Dads with kids in little league…

[missouridawg]

If your kid goes 0-fer the entire coach pitch season (games and practice) why do you put him in machine pitch the next year? That same kid is now 0-fer machine pitch. He hasn’t even hit one foul ball for 6 straight weeks. If you could measure the distance from bat to ball during a swing, he might not even be within 2’ of the ball on average. He swings at his eyes when the ball is at his knees.

I don't understand putting a kid through that. Take him to the cage. Hit with him off the tee. Play baseball all you want. But when you put him on a team, and in turn in front of his teammates and other parents and he embarrasses himself 100% of the time, that can’t be good for his psyche.

Maybe it makes more sense knowing this kid is raised by Aggie. Take him to the golf course.

 

[hatfieldms]

It’s rec league. Maybe the kid just wants to play? You see all levels outs there

 

[Cooterpoot]

Or, maybe the kid just wants to play with his friends even though his parents know he's not good and they're letting him do what he wants.
Maybe dad has to work too much. Maybe money is too tight for lessons.
Maybe you know the answer. But every family isn't the same.

 

[FISHDAWG]

if he can't hit a baseball then there's little hope for him hitting a golf ball .... maybe start teaching him to play chess

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

My son is 12 and is wanting to start baseball for the first time so I signed him up. I've been working with him last few days on fielding and catching, but I don't have the control to work with him on hitting so I'm hoping you're not describing him at the plate in a couple of weeks. Fielding he may be ok as I was sending hard line drives at him and he wasn't flinching and catching them. He's decent at fielding and at least knocking balls down and not letting them get by. Throwing accuracy...did I mention he could knock down balls and not let them get by?

But he is one of those that just loves sports and wants to play regardless of how good he is or isn't. He played football on his school 6th grade team this year and plans on playing JV next year. He's not a starter and may never be a starter but he loves getting out there and playing so as long as he loves it I am letting him play. He doesn't quit and that is what I want to see. He'll get blown up on a play but get right back up and then make the tackle next play.

 

[mstateglfr]

But he is one of those that just loves sports and wants to play regardless of how good he is or isn't. He played football on his school 6th grade team this year and plans on playing JV next year. He's not a starter and may never be a starter but he loves getting out there and playing so as long as he loves it I am letting him play. He doesn't quit and that is what I want to see. He'll get blown up on a play but get right back up and then make the tackle next play.

He will be in 7th grade and playing on JV? How does that even happen from an eligibility perspective?

Regardless, you basically described my kids and volleyball. My oldest never cared about team sports until she got into volleyball in 7th grade, then decided she would get into it. She played club in 8th grade and barely made the court. Freshman HS team was split between the A and B teams and it frustrated her but she just wants to be out there participating so she kept at it. Currently she is in the second year of club and has improved a ton, but at this age everyone is improving. A lot more court time than before, but probably wont start next HS season unless a few current teammates move up. A desire to be part of the team and improve- cant dislike that as a parent or coach.

 

[missouridawg]

It’s rec league. Maybe the kid just wants to play? You see all levels outs there

I hear ya…. But Ive never seen this level of bad. He’s terrified of the ball both hitting and fielding. He just ain’t mentally ready to hit pitching right now.

 

[AlCoDog]

Have you ever played golf?

 

[missouridawg]

Or, maybe the kid just wants to play with his friends even though his parents know he's not good and they're letting him do what he wants.
Maybe dad has to work too much. Maybe money is too tight for lessons.
Maybe you know the answer. But every family isn't the same.

His dad is an assistant coach. And works with him a whole bunch on their own.

And even though his son can’t throw the ball from SS to 1B, he advocated for his son to play a lot of SS this season.

To the kids credit, he’s a really good kid. He’s a yessir/nosir type kid and listens pretty well.

 

[missouridawg]

Me? Yes

 

[AlCoDog]

Then you should know hitting a golf ball isn’t easy.

 

[hatfieldms]

Again it is rec league. As someone who is on the board for the local rec league you see that at every level. Of a kid wants to be a part of a team and just go play with his friends then that his all that really matters to them and good for them for staying active

 

[missouridawg]

Then you should know hitting a golf ball isn’t easy.

If I went to the range twice a week for six weeks and didnt make contact with the ball, I wouldn’t go back.

For a kid that is terrified of a moving baseball, hitting at a stationary ball might calm his nerves enough to have some success and enjoy what he’s doing. He’s miserable at the baseball field.

 

[Drebin]

If I went to the range twice a week for six weeks and didnt make contact with the ball, I wouldn’t go back.

For a kid that is terrified of a moving baseball, hitting at a stationary ball might calm his nerves enough to have some success and enjoy what he’s doing. He’s miserable at the baseball field.

