Leveling up _ Adam

The podcast discusses the idea of "leveling up" in youth baseball, which refers to players playing at a higher level than their age group. The hosts introduce a new segment called "Ask Coach Drew" and then discuss the benefits and drawbacks of leveling up. They mention that some parents may want their child to play at a higher level for the experience or to improve their skills, but caution that it should be done with the child's best interest in mind. They also discuss the importance of giving players the opportunity to play different positions to develop their skills and increase their chances of success in the future. The hosts then interview Adam Cerencic, the owner of Elevate Sports Academy, who provides further insight into the topic of leveling up. Welcome to Baseball's Inside Journey, the podcast that helps players and parents grow their baseball knowledge. This is a show that specializes in youth baseball. And now, here's Coach Drew and Eric Powers. Hey, what's up and welcome back to Baseball's Inside Journey. I'm Eric Powers along with Coach Drew. We're ready? Ready to go. All right, man. This is going to be fun today because we've got a brand new segment called Ask Coach Drew. So before we get into that, I'm excited about our special guest coming up in just a few minutes here, Adam Cerencic. And he is the owner and developer of Elevate Sports Academy, not the Elevate Baseball Club team, travel team, right? Correct. Okay, all right. And he is basically going to talk to us about leveling up. Leveling up is a big thing that we see a lot these days, whether it be Little League, travel ball, especially at the younger ages because you might have a child that's got a little more, maybe a little more adept at some of the things or maybe has won the puberty contest, if you will, right? So it allows those kids to maybe play at a little bit higher level than they otherwise would. And so sometimes parents have that urge to level them up to a higher age group. And so we're going to talk to Adam about that. Very cool. Let's come up in just a few minutes. But first, Ask Coach Drew. And you know, we actually invite you, our audience, to, you can always get a hold of us, man. If you have a question about maybe your team or you're watching how your coaches coach or you're worried about trying to get into a select club and trying, you know, the process, you can always go to Baseball's Inside Journey, correct? Correct. Yeah, we try to put up everything that we talk about, whether it be on Facebook or Twitter feed or also, of course, on our website, which is Baseball's Inside Journey dot com. There you go. So let's start off with this. I noticed when just, you know, of course, my son's on your team with merchants. And I'm always fascinated and intrigued about, you know, you put, you know, kind of your star pitcher. You might put him at first base or you might put, you know, somebody in center field. You might put them as a pitcher next. You're moving them around. When should the player really specialize in a position? And I've had other parents ask me that don't know anything about baseball, too. What is that age and what's kind of your criteria? Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, our boys are playing 13-U baseball. In my opinion, it's too soon to pigeonhole a child into a certain position at this age. They're, yeah. So to your point, our ace pitcher, I will put at first base or I might put them in right field or put them at third base. I like to move kids all around. We clearly have a star center fielder on our team that is clearly the best center fielder on our team. But you know what? I also put them at shortstop. And I also put them at third base and I put them at pitcher, I put them at different positions. And I think it's important to do that because if you're thinking big picture and as a coach, if you're thinking about what's the best interest of the child, you need to do that to give them the reps at different positions. So let's fast forward. So these, our boys are in seventh grade, they're going to be going to eighth grade next year. And you know what? We expect them to be playing high school baseball. We expect them to be playing varsity at some point. Let's just say it's sophomore year. They're ready to go. They're ready to play varsity. And this kid in particular is a center fielder. And he's an awesome player. He's clearly the best center fielder for the most part. But maybe, you know, maybe there's a senior at the high school that has kind of got that locked down. And maybe it's kind of splitting hairs on who's the best, most adept center fielder. Well, if this child doesn't have reps and opportunities to play at other positions, maybe he's playing JV at the sophomore level instead of playing varsity. He could be playing because he doesn't have the positional flexibility to play other positions, which would be more helpful to the varsity coach. So from my perspective, I would be doing the kids a disservice if I didn't play them and give them experience at different positions. That makes total sense. Is there a set number of positions you'll typically play somebody? I noticed some of these