a good measure of their instincts.
- Station #5: Hitting. I would suggest using a machine because it will help speed things up. You get consistent speed and location so you can see technique on the swing. I don't worry too much about results and focus more on approach, load, hands, and balance. I really don't care if they hit anything solid. I more care about their fundamentals. I like to give 8-10 cuts as time allows. Minimum of 5 cuts if you really need to speed up time. I have them run the last one out to see how they break down at 1st base and how they get out of the box. This is also a good time to check the attitude. If they were less than good at the plate and have an attitude they usually don't run too hard down to first as they are pouting. I also prefer to use live pitching over tee or soft toss because you get a better picture of their attitude and the way they adjust to a ball.
- I would break the kids into groups of 5-10 (depending on how many total are trying out. A group of 10 should get through this entire rotation in about 40 minutes. If that is too long you can cut out one of the fly ball stations and one of the baserunning aspects (either do 1B-3B or 2B to home but not both). That should get it down to about 30 minutes. Make sure the kids understand they need to hustle from station to station at that is part of what they will be evaluated on.
- Try and get as many volunteers as you can so that the coaches can evaluate without needing to conduct the tryouts. You should have at least 4 or 5 helpers with at least one placed at each station to direct the kids and keep the things moving. I would set up cones at each location with a sign that showed the station number. This really helps keep things moving.
- If you really have time another thing I like to do is do a full scrimmage. I modify it to have a coach pitch and each batter only gets 2 pitches (provided they are hittable). This allows you to see how players get jumps of live balls and how they run the bases in real time situations. This is a key component to see what kind of instincts they have for the game.
Tryouts are really hard to organize and run. You need a ton of help to make it go smooth. Good luck.
Mr. Know-It-All
Footballguy
This sounds stupid - but the kids love it. On the throws to home from the outfield, set up a big metal trashcan. They throw at the can. When they hit it, it is cool and a very audible reward for throwing accurately at a distance. But..every thing described above is EXACTLY how we run tryouts. Typical pro-style/college style tryout.Gally said:
swirvenirvin
Footballguy
putting together player commitment form. We have will have winter practices. Want to make them mandatory, but what about the kids who are playing basketball how do you handle the wording on that?
Something like in season sports games (basketball) may take priority over baseball winter practices but every effort should be made to make winter practice and balanced with other sports practices.
Something like in season sports games (basketball) may take priority over baseball winter practices but every effort should be made to make winter practice and balanced with other sports practices.
lumpy19
Footballguy
We've played a few teams this year that are obviously more than rec teams, I don't get this and find it frustrates the kids. They quickly get 3 outs when we're batting and then bat around on their turn. It's a rec league for a reason, keeping a travel team together in a rec league kind of sucks IMO.
Bull Dozier
Footballguy
If you haven't tried it already, another option is infielding drills with wooden boards instead of gloves. Think of a ping pong paddle sized piece of wood, with a strap on the back so the kid can slide their hand in and hold it against their open palm (these can be made if you're handy, or bought online I'm sure). Start slow, and increase tempo over time. This forces the kid to field grounders with both hands, and you must look it in. You cannot swipe at the ball, because obviously you do not have a glove to catch it with.
My older sons traveling coach (4th - 6th grade) did this, and worked wonders for some. I tend to think if kids cannot learn to do this, and it doesn't break the fear of the ball, long term they are not cut out for the infield.
I also believe this is what Matt Williams did to turn himself from a defensive liability in the minors to a stud defensive 3rd baseman in the bigs.
belljr
Footballguy
We have wording that in season sports takes priority. You have to remember these kids are still young. We even have fall sports take priority and schedule around it.
belljr
Footballguy
this is waht bull d is referring
https://www.amazon.com/SKLZ-Softhands-Baseball-Fielding-Trainer/dp/B0019GEU5K
https://www.amazon.com/SKLZ-Softhands-Baseball-Fielding-Trainer/dp/B0019GEU5K
swirvenirvin
Footballguy
got it.. could use for the 8u team for next yr but not going to buy extra stuff for the last few weeks on the tournament team
dino259
Footballguy
Need this for anybody that could possibly play with my son on U11 next year. Put in some work.
As just some schmuck dad of a good player can I just hold open gyms to get some throwing and fielding in?
dino259
Footballguy
Something like this would probably work as well.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Halex-Stik-ums/47369917
You aren't firing the balls at them anyway.
We have done it were the first 2 or 3 reps through the line the kids field gound balls bare handed.
Bull Dozier
Footballguy
My coach was fortunate enough to have a moderately handy dad on the team. He just took a wood board, cut it into appropriate sized pieces, stapled on thick elastic strap on the back for each and they were done. Cost very litte.
But I would agree this isn't something I would try to introduce in the last weeks of the season. On the other hand, there really isn't a short cut to fixing a kid who is all of a sudden shy from the ball.
But I would agree this isn't something I would try to introduce in the last weeks of the season. On the other hand, there really isn't a short cut to fixing a kid who is all of a sudden shy from the ball.
Angry Beavers
Footballguy
as others have said, in season takes priority. I would try to find a time even once every week or couple of weeks to see if the kids can throw together, get some cuts in an indoor cage etc, but it is difficult to get many kids together if they are playing other sports. Playing other sports, developing other skills and muscle groups will only help the kid in the long term.
SwampDawg
Footballguy
Totally agree and it will hurt your organization long run. Speaking from a league officers perspective I would never allow this to happen. Now everybody's area is a little different but around here each organization has in-house teams (rec teams) at 10U and 8U then fields tournament teams made up of the best 12 kids. The four neighborong organizations all play against each other so you are looking at 12 to 15 in-house teams and 4 tournament teams (one for each organization, they are basically divided by school district). Our organization each year holds evaluations then the coaches get together afterward and draw draft spots and draft their teams. Tournament tryouts are held separately a little later in the year but you almost always end up with the tournament kids split fairly even among the teams. At 8U we allow coaches to name one assistant coach before each draft and you obviously get that dad's kid. At 10U they are not allowed to name any. One of the organizations we play does what you said and allows the in-house teams to be hand picked and stay together, they had four 10U teams this year one with 8 or 9 tournament players, another with 3 and I think one team with 1 and another with 0. The team with all the tournament players won the league (although one of our teams did beat them a game) but it was so lopsided when their own teams played that they crushed them. When they needed a game rescheduled at the end of season the coaches from the teams within their own organization didn't want to play the stacked team again. So yes it allowed them to dominate the in-house (rec league) but it didn't really seem an advantage at the tournament level, we played them twice and lost a close game on a rainy cold day early in the season and then throttled them 16-3 in their own tournament at the end of the year. So maybe in early May it helped that they were practicing and playing together but it caused a divide that now who knows if those kids from their own organization they throttled come back. At 8, 9, 10 years old those kids are still developing and could be first or second year players that will blossom if they continue. Also for us we use it as a chance to teach and tell our tournament kids to become leaders. We tell them it is a privilege and when they play in-house because they are with kids of all levels to use that as a chance to show those kids the right way to play and practice, help them get better.
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