Meh, duct tape him to a chain link fence and have the rest of the team throw baseballs at him until he's no longer scared of the ball.

#backinmyday

 

[Madison Swinger]

I feel sorry for your kid

 

[Msubulldogfan1]

My kid is the worst on his team, I’ve heard some of the kids be a little mean to him, and it certainly breaks my heart.

My thought process is I’ll work with him as much as I can, and he will improve, maybe some things will click, he will see that and his confidence will grow. It’s good to go through something difficult, and hopefully accomplish something the kid didn’t think he could.

I guess there will be a certain point that if it just never happens and he never gets better, we won’t participate any more.

 

[klong-dog]

He's teaching him to learn failure at an early age.

 

[Msubulldogfan1]

He's teaching him to learn failure at an early age.

That’s a good lesson to learn early in life.

 

[missouridawg]

I feel sorry for your kid

Thanks. Your thoughts and prayers will make a huge difference in his life.

 

[Upyurs]

Sounds like many of you are completely misinterpreting the situation here. Missouri has indicated that the kid is scared of the ball and is miserable out there. That leads me to believe he isn’t enjoying it at all but this is being pushed by his dad to have a kid play who unfortunately isn’t capable. My oldest was like this. We pushed him and pushed him until he got to kid pitch. He would back out of the batters box every pitch. We stayed in him until he knew nothing other than to stay in the box. We knew it was time to quit when the ball nearly took off his jaw but he didn’t budge..Only stood there unaware of the situation. If the kid truly enjoys it fine, let him play regardless of their capabilities but if they are being forced, scared and miserable then enough is enough

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

He will be in 7th grade and playing on JV? How does that even happen from an eligibility perspective?

Regardless, you basically described my kids and volleyball. My oldest never cared about team sports until she got into volleyball in 7th grade, then decided she would get into it. She played club in 8th grade and barely made the court. Freshman HS team was split between the A and B teams and it frustrated her but she just wants to be out there participating so she kept at it. Currently she is in the second year of club and has improved a ton, but at this age everyone is improving. A lot more court time than before, but probably wont start next HS season unless a few current teammates move up. A desire to be part of the team and improve- cant dislike that as a parent or coach.

JV for our school is 7th-9th I'm pretty sure. I know varsity is 10-12.

 

[Dawgbite]

Have you ever played golf?

I've taken up golf at the age of 56. Been playing about 6 months now. It could be the most frustrating thing you've ever done if you let it. I force myself not to take it too seriously. If I make an awful T shot or a couple of bad shots I'll just pick the ball up and go to the next hole. I'm concentrating of establishing the perfect beer to hole ratio, I've learned that too few or too many are both detrimental to my game and my emotional well being.

 

[MSUDAWGFAN]

If your kid goes 0-fer the entire coach pitch season (games and practice) why do you put him in machine pitch the next year? That same kid is now 0-fer machine pitch. He hasn’t even hit one foul ball for 6 straight weeks. If you could measure the distance from bat to ball during a swing, he might not even be within 2’ of the ball on average. He swings at his eyes when the ball is at his knees.

I don't understand putting a kid through that. Take him to the cage. Hit with him off the tee. Play baseball all you want. But when you put him on a team, and in turn in front of his teammates and other parents and he embarrasses himself 100% of the time, that can’t be good for his psyche.

Maybe it makes more sense knowing this kid is raised by Aggie. Take him to the golf course.

Let me offer a different perspective: About 4 years ago, I coached my daughter's soccer team. We had 8 girls on the team and there was a wide range of talent on the team. During the year, the parks and rec hosted a clinic and I went to it. The clinic teacher told us things that we should do first - establish what form of communication you will have with parents, etc. One of the things he told us we should do is ask what the parents expectations were. You know what he said the parents answer is most often? He said the parents want to win. But when you ask the kids what their expectations are - having fun, getting better at what you're doing, playing with friends, etc.... winning is actually toward the bottom of the list.

Depending on the age of the kid you are talking about, he might not care one iota about the final score of the game. He might not care that he hasn't come within a foot of the ball all year. He might just want to have fun.

 

[mstateglfr]

Meh, duct tape him to a chain link fence and have the rest of the team throw baseballs at him until he's no longer scared of the ball.

#backinmyday

haha, strong post here. Hits close to home with how I refer to sports when I was a kid when I am talking to teens. I give em a healthy mix of the above and 4 touchdown Bundy.

 

[mstateglfr]

JV for our school is 7th-9th I'm pretty sure. I know varsity is 10-12.

