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re: The reality of travel baseball
Posted on 5/29/26 at 11:59 pm to greenbean
Posted on 5/29/26 at 11:59 pm to greenbean
quote:
The other day, I heard a guy say the reason European basketball players were better than American these day is due to their practicing more than playing.
In our AAU circuit games are prioritized over practice. Over there it is the opposite, they do tons of drills
I'm not familiar with AAU basketball much, but I would assume its the same generalizations as travel baseball. Im sure at your surface level kids are playing in their general area and bragging about playing AAU. But I would guess there is a top end level that is doing just what you said the Europeans are doing, and heavily practicing. Of course they play plenty, as do the Europeans you referenced i bet.
2
Posted on 5/30/26 at 1:40 am to Hold That Tiger 10
And you’d be wrong. There’s very little practicing or skill development in AAU especially at the very highest level. The best EYBL teams aren’t practicing at all. They are traveling across the country every weekend playing tons of games in front of college coaches.
They only benefit any of these travel ball teams have is the ones going to showcases in front of college coaches like Perfect Game. But you can do that when you are 15-16-17.
Wasting money on 10 year old travel ball is a joke
They only benefit any of these travel ball teams have is the ones going to showcases in front of college coaches like Perfect Game. But you can do that when you are 15-16-17.
Wasting money on 10 year old travel ball is a joke
Posted on 5/30/26 at 6:24 am to Hold That Tiger 10
quote:
For legit travel ball teams, they aren't really able to play in local tournaments
Softball is very different local wise. Birmingham area has more of the top teams than anywhere else in the southeast. Teams travel from Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia, etc to play in USSSA open tournaments hosted in Birmingham.
So your statement is not true here. Birmingham area hosts several PGFs each season as well.
As far as pitch speed, again I see it almost every weekend. We have 2 10 year olds over 50 on our team, I can think of 4 girls in the area that are 55+ just on Birmingham teams. I could dox the kid throwing 62 and tell you what team she plays for but I'd rather not.
I've already said it, we see 55+ regularly in 10u, we have only seen 60+ one time.
ETA: hell most C class teams have a girl throwing 50 in 10u around here
This post was edited on 5/30/26 at 6:29 am
Posted on 5/30/26 at 8:08 am to BoogaBear
quote:
Birmingham area has more of the top teams than anywhere else in the southeast
quote:
Birmingham area hosts several PGFs each season as well.
I see two PGF events total in Alabama this season, zero in Birmingham.
Posted on 5/30/26 at 8:17 am to RedSoloSpitCup
quote:
Travel ball didn't do it. College athletes aren't grinders who squeezed the most out of their mediocre bodies. College athletes are winners of the genetic lottery.
This is the correct answer.
And the vast majority of the kids who look like future hall of famers at 11 have been surpassed by others by age 17.
Posted on 5/30/26 at 8:40 am to supatigah
This isn’t a baseball problem only, we’ve created an entire industry where a kid has to pick a sport at 7 and go all in. Every kid is completely specialized rather than the old method of the best athletes play everything and start to figure out their niche in high school. It’s also runs hand in hand with social media culture and having to look a certain way online. Parents will go through great lengths in any activity to make their child seem elite in what they do when the reality is their kid is completely mid in real life.
Posted on 5/30/26 at 8:45 am to MobileJosh
quote:
Why do you pathetic losers obsess over what other people and their kids do?
Maybe the OT isn’t the board for you.
Posted on 5/30/26 at 9:02 am to ConnectTheDots
quote:
This isn’t a baseball problem only, we’ve created an entire industry where a kid has to pick a sport at 7 and go all in. Every kid is completely specialized rather than the old method of the best athletes play everything and start to figure out their niche in high school.
Once again, yall take something that a select few actually do and apply it to all. It's simply not true.
Posted on 5/30/26 at 9:08 am to Hold That Tiger 10
Maybe where you live it isn’t but it’s absolutely true where I’m at. Every kid is in some form of a year round competitive activity and because of it they can’t do other activities. Doesn’t matter if it’s baseball, softball, dance/cheer, volleyball, swimming; it’s a 10 month season. And everyone feels like if they don’t join in then their kid won’t be able to keep up by the time they reach high school.
Posted on 5/30/26 at 9:10 am to AbuTheMonkey
Holy shite, do these threads bring out the gooners
Posted on 5/30/26 at 9:13 am to supatigah
“We start hydrating on Wed for the Sat game”
Posted on 5/30/26 at 9:39 am to andwesway
quote:
Holding your kid back in school for sports reasons is nuts.
