Is 12 too old to start sports

[declansdad]

Here, if you have not learned the fundamentals of baseball by age 12, you are too late.

You are telling me that a kid who wanted to play baseball at the age of 12 couldn't find even a rec league to play in?

If that is the case, your area has a terrible sports system. A 12 year old who is physically literate could quickly pick up the skills needed to play most sports. They may not be the best but they could play.

 

[EMode]

Thank you.

You are welcome and I do admire that you don't want to hold him back from doing things and its probably not easy to decide where to draw the line.

 

[JanaDee]

You are telling me that a kid who wanted to play baseball at the age of 12 couldn't find even a rec league to play in?

If that is the case, your area has a terrible sports system. A 12 year old who is physically literate could quickly pick up the skills needed to play most sports. They may not be the best but they could play.

We've never had a 12 year old kid that has never played before start then. So I have no idea.

All of the kids my son plays with on both the varsity high school team and the local rec team (before he aged out) have been playing since they were between 4-6 years of age.

 

[wallawallakids]

Calm down mama bear. I wasn't trying to even HINT at keeping him "in bubble wrap" nor saying he shouldn't be participating in any sports. I was simply commenting that a vision issue is (IMO) more of a problem when on defense than when hitting at the plate. I don't know what the extent of his vision problems are.

I get it. And I am probably too sensitive about it. I know that he may be blind in a few years due to his disease process. I know this could be one of the last years he has seeing a ball, let alone a chance to actually play a sport with his peers. I am sorry if my post was aggressive.

I want the best for my son, like any mother. And I desperately want him to have a normal childhood, so I do get a little "mama bear".

Most will, thankfully, not know the pain of watching their child slowly loose his vision despite medical advances, surgery, and hospital stays. I want him to have all the chances everyone else has, and the reality is, he won't.

 

[sam_gordon]

We've never had a 12 year old kid that has never played before start then. So I have no idea.

All of the kids my son plays with on both the varsity high school team and the local rec team (before he aged out) have been playing since they were between 4-6 years of age.

I agree with declansdad. A 12 year old should have the opportunity to start playing pretty much ANY sport, and get playing time. If a local recreational league has kids regularly sitting on the bench more than 50% of the time, then it needs to examine what exactly it exists for.

IMO, a rec league IS for fun and learning fundamentals. Of course, it's still a competition and the kids want to win. But that should not overshadow the teaching & fun elements. I wonder if your rec league has some kind of mission statement or other information. From my kids' soccer site:

The purpose of <redacted> is to afford the children of <redacted> County an Opportunity to participate in and learn the game of soccer. To develop discipline, sportsmanship, and team play, and through this, create a general love for the game which they may carry throughout their lives.

Youth Groupings

Recreational: Traditional type of teams, formed through random draw. All coaches of these teams are volunteer coaches. Player’s range from 3 to 16 years old. These players represent 90% of league.

 

[Colleen27]

You are telling me that a kid who wanted to play baseball at the age of 12 couldn't find even a rec league to play in?

If that is the case, your area has a terrible sports system. A 12 year old who is physically literate could quickly pick up the skills needed to play most sports. They may not be the best but they could play.

Even the rec leagues here assume a certain level of familiarity with the fundamentals of the game. I don't think there's anything wrong with that - the teaching and practice is geared to the level of the group, and fundamentals of shagging ground balls, properly holding and swinging a bat, etc. were covered years ago. The 10 kids who have been playing for years aren't interested in going back to the level of practice they got when they were 6 or 7 so that one late starter can try to catch up.

 

[JanaDee]

Even the rec leagues here assume a certain level of familiarity with the fundamentals of the game. I don't think there's anything wrong with that - the teaching and practice is geared to the level of the group, and fundamentals of shagging ground balls, properly holding and swinging a bat, etc. were covered years ago. The 10 kids who have been playing for years aren't interested in going back to the level of practice they got when they were 6 or 7 so that one late starter can try to catch up.

Exactly.

 

[sam_gordon]

Even the rec leagues here assume a certain level of familiarity with the fundamentals of the game. I don't think there's anything wrong with that - the teaching and practice is geared to the level of the group, and fundamentals of shagging ground balls, properly holding and swinging a bat, etc. were covered years ago. The 10 kids who have been playing for years aren't interested in going back to the level of practice they got when they were 6 or 7 so that one late starter can try to catch up.

