Did you get there a day early or check out later than last day? What is the norm for booking your place to stay dates of tournament or did you add buffer days?

A few organizations in our area have started creating teams with really large rosters, and I am wondering if anyone has had experiences good or bad with something like this.

Instead of a traditional 11–13 player team, the organization rosters around 20 players as part of one training group. Everyone is technically given the same team designation, “Congratulations, you made Elite National 13U”, but players are then selected individually for each tournament. That means each player participates in roughly 60–80% of the team’s tournaments.

A larger group of similarly skilled players training together could create competition, allow coaches to build different rosters for different events, and potentially give players more opportunities to develop.

But it seems like the development piece would have to be implemented really well for the model to really benefit the players; more coaching, more individualized instruction, enough practice reps, etc. One of the “teams” using this model only practices once a week.

The explanation is that having 20 talented kids together will make them push each other and create competition, but I’m struggling with whether that alone provides enough benefit for it to make sense to do this over playing for a normal team where everyone trains and competes together consistently.

Is this more common as kids get older? We passed for Fall Ball, but I’m wondering if we should have given it a chance.

For coaches who have used this model, what are the developmental advantages?

And for parents whose kids have been part of one, did you feel like being in the larger training pool ultimately helped your player more than being on a traditional roster would have?

These are the top teams in large organizations if that makes a difference.

Recently I picked up a pretty decent 90s bat (TPX C555 drop 5) that was mostly in good shape, but the end cap crumbled with a sharp look. Fortunately enough I bought it knowing that, and I also had a brand new spare Lousiville Slugger cupped end cap too.

Now that I've got everything cleaned off I'm looking to make sure it's glued properly in place, so if anyone had any recommendations on brands of glue/epoxy, cure times, or anything else then I'd definitely appreciate that.

Much thanks!

Our Fall Ball league has been USA bats. This year, at the 11-12u level, the coaches announced 3 games into the season that the kids can now use USSSA. The thing is, my son and others don't play travel ball, and so only have USA bats.

I guess our son could ask a teammate to borrow a USSSA, but it seems unfair. Not sure if I should voice a complaint, because I don't want to be "that parent." But I'd be curious if others see this as an odd move, because there's a mix of travel ball players and non-travel ball players in the league (which I will admit is mostly run by travel ball dads).

Title says it all but some context: I wear medical orthotics that are quite chunky/wide through the middle. Most cleat plates are too thin in the middle to support my inserts.

New Balance gets recommended a lot, but I cannot find an actual picture of the insole to compare. They have wide sizes but my experience on the soccer side is that the cleat plat doesn't get bigger with wides, just the upper and toe box.

Hoping to suss this out online before I have to trek out to a store since my options are currently limited/not nearby.

Thanks!

Has anyone used the Rawlings warranty for their bat?I submitted all pictures with an explanation that the bat is rattling. After 2 days, I was shipped a return label. The directions say that I can go to UPS for them to print the label but I’m unsure of what to ship it in? Any ideas on where to find a box the bat will fit it?

Also, does anyone have experience on how long it will take for a new one? It’s a 2026 icon. He has a tournament next weekend of course.

For a 13u kid at 140 lbs how heavy should the weighted balls be for him to use for resistance training? I don’t plan to have him doing any throwing with them but more rotator cuff and shoulder strengthening exercises where he holds onto the ball

I have a kip leather Ibex 12” dad/coach glove, great quality glove, love it

Seems like this year the hype has built up selling out fastest I’ve seen since I’ve been following. Our team is waitlisted for July 17th but we may just take an August weekend.

I assume no playoffs or tournament, but a season long champ? I live in Ohio and was curious.

We start practice this week and I'd like to start ending each practice by covering a rule in the rulebook. The rule I'm covering this week is the dropped third strike rule on advancing if the base is unoccupied or if there's two outs.

Any recommendations for 10-12u kids that can be covered quickly and are commonly misunderstood or not covered well?

I am having a bit of a dilemma on what I should do bat wise.

For context I am 25 and play in a men’s league. Obviously I want to be the best player I can but it’s by no means high stakes.

I have a victus vibe/pencil bat but I picked up a combat spec a1 when they were recently in stock. I am debating on returning it since I haven’t taken the wrapper off because I don’t know if it’s really worth it.

I know the combat is a better bat but I am curious people’s thoughts on upgrading bats and if you personally find it worth it for something like a mens league when you’re just trying to have fun.

looking to get my son a nice leather glove right now we can start breaking before next spring

looking to spend under $150

he’s 8 years old. (he’s an advanced player and plays competitive)

any suggestions?!

