AAU

Is 3rd grade too young for AAU? What are your thoughts on travel ball?

I'll start out with this, travel ball (club ball) has become more of the norm these days with more parents feeling the pressure to get their kids in at a younger age. This isn't just basketball either; soccer, volleyball and the list goes on. Once you're in, it's tough as the games and tourneys start piling up and before you know it, you're playing 3-4 times a week. Tryouts, practices, playing time and the more competitive nature can be a shock for some parents and kids, too.

You'll find people on both ends of the spectrum from thinking 3rd grade is "way too early" to "you can't start 'em young enough". I think it's a very personal choice. As long as a parent goes in with eyes wide open. Coaches at the AAU level can have very different philosophies. Finding one that isn't all about winning would be a huge plus.

AAU can vary from city to city. In a larger city, there is ample opportunity to play bball year round. I'm a big advocate of kids playing multiple sports (I know Jeff is too), so if the AAU scene was going to spill over into another sport, I'd probably think twice about it.

I have an older kid in 6th grade that is in it, but she doesn't get a lot of playing time. Mainly because she is not the quickest on the team. The focus is on winning, but we do like the coach as he is good at teaching strategy with some development during practice.

Ahh, so it sounds like you're no stranger to travel ball. One of the toughest aspects of a competitive travel team can be the lack of playing time. Most travel teams are out to win simply because that gives them more clout when selling their product. Makes sense.

If your daughter enjoys the team, I say more power to you guys. If you decide to put your 3rd grader on a travel team, I'd go with the same guideline. Is he/she having fun and enjoying it?

At any level, but especially the younger levels, kids want ball touches and playtime, as do parents. That usually equates to them getting better and having more fun.

Some kids are cut out for a more competitive environment and some aren't. I'm of the school of thought that kids should be enjoying their sport at all ages. I asked my son all the time if he was having fun even at the higher competitive levels. That was with me getting in his face as a coach/dad once in awhile. He said he was having fun, but could have done with a little less nose to nose conversations during the time outs.

It's funny I don't think my oldest kid looks at it like it's competitive. It's just basketball. It's the coaches and the parents that are screaming at the top of their lungs and take it personally if their team/kids don't do well.....meaning it ruins the rest of their day.

You're getting some good advice here.

Unfortunately there isn't a clear answer to that question. The answer is... it depends.

It depends on lots of factors...
- your kid and what they want
- where you live
- what is available
- whether you can find a decent club and coach
- the structure of the club you join and the commitment they require

I wouldn't get in a big hurry to join a club. But in same cases that can be the right move. Some clubs are great but many are terrible. You might have two great coaches in a club and the rest are not good at all.

I have seen clubs where you first join and it seems great because you have a good coach that shelters you from the issues. Then a year or two later you see all the issues and regret it.

I have also seen clubs that are amazing up and down with every coach. They follow the same criteria, emphasize the right values, and develop the kids. That is rare but it does happen.

I don't think it's good for kids to be switching clubs or teams all the time. There is something to be said about loyalty and the lessons you learn from sticking with your team. Not saying you never switch... but I see well intention parents switching teams 4 years in a row. I just don't think that's good for a kid.

Here's an article that might give you ideas on what I'd be looking for in a youth coach. You'll find most coaches do not follow these guidelines.
http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/haefner/11-practice-requirements-for-youth-basketball-coaches/

You may want to consider keeping her on the same team for now. Then take some time to evaluate other club options. Watch a few practices of coaches at different levels. See if they meet any of those criteria. Then make a more informed decision so you hopefully avoid switching.

Also, be careful. Most (not all) clubs will cut your kid if a better player comes around. I see that a lot too. Players make the team for a couple years and then get cut and sometimes miss a whole year because they have no other options.

For now the priorities for her should be:
- have fun. foster a love for the game.
- learn life lessons you get from being part of a team and participating in sports.
- develop skills -- lots of dribbling, passing, footwork.
- develop athleticism (balance, agility, coordination, ambidexterity etc) - play multiple sports seasonally and play aggressive man to man defense is best way to do that

I created teams for my kids and coach them. We sometimes have tryouts and its similar to a club. But I never have cut a player from a team.. once you're in, you're in (unless you violate rules). I know one other club in our area (1 hour drive) that appears to do the same things I do. But it took years for me to find out about them.

In Daniel Coyle's The Talent Code, he stated that a lot of elite performers did not have expert coaches as youth. Instead, they had coaches that made it fun and ignited a passion.

