Which Sport Doesn't Need Practice?

Summary

You Betcha Radio – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Which Sport Doesn't Need Practice?
Date: March 23, 2026
Hosts: Myles (You Betcha Guy), Ryan, Tyler, Jerrod
Main Theme: The crew dives into which sports truly benefit from practice—specifically for kids—and which are “just a waste of time.” Classic midwestern nostalgia and comic banter about their youth sports memories.

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Episode Overview

This episode revolves around a lively debate about the importance (or lack thereof) of practice in different youth sports. The You Betcha crew shares memories of how practice schedules were communicated before cell phones, and banters about whether sports like baseball and track actually make kids better with more practice, contrasting that with more skill-intensive games like basketball.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

How Practice Schedules Used to Be Handled (00:00 – 00:14)

• As kids, changes to practice schedules were communicated through landline phone trees.
  • Guest 2: "You call these three people. I'll call these three people." (00:11)
• If you forgot to tell your parents about a schedule change, you’d be “the fucking one kid at school on Thursday afternoon.” (00:14)

Sports Practice Cancellations – Love or Hate? (00:27 – 00:54)

• The guys agree that, for some sports, they were happy when practice was canceled.
  • Guest 1: “If baseball practice got canceled, I was like, oh, let’s go. Oh, it’s such a waste of time.” (00:34)
• Football and basketball practice tended to be enjoyable, while baseball was more tedious.

Which Sports Actually Need Practice? (00:54 – 02:57)

• General consensus: Baseball and track practice in K–8 is less valuable for skill development compared to basketball.
• Guest 1: “Effectiveness of making players better—baseball and track, it’s got to be so low on the totem pole.” (01:19)
• Host: Disagrees, especially with baseball; reps matter for younger kids. (02:07)
• Guest 1: “So why not just play a game?” (02:10)
• Host: “You might sit in center field and get two reps the entire game... in practice you get more.” (02:13–02:23)
• Debate about whether innate talent trumps practice:
  • Guest 1: “If you got it, you got it.” (03:11)
  • Guest 2: “There’s proper technique and you gotta get reps to learn how to track a ball in the sky.” (03:03)
  • Host: “Tracking balls, getting behind the ball...” (03:08)

Personal Experiences & Practice Effectiveness (03:16 – 04:34)

• Guest 1 shares his own struggles:
  • Couldn’t hit a baseball despite frequent practice: “I definitely was trying to hit the ball. I definitely wasn’t like half-assing it in practice either.” (03:16)
  • Guest 1: “The system failed me, so just dismantle it.” (03:53)
  • Host: Suggests he should’ve been a pitcher as a tall lefty—“you could have done major damage.” (03:56)
  • Guest 1: “Just really didn’t like baseball.” (04:21)
  • Host: “Well, that could be why you didn’t become a better hitter—because you didn’t really... you didn’t like it.” (04:23)

Team Chemistry vs. Individual Skill (04:44 – 05:33)

• Basketball practices are more obviously valuable: “Team chemistry is a real thing; so, like, practicing together, you know, shooting, doing drills, dribbling drills—you can get better at that over time and you will.” (04:44)
• Baseball, for Guest 1, is seen as more innate: “Catch and fly balls, it’s like either I know how to read it in the air or I don’t.” (04:50)
• Guest 2: “I disagree with that. Yeah, you can get better at catching balls.” (05:04)
• A brief debate: Is baseball more technical than track? General agreement that, before high-school level, practice is more about fun than major skill progress.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On learning of practice cancellations:
   “If you forgot, you’re gonna be the fucking one kid at school on Thursday afternoon.” – Guest 2 (00:14)

• On disliking baseball practice:
    “Oh, let’s go. Oh, it’s such a waste of time.” – Guest 1 (00:34)

• On skill vs. practice:
    “If you got it, you got it.” – Guest 1 (03:11)

• On their personal player journey:
    “I definitely was trying to hit the ball. I definitely wasn’t like half-assing it in practice either.” – Guest 1 (03:16)
    “The system failed me, so just dismantle it.” – Guest 1 (03:53)

• On basketball practice:
    “Team chemistry is a real thing... you can get better at that over time and you will.” – Guest 1 (04:44)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–00:14: Childhood call trees and practice communication
• 00:27–00:54: Reactions to practice cancellations across sports
• 01:19–02:57: Effectiveness of practice in baseball vs. other sports
• 03:16–04:34: Personal stories about practicing and not getting better
• 04:44–05:33: Team sports versus individual skill development

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Tone & Language

Maintaining their signature Midwest, down-to-earth, and comedic style, the hosts mix heartfelt nostalgia with genuine debate, personal anecdotes, and classic “guy talk” ribbing.

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Bottom Line:
This episode is classic You Betcha Radio—chock full of relatable Midwest memories, humor, and a debate on whether practice really makes perfect (or just makes for wasted evenings in baseball and track). If you’ve ever stood bored in an outfield or loved (or loathed) after-school practices, you’ll find yourself nodding—and laughing—along.

Transcript

[Host]

So back when we were kids, how did they, if they had to change practice time, how did they do that?

[Guest 1]

They just called people or called up, call the landline.

