Advice needed---DD beginning travel ball

Folks, I would appreciate any advice from experienced travel ball parents.

My DD is 8, and she has played 3 seasons of Rec Ball. She catches and plays 2B, bats extremely well for an 8 year old and has made the local all star team since she was 6. None of this is overly impressive in itself but she is also 4 ft 8 inches tall, weighing 115 after a pizza. She has a little belly flab, but isn't obese by any means. Doctor says to expect her to be 6 ft tall. She looks big when she subs on the 10U field and is average sized on the 12U field.

We attended a clinic hosted by a elite travel organization this week. As soon as she stepped out of the car, the head coach was shaking hands and introducing himself. He first asked her birth date (She is 8U eligible next year), and then asked if she pitched? No. Do you want to learn? Maybe. He pulled me to the side and said we can build good pitchers with larger kids, but we can't build larger kids on demand. I would really like to put her with a trainer for a year and see what develops. I was floored, never thought my kid would be considered a potential pitcher. The President of the organization arrived, and echoed the same thoughts. Also offered to provide a pitching trainer closer to our home and a private try out if desired. I have since received two phone calls from mutual friends encouraging me to let DD join this organization, explaining this is a great opportunity in their opinion.

I am impressed with the professionalism and organization of this particular travel team. They field teams from 8U to 18U elite and have produced some USSSA team players. Every graduating HS senior signed a college scholarship this year. In comparison, other semi local travel teams are less than organized and produce an occasional HS varsity player. And seem to be very cliquish.

My questions are: Is this level of recruitment common for 8 year olds? Is my kids physical size a big bonus to a team and for a pitcher? Am I being too optimistic? Please educate me as we are ignorant to advanced travel ball programs, uncertain what to expect. DD is certainly a good player and she loved the team, It feels like a potential good fit. Open tryouts are this coming week for the fall team, plan to attend and expect daughter to perform well enough to make the roster. Am I expecting too much from a 8 year old? She loves the game but I don't want to burn her out young. How far would you push an 8 year old? She is a big kid, loves the game, plays hard, and is very coachable and committed, but she is still 8. Please advise...

Few things ... some might get me banned.

Watch college games, in general pitchers are big. Especially their hips. (This is the one that might get me is trouble)

I had no interest in DD playing TB at 8U, she was still getting her legs underneath her. Your's has played for a few years already so might no apply.

Let's assume your DD is the best player ever. DD was always played up a little bit. Depends on Team but I was concerned with her maturity and what she might hear or be involved in

I expect her to potentially play up a level, so I had similar thoughts. And yeah, we follow College softball, DD's body fits the mold quite well. Her arm doesn't whatsoever though, at least at this point.

Thanks for the reply.

Forgot to mention: The head coach called me yesterday and requested her arm span measurement. So apparently she is on their mind somewhat.

DadCoach said:

And seem to be very cliquish.

Click to expand...

Both good and bad to this but is always cliquish.

The world of travel ball is crazy. We got sucked into the idea of playing on an elite A team in first year 10U (DD's second year of travel - she played 8U travel and all stars). This year we stepped back down to a solid B level team that focuses on player development rather than recruiting and winning all the time. If I were you I'd go to work outs with at least a few more teams. Ask a lot of questions. If your daughter has never pitched before, she's not going to get circle time on an elite 10U team. Often the elite teams are all about recruiting (which it sounds like they are considering how they approached you based on her size). If your DD doesn't get to where she needs to be quickly you may find her on the bench and in right field. What we figured out after last year was that at this age, it has to be about fun and learning/development. There's plenty of time to be "elite" later; right now they're learning to love the game and get the fundamentals down. Personally from our own experience, I would not put a girl new to travel ball on a high level team unless she was a prodigy. That goes triple for a pitcher, if she decides to go that route.

