TRAVEL BASEBALL

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Yorkville Youth Athletic Association is dedicated to providing an environment in which children and adults have fun with baseball. We want to instill in our players an appreciation and enjoyment of the game, by teaching them the complexities of baseball in an atmosphere that promotes teamwork and good sportsmanship.

PHILOSOPHY

Yorkville Travel Baseball was created to offer talented and motivated baseball players a chance to play against other competitive teams. Players have opportunities to improve their individual baseball skills and learn team strategy with an emphasis on the dedication and perseverance needed to play competitive baseball.

Although the goal of each outing is to win games, the focus is on learning how to win baseball games as a team. Practices play an especially important role in Travel Baseball, since it is during those times that a great deal of work toward achieving individual and team goals gets accomplished. With the help of professional coaches and volunteer parent coaches, we hope to provide an intensive learning experience that will be both challenging and fun

GAMES & PRACTICE ATTENDANCE

Attendance at all games and practices is mandatory. Travel Baseball players will be required to play on either Saturday or Sunday or both. Travel games are usually double headers played with a short break between games. There will be at least one travel team practice scheduled during the week. If a player is not available for any particular game or practice, parents must notify the head coach as soon as they know. If coaches are not notified in advance, it sends a bad message to the other boys and is a poor reflection on that player's commitment to being part of a team. If a player misses a practice for any reason, there is no guarantee that he will be able to play in the week's game. Players are expected to meet up to a one hour before each game to warm up and be ready to play.

POSITIONS AND LINEUP

Positions for Travel Baseball are determined by the skill level of the players. This is a competitive league and game rosters are established completely at the discretion of the coaches. Coaches will work to develop players in the positions for which they are most suited. Players will be taught the mechanics and strategy required to play their particular position. Players are not necessarily rotated through positions or given equal playing time, as they are in House League play. Some players will play more innings than others, but coaches will make every effort to play all players a minimum of three innings a day.  Coaching decisions will be guided at all times by what is good for the team, rather than accommodate individual wishes and preferences.

THE PLAYERS

All the boys playing travel baseball are gifted athletes, who are passionate about baseball. They are boys who have often been singled out as being the all-star players of their House leagues by their coaches. They have parents who have watched them hit home runs and make great plays and who feel their sons deserve a chance to play a higher level of baseball than they have played before. Travel baseball is an opportunity for enthusiastic players to find players just like themselves, to compete with and to learn from. Yorkville wants to provide this arena for these talented players through the Travel Baseball program.

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

Parents play an important role in the success of travel baseball. Families are asked to commit a great deal of time and effort. Before making that commitment, parents must decide whether they are truly able to do so. Travel of up to an hour to and from games is sometimes necessary. Travel programs require coordination with other leagues and therefore demand flexibility on the part of everyone involved. Although games are scheduled to be played on weekends, the exact time and place is sometimes determined very close to the game day. Games can take up to two and half hours each, which means double headers require a commitment of at least a half a day. Parents are also asked to help with general needs of the team; with equipment, transportation and clean up after games. Most of all, parents are asked to be supportive of their boys and their coaches. Part of being supportive is trusting that your coaches are making decisions that are best for the team and leaving coaching decisions up to them. Parents are encouraged to practice with children on their own time, using your coaches' suggestions to work on improving individual skills. Interaction with players during games and practices is discouraged, so that players can give 100 percent of their attention to their coaches and their teammates. Only positive cheers and words of encouragement are appropriate during games from parents, who are required to remain seated in the bleachers away from the dugout. There will be no tolerance of criticism or arguments with umpires. Travel baseball games can get very intense, which can be fun and exciting, whether they are wins or losses. We ask that everyone work to make that intensity fun and not unnecessarily tense.

TRYOUTS

Every player interested in travel baseball is required to try out. Even players who have played on a travel team before are not guaranteed a spot and must try out for each new season. This guarantees a fair chance for all players who qualify to have an opportunity to join a team. A minimum of thirteen boys are chosen for each team. Clear cut-off dates are used by travel baseball to place players in their proper age group and copies of their birth certificates are required for that purpose. Tryouts are held well before the season starts in order to give teams a chance to practice in the off-season. An indoor gym has been made available for practices during the winter season.

COACHING

There will be at least one professional coach assigned to each travel baseball team in addition to volunteer  parent coaches. All coaches will be selected based on their knowledge of baseball, availability for games and practices and sensitivity to the needs of young players. We plan to have coaches trained on how best to coach the particular age group with whom they work, learning what are reasonable expectations for their players and the best way to communicate them. There will be demands made on players only in a constructive and instructive ways. Each player will be coached on the fundamentals of fielding, base running and batting. Periodic reviews of the player's abilities will be used to determine if these fundamentals are being mastered. Individual and team statistics are carefully kept and though they might not be shared publicly with the team, are used by coaches to help further the development of the players. Special attention will be provided to pitchers and catchers, where teaching proper mechanics are particularly important at this level of play. The objective of all coaches at all times is to model and teach competitive baseball in a way that increases not only the player's abilities but their self esteem as well.