| The big costs of little baseball
sluggers |
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Blake Doyle, CEO and CFO of Doyle
Baseball Inc., isn't convinced that travel teams are the best
way to go.
"Just playing a lot of games, particularly on these travel
teams, gives you the experience, but it doesn't necessarily increase
your skill," he says.
If there is a glitch in your child's swing, playing
a lot won't necessarily correct that problem, and sometimes it just
embeds the bad habits even deeper.
"There has to be enough time for the youngsters
to increase their skill levels and not just participate in the game,"
Doyle says.
Endurance and
strength conditioning
Gone are the days when children built muscles and increased their
stamina solely by climbing trees and running in the backyard. Now,
even elementary-aged children are pumping iron in health clubs and
fitness centers.
Although hiring a personal trainer for your child
may seem a little overboard, many people recommend it.
"If I were going to spend money on my son, it
would be first with an athletic trainer -- a guy who teaches core
training and nutrition -- faster than I would with a private hitting
instructor," says Doyle, who was drafted out of high school
by the Baltimore Orioles in 1972 and played pro ball for nine years.
At the higher levels of baseball, coaches and professional
scouts look at running speed and throwing ability first. Doyle believes
that by age 18, most kids aren't going to get any faster or be able
to throw the ball much harder.
"If a youngster can run and throw, they can increase
their hitting abilities, and they can increase their fielding abilities
(with additional training)," Doyle says. "Those other
two cannot be increased (at that point). You either have it or you
don't."
Summer camps
Baseball camps have proliferated over the past few years. This year,
the Doyle Baseball organization expects to host 7,000 to 8,000 young
players in its schools and academies. Academies are three-week residential
programs; schools are a week or shorter. Coaches work with the players
individually, building skill levels and teaching proper techniques.
But it's more than just hitting and fielding. "We
also do leadership training, morals and ethics classes, character
building and other life skills," Doyle says.
With the cost of baseball camps ranging from less
than $100 for a local recreational league to more than $1,000 for
a nationally recognized multiweek residential camp, you should be
able to find a camp in your budget range that will enable your child
to spend a few days during summer vacation batting and running fielding
drills.
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