Expert: John Priest - 5/4/2011

Question
Hi I have an eight year old son who loves the game, we live in the City of Boston, his dream is to play on a travel team and then on to college ball, and make it to the little league world series, any suggestions as to how I can help him foster this dream. He has been playing since he has been 3 and I have told him when it is no longer fun, no more but he keeps going and is a great student.

thank you

Answer
Kevin,
Thats great your son is so enthusiastic.  As your son gets older baseball will become less "fun" and more competitive.  The more competitive your son gets as he moves up in the leagues the more he will enjoy playing.  You also have to remember that the more you push your son now (when he is younger) the higher the chance he will not enjoy it.  
It is very important that your son has good fundamentals.  It is easier to fix hitting, throwing, and fielding problems now than when your son gets to middle school/high school.  If you are unsure of proper fundamentals then you should go see a baseball instructor.  I am also from Massachusetts and I have found that a lot of instructors in the area don't teach proper technique, so it is very important that you select the right one for your son.  If you choose to go this route let me know which training facility you will be going to and I can give you a recommendation of instructor or good questions to ask the instructor.

Good Luck,
John Priest