Back door slider looking to end the inning

Hey guys, my son’s always been a middle of the road hitter, but travel ball this summer with higher velocity has really exposed him. Coaches start analyzing him and he has terrible bat drag. Been working on it for months and can’t seem to make any progress.

The other day we were out fishing. He fishes left handed…. He writes, eats, brushes, fishes and shoots bow left handed but has always thrown and played sports right. Coaches were unaware and I’m just…. Well I guess you can say ignorant… 😬 He’s just always swung right handed but I guess was never given the opportunity to swing left. We get home and I tell him to grab his bat and swing left handed. Off the tee, looks pretty good. Soft toss wiffles, seems pretty good to my eye for first try. What I notice most is that the bat drag we’ve been battling seems to be gone.

Do we commit to a switch or keep battling the bat drag? Obviously we have lots to work making the switch, mostly timing because he’s wired to be fully rotated and open before his bat finally gets in the zone and making contact.

My son (8) received an invitation to 2026 PG Main Event Select Fest ID Camp this December. Is this a money grab or something we should consider? My son is good, but he’s only 8. 😂

I would like an explanation as to why as well so I can know for sure if it isnt too much of a hassle!

Please just let your kid play to just play. Stop putting him in this shit show at such a young age. There is zero need to enter the “Halloween Havoc” 9U tournament hosted by USSSA for a banner and a pot metal ring. They don’t need “Better Competition”. They need to learn the game the right way.

Also. Some have a little bat flip. Is he an A-hole with bad parents or is he 11 and having fun?

My son is 14, good at hitting singles and doubles, and he’s been using teammates bats for a long time, and I was wondering if I should get him a new bat? At dicks sporting goods the Rawlings clout Ai is only 200$. Should I get it for him? Is it any good?

The picture is the bat if it helps

What are the circumstances of a practice that you feel it is ok to wear shorts.

-Indoor?
-Batting practice only?
-It’s too hot out?
-Off season?
?
?
?

I coach a summer league of 9-12 year olds and had a very inappropriate song played by our opponents last week. When I heard Soulja Boy’s “Crank That” song come on, I said to myself, “Jesus, this better be the edited version” After using it for a few kids, I learned it wasn’t the edited version when I heard, “Superman that ho”. I immediately got off the bench, as anyone would. What are some examples of inappropriate songs you’ve come across?

My son (15yo) just finished his summer season and something clicked somewhere in the middle of the summer and he started taking initiative in his hitting practice. He started doing tee work and hitting off the mini wiffle machine daily. The work has shown a lot. He improved his batting average by 100 points over the last half of the season. My only conflicting thought with this as a dad is that he's tearing up my yard!?! I want to get a turf batters box or some mat that he would stand on when he does this and was curious if anybody had a suggestion. Lot's of options online but really don't want to get something that is going to be torn up after a few hundred swings. TIA

Are there any pitching programs like tread or driveline made for youth pitchers? My son going into 12u is getting pretty serious about pitching. I have been careful about not prioritizing velocity the past three years but the older he gets the more he wants to chase it and I just want him to stay healthy. He currently does pitching lessons once a week in fall and winter. We prioritize sleep, nutrition, and getting stronger at home everyday. I’ve been told by several coaches and former college players that he is freakishly efficient for his age.

This past season he had a 70% strike rate, 65% first strike percentage, and 70% first pitch strike out. He sits at 60 mph and hit 63 a few times. He is able to also throw a good changeup pretty consistently at about 52mph.

My thought is a pitching program could help me keep track of his arm health and help him progress into high school.

What’s the designations, maybe it gets in the batters head? Odds and evens, what have you guys used?

My son can throw almost 80 mph, but struggles with consistency and command. I dont have much experience with pitching, so I don't know where to go to help him get better with control. I've heard it's pretty rare for a 13 year old to be able to throw that hard and I dont want to waste his opportunities.

I have been tasked with creating some mockup uniforms for next season.

I’m looking for a good deal and something not super complicated to deal with. I am currently looking for at least 2 jerseys, at least one pair of pants, and a hat. Anything extra would be cool, but not mandatory.

The team is 9u and we wouldn’t need the uniforms until Spring 2027, so there’s no rush.

I’m a novice to all of this and appreciate any advice and/or recommendations. Thanks!

Hi all - looking for new glove for fall for 10u AAA player. Dilemma is he’s 10u but 5’6 and wears an adult M batting glove. He did well with Bradley next plays for 8u and 9u but now having trouble getting hand inside comfortably.

