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re: What you travel ball coaches and parents think about sliding mitts?
Posted on 7/18/24 at 3:39 pm to lsu777
Posted on 7/18/24 at 3:39 pm to lsu777
On the not having middle school ball, y’all should try this out if you haven’t already. This is becoming a big deal in the Houston area, and the kids have an absolute blast. Middle School Matchup
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Posted on 7/18/24 at 4:33 pm to lsu777
quote:
Well if you are playing AA at 12, you aren’t making a good HS team anyways for the most part
Disagree to an extent. Those teams usually still have 2 or 3 kids that can play with most higher level teams but stick around for different reasons: usually a small town team, doesn’t want to travel for practices, family on the team, ect. The talent does usually falls off pretty fast and that’s what keeps them in AA
Posted on 7/18/24 at 4:43 pm to Hook Em Horns
quote:
You can thank Fernando tatis jr for the sliding mitts.
Kim Mulkey's son was way ahead of him on this
Posted on 7/18/24 at 4:53 pm to lsu777
quote:
Problem is, by that time, you are so far behind, not catching up
False in a lot of cases. Just like when we were kids, puberty is going to seperate a lot of these kids.
quote:
Well if you are playing AA at 12, you aren’t making a good HS team anyways for the most part. I’m talking difference between little league and high aaa or majors
So no poor people, who are not even able to play in AA ball, are not going to be able to make high school teams?
Posted on 7/18/24 at 5:14 pm to Thib-a-doe Tiger
quote:
False in a lot of cases. Just like when we were kids, puberty is going to seperate a lot of these kids.
Puberty is only a separator if kids aren’t lifting
quote:
So no poor people, who are not even able to play in AA ball, are not going to be able to make high school teams?
Already how it is. But many of these teams offer fundraising so it’s more…no poor and lazy people
But yea if you can’t afford travel, you aren’t making a HS team. Sorry. Just like most of the big schools require summer ball while in HS and that cost too.
I mean the crappy schools…sure but even the 3a schools that are competitive on the state level…not making them without playing travel and sure as hell not gonna play if you do happen to make it somehow
And the lessons don’t stop once they get to HS either
Posted on 7/18/24 at 5:24 pm to lsu777
I know kids from state championship teams in the last few years that didn't even play anything above rec until they were 13.
The best are going to be the best no matter what they do when they are 10. We do travel ball too and it does nothing more than teach the game and offer more practice. But if Johnny plays travel when he's 10 and grows up to be 5'4' in high school and Jimmy turns into an animal and takes a liking to baseball, he's going to take Johnny's spot more often than not.
Why do you think there are so many disgruntled travel ball parents in high school baseball now?
The best are going to be the best no matter what they do when they are 10. We do travel ball too and it does nothing more than teach the game and offer more practice. But if Johnny plays travel when he's 10 and grows up to be 5'4' in high school and Jimmy turns into an animal and takes a liking to baseball, he's going to take Johnny's spot more often than not.
Why do you think there are so many disgruntled travel ball parents in high school baseball now?
Posted on 7/18/24 at 5:26 pm to lsu777
quote:
Problem is, by that time, you are so far behind, not catching up The select kids are doing all those lessons plus working on their own so you are not catching up
Well, this is simply inaccurate. We had a kid who played exclusively Little League until he went into 6th grade last year. By the end of his 6th grade year this kid was playing majors level select. We had another kid who started select a few months back (middle of his 6th grade year), and he now has multiple offers from AAA teams. Like it or not, you can develop kids in Little League if you will regularly schedule practices for the better kids to play and practice together, get ex-high school/college pitchers to throw to them (aka dads), and pay for individual instruction where needed. Travel ball will develop kids, but it is inefficient at doing it from a time and money perspective at the younger ages. You sound like someone who spent a ton of money on private college and can’t accept that the kid who went to public state school makes more money than you.
Posted on 7/18/24 at 5:34 pm to SelaTiger
Kids under age 18 should be sliding feet first with a pop up slide. Unless you are grown man fast, sliding head first is a terrible idea for multiple reasons, most notably a higher risk of injury and you get to the bag slower.
Posted on 7/18/24 at 5:36 pm to lsu777
quote:
Well if you are playing AA at 12, you aren’t making a good HS team anyways for the most part. I’m talking difference between little league and high aaa or majors
There aren’t nearly enough majors/high AAA select players to fill every high school baseball roster. Not even close. I don’t doubt that your comment is accurate for some schools out there, but it’s not even accurate for most large high schools in Texas.
