Specialize or Diversify? Year-round Sports Choices

Ed Note: This is an excerpt from the recent eNews from Cal and Billy at Ripken Baseball and well worth reading. We often hear comparisons between how kids play today (structured, playdates, select leagues, etc.) and the glory days of pick-up games and riding your bike to the local park to play till Mom called for supper.

Truth be told, our kiddos may not be playing more baseball, but as Cal points out, they're playing more intense baseball -- working through tournaments and league schedules instead of time at the sandlot. As you read through Cal's comments, take a minute to reflect on your son or daughter's past year of competition. It may be time to "lighten up" ever so slightly to let the fun stay in the game and your progeny. Which is ultimately where it belongs.

Here's Cal's Comments (visit his site at RipkenBaseball.com, and subscribe to his eNews)

Baseball Doesn't Have to be a Year-Round Commitment
 
November 30, 2005 -
By Cal Ripken, Jr.
Most people think that my dad, Cal Ripken, Sr., pushed my brother Bill and I to become big league players by making us play baseball and drilling us on the finer points of the game non-stop. Actually, nothing could be farther from the truth. Dad allowed us to discover the game and develop our own feelings about it on our own.
Of course, we had plenty of opportunities to develop a love for the game of baseball. We had the luxury of being around professional ballparks and professional players for most of our childhoods, which created a certain excitement surrounding the game for us. Bill and I watched our father closely and noticed the joy he felt every time he pulled on his uniform and took the field. If it was that much fun for him then why wouldn’t we want to play, right? But, it was always our decision. Dad never pushed us at all.
As a matter of fact, Dad actually encouraged us to put our gloves away at the end of the summer. He was a very good soccer player and seemed to enjoy teaching us and playing that sport with us, too. In addition to soccer, I developed a love for the game of basketball and played that in the off-season as well. Later as my baseball career developed I found that basketball was a great way for me to stay in shape during the off-season. I enjoyed basketball and its physical benefits so much that I incorporated it into my conditioning program once I made it to the big leagues.
My son Ryan turned 12 in July. He is developing into a pretty good ballplayer and for the past several years has played on a local travel team. One of my biggest fears when it comes to Ryan and baseball – and really when it comes to any youth baseball player – is figuring out how much is too much. I’m worried that some youth teams play too many games in the summer, and I also am concerned about the idea of spreading games out so that they are played in the spring, summer and fall. You want to be sure not to zap the kids’ enjoyment of the game and the fun surrounding it. There is a danger of making baseball seem too much like work.
I have run into parents who hope to develop their children into the next Alex Rodriguez by literally standing over them and forcing them to play and practice baseball as much as possible. One parent I spoke to recently equated practicing baseball to homework: “If my son is going to spend two hours on homework, he’s going to spend two hours playing baseball,” the parent said to me. To which I replied, “Well, how does he like it?” The parent responded, “He doesn’t like it at all, but someday he’ll thank me.”
While this is the mentality that worries me most, there is an argument to be made that if a kid enjoys being on the field and wants to play every day, we as parents should try to accommodate those wishes. I don’t recall playing in that many games as a child; Ryan’s team can play as many as 65 or 70 games during the summer. But, what I do recall vividly is having a glove on my hand almost every day during the summer. Back then we played pick-up games, played games with plastic bats and balls and even invented fun baseball games. I can’t recall many summer days when Bill and I weren’t playing baseball. In this day and age maybe all of those extra organized games make up for the fact that kids don’t play pick-up or sandlot baseball anymore.
There is no blanket answer as far as how much baseball should be played by a child. Each situation should be monitored closely by parents and coaches. To me it is all about the kids’ level of enjoyment and staying in tune with their needs and desires. Watch closely for signals that the fun or excitement to play or practice is fading. It’s okay to take a break from the sport or encourage a kid to try something different for a little while.
“We probably did play more baseball than we thought as kids,” says Daniel Wann, professor of psychology at Murray State University and a member of the board of directors for the National Alliance of Youth Sports. “But, we probably didn’t play as much organized baseball as we thought. For the kids who play so many games on travel teams, the impact on their bodies may be the same, but I’m not sure about the impact on their minds. When you play 70, 80 or 90 games with intense competition, burnout can set in. It’s not the games that burn the kids out, necessarily; it’s the structure of the games.”
One thing that I do feel pretty strongly about is allowing the kids to play other sports in the off-season. I do not favor specialization. Kids who play different sports throughout the year are more likely to avoid burnout and will develop their overall athleticism. If their athleticism improves, it stands to reason that they will improve their baseball performance. I always found that playing soccer allowed me to develop better balance and agility since it really is the only sport where you only use your feet. Basketball movements are more explosive, helping improve power, quickness and lateral movement.
“Kids really need to be encouraged to play different sports,” Wann says, “and there are two sides to the coin as to why that is the case. First, it allows the muscle groups used to play baseball to take a break. And second, it allows for other sports skills to be developed. Many sports skills are transferable. For example, the footwork in soccer can be transferred very easily to basketball or baseball, and the starts and stops in basketball can be transferred to infielders or when running the bases. A kid can be playing sports other than baseball and still be getting better as a baseball player.”
Taking some time off from baseball also seems to allow that flame to rekindle during the off-season, generating a feeling of excitement toward the game as the spring approaches. This is not to say that a kid should never pick up a ball during the fall and winter months. If a kid enjoys playing catch or going to the local batting cage to hit, by all means let it happen. Just let the kid dictate. Don’t force it. Throwing and hitting a little bit during the winter months can help keep the body’s muscles in “baseball condition,” and allow the player’s reflexes to stay sharp. Those are good things, but only if the kid is allowed to make the decision about when and how much to practice.
The key from a parental and coaching standpoint is to keep the kids’ best interests in mind when it comes to any athletic activity. Kids are driven by fun. If they are not having fun, it will become readily apparent. They will be reluctant to go to practice and will perform sluggishly when they are there. Monitor your child’s progress and keep these warning signs in mind. If the child asks to take a day off or to try another sport let him or her give it a shot. Maybe the child will miss baseball and be more excited to come back and play it again. Or perhaps the child will fall in love with another activity and get years of enjoyment from it. Either way the kid wins, and that’s what is most important.
“I don’t think you can make one broad stroke and say that every kid who focuses on one sport all year long is going to be negatively affected,” concludes Wann. “This is just not the case with everyone. There are kids who live for baseball – who don’t want to play football, basketball or soccer. We don’t want to overstate the case. We should just try to do what is right by most kids, and for most kids it is beneficial to have on and off seasons and to play multiple sports.”