It makes sense. I've dealt with numerous kids that weren't that good at 12 or 13, but were put in the right situation that developed the love for the game. As a result, they practiced a lot from that point forward and developed into really good players.

I've also seen the opposite. Really good 12 or 13 year olds that have played a lot of basketball already, but got burned out. Then they get passed up by these players who are putting in the work. I've also seen burnout hit kids in high school and a lot in college.

Quick question: By AAU, do you mean playing winter and summer basketball? Playing on a club 8 to 12 months out of the year? Or this just during the season for 3 to 5 months?

I'm a big fan of seasonal sports at the youth level. Then at the HS level, you can start to narrow down if necessary. USA Basketball and the NBA are starting to back this approach too.

https://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/coaching/youth-guidelines.html

In our area the AAU season is March through July 1st, with the intent of going to Nationals for the A Team.. Then there are what we call B teams that play regionally.

In late fall/winter the players go back to play with their county teams. The county teams have a rec league and a select/advanced league. Your guaranteed a spot at the rec level, but you have to be chosen at the select level, just like AAU.

My gut tells me if my kid is not diving on the floor for a loose ball then maybe she should avoid the AAU level for now.

metroatm wrote:My gut tells me if my kid is not diving on the floor for a loose ball then maybe she should avoid the AAU level for now.

I don't know if I'd use that as a sole criteria (and I know you're not), but I see where you're coming from. There's a definite expectation when you bump up to AAU though and I think you can see when a player isn't ready. It usually boils down to physicality and aggressiveness.

It's all about perspective too. If you get your 3rd grader on a good club team and they do well, to them, like you mentioned, it's just basketball. If you ask if they're having fun and the answer is yes, you go with it. To an outsider, they might think you're nuts for letting your kid play AAU at 3rd grade.

I remember when we enrolled my son (at age 5) in a local gymnastics club. We researched it and found one of the best in town. As I walked through the front lobby for the first time, I saw all kinds of awards and championships scattered on the walls and mentions of former members who'd gone on to be Olympic medalist. You can guess the rest, I pictured my kid doing iron crosses and stepping on the platform for the gold. It didn't quite work out that way, although he did get stronger for those 2 years. He still brings up the coaches speaking in Russian and not being able to understand them. Overall, he wasn't having fun and we knew it.

I think it's a good thing to expose our kids to new and challenging experiences. We're there to nudge them along and support. We push a little when needed and give some space other times. In the end, I think we can tell when our kids aren't feeling it or something might not be a fit.

My baseline question is always, "Are you having fun?" That doesn't mean they love running sprints or sitting on the bench, but overall, are they having fun participating in this sport.

The two top reasons kids play sports is they want to play with their friends and have fun.

So what are the top reasons kids quit sports. i keep hearing people bailing out at age 13, especially the girls. Do you see that happening?

You know what I'm going to say...because it's not fun anymore. I truly believe that. And yes, I did see kids quit playing once things started to heat up.

I think 3rd grade might but a year or two too early for AAU for anybody. I have been to some travel and AAU tournaments where I see 3rd and 4th grade teams just pressing each other up and down the floor, throwing the ball like it's a hot potato. Those games usually boil down to which team has a kid that can actually make a couple layups. It's not fun to watch.

I started my own AAU program last year. I see AAU getting bashed all the time and it aggravates me. I try to focus on player development and growth and hope that winning will come along with their growth. In my state we can't have more than two players from the same school on an AAU team once they reach 7th grade. So my philosophy is to bring players from different schools together, get them playing against higher competition, learn the game at a higher level both strategically and fundamentally and then go back to their school teams and be real leaders there. It's fun seeing players from rival schools play together in the spring and develop a friendship. It makes those road trips to the rival gym even more exciting.

Now don't get me wrong, I see a lot of AAU programs that just want to win and advertise their titles and trophies. We have encountered many teams this spring that just run set play after set play every possession instead of giving the players room to be creative and discover.

I'd say use the next year or so to research the programs available in your area and try to find one that focuses on player development and the overall experience as opposed to just trying to recruit top players and brag about their titles and their connections to college coaches.

I agree, I think AAU is too young for a second/3rd grader. All coaches want to win come game time, so the best players get the most touches and the rest of the bench see's little action. Which is fine as long you know that going in. Hopefully those bench kids can get the touches they need in practice.