Ok that is actually really interesting as I have not seen that setup before.
Where I grew up and currently live, there are freshman, JV, and Varsity teams. Then in large enough schools/popular enough sports, there are sophomore teams too. Some of the large middle schools have basic sports- basketball, cross country, track, and football.
But up until high school, sports are almost exclusively outside of the school system

 

[johnson86-1]

If your kid goes 0-fer the entire coach pitch season (games and practice) why do you put him in machine pitch the next year? That same kid is now 0-fer machine pitch. He hasn’t even hit one foul ball for 6 straight weeks. If you could measure the distance from bat to ball during a swing, he might not even be within 2’ of the ball on average. He swings at his eyes when the ball is at his knees.

I don't understand putting a kid through that. Take him to the cage. Hit with him off the tee. Play baseball all you want. But when you put him on a team, and in turn in front of his teammates and other parents and he embarrasses himself 100% of the time, that can’t be good for his psyche.

Maybe it makes more sense knowing this kid is raised by Aggie. Take him to the golf course.

Because 9 years old is a little early to give up on kids? And it's 17ing rec league? If he's not hitting a ball at 9, he's probably not going to improve enough to play any competitive leagues later on (although it's possible; some good athletes are just late blooomers), but it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility that he will improve enough to be a decent rec league player.

He definitely should be doing a lot of extra work with the kid if possible so he's not putting the kid in a position to fail, but really don't need to chase kids out of rec league sports because they're not good.

 

[Drebin]

JV for our school is 7th-9th I'm pretty sure. I know varsity is 10-12.

JV is usually 9th grade and the worst of the 10th graders. 7th and 8th graders can get there if they're advanced for their age.

A lot of this depends on the size of the school and the division they play in though.

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

Ok that is actually really interesting as I have not seen that setup before.
Where I grew up and currently live, there are freshman, JV, and Varsity teams. Then in large enough schools/popular enough sports, there are sophomore teams too. Some of the large middle schools have basic sports- basketball, cross country, track, and football.
But up until high school, sports are almost exclusively outside of the school system

And I may be completely wrong. This is my first year involved with all this. My kids had been home schooled until this year so this is all new to me. All I know for sure is 5th and 6th was PeeWee and 10-12 is varsity. I really don't know for sure how 7-9 breaks down. It may be 7-8 and then 9th by itself.

 

[missouridawg]

Sounds like many of you are completely misinterpreting the situation here. Missouri has indicated that the kid is scared of the ball and is miserable out there. That leads me to believe he isn’t enjoying it at all but this is being pushed by his dad to have a kid play who unfortunately isn’t capable. My oldest was like this. We pushed him and pushed him until he got to kid pitch. He would back out of the batters box every pitch. We stayed in him until he knew nothing other than to stay in the box. We knew it was time to quit when the ball nearly took off his jaw but he didn’t budge..Only stood there unaware of the situation. If the kid truly enjoys it fine, let him play regardless of their capabilities but if they are being forced, scared and miserable then enough is enough

Someone finally got it.

I'm not advocating for the league to encourage the kid to play golf.

I'm asking how in the world can the dad do this to his own son. I don't mind coaching this kid at all... we're going to lose several games because of the black hole he creates in the lineup, but I will use all of those Ls as learning lessons for the rest of the team. But if my son was this bad, I wouldn't put him on a team until I had got him to a level of competence that wasn't embarrassing the kid. As a dad, I also wouldn't want him to be the main reason a team loses consistently, which the other kids are going to eventually mess with him about (which I will certainly fix once I see it happen).

 

[missouridawg]

Because 9 years old is a little early to give up on kids? And it's 17ing rec league? If he's not hitting a ball at 9, he's probably not going to improve enough to play any competitive leagues later on (although it's possible; some good athletes are just late blooomers), but it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility that he will improve enough to be a decent rec league player.

He definitely should be doing a lot of extra work with the kid if possible so he's not putting the kid in a position to fail, but really don't need to chase kids out of rec league sports because they're not good.

I didn't say give up on him. I'm not and nor will I ever advocate for that. In fact, I'm advocating for something completely different. Work with him away from the team environment until he can contribute positively. Going 0-fer two straight seasons cannot be good for the kid, especially when he's terrified of the ball right now.

I tried to get the kid to bunt one day in practice. He would square around over the plate and as soon as the ball hit the machine, he'd backpedal out of the box.

 

[00Dawg]

I can’t tell you why…

But I can advise you how to fix it, and that’s with baby steps.
Tee work until he can make good contact. Then varying the tee height and location until he can make good contact with the first swing after every move of the tee.
Then soft toss.
Then underhand from a few feet in front (with a screen for the pitcher), then short arm over hand from slightly further away.
Then if the adult can throw good BP, full pitching from a little further back. If not, get a machine. Increase the velocity over time. For 9/10, top the machine out at 50, maybe 55.
This should take place over weeks, not days.