players, they'll be outfield, short, and maybe third or, you know, and pitcher. I'll say that. Because, you know, we take one of our star players, outfield, short, pitcher. Do you typically narrow it down to three or no? Yeah. Mostly so. I mean, listen, there are certain kids that you can look at them and you're like, okay, he doesn't profile as a shortstop. So you might be a corner infielder and a corner outfielder, maybe a catcher and pitcher, right? There's still plenty of, you know, plenty of positions for him, but he might not be the size and the build that you look for in a shortstop or a middle infielder. So you may play them at certain positions, but then vice versa. You also have somebody that has an opportunity to pitch only because he's a really good athlete. I mean, let's face it. All these kids on our team, this is a select-level program. We have tryouts. There's a lot of kids that want to be on this team, and we picked the best 14 that we felt should be on this team. Every one of those kids can throw, catch, hit, field, and they all deserve an opportunity to pitch. And you know what? There are some kids, and you've witnessed it, there's some kids that it's like, wow, I would have never seen that kid as a pitcher. But you know what? He throws strikes. He can mix it up. He's a contact, and he's been a very valuable pitcher for us this year. And so I think that as a coach, as a 13U coach, that is one of my biggest jobs, is to make sure that I'm developing these kids in more than one position. There's obviously certain positions that this kid's more adept at than others, and that, yeah, I can put out my best nine. And yeah, when we have a big game to win, I probably will put that center fielder in center field and all my best players in their best positions. But in those other games where maybe you don't need to put the gas down, mass pedal down as much, you can move them around a little bit. And I think that's important for those kids to have that experience, as I stated before. Does the competition play any part of where you're putting these players, or not at this age, or when you're going to a tournament, and you know, hey, you want to develop. You also want to win. I mean, you want to be competitive, probably is a better word for it. Does that change any of how you think about the team and how they're playing? Do you put them at the peak position? Yeah, yeah, it does. I mean, there are times when I know we're going to be facing a team that is going to be really aggressive on the bases, and I'm going to probably put a kid back there behind the plate that has got the stronger arm, that has a better chance to shut down the running game, right? But it also shows the other folks that are catchers on your team, other players, what they need to do, right? I mean, in those situations. Yeah, yeah. Sometimes sitting on the bench, you can learn more than in the field. Yeah, absolutely. There's no doubt about it. I mean, but, you know, to your original question, yeah, I mean, depending on who you're playing, there are, at least at the youth level, I think, you know, again, you need to make sure that your kids are, you're giving them an opportunity to succeed, but also you want to win those games too, or at least be competitive in those games. And so sometimes you have to really put your best foot forward and play to the, maybe the weaknesses of the other team, or to the strengths of your team, the absolute strengths. I mean, for instance, the center fielder that we're talking about, you know, depending on the, I'll put him out in center field, depending on who's pitching, because you know what? He's also a very valuable shortstop. And if we have one of our more shut down pitchers, I would rather have him at shortstop than center fielder, because at this level, a lot of the kids aren't going to be hitting the ball into center field, because we have one of our better pitchers on the mound. But if we have one of our maybe mid-level pitchers that pitches more to contact, I want that kid in center field, because he can track them down, he can, he plays at a different level. Yeah, good point. So, I guess, when do players get specialized in their, you know, what age, is it high school, I'm assuming? Well, and I guess that's the ultimate question, right? It depends on the coach, it depends on the program you're playing for. I would like to think that coaches don't start making kids specialized too soon, but I think we've all seen it. You have, you know, the push to win these days is so immense that most programs focus on that first, and that kid goes into this select program and it's like, you're a first baseman and that's what you do. And because there's so many kids behind you that want your position, it's almost like professional ball, or college ball. But in a perfect world, I would answer that question by saying, I would say probably when you become a sophomore in high school, I still would love to see, maybe a freshman, I mean, but I think wait until you're in high school, because these kids are still growing. Our boys are still growing, they've definitely been, in puberty, they've grown a whole ton in the last year. I think my son has