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When is it time to change teams

What's on your mind?

by aackermann » Thu May 06, 2021 12:07 am

Is it better for a 13 year old to be on a winning team where she won’t get as much play time but will have the exposure to better players as competition or on a team where she gets a lot of play time and development and attention from coaches but the team can’t seem to compete successfully on a regular basis.

She has grown a lot being on a team like this because of the play time, I’m just unsure of when to make that jump or if it even matters at 13.
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by xyzdude » Thu May 06, 2021 5:49 am

I'm not sure that I would use the competitiveness of the team as a primary team selector criteria just yet. I think it has more to do with your daughter's development. A good fit team should do all of the following:
-have coaches who know the game and teach it in a way that resonates with your daughter
-be challenging for your daughter - you probably do not want her to be the best player on the team
-give her an opportunity to play more than one position - this is an important skill that is overlooked too often for developing players
-has a schedule, price structure, and location that fits for your family
-the team vibe is positive and your daughter has fun and is loving the game (learning to love the game is perhaps the most important factor on the list)
-Does my daughter get a fair amount of playing time (defining this is a whole different subject for sure)

It can be a dilemma because what typically makes for a very competitive team is the level of the pitching (which so often means one excellent or age advanced pitcher). Let's face it, for the rest of the team, playing behind average pitching is way more fun than watching your pitcher mow down the opponents.

As she gets older, you will need to factor in the college exposure angle into your team selection as well - but be realistic, not everyone is a power five type player and there are a lot of teams that do a good job with exposure and recruitment.

Have fun - it is over before you know it.
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by curveballerguy124 » Tue Jun 01, 2021 3:05 pm

Its time to move on if she has outgrown her team and is just there for the comfort factor.... If your daughter wants to play college ball then go somewhere with like minded coaches. Go where the coaching is moving forward and looking toward that direction. Is the coaching looking to play big tourneys or showcases or are they content playing at their talent level? Are they talking about recruiting and having the girls do videos to show there skills??

Look for that sort of thing when checking out squads and ask your daughter how serious is she?!?!
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by curveball496 » Wed Jun 09, 2021 8:02 am

A small, but important point. There are typically two types of squads: 1) local and 2) national. Sometimes the two overlap, but if not a national team practices weekends only. Practice, not games are what usually develops a kid.
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by ofc80 » Wed Jun 09, 2021 10:52 am

It does matter at 13....
All kids are different, it depends on how serious she is at this point, this is the age where the road forks. Making the jump from a team where she plays all the time to a large, competitive roster is tough, but that will make some kids grow way beyond just getting reps on a team that doesn't compete against the best. No matter how many reps she gets if your 13yo isn't competing against the best teams, the best players, she won't be ready to compete in college or high school even, where there are much older girls she has to beat out. Big fish in a small pond may work for some, every kid is different, at her age she needs to make that decision.
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by Blind Assassin » Mon Jun 14, 2021 9:56 am

Is she happy? If not, look for a team in the off season. If she is, why are you looking at moving her?
"I don't look for trouble....trouble looks for me." - Five Finger Death Punch
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