ETA: if she's only ever done coach pitch or machine pitch you may find live pitch is more of an adjustment than you think as well. DD was a power house in 8U. She often batted 1000 and might have 5 homeruns in a tournament. Sometimes multiple HRs per game. Fall of 10U she struggled a lot. It's a different mental ballgame, not knowing if the 10 year old in the circle is going to nail you in the side with a wild pitch. DD didn't really start hitting well until several tournaments in and only became really consistent this year (2nd year 10U). Might not be an issue but worth mentioning since the "elite" teams tend to bat 9 a lot and the less experienced hitters will often not get many at bats.

Biggest question in it all is "What does your daughter want to do"? Pitching is a huge commitment. Requires tons of practice. Not trying to discourage by any means, but it is a ton of work for both her and you. Making someone a pitcher that doesn't want to be a pitcher isn't fun for that player. If your daughter wants to be a pitcher, welcome to the journey.

What does she want? Does she want to be a pitcher? To be a good pitcher, you have to put in 1000s of hours of practice. Not just her. You too. Someone has to catch. You're talking about tons of lessons as well. Given how you described the organization, this is all going to be expected of your DD. And she's likely going to be expected to take hitting lessons as well.

It is going to cost you lots of money and time. High level travel softball is not for everyone.

To me, it comes down to what does she want to do? If she wants to pitch and play at a high level then go for it. If she's not sure or doesn't want to, then maybe this isn't the right situation for her.

My DD played travel with a local team, with friends she played rec with for the first 3 years. Today, 2 years down the road, she wished we had played at a much higher level those years.

DadCoach said:

Folks, I would appreciate any advice from experienced travel ball parents.

Click to expand...

OK - I am not going pull any punches here, so if anything sounds harsh here, please take it as me trying to be objective.

she is also 4 ft 8 inches tall, weighing 115 Doctor says to expect her to be 6 ft tall. She looks big when she subs on the 10U field and is average sized on the 12U field.

Click to expand...

This info is important to the rest of the discussion. Just a question - are you or your spouse (or family members) really tall? If so, 6' is more of a probability. We had two girls about this size in 8U.. now years late and one is barely 5' and the other is 6'. The 5' one has parents that are 5'4" and 5'6"ish. The dad of the 6' girl is 6'6".

We attended a clinic hosted by a elite travel organization this week. As soon as she stepped out of the car, the head coach was shaking hands and introducing himself. He first asked her birth date (She is 8U eligible next year), and then asked if she pitched? No. Do you want to learn? Maybe. He pulled me to the side and said we can build good pitchers with larger kids, but we can't build larger kids on demand. I would really like to put her with a trainer for a year and see what develops.
I am impressed with the professionalism and organization of this particular travel team. They field teams from 8U to 18U elite and have produced some USSSA team players. Every graduating HS senior signed a college scholarship this year. In comparison, other semi local travel teams are less than organized and produce an occasional HS varsity player. And seem to be very cliquish.

Click to expand...

So the good. The organization knows it needs more and more pitchers. Pitchers are in huge demand. There isn't enough at any level. Bad pitchers are in demand. Why not see if someone could be a pitcher? How they are going about it (by physical looks) is a little obnoxious at 8U but so be it. Or maybe they look at anyone coming in and seeing if they want to pitch.

They love your kid. She is everything size-wise they love to dominate 8U/10U softball. The arm-span measurement thing is the dumbest excuse I have heard to call a parent - the equivalent of leaving a jacket behind so you have an excuse to call someone back.

The bad: 8U, 10U, 12U and even 1st year 14U is won by who has the most mature kids. And when they see your daughter they see an asset. 'Elite' orgs try to gather all the early maturers and physically impressive players and put them on one team and then go round beating the less mature teams locally. But what happens is they run out of competition quickly and then the parents/org decide they need to travel a lot to find competition (i.e. other teams that have done the same thing elsewhere). Now every week you end up in some hotel in some place you have never heard of for 8U softball. It becomes a big parent ego trip. And expensive. It is REALLY time and money consuming - 2nd sports or other interests become very difficult because of heavy practice schedules and tournament schedules. Now think about your daughter maybe being the one who is a college recruit level player - you are going to be doing this schedule for 10+ years if it happens.