grown probably six inches since this time last year. Oh, these are the growth years, I think it's great. Yeah, so, how can you, you know, I mean, I look at your son, Ant Titan, and I can't tell you where he profiles at yet. He's, I've got him at first base and pitcher and third base, but at the same time, you know, he could, you know, he could end up continuing to grow quite a bit more, and maybe he profiles more as a right fielder, or maybe he pitches even that much more. But it just depends on the child, it depends, you have to sometimes look at the parents too, and see what their genetic lottery might have been, and you know, those things are all considerations that I think a good coach needs to take into consideration. So, from my perspective, kids should probably start specializing just as they're getting into high school, because you, depending on the program, you could wait a little bit longer, but the reality is, is that at all levels, probably all over the country, you're talking about other kids that are specializing, and if you're not, you might be a little bit behind the curve. But you also got to put yourself, and put these kids in a position where they have the opportunity to have more success, because you look at what they're doing in the major league baseball, on all these teams, they're starting to look at positional flexibility as a very, very valuable commodity. They have guys that are super utility guys that can play outfield and infield, and even catcher. This feels like work, I mean, it feels like a job where they need you to be able to do more, like my job. They want you to be able to be a program director, and on air, and all, so it sounds like that's business. That's the direction it's going, they're looking for players that can come off the bench, or even just be a super utility guy, and they've been doing this for years, but there's more of a focus in the professional ranks now than there ever has been on having that flexibility. And so that only helps the kids that are getting that opportunity to play other positions. So wait a minute, you're saying I'm going to have to be the next Ohtani, or I'm going to have to hit Ambit? Well, hopefully, right? Yeah. He's probably in store for about a $50 million a year contract coming up. All right, and if people have more, or you know, family members, moms, dads have more questions, you can always get a hold of us at BaseballsInsideJourney.com. Now coming up next, we talked about this earlier, Adam Cerencic, on Elevate Sports Academy, we're going to talk to him next, all about leveling up. Yeah. Right here on Baseballs Inside Journey. There's lots of sunken concrete out there, and most of it doesn't need to be replaced. I'm Bill Freeberg. My son Dave and I own 1866 Slab Jack. We raise sunken concrete. If you have a settled sidewalk or uneven driveway, don't worry about the high cost of replacement. We can simply raise your concrete back to where it should be, leaving you a clean level surface. Our process is quick and easy, and a fraction of the cost of replacement. Give us a call. 1866 Slab Jack, Slab Jack. Welcome to Baseballs Inside Journey, the podcast that helps players and parents grow their baseball knowledge. And now, here's Coach Drew and Eric Powers. What's up? We are back to Baseballs Inside Journey. My name is Eric Powers, along with Coach Drew. Hey, Eric. The man, the myth, the legend who got this whole party started, and we've got another special guest on our show we're excited to talk to for various reasons. Adam Cerencic, welcome to the show, brother. All right. I am doing great. Thanks for having me, Eric and Drew. Did we pronounce that right, Cerencic? Absolutely. Cerencic is correct. You did well. I didn't think it was Cerencic, right? We know that name up here in Seattle. Yes. So now, you're the owner of Elevate Sports Academy, which is cool because it mentors student athletes in physical conditioning, nutrition, career and college counseling, and sports skills, which we'll want to get into. And then, you also, you're a frequently published contributor to the ABCA publication Inside Pitch, collegiate baseball newspaper, and certified impact trainer for the Positive Coaching Alliance, which I'm sure there's a million other things we can get into, but we want to get right into it, Adam, because Coach Drew and I have been talking about this interview for a while. Yes. Yes. We really... So, Adam, if you recall, I reached out to you originally because I read your article on the ABCA Inside Pitch, and the article was about leveling up, and that was really something that spoke to me as a coach and as a parent because having coached in Little League for now, I'm in my 11th year with my daughter, but having done it for so long, I see it all the time where there will be kids that will be leveling up and playing with older kids, and rarely do you see kids leveling down, but every once in a while, you'll see that if it's allowed by the Little League or the select program, but for the most part, it's not. But I wanted to... And I think that's really kind of the basis of where we wanted to start is why... What are the pros and cons of leveling up? Right. Right. Well, first