My son played travel ball one season against another kid from the same community as 11 and 12 year olds. Both in the same grade.
My kid just finished his sophomore year of college. The other kid just graduated high school. His parents held him back a year in 8th, then made sure he took 5 years to graduate high school, while holding him out from school sports his 9th grade year. Thought it was a sure fire way to get him a college scholarship. No offers.
Posted on 5/30/26 at 9:53 am to ConnectTheDots
quote:
Doesn’t matter if it’s baseball, softball, dance/cheer, volleyball, swimming; it’s a 10 month season
Yep. Later than most, my when my son’s travel team hit 13u, it was indoor workouts starting mid January, outdoor practices when the weather was good in February, tournament play started early March through the end of June or early July, gearing up for 14u fall in late July, play through until early November. Only then would you get a few weeks off, but still encouraged to go hit, lessons, etc.
When my son’s travel team came to me after 14u summer and said he was done, I was not surprised. He took up golf and we play on our timeline now.
We have neighbors who ask me constantly about the travel world. Their oldest made LL all stars and they are jumping into travel baseball next year at age 9. I simply told them to remember it is about their son and his hopes, not theirs.
Posted on 5/30/26 at 10:27 am to Hold That Tiger 10
quote:
see two PGF events total in Alabama this season, zero in Birmingham.
You're actually an idiot.
Guess those 2 PGFs we played in this spring didn't happen.
Hoover and Gardendale retard.
Posted on 5/30/26 at 10:47 am to Volsfan82169
quote:
my when my son’s travel team hit 13u, it was indoor workouts starting mid January, outdoor practices when the weather was good in February, tournament play started early March through the end of June or early July, gearing up for 14u fall in late July, play through until early November. Only then would you get a few weeks off, but still encouraged to go hit, lessons,
Once again, this is what YOU chose to do. You can play travel ball without those type of demands. You are blaming travel ball for your own decisions.
I have one that plays at the highest level of softball that you can possibly play. We travel, and travel a lot. I have a younger one that plays rec ball. We play more games in a weekend of softball than my son played all season in rec. Point being there is something out there for every kid, at every expensive level, and it ranges from no travel, to minimal travel, to tons of travel. Its all about what the individual family wants.
Posted on 5/30/26 at 10:50 am to BoogaBear
quote:
Guess those 2 PGFs we played in this spring didn't happen.
I said i found two PGF events in Alabama, and you said yall played in two.
quote:
Hoover and Gardendale retard.
You said there were a bunch in Birmingham. You just named two that weren't in Birmingham.
quote:
You're actually an idiot.
And im the idiot? You just posted EXACTLY what I said, and then thought you proved me wrong somehow???
BTW. One of the two I found was 11U. You've been saying 10U.
You have greatly exaggerated almost everything you said in this thread. You may be one of those travel ball parents that the OT thinks everybody is. I have no clue why you are getting so butt hurt.
This post was edited on 5/30/26 at 10:53 am
Posted on 5/30/26 at 10:58 am to Hold That Tiger 10
quote:
I'm not familiar with AAU basketball much, but I would assume its the same generalizations as travel baseball. Im sure at your surface level kids are playing in their general area and bragging about playing AAU. But I would guess there is a top end level that is doing just what you said the Europeans are doing, and heavily practicing. Of course they play plenty, as do the Europeans you referenced i bet.
I don't know either way, just relaying what an NBA analyst said.
Posted on 5/30/26 at 11:04 am to supatigah
From the responses, it’s easy to identify the limpwrist, non athletic losers.
Sorry your spawn lacks testosterone or athletic ability.
Sorry your spawn lacks testosterone or athletic ability.
Posted on 5/30/26 at 11:05 am to blueboxer1119
If my son isn’t an MLB starter I’m gonna kill myself
Posted on 5/30/26 at 11:09 am to Hold That Tiger 10
I haven't exaggerated anything. You just can't read.
I said we play competitive 10u. I said we regularly face 50+, commonly 55+, and have even seen 1 girl throwing 62.
I said there's top teams in Birmingham area, more so than the other states and they have multiple pgf tournaments in the Birmingham area every year.
All facts.
I said we play competitive 10u. I said we regularly face 50+, commonly 55+, and have even seen 1 girl throwing 62.
I said there's top teams in Birmingham area, more so than the other states and they have multiple pgf tournaments in the Birmingham area every year.
All facts.
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