These teams often ONLY want to win - so if your daughter is not in the top few hitters/fielders/pitchers on the team they may not play or will play not every much. That is NOT fun.

These teams are VERY cliquish by nature. Don't be fooled. Most travel teams/groups of people are going to be one way or another.

Also you know how these elite teams are elite all the way through 18U. They tend to be brutal in bringing players in and letting players go (often they don't cut them - they just make life miserable until you leave). They will replace your kid with someone better - sometimes between seasons - but sometimes at a tournament or mid-season. It is worth asking around to find out what kind of org this one happens to be. It can be great when you are a top 5 player on the team but it can suck if you are bottom 5 and know tomorrow may be the day that you are gone. And sometimes even by 10U it is a girl from the next state over who is being brought in to replace you kid.

The to think about: 8U doesn't matter. Really. It should be fun, developmental,and make your kid want to come back next season. Know what you are getting into. Most of the girls who were on the local 8U team like this who are my daughters age (she is now 15) no longer play. Two did further mature, put the work in and love the sport - and are awesome but so are many kids who took different paths. Two are on some 14B team and are OK. Rest I haven't seen in a couple of years. When you look at the 'college scholarships' and NPF players you can be sure most didn't play for the org at 8U - most probably came over in 14U and above.

My daughter was not one of the 'physically' mature 8U (or 10U or 12U) players. She progressed slowly, played on some very good teams, a couple of teams that became very good and is now elite. She is medium height now - may grow some more - may not - but she can now compete at the elite A level. She has had offers to join 'Elite' orgs since 2nd year 10U but always turned them down - she skipped what was basically 6 years of the 'insane' schedule and is mentally in a much better (older) position to understand exactly what she is getting into commitment wise and whether it is for her or not.

My questions are: Is this level of recruitment common for 8 year olds?

Click to expand...

Not really. But you can see why.

Is my kids physical size a big bonus to a team and for a pitcher?

Click to expand...

In general yes... but especially in this age group. You get a physically advanced kid it is a big deal in 8U through 12U because they get to throw a smaller ball and from only 35' feet away. You find some kid in 10U capable of throwing a ball over the plate at 45+mph from 35' away and you have a dominant pitcher at this age. How that translates at 12U or 14U or above is a total guess. But these orgs care about today's results, so yeah.

But since your kid has not pitched yet, she better have a hitting/fielding role on this team. Not everyone can be a pitcher.

Am I being too optimistic? DD is certainly a good player and she loved the team, It feels like a potential good fit. pen tryouts are this coming week for the fall team, plan to attend and expect daughter to perform well enough to make the roster. Am I expecting too much from a 8 year old? She loves the game but I don't want to burn her out young. How far would you push an 8 year old? She is a big kid, loves the game, plays hard, and is very coachable and committed, but she is still 8. Please advise...

Click to expand...

You are making the right move in getting more and more educated in making the right decision.

Make sure your daughter REALLY, REALLY wants to do this - and she is not just doing it because you want to. Remember she is 7 years old - she will take cues from you on what will make you happy.

marriard said:

OK - I am not going pull any punches here, so if anything sounds harsh here, please take it as me trying to be objective.



This info is important to the rest of the discussion. Just a question - are you or your spouse (or family members) really tall? If so, 6' is more of a probability. We had two girls about this size in 8U.. now years late and one is barely 5' and the other is 6'. The 5' one has parents that are 5'4" and 5'6"ish. The dad of the 6' girl is 6'6".



So the good. The organization knows it needs more and more pitchers. Pitchers are in huge demand. There isn't enough at any level. Bad pitchers are in demand. Why not see if someone could be a pitcher? How they are going about it (by physical looks) is a little obnoxious at 8U but so be it. Or maybe they look at anyone coming in and seeing if they want to pitch.

