Pikiell Raising His Kids to Enjoy Sports
- Thread starter SoCal_Knight
- Start date
High school coaching...laughable too often...especially for the girl's teams.
Help wanted - girls track and field coach, must be available for practices from 2:30-4:30 and meets on evenings and weekends, pay=not very much, must be prepared to deal with HS girl and parent drama.
Who can do that just based on the hours? Who wants to do that?
Tee ball is boring and no fun.
The game is way to hard and difficult to play for young children under game conditions.
If you’re lucky 1-10 kids have the hand and eye coordination and a semi natural throwing motion that can’t be taught…
The other 9 kids are just set up to fail.
Baseball is all about catching, throwing and the ability to move your body to get into a position to catch and throw.
Hitting is great but throwing, running and catching is the entire game.
Tee ball age kids need to be catching thrown pop ups, playing constant catch, throwing grounders to each other and throwing to each other from the furthest distance they can to really learn how to throw without being concerned with accuracy.
You need buddies and friends to do this
One tip.
NEVER teach tee ball age kids to catch any ball with two hands, baseball is a one handed game, the throwing arm does nothing but get in the way of developing your glove hand.
That includes pop ups, grounders and every ball that comes their way…one hand.
If all the tee ball age kids did nothing but play catch, throw against a wall and field the grounders that come off the wall…. By Daddy pitch time, you could actually play a game
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I agree - Tee ball is awful and putting 11-12 kids on a T-Ball team is a terrible idea.
This is what is brilliant about soccer for little kids, you can play 3v3 on a small field, everyone is involved and gets lots of action
Why not play 6v6 T-ball? with short toss/soft toss with a softball instead of a T?
Absolutely correct.
Soccer is a tremendous developmental sport.
Playing it at 6 years old will make you better at every sport you choose.
We don't have tee ball. We have "rookie ball". Coach pitch for 5-6 pitches then tee comes out if they can't hit.
We improvise with the kids to get it down to ~6 infielders.
9-11 show up for the game but we take 3-4 kids to the far edge of the infield (way past where the game is being played) and I or another coach just throw those kids grounders or toss them the ball to practice catching for the entire 1/2 inning. We rotate the kids so every kid has one turn "out of the game / practicing". The other kids then have a better chance of being engaged / getting a ground ball.
It works pretty well and is less chaotic.
We improvise with the kids to get it down to ~6 infielders.
9-11 show up for the game but we take 3-4 kids to the far edge of the infield (way past where the game is being played) and I or another coach just throw those kids grounders or toss them the ball to practice catching for the entire 1/2 inning. We rotate the kids so every kid has one turn "out of the game / practicing". The other kids then have a better chance of being engaged / getting a ground ball.
It works pretty well and is less chaotic.
Also after every kid hits a coach throws extra balls to the infielders and "the play is to home" every time.
Not sure if everyone does that or just our league. Again seems to "help" doesn't solve everything.
Agreed baseball is very tough on their attention span and hard to get to learn.
Soccer is the best, because the ball is where it is supposed to be. On the ground.
Not sure if everyone does that or just our league. Again seems to "help" doesn't solve everything.
Agreed baseball is very tough on their attention span and hard to get to learn.
Soccer is the best, because the ball is where it is supposed to be. On the ground.
Brilliant! Good for you guys, that makes a lot of sense, keeps kids engaged and having fun AND as a bonus, they're building skills and hand/eye coordination.
Must have a good group of volunteers.
100% agree and I despise soccer overall.
Soccer is great for the little ones though.
Our coach hit my son last night while batting.
I warned him that next time he's rushing the mound.
Note - last game the other coach hit a kid with a pitch. Then hit him again with the next pitch.
This is why I won't be a formal coach. I was a terrible pitcher.
I warned him that next time he's rushing the mound.
Note - last game the other coach hit a kid with a pitch. Then hit him again with the next pitch.
This is why I won't be a formal coach. I was a terrible pitcher.
That's what the 6U format in our town league was. No catchers but up to 7-8 fielders (incl. 2-3 outfielders playing close in) depending on numbers showing up.
I have had the benefit of seeing my kids navigate the the youth sports scene from a few completely different perspectives.
