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Hrycaj · 08-22-2019, 03:34 PM

I can offer some perspective as a High School Varsity coach with a healthy amount of experience if it helps you.

Kids 11 and under should be playing the game for fun. If he enjoys the position then there really isn't any negative to playing it. Young players should gather as much experience as possible around the diamond. When he does physically mature and his body settles into a certain sort of skill set, that positional knowledge combined with muscle memory will be invaluable.

Catcher is a super important often times under appreciated position. A good catcher can win a lot of games. A great catcher is a second coach on the field and many times your team leader. However, I don't feel like it can be forced. The player has to want to do it. It is demanding, grueling, painful, and has a steep learning curve. Guys that figure it out and embrace it however, have simply loved it in my experience. They learn so much about the mental game that other players simply lack.

If college is a baseball goal for your son down the road then catcher is one of the few named positions asked about. The value of a catcher cannot be understated and often times will allow a program to overlook a underdeveloped aspect of their overall game (hitting as an example) for positional importance.

I feel bad that you are losing sleep, I hope you are being semi sarcastic with that remark because all in all whatever is decided is not going to hurt his growth or development. You didn't mention his age but at maximum he is 11 and so much is going to happen developmentally and mentally in the years to come.

Finally, as a coach, I welcome parent communication. I would rather have a conversation with a parent as opposed to them growing disgruntled and skeptical about what I'm doing. That situation will quickly turn cancerous and it leaves the poor kid in the middle not knowing what to think. I'm not a giant fan of the parent coached teams when it is decided to make the transition to a more competitive baseball atmosphere. It isn't about coaching caliber either. I just find that a lot of these teams devolve into unhealthy situations for the kids. EX: Parents feel coach is playing favorites with his own kid. Coach goes out of his way to be tougher on his own kid which ultimately alienates his own kid. So on and so forth. I feel that there may be something there since you mentioned it in your post.

Anyway, just a perspective that I thought I could offer you. Good Luck!

08-22-2019, 03:34 PM	#10
Hrycaj All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 1,361	I can offer some perspective as a High School Varsity coach with a healthy amount of experience if it helps you. Kids 11 and under should be playing the game for fun. If he enjoys the position then there really isn't any negative to playing it. Young players should gather as much experience as possible around the diamond. When he does physically mature and his body settles into a certain sort of skill set, that positional knowledge combined with muscle memory will be invaluable. Catcher is a super important often times under appreciated position. A good catcher can win a lot of games. A great catcher is a second coach on the field and many times your team leader. However, I don't feel like it can be forced. The player has to want to do it. It is demanding, grueling, painful, and has a steep learning curve. Guys that figure it out and embrace it however, have simply loved it in my experience. They learn so much about the mental game that other players simply lack. If college is a baseball goal for your son down the road then catcher is one of the few named positions asked about. The value of a catcher cannot be understated and often times will allow a program to overlook a underdeveloped aspect of their overall game (hitting as an example) for positional importance. I feel bad that you are losing sleep, I hope you are being semi sarcastic with that remark because all in all whatever is decided is not going to hurt his growth or development. You didn't mention his age but at maximum he is 11 and so much is going to happen developmentally and mentally in the years to come. Finally, as a coach, I welcome parent communication. I would rather have a conversation with a parent as opposed to them growing disgruntled and skeptical about what I'm doing. That situation will quickly turn cancerous and it leaves the poor kid in the middle not knowing what to think. I'm not a giant fan of the parent coached teams when it is decided to make the transition to a more competitive baseball atmosphere. It isn't about coaching caliber either. I just find that a lot of these teams devolve into unhealthy situations for the kids. EX: Parents feel coach is playing favorites with his own kid. Coach goes out of his way to be tougher on his own kid which ultimately alienates his own kid. So on and so forth. I feel that there may be something there since you mentioned it in your post. Anyway, just a perspective that I thought I could offer you. Good Luck! __________________ Click on my signature to read about the great game of baseball in Normington.