Posted on 7/18/24 at 5:53 pm to jmh5724
quote:
Disagree to an extent. Those teams usually still have 2 or 3 kids that can play with most higher level teams but stick around for different reasons: usually a small town team, doesn’t want to travel for practices, family on the team, ect. The talent does usually falls off pretty fast and that’s what keeps them in AA
I mean some but usually by 12 those have moved on unless it’s really small town. Problem is those kids, if they are at bigger schools, are so far behind by the time they get to HS it’s almost impossible to catch up.
Posted on 7/18/24 at 5:54 pm to Thib-a-doe Tiger
quote:
I know kids from state championship teams in the last few years that didn't even play anything above rec until they were 13.
Oh there are a few rec leagues still viable but in 95% of the cases, yea not happening. Especially at the big 5a schools
And of course if a kid is 5’4 others can and will pass him up. But look at Jordan griffin, dude is 5’6 but he is 170 lbs of solid muscle so he is still better than the others.
And you have disgruntled parents at HS level because they are unrealistic AF
This post was edited on 7/18/24 at 5:57 pm
Posted on 7/18/24 at 6:01 pm to pelicanpride
quote:
Like it or not, you can develop kids in Little League if you will regularly schedule practices for the better kids to play and practice together, get ex-high school/college pitchers to throw to them (aka dads), and pay for individual instruction where needed
So essentially travel ball
quote:
You sound like someone who spent a ton of money on private college and can’t accept that the kid who went to public state school makes more money than you.
Ok whatever. I’m just telling you how it is at the bigger schools in Louisiana
Go look at starters for barbe, Sam Houston, catholic, STM, west Monroe, Benton, the catholic league schools, the AP schools, Teurlings, St. Louis
Then go look at PG and USSSA sites…you will see for yourself
I already said Texas is different in some areas. Said that like 4 or 5 times.
A school like WM, Barbe, Catholic or SH…..they all take about 10 kids per class, maybe 12 in a really deep class….how many do you think are trying out?
How many non travel ball kids is tomball, pearland, flower mound etc starting? Sure you may have some rec only kids at like clear falls in league city but you aren’t at the big baseball factories
This post was edited on 7/18/24 at 6:05 pm
Posted on 7/18/24 at 6:31 pm to SelaTiger
quote:
we’re being pressured to buy an Absolutely Ridiculous sliding mitt
If you are feeling pressure it’s your fault because you haven’t said no. Kids need to learn the word NO at some point. Tell him to go make some money and then if he wants to waste 85 dollars on an oven mitt that would be his choice. I bet he won’t spend the money on an oven mitt
Posted on 7/18/24 at 7:04 pm to lsu777
quote:
quote:Like it or not, you can develop kids in Little League if you will regularly schedule practices for the better kids to play and practice together, get ex-high school/college pitchers to throw to them (aka dads), and pay for individual instruction where needed
So essentially travel ball
Except that it’s free, takes way less time, and is local.
quote:
How many non travel ball kids is tomball, pearland, flower mound etc starting?
You picked some of the best schools in the country. Your original comment was - “Well if you are playing AA at 12, you aren’t making a good HS team anyways” So the standard has gone from “good” to excellent. I agree the probability of making one of those teams if you do nothing but rec until high school isn’t great unless you are a beast. If you do what I said above which is stay in rec until middle school but play up an age or two, practice regularly with the best kids in your league, get individualized coaching where needed, and hit off grown men at 50 ft, you can absolutely make one of those teams if you start travel ball at 12 or 13.
Posted on 7/18/24 at 7:20 pm to pelicanpride
quote:
You picked some of the best schools in the country. Your original comment was - “Well if you are playing AA at 12, you aren’t making a good HS team anyways” So the standard has gone from “good” to excellent. I agree the probability of making one of those teams if you do nothing but rec until high school isn’t great unless you are a beast. If you do what I said above which is stay in rec until middle school but play up an age or two, practice regularly with the best kids in your league, get individualized coaching where needed, and hit off grown men at 50 ft, you can absolutely make one of those teams if you start travel ball at 12 or 13.
In my area those are the schools. The ones in Lafayette…the stm, TC, be it’s the Ap schools and catholic, they etc
Sure you can go make a small school team but good luck playing. I said schools that compete at the state level. That’s pretty much all the schools in my area.
I said from the start, you are not going to make the good HS teams, especially the bigger schools. I have posted that the last 3 pages yet yall keep bringing up the craptastic small schools trying to prove some point
I said 5 times..talking Louisiana yet you continue to bring up Texas. But it’s still holds true at the good schools in Texas. Which I said from the start..at the big schools that compete for state championships
But then you say…yea well those schools are good lol, no shite
quote:
xcept that it’s free, takes way less time, and is local.