My youngest is now 28
My oldest was the worst girl at her U11 travel tryout
My youngest, a national team player at U-15
In between them I had a gamer with average athletic ability and another that preferred to chase butterflies as he played
Some kids like a challenge
Some want to be part of something
Some just want to have fun
The one commonality I saw is that they all needed unsupervised and unstructured play incorporated into the often overly structured world of youth sports
I don't believe in burnout unless the sport is forced on the child
It will be obvious if you just pay attention
I pushed and worked my oldest daughter hard
She enjoyed the time with me
My youngest and best athlete
A 4 year starter at RU could not be pushed
He didn't want or need me to push
The best thing I ever did for them was host play dates at my house
Kids would come over a few times a week and play on the field I built at my house
They would laugh , tease , play and even dance to the music I blasted
The only rule was that they would play soccer
On their terms
Kids always came and always had fun with no adult intervention
Of the kids that came to my house on a consistent basis
5 would end up on youth national teams
7 played division one soccer
3 played division 3 soccer
None of them burned out
My youngest is now 28
My oldest was the worst girl at her U11 travel tryout
My youngest, a national team player at U-15
In between them I had a gamer with average athletic ability and another that preferred to chase butterflies as he played
Some kids like a challenge
Some want to be part of something
Some just want to have fun
The one commonality I saw is that they all needed unsupervised and unstructured play incorporated into the often overly structured world of youth sports
I don't believe in burnout unless the sport is forced on the child
It will be obvious if you just pay attention
I pushed and worked my oldest daughter hard
She enjoyed the time with me
My youngest and best athlete
A 4 year starter at RU could not be pushed
He didn't want or need me to push
The best thing I ever did for them was host play dates at my house
Kids would come over a few times a week and play on the field I built at my house
They would laugh , tease , play and even dance to the music I blasted
The only rule was that they would play soccer
On their terms
Kids always came and always had fun with no adult intervention
Of the kids that came to my house on a consistent basis
5 would end up on youth national teams
7 played division one soccer
3 played division 3 soccer
None of them burned out
Same on the no catchers. We don't bother having outfielders. About 6 infielders. The rest just practicing on the edge of the outfield. Not sure what the non-coaching parents think of the approach but it's horrible otherwise. No was paying attention and most kids just playing in the dirt or messing with their own teammates. Regardless it's a dog pile once the ball is in play. That we can't fix.
Last year T-Ball was on turf so no dirt issues (thank god).
I made rules for my son (rest of the team didn't really take to the rules).
- No falling down on the ground. Stay on your feet.
- No taking off glove
- No wrestling other kids If someone has the ball you leave it alone.
I told my son I'm checking his hands after each session now.
"But I was just marking my spot where I'm supposed to stand!"
- No hands in dirt. Don't worry about marking your spot.
- No climbing the fence in the dugout.
- No bat out in the dugout - unless in the warm up cage (kids are using bats to dig into the dirt or bang on the ground).
He claimed "No. I was telling him he wasn't supposed to be sitting down and playing in the dirt."
I had to point out "That's great you were trying to help him. But then you weren't paying attention either and didn't see the ball get hit."
This brings back nightmares. I hated T-Ball and the first few years of baseball.
By 9-10 it gets fun but then so many coaches/parents suck the fun out of it
But there's nothing like throwing a ball with your son
Get that kid catching everything one handed Milo.
When you make him move for little easy to catch pop ups, make sure his arms are down when he runs and raises his glove to catch it.
Ha! I'm over and done with that.Get that kid catching everything one handed Milo.
When you make him move for little easy to catch pop ups, make sure his arms are down when he runs and raises his glove to catch it.
I had to grin and bear lots of coaches teaching dumb stuff like that (use 2 hands to catch the ball). I corrected, and made suggestions when I could but sometimes there was just nothing I could do.
The ultimate was the LL coach with a hit-and-run sign who urged batters, if they got that sign to wait on the pitch, then try to hit the ball on the top left corner and push it through the hole between first and second.
This was for 11-year-olds who made the #3 "all-star" team in town and played LL rules. Lots of other stories, but there's a special place in my heart for that coach who was also an Asst Varsity Coach at the town HS.
Lots of good advice here for guys with little ones still in that stage though.
