Playing 10u and 12u teams at the same time?

[radness]

Nah, play with your friends.
At least through 10u and maybe 12u.

Kids have the rest of their lives to focus on competition and feed their parents ego.
Let them be kids for as long as possible.

Just for the sake of perspective
Friends can be in 10u and/or 12u.
Our friends, who may have different abilities or goals, can continue to be friends when we move up.
Where we will make new friends!

is the discussion about friends or softball ?!
Either way,
Softball is a great way to grow friends!

 

[BT3100]

Nah, play with your friends.
At least through 10u and maybe 12u.

Kids have the rest of their lives to focus on competition and feed their parents ego.
Let them be kids for as long as possible.

Got plenty of friends, need great competition. Playing up against better competition makes ya better. Steel sharpens steel.

 

[Stxdad]

My DD plays 3rd and starting pitcher for our 10u team, she also helps out a first yr 12u team(travel ball) plays 2nd and pitches, no issues adjusting to 12inch ball and it build up her confidence more . She just turned 10, fun fact she likes to play more with 12u than her 10u

 

[radness]

She just turned 10, fun fact she likes to play more with 12u than her 10u

Any further details on why that fact is?
12u better because?

 

[cnardone]

It at this age, it should come down to is she having fun, or going to have fun. And that is all very dependent on the child.

As a first year 10U, my dd was luckily enough to be asked to be on our Rec league 11U allstar team. 1/2 the team were travel ball girls. She was at the bottom of the roster but she was challenged. She loved being on that team.

Come fall, she said she wanted to stay down in 10U rec and play with a couple of friends (first time players), and of course the incoming younger girls. Getting in the car after the first practice, she begged me, "Please, can I move up to 12U. They are horrible!" She was miserable that fall.

Now she says she wants to play with girls that can really play more than friends. We'll see what happens the next time she has to make this type of decision.

 

[Rick M]

Also, she happens to want to go to the 12u team. With that I was set to have her try out for 12u when I mentioned this to her pitching instructor. She felt that creating a mindset of having the ability to dominate other teams (as a 10u player) outweighed the benefits of being challenged in 12u play.

Curious if you've been in the same position and/or what everyone's thoughts are?

DD has been on both sides of this equation, and has heard the same advice that you got from your pitching instructor. It sounds good (I bought it), but hasn’t worked out on two occasions:

As a second-year 10U, DD was crazy dominant. She pitched 40 innings and had over 80 strikeouts, three perfect games. She could not have been more confident moving up to 12U. Yet, she struggled mightily. The longer distance, bigger ball, all that confidence didn’t translate to her being able to throw strikes. That just took time and reps.

Fast forward to this season. DD played with a first-year 14U team last summer and had a great time. Most of the team jumped to 16U this year, but she stayed back (within the same org) because her coach thought that playing another year at 14s and being the top dog would help her.

Well, this new team has been atrocious. This fall, she had her first losing season ever. It doesn’t matter how well you pitch if the rest of your team is low-skill and overmatched, and that’s something you have very little control over.


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[Stxdad]

Any further details on why that fact is?
12u better because?

She says is easier to hit the ball in 12u and feels more comfortable, more relax in a way that she knows they got her back when she’s in the circle .

 

[texasck1]

At 2nd yr 10U, DD's team started playing a couple 12U tournaments and we started working with the 12" ball for the whole spring and summer before the 12U move. Never had a problem going back and forth. I believe that practicing and playing with 12" ball and 40' made her a better 10U pitcher. I was worried about the switch and for my DD it was not a big deal.

Maybe put 12" ball in her hands and see how she does. That may be better at helping make the decision.

I don't buy the dominate pitcher thing. My experience with my DD is that she has grown and improved more when there was a challenge.

My DD also plays 3rd. The harder hit balls coming down the line were a bigger transition for her. Balls just come faster and harder at 12U.

 

[Shiloh]

Got plenty of friends, need great competition. Playing up against better competition makes ya better. Steel sharpens steel.

At 10 years old, what does it matter?

Being the best player on a team, or being the oldest, or being a leader is skillset unto itself.

 

[BT3100]

At 10 years old, what does it matter?

Being the best player on a team, or being the oldest, or being a leader is skillset unto itself.

12u and above play up if the kid is good enough