Little League

     Spring can be a great time for family bonding , if you supplement  actual baseball or softball  practice with a little extra time for your children. One half hour 2 to 3 times per week will stimulate both your child and you as the baseball  and softball seasons progress. One thing I try to do is bring the kids to the batting cages 4 or 5 times each spring and play catch with them in the backyard. In order to be successful at any of these activities you first off have to make it fun.

   Learning how to hit a baseball is no easy task , and a prime example is Michael Jordans attempt to climb to the Majors in Baseball. He was an extraordinary athlete and that showed just by the fact that he attempted to play the game at the level he played it at ( Double AA) ,so do not put pressure on the little ones if they do not start looking like Babe Ruth ,Ted Williams , Stan Musial ,Albert Pujols,Manny Ramirez ,or Alex Rodriguez too mention a few. Start them out with a Batting-T and progress. One thing I find as an exceptional tool is wiffleball.Kids love wiffleball and anyone can play. You can adapt the rules . No one under age seven can strike out is a rule in our house and the ten year old only gets two strikes now. Also,the 3 year olds hit from the T..

   One of the benefits of playing wiffleball with your kids is you will start having flashbacks to the baseball and softball stars of your youth and after dinner you can google them all, relating your stories and your experiences to your children. This will create bonding and a love for the game. One of my favorite things that you can also do is watch some spring training games on the MLB network. They have former and current Pro's teaching and instructing you about the nuances of the game hitting ,batting and fielding, and these tips can be very helpful to you down the road as the little ones show more interest in the Game.

 Eventually by early APRIL the batting cages will open in most areas of the country , and the kids will want to do something, so bring them. Make sure they have adequate protection with helmets,(usually $15.00 dollars) and the proper bat. If you have more than one child recycle those bats to the next child. Taping the little ones with your digital camera or video recorder  is fun for two reasons . The first reason is they all want to be on tape on the TV and the second is that its recorded for posterity. The little ones will be big someday and they can look back and see the fun they had with Mom and Dad . You can tape for batting stances and learning foot placement and hand and elbow positions,  but ,hey, let them be kids and enjoy their childhood. they grow up way to fast as it is now. Remember its all about fun and seeing if they like what they are doing. Children always let you know what they feel ,so get up, get out and have fun ,remember the Sunscreen!!!