8U and Practicing

[Three A's baseball]

I Have a young son who plays rec and travel. we have one rec game a week and one travel practice a week until the season starts. Before we started playing organized ball our time was spent hitting countless ground balls and hitting buckets. It is why he plays so well at a yound age. WIth all of this going on now our one on one practice time has diminished and my wife feels any more baseball and I am probably getting divorced.

When your kids are in full season swing how much practice do you get in a week just you and him.

I'm just curious.

[TG Coach]

I Have a young son who plays rec and travel. we have one rec game a week and one travel practice a week until the season starts. Before we started playing organized ball our time was spent hitting countless ground balls and hitting buckets. It is why he plays so well at a yound age. WIth all of this going on now our one on one practice time has diminished and my wife feels any more baseball and I am probably getting divorced.

When your kids are in full season swing how much practice do you get in a week just you and him.

I'm just curious.

When my kids were 7/8's we practiced away from the team on Fridays after school. My daughter was always good for one a week until she had almost year round travel practice starting at fifteen (18U). By 11/12's my son wanted to work out every day we didn't have a team event. I held him back to twice a week. Now at 14U we get in about two sessions a week on our own. From 11yo on, he takes a couple thousand grounders a season. Now he's taking a hundred or so flies/liners also. We also practice throwing from awkward positions like from a knee or popping to the feet after a diving stop, charging and throwing across the body, planting and throwing from odd angles or in the hole. I just roll the ball from nearby. On the dive plays from a prone position he starts with the ball in his glove. He also caught and we had catching drills through LL and 12U. My daughter was easier. She became just an outfielder at 12U.

If you think my son is obsessed with baseball, he plays basketball every day in the summer.

[hawkiirock]

we get out almost every "off" day weather permitting. He is always wanting me to hit him fly balls etc.

[Jake Patterson]

I Have a young son who plays rec and travel. we have one rec game a week and one travel practice a week until the season starts. Before we started playing organized ball our time was spent hitting countless ground balls and hitting buckets. It is why he plays so well at a yound age. WIth all of this going on now our one on one practice time has diminished and my wife feels any more baseball and I am probably getting divorced.

When your kids are in full season swing how much practice do you get in a week just you and him.

I'm just curious.

Haven't coached 8's in 20 years. 3X per week doesn't seem unreasonable.

[Chris O'Leary]

When your kids are in full season swing how much practice do you get in a week just you and him.

I will throw the ball around with, and pitch some balls to, my boys every day if they are interested.

However, I generally wait for them to ask me just to make sure I'm not pushing them too much.

[callyjr]

When my kids were 7/8's we practiced away from the team on Fridays after school. My daughter was always good for one a week until she had almost year round travel practice starting at fifteen (18U). By 11/12's my son wanted to work out every day we didn't have a team event. I held him back to twice a week. Now at 14U we get in about two sessions a week on our own. From 11yo on, he takes a couple thousand grounders a season. Now he's taking a hundred or so flies/liners also. We also practice throwing from awkward positions like from a knee or popping to the feet after a diving stop, charging and throwing across the body, planting and throwing from odd angles or in the hole. I just roll the ball from nearby. On the dive plays from a prone position he starts with the ball in his glove. He also caught and we had catching drills through LL and 12U. My daughter was easier. She became just an outfielder at 12U.

If you think my son is obsessed with baseball, he plays basketball every day in the summer.


TG,

My boy played 3 seasons baseball last year, Spring, Summer, and fall and then we played once a week with the fall ball team over the winter, he still played soccer and basketball over the winter. He wants to do the same schedule again this year, I love the fact he wants to play too much, but as a 7yr in July I don't want to see him burn out. He would play baseball everyday and it shows in his skill level as he is playing 2 years up in level and still one of the top players in the division. You have mentioned in previous posts that your son never touched a ball over the winter or maybe that was you, this was my plan for this year, once they got done playing fall ball to hide his bat and glove until a month before tryouts, but now I am a little confused on how you approached it with your kids. I still think I want him to take a couple months away from it, he will play basketball and soccer again this winter as well.

He doesn't need touches at this level like he would if he is in HS, but he is going to move up to Minors with the kids he is currently playing with this season. Minors in our division is 9 and 10, but I have been watching and the division is not that great. The division we are in now is all 8Yr olds and is kid pitch, he has struck out SWINGING only once all season. the rest of the time he puts the ball in play and had a couple nice hits 1 HR and a couple triples.

your thoughts....Its always his idea to play, but do I worry about him getting to much at this age? I like keeping him playing up because he doesn't get to pitch much and the less he pitches the better IMO. Our league starts pitching mid season at the 7's level, since my boy was on the 8's this year, it was pitching from the start. Craazy for a 6yr old suppose to be playing tball. He was the ony 6yr old in the division and there were not many 6 yr olds on the 7's teams either. That being said, i know he is not trying out for HS and honestly I am just enjoying his success at this level.

[TG Coach]

You have mentioned in previous posts that your son never touched a ball over the winter or maybe that was you, this was my plan for this year, once they got done playing fall ball to hide his bat and glove until a month before tryouts, but now I am a little confused on how you approached it with your kids.

We have this deterrent called winter weather even if it doesn't always snow. This past year as an 8th grader his travel team started up indoors the end of January. Until then we always waited until the end of February. Next year he'll be in high school. All he knows right now is fall "voluntary" workouts start the last week of August. It's not likely he'll make varsity as a freshman, but he's been invited to their workouts.

It will be interesting to see how playing three sports in high school work out. His sister did it. But his coaches across the board will be more demanding of time. I can't see it working. He's going to have to make some choices.

My daughter's softball became almost year round when she hit high school, between school and her travel team. College is definitely school year round. She's passing on summer ball this year. She did think the season was a breeze compared to the off season training.

[Three A's baseball]

callyjr - My son is 6 as well and is playing with the 1st and 2nd grade rec division and he made the 8u travel team.

I was very hesitient but he is having a great time and loves to play with the older boys.

He is starting at 3b and in rec moves all around. He is a small boy but is pretty tough.

He asked to pitch the last inning of a meanigless scrimmage and the coach asked if i minded. I said i woudl defer to his judgement and he said let him throw 30 pitches.

He loaded the bases with 2 walks and a hit but also struck out 2.

He was very excited.

I am just letting him take me for the ride.....I just try and keep him safe