Looking for feedback from those that have been in similar situation.
Youth player will enter 6th grade next year. What are your thoughts on the decision of playing travel ball versus trying out for his middle school JV team?

I have to make the travel team decision for 2009 this July. So, I'm trying to decide now. I can't wait until next year to decide.
Travel ball begins practice in January and they will want a commitment to begin tournament play beginning in March. If the youth plays middle school ball, his coach will not want him playing travel ball until the school season ends.

Keep in mind, the ultimate goal here is to prepare the youth to make his prep varsity team as a junior and senior in high school. So, we consider everything before that level of play, preparation. We don't put a whole lot of value in winning the 11U World Series. However, we do value playing with and against teams that play at that skill level.

So, forgo 6th grade school ball and stay on the travel team? Or should we start playing for the school?

What does your son want to do? In our area, at that age, travel teams were better than middle school teams. If yours is the same, and your son likes the travel team, then I'd stick with them for at least one more year. Just based on our experience, the travel team at that age was more competitive and more fun. No doubt others will have a different opinion.

Travel ball is much, much, much better than Middle School ball here in Phoenix. A lot of kids do both and the Travel coaches make sure that the kids don't pitch during Middle School ball. The only reason I could think of to play Middle School ball only, is if the HS coach wants then to play.

Now if you are talking about fun. The kids on my son's travel team get to play against each other in Middle School and they have a great time playing with/showing off their skills to their local kids/friends.

It is very easy to tell that they love showing off and competing against each other.

Doughnutman, you're exactly right! Our travel team was made up the best area middle school players, and they love to play against each other even now that they're all HS freshmen.

In our area, travel is also much more competitive than middle school ball. We had 3 or 4 guys on our travel team that played school ball. we just had to watch when they were pitching so they didn't over throw. We didn't start really playing until April, so it didn't affect us much. There was some overlap, but we were able to work around it. Usually school ball practiced earlier and had their games on the weekdays, so weekends it didn't interfere and they would come to both practices during the week. If you had to pick one, travel will probably benefit more since they will be playing against better competition.

In our area you have to be in 7th grade for MS ball. That said, it really depends on the school program. Ours runs twice a week workouts from November on for all 7th thru 12th grade players. We still play travel but after school season ends. I guess it all depends on the school program's goals. Any upperclassmen/parents you can speak with ?

In 7th grade my son played school ball and on a travel team that only overlapped the school season by two weeks. There were two tournaments that were too good to pass up.

In 8th grade he played school ball and for a travel team with complete overlap. Most of the kids on the team didn't have middle school ball.

Here's how it nets out. Travel ball prepared him to excel and be noticed by the high school varsity coach at a middle school game. The recognition got him a varsity tryout as a freshman. He was placed in the JV team instead of the freshman team. He should start next year on varsity as a soph. The same scenario applies to two travel/school teammates at their positions.

The challenging part was the time management on behalf of the kids regarding homework on days when they had school ball in the afternoon and travel practice at night.

quote:

Now if you are talking about fun. The kids on my son's travel team get to play against each other in Middle School and they have a great time playing with/showing off their skills to their local kids/friends.

In a middle school game my son stoled second on our travel catcher (really went on the pitcher/catcher had a gun). He dusted himself off at second and held up one finger. He stoled third and held up two fingers. The next time up he stoled second and held up three fingers.

The catcher called time, walked to the mound, held up two fingers on one hand and made a zero with the other. He smiled and yelled, Hey JR, that's the score." He patted his pitcher on the back and jogged back behind the plate.

Another time my son talked an umpire out of ejecting one of our travel pitchers who was trying too hard to strike him out. The pitcher hit him three times. The umpire thought he was throwing at my son.

quote:

The kids on my son's travel team get to play against each other in Middle School and they have a great time playing with/showing off their skills to their local kids/friends.

It is very easy to tell that they love showing off and competing against each other.

Doughnutman,

Your right, it is the best of both worlds. They get to play with the buddies on the MS team that they started playing with since age 5 and against members of their travel team which is also great.

If you can swing it, do both!

Middle school ball was never an option for us as it was not offered---we have played Select ball since the age of 10 and have found it to be very rewarding---This Spring we pulled together a few boys that will be entering High School together - so they get the play time together.

If possible -do both! We play on an incoming freshman team and a travel team. Very difficult to do both- but very rewarding. This summer is all about development, lessons, speed training---the more baseball

the better!

This year my son played for the first time on his middle school (7th grader) and first time on an AAU team. There were no real conflicts as the coach only threw 8th graders on the mound. Here in NE 99% of the travel/AAU teams put school ball first and will work around the school schedules. The School season is so short that it isn't hard to do..lol.

I don't understand why he can't play on both. Aren't MS games and practices right after school in the afternoon? Should conflict with other teams.
Also I think the travel coach should realize this and work with the kids. They should all have this same issue.