Hard Work, Desire & Coaching Challenges

One of our recent challenges came at an off-season workout, a series of "skill and skull" sessions we're hosting with baseball instructor Shane Davenport.

One of the players, having been repeatedly reminded to get in a "ready" fielding position during a BP session (we try to work both sides simultaneously so it doesn't turn into just a hittng session w/ a lot of bored fielders watching) began arguing with a coach. The coach and player have a 3 year tenure on the same team, and the coach has perhaps become akin to a parent in the eyes of the player -- and we've all seen our kids give their parents short-shrift on occasion.

What brought the situation full-circle was the "skull" session whereby Davenport mentioned several issues he was seeing on the field. In particular he reinforced what the other coach had been stressing, explained further why it was so important, and then took a quieter tact. He asked the players if they felt a lttle furstration being reminded repeatedly. They all exclaimed some sort of frustration, and he went on to explain that without the reiminders, the practices and the volunteer efforts of coaches and dads, that they would not be prepared to play ball later. Noting that high school coaches wouldn't be teaching fundamentals, and -- even more-so -- would not tolerate a lack of fundamental skils among starting players, he pointed to the "when" of learning these skills. Bottom line: these 12 years olds needed to take ownership of their games if they wanted to progress. It was a smart reminder, and an even smarter way to shore up the other coach and respect due him.

Ask teachers and coaches who they remember teaching throught their years, and you'll often hear stories about the ones who "got it," young people who asked questions, had a hunger for knowledge or experience (i.e. put me in coach) and thus were given the "keys to the store" in terms of access to the teacher or coach and the extra time and advice that makes a good student great. Ask them about the other side of the coin and you'll see a lot of frowns and furrowed brows... the sheer disappoinment associated with "losing" a kid, or having to spend more time on the rudimentary while seeking real growth.