The problem is that’s hours and hours and hours of work.

Are there kids that still can’t get there? Sure. However, before I took a break to assist this spring, I had 7 consecutive fall/spring seasons being a head coach in rec ball, and several more as an assistant before that. I’ve removed several price tags from gloves at the first practice, and with only one notable exception where a kid was the size of a gnome, we were able to get kids at least a couple of balls in play in a season (I think the little guy only got one dribbler).

I’ll caveat this by saying we’re at ages 11/12 now, and once breaking balls start showing up for strikes, I think the list of “can’t” will grow.

 

[missouridawg]

But I can advise you how to fix it, and that’s with baby steps.
Tee work until he can make good contact. Then varying the tee height and location until he can make good contact with the first swing after every move of the tee.
Then soft toss.
Then underhand from a few feet in front (with a screen for the pitcher), then short arm over hand from slightly further away.
Then if the adult can throw good BP, full pitching from a little further back. If not, get a machine. Increase the velocity over time. For 9/10, top the machine out at 50, maybe 55.
This should take place over weeks, not days.

The problem is that’s hours and hours and hours of work.

Are there kids that still can’t get there? Sure. However, before I took a break to assist this spring, I had 7 consecutive fall/spring seasons being a head coach in rec ball, and several more as an assistant before that. I’ve removed several price tags from gloves at the first practice, and with only one notable exception where a kid was the size of a gnome, we were able to get kids at least a couple of balls in play in a season (I think the little guy only got one dribbler).

I’ll caveat this by saying we’re at ages 11/12 now, and once breaking balls start showing up for strikes, I think the list of “can’t” will grow.

I sent his dad a text this morning and encouraged him to start back at the Tee with him. Work him back up to a machine in baby steps. His dad claims they do soft toss and he hits it just fine (but I don't believe that at all).

 

[mstateglfr]

And I may be completely wrong. This is my first year involved with all this. My kids had been home schooled until this year so this is all new to me. All I know for sure is 5th and 6th was PeeWee and 10-12 is varsity. I really don't know for sure how 7-9 breaks down. It may be 7-8 and then 9th by itself.

What school district is this? You guys dont have freshman teams and at least 3 levels of play in high school?

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

What school district is this? You guys dont have freshman teams and at least 3 levels of play in high school?

Starkville Academy so whatever MPSAA district they're in.

 

[FISHDAWG]

Meh, duct tape him to a chain link fence and have the rest of the team throw baseballs at him until he's no longer scared of the ball.

#backinmyday

maybe a good round of Pepper might help

 

[M R DAWGS]

A swing away has helped my son with his timing, and I praise him everytime he makes good contact or puts a good swing on the ball. He enjoys it and it has built up his confidence. It’s something that may help this kid.

 

[kired]

My youngest kid sucked at hitting coach pitch. Didn't make sense because he's fairly athletic (a lot more than his older brother). He had a good looking swing, doing everything right. We could hit soft toss into a net in the back yard and he's nailing them.

Then we finally figured out he had terrible eyesight. He wasn't been able to see the damn ball when it's thrown from more than 10ft away.

Could be something to check.

 

[missouridawg]

My youngest kid sucked at hitting coach pitch. Didn't make sense because he's fairly athletic (a lot more than his older brother). He had a good looking swing, doing everything right. We could hit soft toss into a net in the back yard and he's nailing them.

Then we finally figured out he had terrible eyesight. He wasn't been able to see the damn ball when it's thrown from more than 10ft away.

Could be something to check.

This is actually something I will bring up. Thank you for that.

I have a similar story from my youth. I learned I needed glasses when I was duck hunting one day. We had a wood duck swim up the river into our decoys. I shot at a clump of weeds sticking out of the water on the edge of the decoys. Dumbass duck didn't even fly off and got blasted by my brother. I got glasses a few days later.

 

[stateu1]

I've taken up golf at the age of 56. Been playing about 6 months now. It could be the most frustrating thing you've ever done if you let it. I force myself not to take it too seriously. If I make an awful T shot or a couple of bad shots I'll just pick the ball up and go to the next hole. I'm concentrating of establishing the perfect beer to hole ratio, I've learned that too few or too many are both detrimental to my game and my emotional well being.

It's called O.B.L. Optimum Beer Level. It's a pretty fine line, too. Teetering on either side can cost significant strokes.

 

[mstateglfr]

Starkville Academy so whatever MPSAA district they're in.

thanks- its always interesting to see how school sports are set up in different parts of the country.