As parents we want to support our kids as much as we can. When your child plays sports, that support typically involves helping them become the best they can. While not every child will be a professional athlete, they can get better at their chosen sport. This is exactly the case with baseball.
Whether you were a baseball player or not, the tips provided in this article will help your child get better at baseball. There is a high skill cap in baseball, so there will always be ways for your child to improve.
Five ways to improve your child’s baseball skills
The five tips below will help your child get better at baseball. They may even help you improve your own skills as well.
1. Play catch
Catch is a simple game. Even Tee Ball aged kids can play it. You also don’t need a lot of space to play catch. Be careful not to stand too far away from your baseball player, especially if they are younger. Starting out too far away can make the game extremely difficult, which can discourage your young baseball player. Get started with the perfect glove for your child, use this guide here to pick the perfect mitt.
You may also consider using a soft ball to start out with. That way if your baseball player gets hits, it will not injure or hurt them. It can be intimidating for new baseball players to have a ball come flying towards them. Using a soft and larger ball, like a wiffle ball, can help teach important hand and eye coordination skills.
As your baseball player gets better at catching you can make the game harder. Increase the distance or begin using a typical baseball. Soon their catching and throwing skills will be greatly increased. This is a simple activity that is great for bonding and building skills.
2. Be active with them
A great benefit of sports is that they keep your kid active. This benefit can extend to you as well. Run, play, and be active with your baseball player. Regular activity can help strengthen your familial bonds. Plus, it can keep your baseball player healthy and in shape, even during the off-season.
Hiking, biking, running, playing pick-up baseball games in the backyard, or even playing catch as a family can all help your child’s baseball skills. Outdoor and sports activities work on gross motor skills. Keeping activity is an important part of being healthy at any age. Being active with your baseball player will set them up with a lifetime of good exercise habits.
3. Allow them to play multiple sports
That brings us to the next tip for increasing your child’s baseball skills: Let them play multiple sports. Being active should be the key for children. Different sports or activities use different muscles. It is not ideal for a child to play the same sport all year. For example, pitching all year may strengthen their arm. But, it can also lead to injuries or burn-out.
If your child shows interest in multiple sports, encourage it. Overscheduling is a big problem for modern children. Kids need time to just be kids as well. However, one sport per season, should not be too much, especially if your child shows an interest.
Even if their focus stays on baseball, other sports can increase their physical skills. More strength and agility equate to a better all-around baseball player. Multiple sports can provide this for your child.
4. Run drills
There are many fun drills that you can run with your children. Drills often work on a specific skill, such as fielding the ball or pitching. As they are repeated regularly the skill gets much improved.
Try drills like the Hail Mary, Hot Potato, Pepper are fun and baseball-specific. You can even play games like kickball to improve your child’s baseball skills. There are literally hundreds of dills out there for you to try.
5. Be supportive
If you are reading this article, you want to support your child’s interest in baseball. Support is one of the best things we can offer our children. However, some types of support are better than others. You don’t want to only support your child for winning or doing something well.
Support their effort. Otherwise, they may believe that the results are the only part of baseball that matters. Many scientific studies have found that prioritizing the effort over the results actually benefits your children. This applies to baseball as well as academics or other pursuits.
Conclusion
Baseball is a complicated game. There are many skills that go into it. You have to be fast, agile, able to throw and catch, and much more. Your child needs gross motor and fine motor skills to be a good baseball player. Properly supporting their efforts means running drills, being active, playing catch, and allowing interest in other sports.
Consistency is key. The more you follow the tips provided in this article, the better your child will be at baseball. Their motivation and work ethic will continue to be on point as well.