They love your kid. She is everything size-wise they love to dominate 8U/10U softball. The arm-span measurement thing is the dumbest excuse I have heard to call a parent - the equivalent of leaving a jacket behind so you have an excuse to call someone back.

The bad: 8U, 10U, 12U and even 1st year 14U is won by who has the most mature kids. And when they see your daughter they see an asset. 'Elite' orgs try to gather all the early maturers and physically impressive players and put them on one team and then go round beating the less mature teams locally. But what happens is they run out of competition quickly and then the parents/org decide they need to travel a lot to find competition (i.e. other teams that have done the same thing elsewhere). Now every week you end up in some hotel in some place you have never heard of for 8U softball. It becomes a big parent ego trip. And expensive. It is REALLY time and money consuming - 2nd sports or other interests become very difficult because of heavy practice schedules and tournament schedules. Now think about your daughter maybe being the one who is a college recruit level player - you are going to be doing this schedule for 10+ years if it happens.

These teams often ONLY want to win - so if your daughter is not in the top few hitters/fielders/pitchers on the team they may not play or will play not every much. That is NOT fun.

These teams are VERY cliquish by nature. Don't be fooled. Most travel teams/groups of people are going to be one way or another.

Also you know how these elite teams are elite all the way through 18U. They tend to be brutal in bringing players in and letting players go (often they don't cut them - they just make life miserable until you leave). They will replace your kid with someone better - sometimes between seasons - but sometimes at a tournament or mid-season. It is worth asking around to find out what kind of org this one happens to be. It can be great when you are a top 5 player on the team but it can suck if you are bottom 5 and know tomorrow may be the day that you are gone. And sometimes even by 10U it is a girl from the next state over who is being brought in to replace you kid.

The to think about: 8U doesn't matter. Really. It should be fun, developmental,and make your kid want to come back next season. Know what you are getting into. Most of the girls who were on the local 8U team like this who are my daughters age (she is now 15) no longer play. Two did further mature, put the work in and love the sport - and are awesome but so are many kids who took different paths. Two are on some 14B team and are OK. Rest I haven't seen in a couple of years. When you look at the 'college scholarships' and NPF players you can be sure most didn't play for the org at 8U - most probably came over in 14U and above.

My daughter was not one of the 'physically' mature 8U (or 10U or 12U) players. She progressed slowly, played on some very good teams, a couple of teams that became very good and is now elite. She is medium height now - may grow some more - may not - but she can now compete at the elite A level. She has had offers to join 'Elite' orgs since 2nd year 10U but always turned them down - she skipped what was basically 6 years of the 'insane' schedule and is mentally in a much better (older) position to understand exactly what she is getting into commitment wise and whether it is for her or not.


Not really. But you can see why.


In general yes... but especially in this age group. You get a physically advanced kid it is a big deal in 8U through 12U because they get to throw a smaller ball and from only 35' feet away. You find some kid in 10U capable of throwing a ball over the plate at 45+mph from 35' away and you have a dominant pitcher at this age. How that translates at 12U or 14U or above is a total guess. But these orgs care about today's results, so yeah.

But since your kid has not pitched yet, she better have a hitting/fielding role on this team. Not everyone can be a pitcher.



You are making the right move in getting more and more educated in making the right decision.

Make sure your daughter REALLY, REALLY wants to do this - and she is not just doing it because you want to. Remember she is 7 years old - she will take cues from you on what will make you happy.

Click to expand...

Beautifully stated.

OP - Just to be clear on the words, "expensive," and "cost lots" - think thousands annually. That's in addition to the thousands you'll spend on "elite" travel just as a fastpitch family. Average at the 12 and 14u levels for us were 12-14k (included pitching lessons, etc.)

DD doesn't pitch anymore, and travels with teammates now so that helps. Just be prepared.

And cool that important people are making your DD feel special! We always like that!

Now go watch All-Stars.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk