At what point Travel ball? or are we already too late.?

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Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
No, I agree. I just see here, even in 12uC, the first questions out of many coach’s mouths when someone is trying to find a team are directed at who they played for last, etc. It’s all about development on the Facebook posts and team pages but on Sunday they roll in with guest pitchers and are trying out better girls mid-season even though they’ve got 12 rostered already, etc. If I go the rest of my life without seeing another “#trusttheprocess” post, It’ll be too soon. DD’s team isn’t entirely innocent of all of this either, by the way.

I hope they find a team that puts development ahead of winning. It just seems like their are fewer and fewer. Maybe I’m just jaded. There aren’t many things that a 12 year old should be worried about being too old to start.

I hijacked the thread with my editorial. Sorry!


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You are not wrong. It is a vicious circle. Many teams are looking for stars at every position. Many parents are looking for the perfect situation where their daughter plays 90%+ of the innings and they have several trophy photo opportunities they can post on social media. If the team doesn't deliver the hardware they start looking for a new team. So the teams lose interest in development and focus on finding the next superstar. Rinse and repeat.

OP - I agree with the others. My Dd didnt start travel ball until she was 12 and she turned out fine. But I worked with her a lot and still do. Reps, reps, reps. Do your best to find one of those teams that focuses on development. But you are definitely not too late.
 
Oct 23, 2013
50
8
Chicagoland
DD tried 2 years to make move to TB and finally made it on 12U C level team. Two years there then moved to 14U B team for a year. Made jump to 16U A team and has played at that level for last 4 years.

Played JV for 2 years before making Varsity(stacked varsity team).

Just signed NLI today and is gonna be playing D1 mid-major softball...

It is not too late. I think it is important to get in a structured environment and get the proper training and get the reps. Each girl develops at their own speed.
 
Nov 6, 2019
92
18
DD tried 2 years to make move to TB and finally made it on 12U C level team. Two years there then moved to 14U B team for a year. Made jump to 16U A team and has played at that level for last 4 years.

Played JV for 2 years before making Varsity(stacked varsity team).

Just signed NLI today and is gonna be playing D1 mid-major softball...

It is not too late. I think it is important to get in a structured environment and get the proper training and get the reps. Each girl develops at their own speed.


Congratulations she must have worked hard to get there.
 
May 29, 2015
3,731
113
In my observations, players that start TB at 14U are generally quite a lot behind on their skills, game smarts, and mental processing speed compared with players who have 12U TB experience.

New 4oz size is 33% larger*

*Compared to our 3oz size.

;)
 
May 29, 2015
3,731
113
First, it’s unfortunate she did not learn fundamental skills during her rec time.

Second, please take the time (if you have it) to personally develop your daughters skills by working with her when you can. It sounds like you could help her learn more in a month than she learned over 2 years of rec.

Third, it is never too late to do anything.

While I can’t disagree with you @heman1202, your post illustrates some of the underlying problems ...

Rec ball shouldn’t be a “pipeline” to travel ball, but it should be the place for all players to start. Some will move on, some shouldn’t. —> Players with any modicum of talent jump out of community programs. —> Community programs become fewer and farther between. —> Players cannot advance or develop. —> More mediocre players jump ship. —> Travel ball‘s talent pool gets watered down to being expensive rec programs because there is nowhere else to go.
 
Jun 4, 2019
134
43
12 isn’t too late for Tb. Imo, 12 should be the start of Tb. Anything younger and your just paying more money for a full day of the same softball you can get at a rec league for 1/4 of the price.
 
Oct 23, 2013
50
8
Chicagoland
IMO... The key is proper structured practice with playing time.

My DD's rec teams didn't have enough proper training.

Her years at the C level were filled with enough structured training and playing time. Nice thing is that the coach needed to develop his players vs. just taking talent and running with it...

This base IMO is the key that led to her success moving up. The jump to A level at 15U(on a mostly 16u team) was her biggest challenge but she was able to persevere.
 
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
While I can’t disagree with you @heman1202, your post illustrates some of the underlying problems ...

Rec ball shouldn’t be a “pipeline” to travel ball, but it should be the place for all players to start. Some will move on, some shouldn’t. —> Players with any modicum of talent jump out of community programs. —> Community programs become fewer and farther between. —> Players cannot advance or develop. —> More mediocre players jump ship. —> Travel ball‘s talent pool gets watered down to being expensive rec programs because there is nowhere else to go.

Very good post. Rec ball and Travel ball can both be valuable experiences. My DD played rec until the point that she felt she wanted a greater challenge. It became time to move. But she still has fond memories about her rec ball days.
 
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