Expectations for 10U travel team?

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Jan 26, 2015
92
8
Southeast
I hope this is not a troll thread. I suspect it is............
Either that or this is one of those 10U diamond Doll ELITE gold Platinum teams I've heard so much about... can't coach a 10U ball club like they're getting signed next year. Or maybe you can....

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Apr 18, 2017
3
0
I am NOT trolling...I am new to this site...new to travel ball etc.. Here is where we are.... DD is on a 10U travel ball team. Youngest player on team by FAR. Oldest girl on team is 1 yr 10 months older than my DD. Most of the players are a grade ahead. DD is behind them all in physical maturity (strength & speed), game awareness, and just about everything else. maybe she should not be on this team or travel ball at all? Rec in our town is not worth it developing wise. DD was taken on as a project player who had alot of potential based on my conversations with the coach. I get it, but if my daughter is a project player...who's project is she? Seems to me with 4 coaches...you can spare one to work on some specific issues a player or players are having?

My questions are....well...many

when, where, how should I expect the development going to come from?
How much falls on me and how much falls on the coaches?
DD is pretty awful at catching fly balls...and she is relegated to the outfield at this point - is it on me to give/find that instruction? or should it be happening at practices?
Should I expect her to get some training at infield positions as well?
Is is normal for all 4 coaches to let her do her own thing when hitting at cage because we take lessons and they dont want to confuse or send wrong message to her?

Kinda feel like she is an afterthought at times and that we might be wasting their time
 
Last edited:
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
Here's my take, for what it's worth. Development happens with practice (with some exceptions). If your DD is far behind the rest of the team, you will need to practice with her a good bit on your own to catch her up. IMO travel ball parents probably should expect to spend at least an extra day or two a week working with their kids. You can just let her practice with the team and do no extra but she will be slower to catch up that way, obviously. If she's an outfielder and will probably stay one for awhile, take her out and throw/hit pop flies to her every day. Honestly even infielders need to be able to catch pop ups; they get them plenty. If you feel like this team is not a good fit, investigate your other options. Maybe find a team closer to her actual age so she won't be dead last.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Here's my take, for what it's worth. Development happens with practice (with some exceptions). If your DD is far behind the rest of the team, you will need to practice with her a good bit on your own to catch her up. IMO travel ball parents probably should expect to spend at least an extra day or two a week working with their kids. You can just let her practice with the team and do no extra but she will be slower to catch up that way, obviously. If she's an outfielder and will probably stay one for awhile, take her out and throw/hit pop flies to her every day. Honestly even infielders need to be able to catch pop ups; they get them plenty. If you feel like this team is not a good fit, investigate your other options. Maybe find a team closer to her actual age so she won't be dead last.

Very good response!

As my DD was transitioning from rec to travel, I was asked numerous times how my DD got so good (at the time, she was one of the top two 10U players in the league). The answer was always the same - lots of extra work outside of team practices. Most of the time, my answer was met with a look of confusion from the parent. There is no short-cut, no magic trick. The only path is to put in the work. In the 4 years my DD has been playing softball, it is rare that she has gone a week without at least one extra practice session outside of team activities.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
Very good response!

As my DD was transitioning from rec to travel, I was asked numerous times how my DD got so good (at the time, she was one of the top two 10U players in the league). The answer was always the same - lots of extra work outside of team practices. Most of the time, my answer was met with a look of confusion from the parent. There is no short-cut, no magic trick. The only path is to put in the work. In the 4 years my DD has been playing softball, it is rare that she has gone a week without at least one extra practice session outside of team activities.

That's been our experience too. DD is a good ball player all the way around and people make comments about it like it's some big mystery. But we're always the first ones at the park before practice to pitch. Often we're the *only* ones there early. We get to lessons half an hour early to make sure she's all warmed up to optimize the actual lesson time. We go in the basement and hit into the net. Her dad hits grounders at her, hard ones. We practice pop ups in the front yard. It's not magic, it's work. Some people just don't like that answer!
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
That's been our experience too. DD is a good ball player all the way around and people make comments about it like it's some big mystery. But we're always the first ones at the park before practice to pitch. Often we're the *only* ones there early. We get to lessons half an hour early to make sure she's all warmed up to optimize the actual lesson time. We go in the basement and hit into the net. Her dad hits grounders at her, hard ones. We practice pop ups in the front yard. It's not magic, it's work. Some people just don't like that answer!

Funny how that works. ;)

For us, the eye-opener happened right from the beginning of Maddie's journey. One of her first teammates (8U rec) was - and still is - one of the hardest-working young players I've ever met. Maddie wanted to play at her level, so we got to work.

Near the end of our time in rec ball, I recall hearing a couple of parents talking about a very good hitting young player who was up to bat at that moment. One parent commented, "She only hits well because she goes to a private batting coach". The parent's tone was heavy with contempt. I knew the batter. She not only went to a private coach, but could often be found working with her dad in one of the batting cages in the evenings - a dedicated player with very supportive parents. She moved on to TB the following season.
 

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