How Much [Baseball] is Too Much [Baseball]?

How Much is Too Much?
December 31, 2004
by Cal Ripken, Jr.

As we prepare to begin the new year, the time is fast approaching for youth
baseball travel teams to get started with their tryouts and preseason practices. For many kids as young as 8- and 9-years-old baseball has become a year-round sport. In some ways it is exciting to me as a life-long baseball player to see so many young people taking the sport seriously. As a parent, however, I have unanswered questions about whether or not the game is becoming too serious too fast.

My son, Ryan, has been playing travel baseball for the last two years. During that time I purposely have limited his games. Still, despite my personal limits and family vacations during the summer, he probably has played in about 35 games each of the past two years.

Ryan turned 11 in July, and as I look at his teamıs proposed schedule for the coming year, it seems as though his team could play as many as 70 games
during the spring and summer.

As a dad Iım wrestling with the question of how much is too much. On the developmental side there is sentiment that the more a kid plays the better
he will get. While this may be true in terms of preparation, when it comes
to kids there are other factors that determine how well they play the game.
First, some kids mature faster than others. They become bigger and stronger
and are dominant players at a certain age no matter how much they play.
Often times these players come back to the pack as they get older and the
other players catch up to them physically.

Another thing that worries me about kids playing so many games is the proper
development of fundamental skills. When there are so many games there isnıt
much time to practice. When placed in so many different game situations kids
naturally adapt to the size of the field as well as the speed of the game. Through trial and error they quickly figure out how to be successful at the level in which they are playing. For example, an infielder might be able to avoid backhanding balls that are hit to the left and right and still throw the runner out at first, because the players at their level are not that fast yet.

As the player grows older, however, that same infielder might try to get in front of a ball to his right and then have to take a few extra steps to set up and make a strong throw. The extra time needed to make the play might allow a faster runner to reach base safely. If the player had learned how to properly backhand a ball earlier in his baseball career he may
have been able to make the play correctly and throw the runner out at
first. The backhand is a skill that should be taught and practiced at the
youngest ages. It is hard to develop a fundamental skill without practicing it over and over. Game situations do not provide enough opportunities to
develop the muscle memory necessary to perfect certain fundamentals.

Remember, even though these kids are playing in a lot of games, they still
are in the developmental stages. Practice is an essential tool for developing fundamentals. Kids get all wound up when they are getting ready
to play games and while the games are being played. They are nervous and
excited. There is pressure to succeed that doesn't exist in practice. Sure,
you can work on certain things during batting practice and pre-game infield,
but there is only so much time to prepare for games. Many times
there is another game going on and a team's pre-game preparation takes
place in an open field somewhere ­ not on a baseball field.

Teaching fundamentals ­ both from a team and an individual standpoint ­ also
is difficult during games. When a player makes a mistake you donıt want to
correct him on the field in front of everyone. That can be embarrassing,
which can be a very negative experience. The best time to try to
talk to a player about something that occurred during the game is between
innings, but even then it is hard to communicate effectively. Coaches have
other responsibilities they must tend to such as serving as base coaches. Parents
are cheering, making noise and trying to talk to their children. The player
is worried about his next at-bat, whether his girlfriend saw him make a mistake or what his parents are thinking. The excitement and pressure surrounding an organized game just is not an environment conducive to teaching successfully.

So, practice is extremely important for developing the fundamental skills
necessary for players to be successful as they continue climbing the youth
baseball ladder. Practice also is essential for teaching team fundamentals and allowing players to learn about the nuances of the game. Baseball is the
most cerebral team sport. Team strategies and individual responsibilities
can change with each pitch. There is no way that all of these team fundamentals and strategies can be communicated and corrected in a hectic game environment.
Another issue when it comes to young players playing in so many games has to
do with their enjoyment of the sport. At the developmental stages it is important for us to grow and nurture the seed. If a kid is playing baseball he obviously is interested and excited by the sport. Games can be fun, but they also can be pressure-packed ­ especially in a tournament environment. We have to be extremely careful not to zap the passion and fun from the game for the kids. Baseball is a sport with a lot of ups and downs. It is emotionally and mentally challenging, There is a danger, especially when things are not going so well, that baseball can become too much like work
when there are so many games. This can lead to burnout and cause players to
stop playing the sport, which is the exact opposite of what we as youth
coaches should be trying to accomplish.

In spite of my concerns I still have not determined how much is too much. As
a parent and a coach Iım still in the learning stages when it comes to this
issue. I recently communicated my concerns about the length of the schedule to Ryan's coach, and he had a pretty good counter. He asked me
how many games I played as a kid. I told him that I couldn't remember playing
anywhere near as many games as Ryan's team had played until I got much older. He then asked me how many times a week that I played baseball of some
sort in the summer ­ pick-up games or some other fun variation of baseball.
Honestly, I can't remember a day in the summer when I didn't have a glove on
my hand. For many reasons kids just donıt play nearly as much baseball on
their own as we did, so his argument was very interesting to me. But, I
still am concerned about the amount of pressure that can develop during
organized games as opposed to the neighborhood sandlot games we
used to play. There are other positives that can come out of playing so many
games. To succeed in most tournaments, especially when they come in the
middle of the regular-season schedule, teams need to develop pitching depth.
This means that more kids will get the opportunity to pitch. The same can
hold true for other positions. When you are playing so many games you have to
make sure to spread the innings around or players will get tired and their
production ­and ultimately their enjoyment of the sport ­ will tail off.

Ultimately, the coach of a travel team playing an extensive schedule is going to have to shoulder the responsibility of making the experience as positive as possible. How the season is framed or presented to the kids is incredibly important. The coach must be in tune to the needs and desires of the kids to make sure they are not burning out. He must determine if they still are having fun and looking forward to the games. He must go out of his way to make the game experiences enjoyable and foster an
environment where everyone contributes. He must avoid the win-at-all-costs mentality and not rely on the same players over and over again. He must maintain a stable disposition, not getting too high or too low. And most
important, he must monitor the situation closely at all times, watching for signs
of physical and mental fatigue. In theory, more games ­ if handled correctly
­can be a good thing, but a lot is riding on the coach.

Iıve presented arguments for both sides of this issue. As a dad and as a
coach ­ Iım still trying to figure out what is best. This is going to be a learning experience for me, and I would like to include all of you in my learning process. From time to time I will communicate my
experiences with you as Ryan's season progresses right here in this newsletter.

Some of the things I will be trying to understand are: What is the proper
disposition for a coach when a team is playing so many games? Is it better
to play 75 games during the summer or to spread them out so that there are
25 games in the spring, 25 in the summer and 25 in the fall? Does spreading
the season and practice time out into different seasons hurt the overall
development of young athletes who could be playing other sports at different
times of the year?

I look forward to sharing our experiences with all of you and also look forward to gathering information from you ­ the youth baseball coaches of America ­ as I attempt to develop a better understanding. Feel free to share your experiences. I hope that all of you are enjoying a safe and relaxing holiday season. Baseball is right around the corner!

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cheers Bear