of all, thank you guys, Drew and Eric, for what you're doing. This podcast and the content that you're bringing to your audience, it's important content. So, let's start there. What I'd like to do is start with five different things that... And there are more, but let's just start with five of the most common reasons why parents level up their player. And I think this is an important place to start because there's a big difference, for example, of doing it for fun, just because we want to go play in tournaments and win tournaments and travel and do that, and doing it for player development. Okay? There's... If you just want to go and have fun and be on a great team and have a great experience, that's one thing. But if you want to do it because you want your player to be the best that they can be, there's some other considerations. And I think the very first mistake that a lot of parents make is the assumption. You know, assumptions get us in trouble in life. The assumption is made, well, you know what, if we level the player up and it doesn't work out, we'll just, you know, level him back down next year or whatever. And yet what happens sometimes, not all the times, but what happens sometimes is it's a bad experience and the player no longer wants to play that sport competitively. You know, it's like, you know what, this was way too intense, way more than I was expecting it to be and ready for. And so I just want to go play rec ball. And as a parent, you're going, whoa, what happened there? We were, you know, kind of grinding to be, you know, travel ball, club ball, AAU, you know, type of competitor. Now all of a sudden we're going to go play rec or worst case scenario, you know, I don't really like it anymore. I don't, you know, and so I want to go play a different sport. And so now it's not a matter of just, you know, having them fall back to, you know, what they were going to do originally. It's like, oh, wow, this is almost a 180, okay. So we got to be careful here and to kind of examine why we're doing what we're doing. All right. So I've got five different things here that I want to briefly go over and hit you guys with, and I'm sure you'll be able to identify with this. The first one is, okay, so we're new to this whole thing, you know, this parenting of, you know, an athlete. What's everybody else doing? Okay. Everybody else, you know, my kid is good, the best guy on the team, one of the best in the league. Huh, it seems like everybody else is going off and playing travel ball or playing for this team or doing this or that. And particularly when it comes to sports, right, I see that there's kind of a seduction of the sports mentality and, you know, community. It's kind of like, well, everybody else is doing it, so let's do it too. And kind of what's really glorified in the country is kind of what I call the sports center mentality. We all want to be, you know, the talk of the town on the highlights, you know, and everybody's a highlight now, right? I mean, how many apps are there out there where your kid is showcased on, you know, Game Changer or Team Snap or whatever it is, right? And so it's kind of, it's very seductive, you know, it's like, so everybody else is doing it, so sure, they're having fun, you know, let's go and do it too, right? And I have a saying, you know what? One size fits one, okay? What's right for you, your child and your family is right for you. We don't do anything in life because everybody else is doing it, right? And this train, this whole travel ball, level up train, it's addictive. Once you're there, it's hard to get off it if you're on a good team that's winning, you know, games and championships, all right? And yet, the second thing is this whole concept, well, we want to have fun, you know? It's kind of fun to travel to different places and play in tournaments and, you know, play with the best players, wear the fancier uniforms, et cetera, et cetera, everything that goes along with it. Well, here's the thing, fun for whom? I'm sure you guys are having a great time, right? I mean, people tell me all the time, parents tell me all the time, I love tournaments. Okay, good, the parents love them, but do the players love them? First of all, you know, think about it from the parents' point of view, you guys have been doing this kind of thing, you know, in your lives at least, you know, multitasking many things in your family for a long, long time. So the whole concept of let's get going quick, kids wear out on that kind of fun in a hurry, right? It's like, so the stress of travel ball, not just the games and the higher level of competition, but everything that goes along with it, not necessarily so fun for every player, right? You might think the actual game is fun to win, but you know what? The day to 24 hours before that, when we were preparing to travel and I had to do my homework early, I had to make sure I was eating right, hydrating, you know, packing stuff and not forgetting things, you know, the list dues was a hundred long, that wasn't so fun. And yeah, I can do that for a weekend, but week after week, month after month, is this really fun for a eight-year-old, 10-year-old, 