This is interesting ...

Particularly in view of the strong state-wide AAU program at the young ages in the state, I thought that this would be an interesting topic. It was started over on the HSBBallWeb.

Understandably, they aren't talking about picking up a bunch of coach pitch kids and taking them traveling state-to-state, but it raises some interesting questions.

My take: Do YOU want to travel with 13-15 yelling, hungry six year olds? I personally don't, but I'm getting a bit old and my kids are all grown now.

How young is TOO young?

 

6U is too young. I think 8-10 is good enough.

 

Ok ... maybe an 8 year old "select" team ... you trot around the state and have fun staying at hotels ....

Is 8 years old too young to go to a National Championship?

Most Kid Pitch programs START at the age of 9.

 

Man...this is ridiculous. Let them play Little League until 12. I bet every player on the Morganton, NC team had the time of their lives. Jeez...talking about burning out a kid. I bet many of them will lose their love for the game before they reach 14

 

AAU actually sponsors an 8U national championship ... if you do well, you get an automatic invite back to the 9U nationals.

Guess what: 3 NC teams made the trek to Nationals as 8 year olds and have qualified for the 9U nationals.

Something just feels wrong .... sure, trot around and play in the surrounding counties, have fun .... but NATIONALS ... AT 8?????

 

I'm with Braves 100% on this one. I guarantee that at 8U travel baseball is about the parent (and the money-making promoter), not the kid. Kids need to develop a love for the game so THEY will want to stay with it and play as long as they are able. I've heard soooo many parents afraid that little Johnny will fall behind if he doesn't play travel ball at an early age and that is hogwash. As long as the kids learn proper fundamentals and develop a desire to play and a love for the game, Little League/Dixie Youth/Pony League is where they should play through age 12. Let them learn to be a star on a team with a bunch of friends and kids at varying levels of ability. Let them play on an all-star team that rewards their regular season efforts and performance. But don't put them into a travel program before they are old enough to suggest to you that that is what they want to do.

I loved the "playing up" and "diaper" posts that followed in that thread over on hsbaseball.

 

I second Braves & DodgerBlues! 12 is young enough.

 

Interesting. It's my opinion (and the precedent from which my opinion comes is the Soviet sports system, oddly enough) that unless your sport is gymnastics or figure skating, you shouldn't be playing it year round until 12 or 13 at the earliest. Not just because of burnout, either. The way to be a better athlete is to build up a wide base of motor skills from a young age, and you do this by playing a variety of sports. So parents aren't doing their 6-year-olds a favor by building up their baseball resume with travel ball as first graders. They're much better off in the long run balancing out Little League with swim team, soccer and basketball. There's a reason for having four seasons...