Sorry, I call BS. Fundamentals are worked on in ALL levels. Middle school, High school, college, and yes, even professional. It should not be hopeless for a child to pickup a sport. The "teaching" aspect (as in "here is how you field a ground ball" or "here is how you swing") may take smaller amounts of time as you get older, but they still get covered.

In fact, a coach might find an easier time with a brand new player (who hasn't formed any "bad" habits) than one who has played for 6 years, but has habist so "ingrained" they can't shake them.

 

[Colleen27]

We've never had a 12 year old kid that has never played before start then. So I have no idea.

All of the kids my son plays with on both the varsity high school team and the local rec team (before he aged out) have been playing since they were between 4-6 years of age.

The last first-time player we've encountered was 10 and even that was rough. She was thrown into DD's softball program in their last year of "everyone plays" rules, and the other girls were very frustrated by her lack of ability. It is all well and good for us parents to talk about how they are there to learn, not win, but tell that to a group of girls who have been playing for 5-6 years and have been on top/winning teams in the past. They were working on steals and sliding and bunting and other more advanced game play and suddenly they had a teammate who needed to learn how to hold her glove to field a ground ball and how to determine where the play would be if the ball was hit her way.

The new player made quite a bit of progress over the season but never did get a hit or make a catch. She came in terrified of the ball, not knowing how to hold the bat, etc. and I have no idea what made her want to play. I never got the impression that she enjoyed it. She didn't play again either, which is probably just as well because 11/12 is the bracket that starts tournament play. We just don't have enough kids playing in our community to support both a competitive team and a basic skills team in each age bracket, so there is no lower level to start at.

 

[LSmith]

My husband had zero opportunity to play sports before age 12. He graduated grade 8 and grade 13 as athlete of the year. All team sports. Football, baseball and volleyball.

 

[JVL1018]

Even the rec leagues here assume a certain level of familiarity with the fundamentals of the game. I don't think there's anything wrong with that - the teaching and practice is geared to the level of the group, and fundamentals of shagging ground balls, properly holding and swinging a bat, etc. were covered years ago. The 10 kids who have been playing for years aren't interested in going back to the level of practice they got when they were 6 or 7 so that one late starter can try to catch up.

Have any of you been to a Little League game? There are plenty of kids in the Majors here (10-12 usually) who suck. Kids who have been playing for years, but never get a hit. But when you're 12 you automatically go up to the majors whether you're "good enough" or not.
According to the rules of Little League, all players are in the batting line up at least once and have to play in the field a minimum of 2 innings.
Does it matter if you're 12 and totally inept because you've never played before, or 12 and inept because you are just not good at baseball?
My son has been playing since he was 4 or 5, whenever T Ball starts, and there have always been really good kids on his team, really bad kids on his team and middle of the road kids(like him) on his team.
They are TWELVE, it doesn't matter if you are good or not good, in Little League you will get playing time.
And any typical 12 year old can pick up the general rules of the game, enough to not embarrass himself, in no time.
My 12 year old son has his first practice tomorrow and I guarantee you they will be fielding grounders and shagging fly balls and practicing throwing, and the coach will be going over what they should do in different scenarios..any kid who has a basic understanding of the game can jump in and figure it out.

I just don't see the big deal. The kids who only want to be around the best of the best are chosen for all stars and join club teams. LL is for everyone regardless of ability.

 

[LSmith]

Have any of you been to a Little League game? There are plenty of kids in the Majors here (10-12 usually) who suck. Kids who have been playing for years, but never get a hit. But when you're 12 you automatically go up to the majors whether you're "good enough" or not.
According to the rules of Little League, all players are in the batting line up at least once and have to play in the field a minimum of 2 innings.
Does it matter if you're 12 and totally inept because you've never played before, or 12 and inept because you are just not good at baseball?
My son has been playing since he was 4 or 5, whenever T Ball starts, and there have always been really good kids on his team, really bad kids on his team and middle of the road kids(like him) on his team.
They are TWELVE, it doesn't matter if you are good or not good, in Little League you will get playing time.
And any typical 12 year old can pick up the general rules of the game, enough to not embarrass himself, in no time.
My 12 year old son has his first practice tomorrow and I guarantee you they will be fielding grounders and shagging fly balls and practicing throwing, and the coach will be going over what they should do in different scenarios..any kid who has a basic understanding of the game can jump in and figure it out.

I just don't see the big deal. The kids who only want to be around the best of the best are chosen for all stars and join club teams. LL is for everyone regardless of ability.

Absolutely agree!

