One of the biggest questions that I get from parents when they start to dive into youth baseball is, “Is travel baseball really worth it?”. This can be a big question for many parents who see other families paying to have their children play travel sports. The answer to this question is that it really depends on certain things such as your child’s age, goals, and where you live.
What Is Travel Baseball
Before we talk about whether travel baseball is worth it or not, we should first talk about what travel baseball really is. Travel baseball is a higher level of baseball that has players travel to play in different tournaments. These tournaments are typically geared towards preparing players to play in college. Many colleges consider travel baseball to be an important step towards playing in college.
When looking at travel baseball as a whole, you start to see two groups of teams. Group number one is a team focused on the development of players. These teams tend to focus on getting players to the next level, and tend to produce more collegiate athletes. Group number two are the money grab teams. These teams tend to charge more money, and will have as many teams per age group as they can create. These teams tend to develop the “A team” players and focus much less effort on the lower teams.
Overall, it is much better to be on a development based team because in the long run it will give your child the best chance of playing in college. You can typically tell the development based teams by their tryouts. They will have many kids tryout, and they will keep the ones that they think have a shot of playing in college. They will typically have tryouts every season, while many money grab teams only have tryouts when a roster slot opens.
Is Travel Baseball Worth It?
Travel baseball can be an amazing resource, however it is not the right option for all players. When assessing whether travel baseball is worth it for your child there are a few things to consider before answering the question of, “Is travel baseball really worth it?”.
Player’s Age
The first thing that you want to do is consider your child’s age. Travel baseball is most affective for a players development right around when they hit adolescence. Having your child in a travel program before that time can cause burnout. Players that train for their sport seriously for years on end can experience burnout and exhaustion. This is especially true for younger players, and it can cause them to lose their love for the game.
Location Of Residence
Another important factor when considering travel baseball is where you live. In places that experience cold winters, travel baseball is an amazing resource for players year round. The winter months can be a challenging time for players looking to continue their development. However many travel programs own their own indoor facilities. This is one enormous advantage for travel baseball players, because players can continue to train indoors during the winter. This has two notable benefits.
Benefit number one, it gives players a head start on the spring season. For players looking to play high school baseball, the winter months are an important prep period for spring tryouts. Players that train during the winter move into the spring season with momentum.
The second benefit happens over a longer period of time. Over years of travel baseball, practicing during the winter months can add up to multiple years worth of extra practice that other players don’t take advantage of. This can give a player a far greater chance of playing at the next level.
Depending on where you live, there may be rec leagues that play year round, which removes some of the need for travel baseball. However travel baseball will provide a much higher level of competition than your local Little League.
Player Goals
The final and possibly most important thing to consider is your child’s individual goals. Travel baseball is best suited for those who want to earn a spot on a college roster. However before starting travel baseball, you should consult with your child about their long term goals. While travel baseball can be a great way to have fun and create memories, if your child is not interested in developing their skills then do not bother with travel baseball.
Travel baseball can be quite expensive, and if your child is not going to commit themselves to being the best they can be. Then travel baseball is not worth your money. If your child just wants to have fun, then I recommend just playing in your local little league, because travel baseball can be a serious financial commitment. This would be a good time to ask yourself, “is travel baseball really worth it?”
“Is Travel Baseball Really Worth It?“
So, to answer the question of, “Is Travel Baseball Really Worth It?” It really depends on the player. If they are at least 12 years of age and have interest of playing in college, then travel baseball is a great idea. However if you are looking for a league purely for fun, do not spend your money on travel baseball.
If you found this post to be helpful, then I recommend reading The Hidden Costs Of Travel Baseball.
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