In short, after seeing repeated attempts to teach or coach "wasted" by kids who would rather fight than switch -- or rather be somewhere else altogether -- the teacher gives up, and tolerates the player but offers no more.

What a shame, but it is what it is... lost opportunity, and both sides lose.

So how can you reach out to the others? How can you draw them in? Honesty helps, in perhaps the form of a candid one-on-one where each person is given an opinion, a role in the coonversation and a chance to save face. Make this meeting a lecture and it's over before it begins. Give the player a chance to voice his or her opinions, and the feeling he or she is being listened to, and you may have a breakthrough that can change a young life, and certainly make the remaining season or association far more enjoyable. As coaches and parents, we do a lot of bossing, often assuming kiddos will buy into our considerable knowledge. But "teamwork" is more than "a bunch of people doing what I told em to do," it's sometimes brushing aside the pride and position, and reaching into the dynamic of "team" and working to leave no member behind.

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A Word of Thanks...
Special thanks go out to a roster of baseball folks who responded to an email we sent out regarding Avery Sullivan's 4-year anniversary at the Ray Burris Academy. Ave (or Ave-Rod as he prefers) is one of those kiddos that "gets it," working his fanny off and soaking up every bit of the game he can. A joy to coach and know.

We'd like to thank these fine folks (listed in no particular order) for their personal notes and sage words of advice -- they're the people that make the great game great:
Breon Dennis -- Texas Rangers
Jim Sundberg -- Texas Rangers
Ray Burris -- Ray Burris Academy
George Wright -- Ray Burris Academy
Shane Davenport -- Ray Burris Academy
Mark Patrick -- Host, MLB Home Plate on XM Radio
Cal & Billy Ripken -- Ripken Baseball
Rusty Greer -- Texas Rangers great (and Ave's role model)
Randy Galloway -- Long-time DFW Sports Guru
Stephen Keener -- President, Little League Baseball
JD Magee -- Coach and owner Arlington Baseball Academy
John Arnot -- Coach and NALL VP
Jimmy Lilly -- Former Coach

11U & 12U tryouts in N. Texas

U11/U12 SELECT TEAM TRYOUTS

The Texas Redbirds will be hosting a tryouts for 11U and 12U on Sunday, November 20, 2005, 2:00 PM, at the Texas Star Facility in Euless. The Texas Redbirds are an Arlington area team that will compete in league and tournament play in spring 2006. For more information and to register for the tryout please contact JD Magee at nabadfw@sbcglobal.net or 817-792-3532.

If you also have team tryouts you want posted here, contact Ski Sullivan

Steorids -- Truth Vs. Lies from SPARQ

"TRUTH vs. LIES
Abusing steroids and other performance enhancing drugs have brought down some big names in the big leagues and beyond. No one in our survey fessed up, but about a fifth said they knew at least one teammate who's juiced. Scary.

It would be easy to condemn them. Easy to agree with Travis Tartamella ('06, C, Los Osos HS, Alta Loma, CA) who says players using steroids should "be considered cheaters and banned from baseball." Want to echo the feelings of Drew Rundle, (�06, OF, Bend, OR) that players "should have enough respect for the game not to insult it by using steroids." Easy to tell you the horror stories about what happens to the dopers after their playing days end: cancer-ridden scarecrows, heart attacks before 40, babies with third arms or a barrel against the temple.

That'd be easy because it's all true. It's easy to judge, but it's also easy to understand the temptation the desperation to get out, move up, play on, cash in. Maybe Tyree Hayes (06, P/SS, Tomball, TX) put it best: "If you were a career minor leaguer, and you thought that taking steroids would get you to The Show and make millions, what would you do? I guess it comes down to morals."

What's not easy is when you're deceived, or don't know better (think East Germany) because coaches, managers and trainers don't have your best interests at heart, or that league officials and alumni sometimes care more about the fans' ticket price or a gold medal than a player's drug test.