My son who is 7 is having a super tough time catching. Already took 3 balls to the face. Coach was smart and was using the softer incrediballs for the practices so just a little blood and no busted teeth
Got him a mouth piece and bought him those Velcro paddles with a tennis ball to teach him not to be afraid , use one hand and not worry about the whole glove part of it. We’ve been using that together to practice.
Also bought this training ball. It’s like a weighted round bean bag thing. Safer but more likr a baseball.
Stil have a long way to go. He’s super athletic and coordinated. The catching thing is tough though.
Got him a mouth piece and bought him those Velcro paddles with a tennis ball to teach him not to be afraid , use one hand and not worry about the whole glove part of it. We’ve been using that together to practice.
Also bought this training ball. It’s like a weighted round bean bag thing. Safer but more likr a baseball.
Stil have a long way to go. He’s super athletic and coordinated. The catching thing is tough though.
Good way to start, even a regular baseball from a couple feet away because the weight helps you feel the ball better.
Make an easy little toss to stop the flinch.
Two hands for this drill, literally drop the ball in his hands
Haven’t done that with just bare hands yet. I mean we have but not like in a structured type of way with the repetition and intent of practice. I’ll try that. He just likes practicing hitting too much. Haha. Def enjoying the coach pitch. First year of it. Coach is great and there are likr 4 assistants and one played D1 so around good people.
Good luck and have fun. You're gonna miss this.
If you have the space (and an understanding wife) - a batting cage and pitching machine might be less expensive than you think
Make a "w" with hands. That's what they told my son st his lesson.
It makes him start with his glove up instead of down.
I'm just encouraging him to get the glove on the ball. Even if it pops out - good job on getting your hands in the position.
No catching with the glove like a taco.
It helps if you can throw a bunch in a row, glove side, above the waist. Build confidence while having to move the glove very little. Get that foundation then go on from there.
If a kid has to catch glove side, backhand side, glove up, glove down, changing every throw, when they can barely catch to start with, it makes it a ton more challenging.
The understanding wife is the problem.
I tried to tell her she could go out back and hit too (she played softball until HS).
I told her the alternative is this but look what can happen.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnYIkDwNmTI/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
LOL - a screen to hit into is good too, and even more inexpensive, I went through a couple of those
Get closer to the net and you won't have that problem
I like soft toss a LOT more than tee-work and so did the boys
We even got a soft toss machine - I have a very understanding wife
All awesome advice guys. Love it. I also just bought this plastic ball on a long plastic stick. I saw one the parents had it for batting practice. Made sense and looked super efficient for reps. It also makes this sweet crack of the bat sound bc it’s the metal bat on this hard plastic ball.
Ohhhh, those are fun. Very satisfying. Great for pre-game warmups in LL. And you can have that volunteer coach who is eager to help but isn't really a baseball guy hold it.
SKLZ makes a thing (Hit-a-way) you can put on a pole (like a basketball pole) with a baseball that you hit and it wraps around the pole, then unwraps and comes back at you, so you hit it again. Hours of fun for a kid who likes to swing.
One of my favorite stories was when my daughter was 10-12ish and her softball rec coach was this new guy on town who was definitely pumped up to coach. Bought a used pitching machine he found online, brought a generator to practice, put it in his truck and hooked that thing up and was shooting rocket short hop ground balls at them, on a school grass lot that was nowhere near flat/ideal grass. Girls crying, off the shins, etc. My wife and I were crying watching.
Bro... I got kids playing multiple sports on a travel/club level, it is insane. Problem is, if you don't go along with it, your kid gets left behind. Perhaps I was just unaware, but I do not remember it being like this as a kid.
Playing sports just to play sports no longer exists. It's not for the faint of heart.
Pitching question: my son is 7 (2nd grade in the fall)
Should I have him test out pitching this summer? Just a little bit.
He's still working on the mechanics of just consistently throwing to me. I think our 2nd grade league has a mix of coach/player pitch.
I don't remember when I started player pitch.
Should I have him test out pitching this summer? Just a little bit.
He's still working on the mechanics of just consistently throwing to me. I think our 2nd grade league has a mix of coach/player pitch.
I don't remember when I started player pitch.