12-year-old, whatever, not so much, right? So thing, number three, to maybe provide for their child more and better than what they had. It's like, well, I didn't get a chance to do this when I was a child, right? So this is where that whole living through your child comes through, or maybe you did it, but didn't have a great experience. So you want your child and your player to have a better experience at it than you did. Okay, but who are we really satisfying here? Your desires to, you know, have it better for, you know, your child than you had. I mean, what standard are we using here? All right, are you living through your child or are you providing for what's best for your child? And the parents as well, aren't they the same? No, I think we'll get into, not always, it's not the same thing, right? Number four, this is really, really, really common. The level and league that you're currently playing in, you know, the play just isn't very good. This team is, you know, pretty bad. The teams in the league are pretty bad compared to who my player is and the level that my player is capable of playing at. The coaching is not very good. Oh, my word, the environment with the parents is not good. They're all screaming at umpires or they're all disagreeing about playing time. The administration of the league, the politics of the league. I mean, as we all know, you don't have to be in it very long. It can be tough. It can be done very, very well. It can be a great experience, but it can be really tough, you know. But the first thing I would say there is there are options and I was surprised, you know, parents today with everything you can research and stuff, they don't know. In Oregon, for example, we have Junior Baseball of Oregon. We have Cal Ripken. We have Babe Ruth. We have Little League. We have American Legion, et cetera, et cetera. You don't have to necessarily level up. You just go play in a different league. And yes, there are geographic boundaries that sometimes keep you from doing that within a type of ball. Like you can't be in Little League and just switch leagues because you don't like your league. But you can go play Cal Ripken. You can go play Babe Ruth. You can go play, you know, another type of ball and not necessarily have to level up in age, for example. Right. So that's something that's a possibility that many people don't know. There's a website, sportsengine.com, that you guys probably know about that if you put your city zip into their little search engine, they will come up with at least some of the leagues that are in your area, some of the options for, you know, you to play your sport in your area. It's not necessarily comprehensive, but, you know, sportsengine.com is at least a place to start other than just a normal, you know, Google search. Be careful, though. This is one thing that people get into, and that is playing, okay, so we'll play in our league during the week, but we're going to go play tournaments with a higher level team on the weekend. You guys probably know that this whole thing of asking kids to, A, play more than one sport. So we're going to play baseball during the week and lacrosse on the weekends. Or the last year, the team I had, guys that would play baseball during the week, lacrosse on Saturday or soccer on Saturday, and football on Sunday. They actually played three sports in one week, okay, and it's like, oh, you know, there's the benefit of multiple sports, it's, wait a minute here, okay, we're talking about kids here, you know, 9, 10, 12-year-old kids, you know, and you're asking them to play three sports, and oh, by the way, are you chill on two of those sports, are the coaches chill on two of those sports and not asking them to, you know, master details and fundamentals and mechanics, and oh, we don't really care about winning there, and no, most likely, they're hearing the same things in all the sports. Well, again, for a week or a month or maybe even a season, maybe not bad, but if you're going to ask them to do this year after year after year, that's when we start hearing, you know, mom and dad, this is starting not to be fun anymore, it's starting to feel like a job. And their parents will say, oh, that's okay, we'll just drop one of the sports. Well, no, I'm just talking about sports, I don't really want to do sports anymore, it's just not fun, it's like, whoa, what happened? Well, what happened was, you know, all the things that went along with multiple sports, the worry about good nutrition, they're not sleeping well, oh, gosh, the school's not going so well anymore, it's just time to be a kid, those things are all problematic all of a sudden, you know, so I think you really, really got to be careful there. Thanks, Adam, and we have so much more to talk about with you, and in the next podcast, we will do exactly that, we're going to break this up in two as we continue our conversation with leveling up right here on Baseball's Inside Journey. This has been a production of Baseball's Inside Journey, LLC. This podcast does not constitute advice or services and is primarily designed for educational purposes only. We encourage your feedback and topic ideas at facebook.com slash podcast dot baseball.