Lessons aren’t free, most in travel don’t actually travel and it’s not that expensive and rec isn’t free in most places. Many places it’s still $150 minimum just for rec
Posted on 7/18/24 at 8:05 pm to lsu777
Rec fees plus hitting/pitching coach fees are considerably less than select fees + hitting/pitching coach fees + tournament fees + gate fees + absurdly priced uniforms + gas + hotels.
I’ve said several times that a kid would likely need to play select by 7th/8th grade to make one of the “baseball factories” that you keep bringing up. I was simply noting that there is a different model at the younger ages that can work. You shite all over that initially, but now ignore it as if that hasn’t been my point this entire time.
I think I’ve hit my quota of arguing with random strangers on the internet today, especially when I’ve lost track of what we are even talking about at this point.
I’ve said several times that a kid would likely need to play select by 7th/8th grade to make one of the “baseball factories” that you keep bringing up. I was simply noting that there is a different model at the younger ages that can work. You shite all over that initially, but now ignore it as if that hasn’t been my point this entire time.
I think I’ve hit my quota of arguing with random strangers on the internet today, especially when I’ve lost track of what we are even talking about at this point.
Posted on 7/18/24 at 8:09 pm to lsu777
Can we at least agree the sliding mitts are stupid?
Posted on 7/18/24 at 8:34 pm to pelicanpride
Haha I want going to even reply because I had met my quota too
As far as the sliding mitts go…. They are pretty useless if the opponent isn’t wearing spikes, I said that in first post.
But my opinion is what ever let’s kids have fun and Keeps them playing and exercising…I’m all for it.
Baseball has always had a problem of kids stopping playing after 12u but seems worse now. More kids than ever playing 12u and below according to stats but so many just stop everything after 12 so if wearing a sliding mitt keeps kids playing because it’s cool… all for it
Now imo they look stupid AF and are useless
As far as the sliding mitts go…. They are pretty useless if the opponent isn’t wearing spikes, I said that in first post.
But my opinion is what ever let’s kids have fun and Keeps them playing and exercising…I’m all for it.
Baseball has always had a problem of kids stopping playing after 12u but seems worse now. More kids than ever playing 12u and below according to stats but so many just stop everything after 12 so if wearing a sliding mitt keeps kids playing because it’s cool… all for it
Now imo they look stupid AF and are useless
Posted on 7/18/24 at 8:37 pm to lsu777
quote:
Now imo they look stupid AF and are useless
Agreed. Let’s end on that. Haha. Good luck to your kid. Sounds like he loves baseball and works his arse off.
Posted on 7/18/24 at 9:52 pm to SelaTiger
I'm not a travel ball coach nor a travel ball parent. Don't even have a kid old enough for baseball. But I do help run the local Dixie league, so I see a lot of the "less talented" players in the area who don't make travel teams. Anyways...
Witnessed one kid, pretty sure it was 10u boys, who went to the plate with an ankle guard on BOTH ankles, 2 sliding mitts - one in each back pocket, and what looked to be an evoshield wrist guard like a catcher would normally wear, but turned around to cover the outside of his wrist instead of right under the palm. Kid predictably goes on to strike out in 3 pitches which was a little disappointing because I wanted to watch him attempt to take on and off the 2 sliding mitts
I hate it all and think it's all a huge money grab that has worked like a charm for the manufacturers. I also love it when they put the sliding mitt on their glove hand instead of their throwing hand. The only "accessory" that I will completely back and understand anybody wearing is batting gloves because its frickin 110 degrees on the turf here in LA and my sweaty hands can barely hold on to the bat trying to hit balls to the team I coach.
Witnessed one kid, pretty sure it was 10u boys, who went to the plate with an ankle guard on BOTH ankles, 2 sliding mitts - one in each back pocket, and what looked to be an evoshield wrist guard like a catcher would normally wear, but turned around to cover the outside of his wrist instead of right under the palm. Kid predictably goes on to strike out in 3 pitches which was a little disappointing because I wanted to watch him attempt to take on and off the 2 sliding mitts
I hate it all and think it's all a huge money grab that has worked like a charm for the manufacturers. I also love it when they put the sliding mitt on their glove hand instead of their throwing hand. The only "accessory" that I will completely back and understand anybody wearing is batting gloves because its frickin 110 degrees on the turf here in LA and my sweaty hands can barely hold on to the bat trying to hit balls to the team I coach.
This post was edited on 7/18/24 at 9:55 pm
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