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Review youth baseball tournaments...Which is best for your team?

There are many options when it comes to choosing the best youth baseball tournaments for your team to play. Baseball-training- instruction is here to help sort through the good the bad and the ugly.

Often times families incorporate their summer vacations around these events. It is very helpful to learn from those teams that have gone before to help make this all important decision.

Here is a sampling of some of the "best" tournament experiences that players, coaches and families have had in the past.

Why re-invent the wheel? Learn from what others have experienced while playing in some of the select travel tournaments in the country.

My students and parents that have been to the Ripken Baseball experience give it rave reviews. Hands down the greatest thing about the park is there playing surface. People are astounded at how much rain the fields can take.

If you have ever experienced a rain delayed tournament you can appreciate the value of quick drying fields. The last thing you want to happen on your "vacation tournament" is to have rain interfere with your schedule.

The condos that they players stay in are also top notch. The Ripkens have built a beautiful complex in Myrtle Beach for a great baseball experience.

Some packages include tickets to the minor league park in Myrtle Beach.

The Hall of Fame is a right of passage for many 12 year old boys playing baseball in The United States. This tournament is great for many reasons.

Up-state New York is beautiful this time of year.

The Hall of Fame with all of its history and nostalgia is a great place to connect with your son.

Staying in barrack type conditions is a far cry from a beach condo but the guys love it!

Each participant gets two jerseys and a ring.

For some of my students, this is the culminating event in their baseball career. They may not make their high school teams and may move on to other pursuits and passions.

I can't think of a better way to cap off a childhood of baseball than a trip to the hallowed Hall of Fame to play in one of the best youth baseball tournaments in the country.

South Haven, Mississippi is HOT very HOT in the summer. I grew up in Georgia, played rookie ball in Arizona and even played in China one summer but South Haven may be the hottest place that I have ever experienced baseball.

Even with the intense heat the Dizzy Dean World Series was a great experience for the boys on our team. Opening Ceremonies, pin trading and the complex were all highlights of a great and memorable weekend of baseball.

One important thing to consider is the proximity of your hotel to the fields. This is a mistake we made when making reservations. It is tiresome and inconvenient to drive 45 minutes to get to the park. You may save a few dollars but you will probably regret the decision.

Mississippi has world famous bar-b-que and the Memphis Red Birds (a minor league team) are near by.

Stay hydrated and enjoy one of the great youth baseball tournaments in the south.

There are two distinct conversations that I have when talking about Disney youth baseball tournaments with my clients. First, Disney is a blast with the theme parks and activities for families. And secondly, it is expensive.

Disney has a great way of disconnecting one's brain from their wallet. I experienced this first hand when I took my wife and three kids there while at the MLB Winter Meetings. "How much is that Coke?" "Are you kidding?"

When you go look for all inclusive packages so you don't get "nickled" and "dimed" to death. At the Marriott World Center a beautiful hotel they nicked me $8 every time I came and went into the parking lot. The hotel was awesome but I thought that $8 dollar parking deal was nuts!

A five and a half foot trophy. That's all you have to say to get the younger kids interested to play in a youth baseball tournament in Panama City, Florida .

Let middle school kids know that they can go to the go-kart tracks, putt-putt and bungy jump on the strip and they are ready to go to Panama City also.

And for obvious reasons, my high school kids love Panama City in the summer.

Be very choosy when booking your hotel room. You certainly get what you pay for and there is a wide range in accommodations.

Panama City is called the Redneck Riviera for a reason. You probably don't want your young kids at a hotel where the "redneck" activities are permitted to get out of hand.

SBI!