isleseeya Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 If you had the choice as a parent to let your son play with kids his age and a year younger where he would dominate or move him up to play with kids older than him where he may struggle but definitely would benefit long term from the competition and probably improve faster , which would you do ? I was presented with this scenario this morning for my sons little league as he was drafted (they actually have try outs with coaches watching and then coaches draft players they feel can handle moving up ) and called to move up ...so at this point I plan to let him move up and hopefully he handles it and does well ( at least learns and improves quicker) Curious to see what others would do in this case and what they think ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 (edited) If you had the choice as a parent to let your son play with kids his age and a year younger where he would dominate or move him up to play with kids older than him where he may struggle but definitely would benefit long term from the competition and probably improve faster , which would you do ? I was presented with this scenario this morning for my sons little league as he was drafted (they actually have try outs with coaches watching and then coaches draft players they feel can handle moving up ) and called to move up ...so at this point I plan to let him move up and hopefully he handles it and does well ( at least learns and improves quicker) Curious to see what others would do in this case and what they think ? as a kid i was in the same situation in a way. i had a late bday so i was stuck playing with kids in school that were a grade lower than me and not my friends. it kinda sucked just because everyday the kids in my class would talk about their games and i could not participate in the discussion. i guess it depends on how old he is if it were me. he is going to learn all the same things in both leagues. he may be pushed a little harder in the older league, but will he have fun. thats the main question. if he is old enough, ask him what he would like. Edited March 4, 2007 by dmarc117 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted March 4, 2007 Author Share Posted March 4, 2007 as a kid i was in the same situation in a way. i had a late bday so i was stuck playing with kids in school that were a grade lower than me. it kinda sucked just because everyday the kids in my class would talk about their games and i could not participate. i guess it depends on how old he is if it were me. he is going to learn all the same things in both leagues. he may be pushed a little harder in the older league, but will he have fun. thats the main question. if he is old enough, ask him what he would like. Good pt ...my son definitely wants to move up and is very excited about it ( he 10 and would be playing with 10 - 12 years old instead of playing with 9-10 years old ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furd Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I can't remember who around here has kids playing little league baseball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Good pt ...my son definitely wants to move up and is very excited about it ( he 10 and would be playing with 10 - 12 years old instead of playing with 9-10 years old ) if hes excited, than go for it. its all about him anyways. plus, its only one season if he doesnt enjoy it. imho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabuffbills Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Good pt ...my son definitely wants to move up and is very excited about it ( he 10 and would be playing with 10 - 12 years old instead of playing with 9-10 years old ) if he's excited about it and wants to move up, then i say go for it. i think it really depends on what he wants to do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Here's my take as someone who has coached youth soccer for the most part of 20 years: Most of the kids who play youth sports are not going to play in college and even a smaller amount are ever going to be pro athletes. Therefore, I almost always encourage parents to let their child play at his/her correct age level. Why shouldn't a kid have the chance to be the "stud" on the team and have the chance to be a leader on a team? He'll have plenty of opportunities to be just another team player. How many opportunities do most kids have to be the acknowledged leader and get to develop these skills? There are occasional exceptions wherein even if the kid plays up, he's still going to stand out on the team. If this is the case, I encourage the parents to move him/her up. However, this is rare. In addition, another factor to consider is the coaching ability of whoever will be the coach. Not just the coach's knowledge of the sport, but the way s/he is able to communicate and teach. It won't matter what team you child is on if the coach can't help him progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Love Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 (edited) I can't remember who around here has kids playing little league baseball. It can be tough to remember because he posts so infrequently about it. Edited March 4, 2007 by Dr. Love Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted March 4, 2007 Author Share Posted March 4, 2007 Here's my take as someone who has coached youth soccer for the most part of 20 years: Most of the kids who play youth sports are not going to play in college and even a smaller amount are ever going to be pro athletes. Therefore, I almost always encourage parents to let their child play at his/her correct age level. Why shouldn't a kid have the chance to be the "stud" on the team and have the chance to be a leader on a team? He'll have plenty of opportunities to be just another team player. How many opportunities do most kids have to be the acknowledged leader and get to develop these skills? There are occasional exceptions wherein even if the kid plays up, he's still going to stand out on the team. If this is the case, I encourage the parents to move him/her up. However, this is rare. In addition, another factor to consider is the coaching ability of whoever will be the coach. Not just the coach's knowledge of the sport, but the way s/he is able to communicate and teach. It won't matter what team you child is on if the coach can't help him progress. This is good info and good pespective ...thanks We do have the option to move him down if its clear he is not having fun and or is strtuggling too much ....which hopfully will not be the case Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 It still astounds me that there is a draft for 10 year old youth baseball teams. Unreal world we live in these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 We do have the option to move him down if its clear he is not having fun and or is strtuggling too much ....which hopfully will not be the case Moving him down would really hurt him. You could attempt to reason with your son and explain it to him, but at his age, the only thing he would hear is that he was not good enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 It still astounds me that there is a draft for 10 year old youth baseball teams. agreed. This is why I don't coach upper level youth soccer anymore. It stops being about the kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Moving him down would really hurt him. You could attempt to reason with your son and explain it to him, but at his age, the only thing he would hear is that he was not good enough. and get teased by his peers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 (edited) I believe that it's good to challenge kids in any aspect of their life as long as they're having fun and not feeling the kinds of pressure that could cause them to crack. If your kid loves playing and is eager to play with the older kids than that's the way to go. If you feel he can handle the pressure, let him fly. Yeah most kids don't become pro's but we have one shot at life, who's to say