When should a TB player stop playing LL

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

May 15, 2016
926
18
I could see a travel pitcher that was maybe the 3rd or 4th pitcher on het TB team wanting to get some innings in.

I heard of one travel pitcher who is probably #1 on the TB team playing LL so, as her mother said, she could pitch some more.
 
Oct 3, 2011
3,478
113
Right Here For Now
[MENTION=14644]Bob516[/MENTION] AS to your title question, if your DD has to hold back her throwing speed because the base players can't catch it, it's time to move on. If your DD is a pitcher or a catcher on a TB team and #3 or #4, she should probably play rec ball just to get more time in the circle or behind the plate. Otherwise, if she's hitting every pitch and the "stud" of the rec ball organization, it's time to move her up and not look back.

There's no doubt in my mind that there's something to be said for playing for your community and with her friends, However, you have to look at the long term. In TB, you usually get (but not always) better coaching and superior competition, This will allow your DD to grow exponentially as a player. Without it, IMO, she will stagnate in her skills. I guess, what it comes down to as always, is what she wants to achieve within the game itself. It should be her choice no matter what. If she wants to play at the collegiate level someday, do what's best for her and move on. If not. then let her do what she wants.
 
Jun 29, 2013
589
18
I agree with the majority, once your DD gets to the point where Rec feels too slow, it's time to move on. We have a few friends who have gone back to Rec after a season or two in travel and like it better. Their DD's wanted guaranteed playing time that they were never going to get in travel, so it was the right move for them. I have one other friend who took her DD back to rec after two seasons in travel this year. They wanted to travel (really travel, not just go to tournaments) in the summer, and their DD apparently was pretty relieved that she wasn't doing travel anymore. But, a month later, the same friend keeps talking to other friends about starting "our own" travel team, trying to create a family atmosphere where all the kids play like in rec league but against better opponents. My guess is she is realizing that rec. talent is so diluted that it's not quite what she remembered in 8U.
 
Last edited:
May 15, 2016
926
18
[MENTION=14644]Bob516[/MENTION] AS to your title question, if your DD has to hold back her throwing speed because the base players can't catch it, it's time to move on. If your DD is a pitcher or a catcher on a TB team and #3 or #4, she should probably play rec ball just to get more time in the circle or behind the plate. Otherwise, if she's hitting every pitch and the "stud" of the rec ball organization, it's time to move her up and not look back.

Thanks YOCOACH. I was not asking about my girls, rather a discussion that came up among some parents during a practice. My girls do not want to play LL. They are content play MS ball for that sense of community. They are even a little concerned that MS ball could mess with their swing.

My DD pitcher says if her school coach does not have her pitching she is going to quit the team. Based on the pitching I saw last year in MS ball, I agree with her on that point.
 
Nov 29, 2009
2,975
83
My DD pitcher says if her school coach does not have her pitching she is going to quit the team. Based on the pitching I saw last year in MS ball, I agree with her on that point.

You need to tell your DD that is the absolute worst way to approach MS ball. What she needs to do is go in there with the attitude she is going to outperform the other pitchers and make the #1 slot her's. If the coach is into politics, cliques or seniority then it's time to move on. What she'll have to remember though. If she walks away, next year will likely be a repeat.
 
Aug 10, 2016
687
63
Georgia
DD is playing both rec and TB this season. We were going to just do TB but most of her friends are all doing rec so she wanted to be with them. I will be sad come All-Star season though because she's been selected for All-Stars since 8U. That season they went undefeated and had we even known, I think we'd have done well at State and WS if we had gone. In 10U they did well and won State and came in 3rd at WS.
Right now the worst part about rec and TB is just dealing with scheduling for the tournaments and rec games..
 
Jan 30, 2018
252
0
SE Michigan
You need to tell your DD that is the absolute worst way to approach MS ball. What she needs to do is go in there with the attitude she is going to outperform the other pitchers and make the #1 slot her's. If the coach is into politics, cliques or seniority then it's time to move on. What she'll have to remember though. If she walks away, next year will likely be a repeat.

My daughter is the exact opposite. She is a pitcher for her TB team and is hoping to play other positions in MS ball. She is the #2 on TB and would be the clear #1 on MS team. She enjoys pitching because she gets to be in on every play but is also looking forward to just "relaxing" (she will still play hard, she doesn't know how to play any other way") and having fun. She is looking forward to playing against her TB teammates but doesn't really care to pitch against them.
 
Jan 30, 2018
252
0
SE Michigan
I heard of one travel pitcher who is probably #1 on the TB team playing LL so, as her mother said, she could pitch some more.

In my opinion if your daughter is the #1 on a TB team, and she isn't getting enough pitching between tourneys, scrimmages, and lessons, (not to mention the all important home workouts with dad) she is probably on the wrong travel team.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
DD moved to travel in 8U because she'd outgrown rec ball. She's first year 12U now and it would be ridiculous to put her in rec. A couple of girls she knew played 10U rec and travel. Their team did very well of course, and we went to watch a couple of games. It was pretty sad. I think sometimes it's trophy-motivated. The reps don't seem all that valuable to me, at least in our county rec program. Travel is huge around here and most of the kids with the talent and passion move to travel by 10U, seems like. Either way it would do nothing for my kiddo, and wouldn't really be fair to the rec players either.
 

Latest posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
42,877
Messages
680,274
Members
21,504
Latest member
winters3478
Top