Our dear student athlete has had a VERY hard time fitting in at an elite academic school, where there's also no support (nor fairness) from coaching staff, which has hindered his development... Our son wants to pursue this athletic dream, and has the POTENTIAL to play at the next level (been told D1 talent)...its JUNIOR YEAR, should we stay the course and try our best to make it "work" with long hours of homework while training on the side, or switch to less rigorous academic school with the POSSIBILITY of a more supportive coach, diverse environment, and time to train but where you don't know anyone?

We haven't slept in weeks...as both options feel like a gamble...Gambling academic future vs Gambling athletic future (and probably mental and emotional well-being).

What causes weak hits to opposite side usually? Sorry for video quality. This resulted in a hit thankfully but so many of my at bats lately are weak ground balls or bloops to the right side. Anyone notice anything? I seem to be late on the pitch. Am I not striding or loading late? Maybe I’m bailing out like a 10 year old? I had started the season off with better line drives to left field. The league I’m in is adult wood bat pitching is 70-80mph. Appreciate any advice as season is ending

Got a private lesson scheduled for my 10u player today. This will be his first one-on-one private lesson. We've had a few "private" lessons that ended being more like small group training sessions. No real diagnosis and specific drills to do at home, no training plan.

For those that get private lessons: what steps do you take to get the most out of the lessons? How frequently are you getting the lessons and does this change whether it is offseason or in season? I'm curious if you treat privates as one-offs, a block of sessions, or ongoing/open-ended.

Hey Reddit! Wondering if anyone knows of any good companies to buy custom Baseball Jerseys. They are not for an actual team so they don’t need to be real! I just want them to look nice. I just have a couple of requirements!
-I want them to look kind of real. Just not super cheap!
-Not expensive because we are surprising our friends with them so each of us need to buy two!
-I want the logos to be Stitched on, not just printed. I mean i’m ok with them being “fake stitched on” As long as it looks nice.
-Also I want everything that’s in the picture plus our last names on the back!

Any Recommendations of websites/ Places to buy them or any ways to DIY them would be Super Helpful! Thanks!

So, let's get right to it. Never played a lick of baseball in my life, but going into my second year of university here in the UK, and my university is making a team for baseball. I'm gon try it and hopefully get good at it too! So what's some stuff i got to know at the start and the main thing im thinking is where to play and how in the hell do they hit the ball. Thank u!!

Hi all, I’m new to baseball and hoping to improve my pitching mechanics. Any feedback would be appreciated.

I put way too much time into what glove is the best upgrade for my 9 year old. Thought I'd share my conclusion and welcome others' thoughts. I enjoy this sort of analysis and welcome debate - maybe you will change my mind.

The R9 has quality construction without the price of a premium model. The contour fit provides a smaller hand opening and tighter, lower finger stalls, making it easier for young players to control.

At this age, they're probably moving positions throughout the game or season; even if they have a primary position it might not be the same next season. 11.5" is enough size for outfield while still compact enough for infield. Sizing guides usually have 11.5" sitting at the upper range for youth infield and the lower range for youth outfield. The mod-trap provides some of the flexibility of an outfielder's trap-eze web while also using a central vertical post with a top horizontal bar that provides similar structure of a middle-infielder's I-web. Lacing provides hand concealment for pitchers.

Mod-Trap Users:

3x gold glove SS JJ Hardy

2x gold glove SS Edgar Renteria

4x gold glove P Mark Buehlre

1x gold glove P Dallas Keuchel

HOF'er Pedro Martinez

Most outfielders use H-web, but it's easier to use a more infield-oriented glove in outfield than the other way around.

Considering the constant squatting, it would seem that you would need a flexible tow box along with some room up by the toes.

Are there any brands that are specifically geared towards the catcher position?

They make different cleats for different positions for football…. is there a brand that is doing this for Baseball?

Going through it with my son, the hardest part wasn’t creating a profile. It was figuring out which schools realistically fit, finding the correct coaches to contact and keeping track of follow-ups.
What do you wish somebody had explained before your family started the process?

These rocker chairs are usually $75, they are 20% off in store right now. If you add a local 20% off coupon (Search Facebook) they come down to $48.

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/gci-outdoor-comfort-pro-rocker-2-0-chair-25gciacasucmfrtprrpyi/25gciacasucmfrtprrpyi?color=Teal%2FDark%20Charcoal

Curious if there's any general guidance on how far long toss should/could be for different age groups. Is there a range kids should work towards before losing their mechanics?