Hi there,
My son is now eleven and playing in the Bronco division. He has played pony since he was a little guy.
My understanding of the difference between pony and little league is that pony is that pony is a bit more competitive and advanced in their time line for learning the game. For instance, the bases are farther apart sooner and they can lead off at an earlier age than in Little League.
We have played with a variety of coaches; those to whom winning was the end/all be all and those who have their head in the clouds and no real knowledge of the game. At six however your coach should be focusing on the positive and maybe addressing the "not so great" plays as things to work on in a positive way. If he is scolding them about their play he should NOT be coaching kids this young.
Our coach always focuses on the positive when they meet after the games. There are some things that make him crazy and he will admonish the boys for, but again they are twice your child's age.
For instance, my son's team has to run laps for every strike out that is called (meaning they don't swing at the last strike). I first noticed them running after a loss against a very hard, more experienced team and I was quite angry. I asked my son later why they were running. He explained about the strike outs, and I was very happy I had not approached our coach. At this age the boys know what they are doing right and wrong. Running laps for called strike three is fine with me, and not one of them are traumatized by it. Last game there were only two called strike outs. They are learning if they are going to go down, go down swinging. Eleven is a far cry from six however.
Politics run hand in hand I think in all sports. I do not know if you can get away from that. For instance, we just picked all stars and the only one from our team was our coaches son, yet another team had five or six and their coach is on the board. Now, as a parent, I am the first to admit my child is not the best player on his team let alone in the league. But I can fairly say he is better or the same skill level as more than a few of the all stars picked. We have explained "politics" to him from this example to who plays where in regards to coaching relationships. He understands and I think will have eyes open to situations in life because of it.
You are always going to have coaches and parents who focus solely on winning and being the best. Because your son is still young, you might try Little League next season or if they have a winter ball and see what you think. You need to do what feels right for you and your child. Try it and see, why not?
