If you had to choose...

[shockandawe08]

t7017s,

His school has weight lifting in P.E. starting in seventh grade and I admit I know almost nothing about it other than what he tells me. I do know he's one of at least 15 seventh graders (including girls) who are regulars in the weight room this summer. Officially, he's an eighth grader now, I suppose. What you said about muscles concerns me, because that's why we wouldn't let him play youth football. Thanks for the heads up, I guess I'd better get educated. Up to now, this has been something he and his dad have discussed and I just kind of tune out usually.

[Shocker85]

Definitely little fish in a big pond.

Someone once said “Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.” Players learn the mentality of coming to the yard with the proper state of mind to be successful if the team as a whole is successful. You learn routines that lead to success and have way more fun in the process.

A very good player on a poor team can start doubting his own ability because the team isn't winning. That mindset can be addressed, but baseball can become a chore and it isn't supposed to be that way - it is a game and should be fun.

--'85.

Conversely if the kid is riding the pine he'll start to lose confidence.

Granted, but if a kid has aspirations of playing HS and college ball, he better be good enough to play at this level or he might as well hang 'em up at that point. It sounds like this young man is that good.

Part of getting good at baseball is God-given athletic ability and the rest is a result of reps and hard work. If he has enough God-given ability to get noticed by the coaches, then maybe it's worth a shot. Your job is to put him in a position to succeed, but then let him succeed on his own.

That has always been my philosiphy as a parent, whether it is sports, music, or academics. You instill the work-ethic with a firm had when they're young, but the time comes when you have to stand back and allow the kids to choose which brass ring to reach for and which goals to achieve.

--'85.

[vbird53]

I might consider taking him out of the weight room at the age of 14. I wouldnt let him in one day before 16 personally. I would recommend calisthenics which wont tear his muscles down completely before rebuilding them and at the same point not limiting his growth potential. You would be amazed at the results calisthenics can give using only your own body weight. I would like to add that this is not meant to be a post "telling you how to raise your child" so much as a personal opinion and a suggestion.

Coming from someone with a degree in the field, I'd absolutely agree.

[billybud]

You know what I noticed...in kid's sports, boys mature at different rates. Some 14 year olds look like men while others look like little boys. The boys that hit puberty first and hit it hard, grow muscle and put on height and weight, have a huge advantage over late maturers.

The slow to mature do catch up in the next few years but those guys who look like men early often maintain that advantage. They have the local rep, the coaches' eyes, etc.

My son was an outstanding athlete who was always the smallest on his team...until he grew 8 inches in height between 16 and 17.

Although small, he was still a star when in his age bracket...yet he insisted on playing "up" two years while looking two years younger than his actual age. He was totally outmanned by the big kids yet the crowds and coaches all noticed him because of his size (LOL...he gained a sort of "star" status although he wasn't one of the better players on his team)...But he did play well and it did help his game.

His Junior and Senior years were finally his time to shine as he grew into a "new" body.

[shockandawe08]

I just remember when I was growing up, the boys were quite a bit shorter than the girls through most of junior high, then over the summer before high school they just shot up several inches. Nowadays, if that happens at all, it's a lot earlier. I don't know if it's the hormones in the foods, like meat, or what. I just know I'm not a boy and I've never raised a boy before (my two girls are in their 20s) so I am not able to make a comparison. What I do know is that my son apparently has HUGE calves for a 14-year-old (my 26-year-old son-in-law calls them "ridiculous.").
He's only 140 pounds and he runs like the wind, but I can't hardly get him in long pants, even in the winter. Hmmm...no wonder he liked that football uniform. :roll: