Low key Little League for unathletic 5th grader
My 5th grader has expressed interest in playing baseball which is great. He is not very athletic and tends to shy away from physical activity, so I'm happy for him to have something healthy in his life. He played a bunch of catch and 1:1 wiffle ball with a parent this summer so his skills have slightly improved, but he is definitely new to the sport. He has specifically expressed interest in being part of a team (as opposed to smaller lessons). I know at this age, even the rec-league teams can be quite skilled and competitive, especially for a new player who tends to be insecure about his physical ability.
I'm wondering if there are any leagues that are less advanced/competitive, and more welcoming to new players? We live in Rockridge so closer to Berkeley or Oakland is great. A lot of kids at his school do NOLL/SOLL but they all seem so athletic - I'm not sure how competitive the teams are. Any other suggestions are very welcome. Thank you!
Parent Replies
NOLL/SOLL is pretty good about balancing teams and enforcing a pretty positive skills-development attitude. The coaches and umps have been really really great at that. The games are played "to win" but they rotate the kids in different positions and everyone gets equal playing time, for the most part. My not-naturally-athletic kid has had a great experience and improved a lot. But it's also true that by 5th grade a lot of kids have been playing for years and can get bro-y. Occasionally a bad apple will make a rude comment to a teammate or opponent. It's not part of the culture of NOLL/SOLL and usually gets shut down by adults pretty quickly, but it's impossible to avoid with kids that age.
It's not the right season, but YES sports through OUSD has a baseball program in the spring (and lots of other free programs now, too!) https://www.ousd.org/expanded-learning/after-school-enrichment-programs…
Albany-Berkeley little league has fall ball. It is a skills clinic every Sunday to teach kids how to play or to improve their skills. It just started last Sunday, so I bet you can still sign your kid up.