[Guest 2]

I think you would have a call, buddy.

[Guest 1]

Yeah, you call these three people. I'll call these three people.

[Guest 2]

Yeah. Or like, if it was predetermined, like, if you found out Thursday practice was going to be canceled on Tuesday, they would just tell you at practice and it was on you to tell your parents if you forgot. You're gonna be the fucking one kid at school on Thursday afternoon.

[Guest 1]

Were you guys renowned lover of practice canceled?

[Guest 2]

Oh, yeah, dude.

[Guest 1]

I feel like for me, it depended on the sport. Like, I liked football practice. I like basketball practice most of the time. But if baseball practice got canceled, I was like, oh, let's go. Oh, it's such a waste of time.

[Host]

Yeah, I think so.

[Guest 2]

Nice.

[Guest 1]

Like, I think of most sports, baseball's practice is probably, like, up there, especially for kids, is like a way the biggest waste of time.

[Guest 2]

I, I thought so. I got pumped when wrestling practice got canceled because it was hard and it was like, give me a night off. But I would have been bummed if tracker baseball practice got canceled because we were just chilling around.

[Guest 1]

Yeah.

[Guest 2]

Okay, so they were really fun.

[Guest 1]

So, but what I'm saying now, like, effectiveness of making players better baseball and track, it's got to be so low on the totem pole. Like, I even put track above baseball. Like, either you can feel the fly ball or you can't.

[Guest 2]

You know, I don't know if mom talk's gonna survive this, so.

[Host]

Yeah, I mean, I don't know.

[Guest 1]

At like, a high school and college level, I would say that's not true, but definitely with, like, younger kids.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, I, yeah, I mean, I think, yeah, younger kids. I, I, I would agree. Like, how young are we talking?

[Guest 2]

Let's go K through 6 or K through 8?

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, I can't agree with that one from a baseball stand.

[Guest 1]

So what am I learning from baseball practice?

[Host]

I mean, you're getting reps. The biggest thing in baseball is reps.

[Guest 1]

So why not just play a game?

[Host]

Because you might practice. Because you could sit, you might sit in center field and get two reps the entire game. Or you might, I don't know, batting cages.

[Guest 2]

You're going to get, maybe get four at bats in a game.

[Host]

Yeah, four. Yeah, exactly.

[Guest 1]

But I just feel like if you are starting at center field, you're catching the fly ball regardless of how many reps he got in practice. Yeah, in, in the sixth grade.

[Guest 2]

See I think my, I think baseball, you need reps more than you need track.

[Host]

Agreed. Oh, I mean, 100. Yeah, yeah.

[Guest 1]

But track is actually a lot about running form.

[Guest 2]

It, it totally is.

[Guest 1]

Which actually you have to learn in practice.

[Guest 2]

Right, but you can also.

[Guest 1]

But I don't need to learn how to catch a, A fly ball. I just catch it four.

[Guest 2]

Well, there's, there's proper technique and you gotta get reps to learn how to track a ball in the sky.

[Host]

Tracking balls, getting behind the ball.

[Guest 1]

If baseballs. If you got it, you got it.

[Guest 2]

If you don't, you don't. I think.

[Guest 1]

And I'm a, I'm a. I'm a pure example of that because I did not have the skills to hit a ball being pitched to me. And I went to baseball practice every week, twice, two, three, four times. I don't know what it was. And by the end of it, I came out the other end and still not being able to hit a baseball. So you. And you know me, I definitely was trying to hit the ball. I definitely wasn't like half assing it in practice either.

[Guest 2]

This sounds more like a personal.

[Guest 1]

The system failed me, so just dismantle it.

[Host]

I think I, I don't think it was. I think you were probably meant to be a pitcher. Like as a six. As a six two lefty. You could have done major damage had you had a, A coach that is like, he's going to be on the mound, we're going to practice, we're going to. He's going to be.

[Guest 2]

Why is QB1 not stepping on the mount?

[Guest 1]

Yeah, I had that offer actually.

[Guest 2]

And you chose. You wanted to be a dh. Follow your heart.

[Guest 1]

Just really didn't like baseball.

[Host]

Well, that could be why you didn't become a better hitter. Because you didn't really. You didn't like it.

[Guest 1]

You didn't. I wanted to. And then I just, like, I didn't.

[Host]

Time.

[Guest 1]

I just, I could have went pro in baseball. I just didn't have time.

[Host]

Yeah, no, I get it. Then. Time. Time's valuable. Time is money, time is extra reps. I don't know, I think of a lot.

[Guest 1]

Like basketball practice, like team chemistry is a real thing. So like practicing together, you know, like shooting, doing drills, dribbling drills, like, you can get better at that over time and you will. Whereas like catch and fly balls, it's like either I know how to read it in the air or I don't.

[Guest 2]

I disagree with that. Yeah, you can get better at catching balls. I don't know. And fielding baseball practice of time track like you, you can improve your running form, but you could also get faster by just going to the weight room, you know?

[Guest 1]

Yeah.

[Guest 2]

So I I baseball practice is more technical than track for sure. Until you get to high levels and

[Host]

taking BP at it, practice is the best.

[Guest 2]

That's way more fun.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Guest 1]

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