Youth Inc. Recommends: Four Resources to Help Baseball Players Balance Their Time

As youth sports have become more competitive, youth athletes attend multiple practices a week, hitting sessions, games on the weekends, and strength and conditioning. Sometimes, balancing academics while pursuing baseball competitively can be difficult.  

Add homework, tests, and tutoring on top of that and suddenly there aren’t enough hours in a day to do everything you need to do. Being the best version of yourself as an athlete means balance. And we’re here to help.  

Being a student-athlete is no easy feat, which is why the Youth Inc. staff scoured the Internet and social media to find the best resources to help you learn to balance these. Some of these include articles from training academies and TikToks from coaches.  

Here are four helpful resources to help you learn the art of balance:  

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What College Players Say About Balancing Baseball and School 

What it is: Bits of advice from former and current college players on ways to be successful on the field and also in the classroom. 

Why we like it: D1 and D3 players, current and former, say that time management is the way to go. Doing a little bit every day, rather than doing all your work at the last second, can make your workload much more manageable. Your future self will thank you! 

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Balancing Expectations that Are Both Age Appropriate and Realistic 

What it is: Guidelines by age groups for baseball players and expectations for each.  

Why we like it: Parents may have too high of expectations for their kid playing tee-ball- or not high enough. There’s a fine line between reaching your potential and unnecessary pressure at a certain age. These three stages, “Romantic,” “Technical,” and “Mature,” are laid out to help you figure out how to make sure your athlete is having fun while developing as a player at all stages. 

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Here's How Parents Can Set Expectations for What Is Academically Acceptable 

What it is: A TikTok from a sports training facility sharing how parents set the expectations for academic performance.   

Why we like it: A lack of parental expectations can lead to kids underperforming in school. Baseball trainer compares the required study hall for collegiate athletes to parents requiring homework hours at home. If you have a 3.0 GPA in college, they’re not required. If you don’t, hit the books! He suggests implementing this at home, so athletes know what is expected of them.  

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Finding Balance for High School Baseball Players 

What it is: Baseball Training Academy gives five pillars of success that athletes and parents should think about if they want to be successful.  

Why we like it: Communicating with teachers and coaches when athletes may be burnt out is important. The article reminds us that “you are your child’s first and most important coach.” Identifying when an athlete is overworked or needs a break is important.