We hate to preach, so we'll keep it short. There is no risk-free short-cut to success. And the quicker the short cut, the more skeptical you should be. SPARQ stands for high-intensity, explosive, sport-based training. SPARQ stands for working, not wishing. It’s about discovering a love for the gym, a passion for winning, a hatred of giving up, and a discipline that borders on mania.

Most high school athletes play because it’s fun, and they practice what they need to. Others are driven by something else. They hit the weights. They do extra sprints, or hoist a hundred J’s before school. They run the cones, use the SPARQ Power Ball, and watch hours of game tape. But sometimes, they skip the hustle, and look for the quick fix. Every athlete has to find their drive. How far will you go?"

Lower Proposed Steroids Penalities?

ed note: So, lawmakers have decided to lower the proposed penalties on steroid use it was learned today. Basically taking some of the fear and teeth out of legislation aimed to spur MLB to harsher penalties. Clearly, something needs to be done as players still haven't cleaned up their collective act. Pressures to succeed, perform, survive (right Raffy?) and earn big iron lead lesser and diminished-skills players to try anything to get or maintain a roster spot.

While I'm not a proponent of our congressmen mucking about in the affairs of the great game, I am pleased to see a burr in the saddle of the league and players' union. Clearly an example must be set. A line drawn that lets offenders know that the risk/reward pendulum is swinging the other way, and bad things lay ahead. Here's the article:

WASHINGTON - Aiming for a Senate vote on steroid legislation this week, lawmakers eased the proposed penalties Tuesday, calling for a half-season suspension the first time an athlete tests positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
The bill, sponsored by Sens. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., and John McCain, R-Ariz., contains a one-season ban for a second steroid offense and a lifetime ban for a third. It would apply to Major League Baseball, the NFL, NBA, NHL and baseball's minor leagues.
Several bills that would standardize steroid rules across U.S. professional sports have been proposed in the House and Senate in recent months. Most — including the original version of the Senate measure — were based on the Olympic model: a two-year suspension for a first drug offense, a lifetime ban for a second.

During a series of congressional hearings and in private meetings with lawmakers, the leagues and their players' unions objected to those penalties as too harsh. They also say they should continue to set their own drug-testing rules and penalties through collective bargaining.

"I think, seriously, that they are under the opinion that we will not act," said Bunning, a former pitcher elected to baseball's Hall of Fame. "We tried to explain to them that we are going to act because of their failure to do so, and I don't think it's sunk in."

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has signed on as a co-sponsor, and Bunning said he expected it to pass as soon as late Tuesday or Wednesday. Bunning planned to meet with House leaders and sponsors of similar bills in that chamber.

Under current rules, a first failed drug test draws a 10-day ban in Major League Baseball (roughly 1/18th of a season), a 10-game ban in the NBA (about an eighth of a season), a four-game ban in the NFL (a quarter of a season), and a 20-game ban in the NHL (about a quarter of a season).

The House has three versions of steroid legislation. One introduced by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., calls for a half-season ban for a first offense.

"That we can agree on the penalties is very important," Stearns said in a telephone interview. "It's good news for trying to pass a steroid bill."

House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., whose panel held a March 17 hearing with baseball stars Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco and others, proposed a bill with the Olympic penalties. But Davis spokesman Dave Marin said the congressman told Bunning and McCain he probably would accept the three-tier penalty structure.

In April, commissioner Bud Selig proposed raising baseball's penalties to a 50-game suspension for an initial positive test, a 100-game ban for a second offense, and a lifetime ban for a third. Union head Donald Fehr rejected that proposal, and the sides have been negotiating.

The primary disagreement between players and owners is the length of the initial penalty, a baseball official familiar with the talks said on condition of anonymity because the discussions are secret.

"I think congressional intervention in this issue has promoted a better policy within Major League Baseball," San Diego Padres chief executive officer Sandy Alderson said.

The Senate bill would mandate that each player is tested at least five times a year and would urge leagues to erase records achieved with the help of performance-enhancing drugs.

The legislation would take effect a year after being signed into law, giving the leagues that time to change their own steroid policies and make them at least as tough as the law.

"Maybe — maybe — with a year to operate, to get their house in order, they will act on their own," Bunning said.