your's won't be one of the lucky ones to make it to the big stage. It's all about his personality. For instance, I would not make the move with my son as he doesn't have that killer instinct, that drive to be the best. Then again nor does he have the talent at this point. Good Luck with the decision and remember always be realistic, giving constructive criticism but remaining positive along the way. Too many other people will be negative toward him so you don't want to be the one to turn him against you, stop him from playing sports and make him give up always trying his best. Edited March 4, 2007 by irish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I believe that it's good to challenge kids in any aspect of their life as long as they're having fun and not feeling the kinds of pressure that could cause them to crack. If your kid loves playing and is eager to play with the older kids than that's the way to go. If you feel he can handle the pressure, let him fly. Yeah most kids don't become pro's but we have one shot at life, who's to say your's won't be one of the lucky ones to make it to the big stage. It's all about his personality. For instance, I would not make the move with my son as he doesn't have that killer instinct, that drive to be the best. Then again nor does he have the talent at this point. Good Luck with the decision and remember always be realistic, giving constructive criticism but remaining positive along the way. Too many other people will be negative toward him so you don't want to be the one to turn him against you, stop him from playing sports and make him give up always trying his best. I would argue that learning to be a team leader can be an essential experience to a gifted athlete and one he likely will not get while playing with children 1-2 years older than him. In addition, why are we expecting a child to be able to "handle the pressure" at the age of 10. He's a kid--time enough for pressure when he's an adult. For now, let him enjoy and have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowboutthemCowboys Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 If you had the choice as a parent to let your son play with kids his age and a year younger where he would dominate or move him up to play with kids older than him where he may struggle but definitely would benefit long term from the competition and probably improve faster , which would you do ? I was presented with this scenario this morning for my sons little league as he was drafted (they actually have try outs with coaches watching and then coaches draft players they feel can handle moving up ) and called to move up ...so at this point I plan to let him move up and hopefully he handles it and does well ( at least learns and improves quicker) Curious to see what others would do in this case and what they think ? isleseeya, I coached my stepson's team last year and will be coaching again this year. I see this all the time and I believe they should be moved up to little league (9-12) when they are nine unless they have not played minors and have no skills/experience playing at all. The coaching is much better at the little league level ( at least around here) and they practice alot more and play more games. They also have the chance to make the all-star team and experience playing against other leagues. I don't think that being the minor league "stud" does anything for the kid when he does decide to move up. My Chief Dick Posted Today, 11:49 AM It still astounds me that there is a draft for 10 year old youth baseball teams. Unreal world we live in these days. CD, there are only 5 little league teams (9-12) in our league and the rosters are 13 kids....how else would you fill the rosters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 isleseeya, I coached my stepson's team last year and will be coaching again this year. I see this all the time and I believe they should be moved up to little league (9-12) when they are nine unless they have not played minors and have no skills/experience playing at all. The coaching is much better at the little league level ( at least around here) and they practice alot more and play more games. They also have the chance to make the all-star team and experience playing against other leagues. I don't think that being the minor league "stud" does anything for the kid when he does decide to move up. My I can only speak to my experience in youth soccer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 (edited) I would argue that learning to be a team leader can be an essential experience to a gifted athlete and one he likely will not get while playing with children 1-2 years older than him. In addition, why are we expecting a child to be able to "handle the pressure" at the age of 10. He's a kid--time enough for pressure when he's an adult. For now, let him enjoy and have fun. I had a full-time job at the age of 11. Kids aren't kids for very long these days, by 10 yrs old they're fifth grader almost middle-schoolers aching for competition. So as I said if he wants to do it let 'em fly. Edited March 4, 2007 by irish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeteebee Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 WWCJD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Hey Grits we need some advice on how to handle this situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 CD, there are only 5 little league teams (9-12) in our league and the rosters are 13 kids....how else would you fill the rosters? But why a "draft"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowboutthemCowboys Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 But why a "draft"? I don't know how else it'd be done. That's the way it was done when I was 9, 26 years ago. Would you have each kid that signs up pick the team he wants to play for and have it first come, first served? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 How many kids are on a roster? I'd move him up if he definetly has as much playing time as anyone else. It also depends on how you feel about his choice of coaches at each level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchico Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I coached both my sons throughout their youth. One had that killer instinct and always wanted to be with the older kids. While the other, who probably had more talent than his older brother, liked being the top dog in the lower leagues. Personally i think the talent level of the kid makes the most differance, If they are just going to be a bench player at the higher level it could really hurt them. But if they are good enough to compete with the big boys, the experiance will be invaluable. My oldest grandson (10) is a pretty good ball player and last year he played in a 8-10 league. He was a an allstar compared to the rest of the competition. At times he relished that role but other times i could tell he was bored by the level of play. He could have moved up to the higher league several times but his coach and his dad (my son) didn't want him to because it would have hurt the team and maybe him. He definately wouldn't have been a star in the next level but he would have played. I felt he needed the challenge and it would have helped him in the future. There is no doubt in my mind the coaching is usually better at the higher levels. If kid lives and breathes baseball (like my grandson) then the next level is probably for him. With all this being said, the bottom line is do what you think will make the kid happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 (edited) Btw, I live in a small town so we didn't have drafts. Most of the time you have kids show up for the first day of announced practice and see what you have. We have split our traveling teams into 2 teams once or twice since we had about 25-30 kids. We still didn't have a draft though. I wouldn't want to coach a team of 25 if they paid me. Edited March 4, 2007 by MikesVikes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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