 

[EMode]

Have any of you been to a Little League game? There are plenty of kids in the Majors here (10-12 usually) who suck. Kids who have been playing for years, but never get a hit. But when you're 12 you automatically go up to the majors whether you're "good enough" or not.
According to the rules of Little League, all players are in the batting line up at least once and have to play in the field a minimum of 2 innings.
Does it matter if you're 12 and totally inept because you've never played before, or 12 and inept because you are just not good at baseball?
My son has been playing since he was 4 or 5, whenever T Ball starts, and there have always been really good kids on his team, really bad kids on his team and middle of the road kids(like him) on his team.
They are TWELVE, it doesn't matter if you are good or not good, in Little League you will get playing time.
And any typical 12 year old can pick up the general rules of the game, enough to not embarrass himself, in no time.
My 12 year old son has his first practice tomorrow and I guarantee you they will be fielding grounders and shagging fly balls and practicing throwing, and the coach will be going over what they should do in different scenarios..any kid who has a basic understanding of the game can jump in and figure it out.

I just don't see the big deal. The kids who only want to be around the best of the best are chosen for all stars and join club teams. LL is for everyone regardless of ability.

Here if you are just starting at age 12 unless you are a prodigy you will only get the minimum playing time in games. The coaches are not going to put him in so he can sharpen his skills during the game, he will play the kids who already have sharp skills.
Practices are different, the kids will all be doing the drills but when it comes to game play a newcomer is going to sit on the bench more than he plays.

Here most 12 year olds are in the majors but we did have a few in the minors. We also had 9 year olds in the majors, sometimes you are placed according to your ability after try-outs, it isn't always by age. And the major coaches scout out the minor games to see who they want to pick for the next season. LL is very competitive here.

 

[mco65]

Here if you are just starting at age 12 unless you are a prodigy you will only get the minimum playing time in games. The coaches are not going to put him in so he can sharpen his skills during the game, he will play the kids who already have sharp skills.
Practices are different, teh kids will all be doing the drills but when it comes to game play a newcomer is going to sit on the bench more than he plays.

I guess every league (park) is a bit different. My son plays REC 10u (ages 10 and under, which is really only 9 and 10 year olds). There are 12 kids on the team, 10 play the field (4 outfielders) and 2 sit the bench but the coach is constantly moving the kids from the bench to the field every inning. But, every kid takes his turn at bat .... I like the process very much. every kid gets plenty of playing time but rarely do we get through the 12 man batting order more than twice a game.

This is only my sons second season of playing baseball. He is very athletic but quite a ways behind the kids that have been playing since they were 4. That didn't stop us from signing up once he decided he wanted to play.. its just a game and as long as he has fun we will keep playing regardless of his abilities.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I get it. And I am probably too sensitive about it. I know that he may be blind in a few years due to his disease process. I know this could be one of the last years he has seeing a ball, let alone a chance to actually play a sport with his peers. I am sorry if my post was aggressive.

I want the best for my son, like any mother. And I desperately want him to have a normal childhood, so I do get a little "mama bear".

Most will, thankfully, not know the pain of watching their child slowly loose his vision despite medical advances, surgery, and hospital stays. I want him to have all the chances everyone else has, and the reality is, he won't.

I'm sorry for what your son and family are going through. It sounds so very hard.

 

[JVL1018]

Here if you are just starting at age 12 unless you are a prodigy you will only get the minimum playing time in games. The coaches are not going to put him in so he can sharpen his skills during the game, he will play the kids who already have sharp skills. Practices are different, the kids will all be doing the drills but when it comes to game play a newcomer is going to sit on the bench more than he plays. Here most 12 year olds are in the majors but we did have a few in the minors. We also had 9 year olds in the majors, sometimes you are placed according to your ability after try-outs, it isn't always by age. And the major coaches scout out the minor games to see who they want to pick for the next season. LL is very competitive here.

Same here there are try outs and a draft each year, we had the worst record last year, so we got the #1 draft pick this year, and I can tell you that at our last game last season, we knew who we were drafting this year already. LOL but there are rules that Little Leagues must follow.

If you go to the LL website, it says minors are 7-11, but you may have different divisions within the minors( for example, 7-8 year old farm teams), and majors are 9-12, but local organizations have the option of having a major league that is 10-12 or 11-12.

Ours is 10-12.
They may look the other way and allow some 12 year olds to stay in the minors, if they request it, but it's not usual here.

