Is spring ball worth it

[Paul huntzinger]

just curious what others opinion are about travel girls playing spring ball??? The more games we play the more I feel like spring ball hurts my daughter. She plays 10u travel however the more spring ball games she plays with her spring team the more I feel like it’s a waste of time. Some pitchers can barely get the ball across the plate and throwing 30. So it’s a walk fest. If there’s a hit then odds are good there’s an error or several. Starting to think it hurts more than it helps. Just wanted to get more at bats but not sure it was a good decision

 

[FastBat]

This was my dilemma a few years ago, too. I assume you are talking “local” ball. I think it only helps defensively, but maybe even just pitchers.

It doesn’t help hitting. If you have a true “travel baller” make them swing left handed or strictly practice bunting. I think many parents want to “show off” their child’s talents, but you have to wait until MS/HS ball to do that.

Swinging against inconsistent, slow pitcher’s just encourages loopy swings and poor pitch selection. But, the kids love it, so...have fun watching “local” ball, lol!

 

[Scott_K]

I def agree w/ FastBat! Have her work on bunting and even work on delay bunts. If righty, have work on left slaps and swings. More attempts of getting on base other than swinging at bad pitches will benefit her more and reduce the risk of developing bad swing habits.

 

[kate07]

just curious what others opinion are about travel girls playing spring ball??? The more games we play the more I feel like spring ball hurts my daughter. She plays 10u travel however the more spring ball games she plays with her spring team the more I feel like it’s a waste of time. Some pitchers can barely get the ball across the plate and throwing 30. So it’s a walk fest. If there’s a hit then odds are good there’s an error or several. Starting to think it hurts more than it helps. Just wanted to get more at bats but not sure it was a good decision

I don't think there is a problem with spring ball, just remind your daughter that just because it's "easy" doesn't mean she can play down or get lazy with things. I think spring ball is good because it keeps your daughter active and it gives her something to do until travel comes around. I am curious, however, why her travel ball team does not do tournaments year round? When I played before high school, travel ball was a year-round thing for my team. Also, regarding hitting, if anything, the slower pitching teaches discipline, selective hitting, and patience. So what if she gets walked? That gives her time to focus on her base-running and other defense. Good luck!

 

[Paul huntzinger]

Her travel ball is from aug through July however they don’t play a lot of tournaments until end of May. Then it’s every weekend. So to get girls more innings most play spring ball and have to play in your school district so keeps teams from getting stacked. But with that being said there’s not many good spring teams as the girls are all spread out. I agree with the walking and base running however you can only do that so much before you start to run up the score and that’s a dick move. Right now we’re focusing on the bat discipline and the girls are really struggling with the pitches. Shes on a 10u team so hard to keep them dialed in if the games are very challenging.

 

[Long Baller]

It's worth it for the entertainment factor. It's quite comical to hear the non travel parents idea of a "good" softball team vs what you, as a travel parent, have actually seen first hand.

 

[c12los]

I know my daughter played spring ball with the girls from school. We had 2 girls from outside the school district because we didn't have enough school girls. My daughter got to play with her classmates during those times. She played travel in the summer and none of the girls from school were on those teams. It taught my daughter how to be a leader and a good team mate to the other girls who needed work. Those were the "good ol days". So cherish them while you can because they fly by.

 

[jt7663]

It's a + if your DD is a pitcher more reps and teaches them to deal with the mental aspect when plays normally routine in Travel Ball leading to errors. Also allows her to play with Classmates / Friends from her school that she might not have a chance to play with in Travel Ball. The tricky part is to avoid developing Bad Habits at the plate where the pitching is usually slower with fewer strikes thrown & the Umpire aspect where it is normally a Parent just trying to help out & a ?? Strike Zone.