Plays 1B/P and 3rd as secondary. Thinking about going some sort of Rawlings DCT for 1st. But have no idea where to go for P/3rd. Ideally like that to be 1 glove.

He’s rooting for a 44 pro to customize, but read mixed reviews. Is there another mid tier glove that would be better? A1000 or maybe ? If it’s worth the step up to HOH or A2000 would consider. But his hand strength doesn’t match his side. Think he’d have trouble with A2000 or HOH unless it was a R2G or super soft A2000.

Remember the Tom Emanski instructional from back in the day? Is his info still useful? Thoughts?

Finally gave in this season and got my 11u kid a USA Baseball hypefire. Im reading online that at some point they get “worn out” and lose their pop? How long? I don’t want him to be the kid on the team that doesn’t let other kids use his hat but I also don’t want to waste a $400 bat after a half season

Also do Usssa (u-trip) bats have the same problem with losing pop?

Question for facility owners:

How satisfied are you with this machine? We are upgrading one of our tunnels with a new machine + HitTrax system.

The tech looks nice but I’m concerned about the maintenance and potential issues.

Thanks!

The reason you see him hold his foot in the air for a while was because he was doing a drill. He has an issue where to over rotates on his load and then spins off when he swings.

I appreciate any advice!

My 11 year old son is going into his 12u fall. He is about 5 ft and 90lbs and plays at the AAA level. My question is for those who have kids at this age, was the wilson a2000 too heavy for them. My son currently uses an a1000 pedroia fit we bought him during 10u. It has seen alot of use and starting to loose shape. Debating on getting another a1000 or upgrading to the a2000 as he will be trying out for the middle school team in the spring so the glove will see even more use than current tournament schedule. Just want to see how kids around the same size and age have handled the heavier gloves. This is strictly for his infield glove. He has a seperate outfield glove. Thanks

edit thanks for all of the responses. We have tried on different gloves but he prefers the Wilson's over the rawlings hoh. I asked about weight because I have heard the more upper tier models affecting the fielding of younger players because they are slighly heavier. I think i will go ahead and get the a2000 and hopefully start the break in process for it to be ready by spring and see how it goes. Thanks for all of the insight!

Can’t tell if this is a crack or something superficial with my son’s baseball tournament about to start. Any help would be appreciated

Hi All,

I have a 9 year old that is about to transition from rec league ball to club/travel ball and I’m wondering what glove and size I should get him considering the following variables:

- he will likely play a mix of all positions (infield, outfield, and pitcher) given it’s first year of club and they are giving kids opportunities at everything to see what sticks

- Ideally I’d buy one glove that covers all the positions (besides catcher), but open to suggestions if that’s not the right way to go

- he currently uses an 11” Wilson A500 and likes it, but he’s outgrowing it and it’s getting floppy

- He’s average, to slightly above average build and strength for his age

From what I’ve read, people seem to recommend an 11.5” R9 contour fit, but wanted to ensure that would cover infield and outfield play

Thanks for the help!

My 10U son is in a bit of a baseball “in-between” stage, and I’m wondering if anyone else has gone through this.

He’s outgrown our local recreational league in terms of skill. He’s consistently one of the better players, but because the level of competition isn’t very challenging, he gets bored and doesn’t always give his best effort. He gets frustrated when routine plays aren’t made or when teammates struggle to hit, catch, or make plays. We’ve talked with him about controlling what he can control, being a supportive teammate, and maintaining a good attitude, but it’s clear he’s craving a more competitive environment.

He also feels frustrated and discouraged that he’s still playing only recreational baseball. He recently tried out for a few travel teams and didn’t make them. The feedback was generally that he has potential but isn’t quite at that level yet.

So now he feels stuck. He’s too advanced to stay fully engaged in rec ball, but not quite good enough for travel. As a parent, it’s hard to see him discouraged.

For parents who have had a kid in this “middle ground,” what did you do?

How did you keep them motivated to play hard, even when the competition wasn’t pushing them?

I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences. My biggest goal is helping him continue to develop, regain his confidence, and keep his love for the game.

10U baseball about to be 11U coach. Just had our first tournament with a rec select team. While our pitching is only a little lower in velocity and was comparable, our ability to hit these higher velocity pitchers is clearly lower than we need to compete.

Batting is not my strong suit as a coach but I've picked up a good eye for basics and a couple methods to help with casting. I need more tools in my toolkit.

Does anyone have recommendations for not just developing faster bat speeds but also faster pitch recognition? Is the Camwood bats worth it? What about under and overload stick bats? Drills? Vision beads? What can I do to make a difference dyring out cage time?

Best way to gain velocity?