And if you get the minimum playing time? It's still 1/3 of the game. You're still part of the team, you're still hanging out with your friends, you're still getting out there.
We have usually 12-13 players on a team, there will always be a handful of kids on the bench.

 

[wallawallakids]

I'm sorry for what your son and family are going through. It sounds so very hard.

Thank you.

I try not to complain. It is hard but I know lots of people have it worse than us. We are just trying to do the best we can and help him be as strong and as successful as he can be. It is no different than anyone else.

Thanks again.

 

[EMode]

Same here there are try outs and a draft each year, we had the worst record last year, so we got the #1 draft pick this year, and I can tell you that at our last game last season, we knew who we were drafting this year already. LOL
but there are rules that Little Leagues must follow.
If you go to the LL website, it says minors are 7-11, but you may have different divisions within the minors( for example, 7-8 farm teams), and majors are 9-12, but local organizations have the option of having a major do idiot that is 10-12 or 11-12. Ours is 10-12.
They may look the other way and allow some 12 year olds to stay in the minors, if they request it, but it's not usual here.

And if you get the minimum playing time? It's still 1/3 of the game. You're still part of the team, you're still hanging out with your friends, you're still getting out there.
We have usually 12-13 players on a team, there will always be a handful of kids on the bench.

I don't think its usual here either but I don't know all the details. I just know I was surprised to see 12 year olds playing with my ds's age group.

Here its usually the same couple kids on the bench while the better players are never sat out. We did have one coach that rotated all players so everyone sat out, but I think that was during fall season so it didn't matter, no trophy at the end of the playoffs
I don't think there is anything wrong with a 12 year old just starting, but they should be realistic in their expectations. It may be the case if the LL is like mine that they won't enjoy playing because they aren't getting the same chance as the experienced boys. Or, the league there is different and they end up playing and loving it. The only way to know is to go for it.

 

[mtemm]

Have any of you been to a Little League game? There are plenty of kids in the Majors here (10-12 usually) who suck. Kids who have been playing for years, but never get a hit. But when you're 12 you automatically go up to the majors whether you're "good enough" or not.
According to the rules of Little League, all players are in the batting line up at least once and have to play in the field a minimum of 2 innings.
Does it matter if you're 12 and totally inept because you've never played before, or 12 and inept because you are just not good at baseball?
My son has been playing since he was 4 or 5, whenever T Ball starts, and there have always been really good kids on his team, really bad kids on his team and middle of the road kids(like him) on his team.
They are TWELVE, it doesn't matter if you are good or not good, in Little League you will get playing time.
And any typical 12 year old can pick up the general rules of the game, enough to not embarrass himself, in no time.
My 12 year old son has his first practice tomorrow and I guarantee you they will be fielding grounders and shagging fly balls and practicing throwing, and the coach will be going over what they should do in different scenarios..any kid who has a basic understanding of the game can jump in and figure it out.

I just don't see the big deal. The kids who only want to be around the best of the best are chosen for all stars and join club teams. LL is for everyone regardless of ability.

That's exactly how it is around here. all the teams in our town are drafted to keep things as even as possible...each has a couple of all star kids, a handful of middle of the road kids, and a few of the kids who are not particularly talented. there is an evaluation when you are 9 or when you start playing after age 9, but there are no tryouts, if you want to play, you get on a team and the coach will play you. no doubt a new kid will spend most of the game time in the outfield, definitely won't pitch or catch or play a few other key positions, but they will play and be part of the team. we have kids who have played for ds12's team who started when they were 10 and are pretty decent players, and we have kids who started at 5 and are awful.

I am sad for those who are in towns where rec leagues are so competitive that kids can't start playing whenever they are interested in starting. I totally understand club and all star teams being that way, but rec leagues should be for everyone.

 

[JVL1018]

I don't think its usual here either but I don't know all the details. I just know I was surprised to see 12 year olds playing with my ds's age group. Here its usually the same couple kids on the bench while the better players are never sat out. We did have one coach that rotated all players so everyone sat out, but I think that was during fall season so it didn't matter, no trophy at the end of the playoffs I don't think there is anything wrong with a 12 year old just starting, but they should be realistic in their expectations. It may be the case if the LL is like mine that they won't enjoy playing because they aren't getting the same chance as the experienced boys. Or, the league there is different and they end up playing and loving it. The only way to know is to go for it.

Here too, the really good kids play the whole game. Though sometimes if they pitch they sit out after they've reached their pitch count.
I agree they should go for it, but be realistic.