when do you know its time to go to travel ball?

In my DD's second year of 10U, it was clear that she was one of the best players in the league, and was hungry for more challenging competition. During the spring rec season, she tried out with a local TB team, and was invited to join the team. We discussed the situation and that it meant she would not be able to play all-stars for the league. She felt strongly that she needed to make the move to TB sooner rather than later, so we did. She finished the spring rec season, helped her team win the league championship, and skipped all-stars. She simply outgrew what the league could offer. For her, it was the right decision at the right time. 3 years later, I feel the same way.

All that said, every kid is different. I have seen kids stay in rec too long, and watched their skills stagnate - or even regress. I have also seen kids wait until later because they weren't ready yet, and do very well when they finally made the move. One of the best hitters on my DD's 14U team just moved to TB this past fall. She is doing very well.

rebeldesign said:

DD is 11, good all around player. she is known for being a catcher, but has started pitching lessons 6-7 months ago and is doing surprisingly good at pitching. I have gotten a couple of messages from travel coaches that I know about my DD, but at the time she had just started to pitch and knew that if she went travel ball then , that it would affect her learning to pitch as she wouldn't get the circle time to learn than she would if she stayed in 12u rec for spring and maybe fall season. nearing the end of spring season now and her pitching and catching are better than ever, her hitting has taken a bit of a slump spending so much time on pitching. I again have gotten messages from the same coaches and a couple others offering her to work out with there teams and even pay in a few tournaments with them.
should I keep her in rec for a bit longer so she can work on her pitching development more or take some the coaches up on there offers to have her work out with there team?

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Yes, if she wants to pitch, I'd stay in Rec another year, and let her develop. IMOHO

You and your DO need to really talk about whether to jump into TB. Go a tournament this weekend and watch a couple of games. It may not be what you think it is.

Question:

a) Does she really love softball?
b) What interests does she have other than softball? She isn't going to have time to be a stellar softball player, cellist, and choir member, all while being a valedictorian.
c) Are you and your family ready for the time and $$$ commitment?
d) How much time do *YOU* have to spend with her working on softball? You have to spend time working with her on her skills.

TB is a huge time and $$$ commitment.

• Twenty weekend or more a year playing a tournament at places like Merillville, Indiana.
• A new $300+ bat every six months.
• Pitching/catching lessons until she graduated HS.
• TB fees, uniforms, shoes, batting gloves, catching equipment...

Forget summer vacations...(trust me, there is only so much to see at Boulder).

As to pitching/catching...

Your DD isn't going to be both a great TB catcher and a great TB pitcher.

You are probably going to be shocked by the TB pitchers.

Rocketech1 said:

My DD started travel ball as a second year 12U player because she was ready for a new challenge and frankly we got tired of the rec league politics.

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Was it better in travel?? Our rec program had a little drama but nothing compared to travel!

rebeldesign said:

DD admits to holding back at practice because she knows some of the girls on the rec team are new and she doesn't want to hurt or scare them...

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That’s a pretty good indication she’s ready for something more challenging.

The most important things to consider is if you’re all ready for the time commitment. Short of family emergencies or school activities the travel team comes first. You vacations, hobbies, and even your wardrobe will revolve around softball. Some families love it, others hate it.

rebeldesign said:

DD is 11, good all around player. she is known for being a catcher, but has started pitching lessons 6-7 months ago and is doing surprisingly good at pitching. I have gotten a couple of messages from travel coaches that I know about my DD, but at the time she had just started to pitch and knew that if she went travel ball then , that it would affect her learning to pitch as she wouldn't get the circle time to learn than she would if she stayed in 12u rec for spring and maybe fall season. nearing the end of spring season now and her pitching and catching are better than ever, her hitting has taken a bit of a slump spending so much time on pitching. I again have gotten messages from the same coaches and a couple others offering her to work out with there teams and even pay in a few tournaments with them.
should I keep her in rec for a bit longer so she can work on her pitching development more or take some the coaches up on there offers to have her work out with there team?

Click to expand...

My question is where do you see this heading? Because it sounds as if you’re going to end up at the TB level at some point. And it will be hard for her to be both a pitcher and a catcher for a TB team. That is very physically demanding.

If she’s going to pitch, stay down and develop the pitching. If she’s going to catch, then it sounds like she’s ready to move up.

But I’d put some thought about what she really wants to do. Pitching is a ton of work and a ton of time (not to mention money). It’s one thing to have fun getting girls out at the rec level simply because you can throw strikes. It’s another thing to have the ball smashed around the yard at the TB circuit simply because you throw strikes.

To be good at pitching, the time commitment will cause other areas of her game to be neglected and they will suffer. If she’s already a good catcher, that would be tough to give up as good catchers seem about as rare as good pitchers. And a great pitcher is pretty average with a bad catcher.

So I would sit down and talk with your DD about where you see this going and commit to one path. Good luck.




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How badly does she want to pitch? If it's something she enjoys but isn't a primary focus (meaning she would be happy being on the field anywhere, and in her mind it would be cool to pitch but not necessary to enjoy the game), she is ready. If she truly wants to be a pitcher, maybe another season of rec is necessary to get her where she wants to be. From what you're saying, I think it's time to move up, but after All Stars. Let her (and you) enjoy the experience.

In our area the best REC players started migrating to TB when they turned 9 and by the end of 12U any player who planned to stick with softball was playing TB. There were still a few good athletes who focuses on other sports playing REC softball, but there were not many.

she has said from the beginning that if she had to choose between pitching and catching she would pick catching..it was her first love. both of us have seen other parts of her game suffer due to the time spent working on pitching. a lesson every week, working on her mechanics after school at my work. she use to take catching lesson from jenny topping, and she says that she misses seeing jenny, but she wants to see where she can go with the pitching. her catching hasn't suffered through all this... I know its probably just me but it seems like each time she suits up to catch, she looks better each time.

Right now you and her are basing everything from the perspective of what you know which is REC league. That isn’t a bad thing and within TB the experience and expectations will vary wildly as well because you don’t know what you don’t know.

Go work out with a couple teams and see how things go and I am sure a lot of your questions will be answered. Circle time is important but quality circle time should be a consideration as well.

Good luck!
The next head scratcher will be how to select a team!


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