Have you ever been curious about baseball? Well you probably are because you wouldn’t be here right now. Maybe you’re just confused about the rules or don’t understand why people enjoy it so much? No matter your reasons for being here, your curiosity has told you that baseball is a sport you want to learn more about. Keep reading to learn some interesting baseball tid-bits.
Do you have any children or grandchildren that are interested in playing baseball? As in other areas of life, we want to do all we can to help our kids experience success. To develop a quick swing, the hands, wrists and forearms have to be strong. You don’t have to buy expensive equipment to help kids develop better muscle strength. Give your child a tennis ball to squeeze on while watching TV. The tennis ball provides enough resistance to strengthen the hand, wrist and forearm.
When batting, don’t be afraid to take a few pitches, especially against a pitcher you are less familiar with. Those pitches will give you an idea of the pitchers speed and the ball’s action to the plate. Plus, the additional pitches will help wear out the pitcher over the course of the game. A tired pitcher makes more mistakes.
If you are a first base coach, you have certain responsibilities. Basically, you must encourage the batter to hustle down the first baseline on all infield hits. You also have to remind the runners as to how many outs there are. You must instruct the runner when it is time ti take an extra base, round first base or hold up. You also have to tell runners how far they should go on pop flies.
Learn the best way to stride in baseball. If you use your right hand, your left leg should be used to pick things up when you release the pitch. Do the opposite if you are left-handed. As the pitch gets closer, stride about a foot closer to increase momentum towards the opposing pitcher. Keep that stride forward under a foot if you’re shorter or younger.
Learning how to change directions is important for outfielders. If you are playing the left side of the outfield and need to run towards centerfield, cross your right foot across your left foot and power through the step. This technique will help you gain the maximum burst of speed from the beginning of your run.
To catch a fly ball that is going to land behind you, take a first step back with one foot so that you start heading to the place where the ball is going to land. If you step around with the other foot first, you slow yourself down, making it harder to get to the ball.
Make sure you are ready to run after your bat makes contact with the baseball. To start with, let go of the bat instead of throwing it. That is dangerous since it is usually made of wood or aluminum. That wasted motion also slows you down when you run to first base.
To field a ground ball properly, make sure that you start with your glove on the ground. Shuffle to one side or the other to get the ball in front of you, and then move the glove up if necessary. If you start with the glove up, the ball is likely to go under it.
To throw a curve ball, place both your index and middle fingers along a seam of the baseball. As you throw the pitch, slide your fingers down toward the ground in a clockwise direction if you are right-handed (counterclockwise if you are left-handed). This motion gives the pitch its curve.
Baseball equipment is important to the sport. Wear a batting helmet whenever you are in the batter’s box, on deck or running the bases. A baseball is a hard object and pitches have been clocked at over 100 mph. Getting hit in the head with this fast moving object can lead to serious medical conditions or death.
Help your kid become a better pitcher or baseball player by helping them better their arm strength. They can do some light tossing and light dumbbells. Tube exercises are also very beneficial for this purpose. Long tosses are very important, but you need to make sure they are under control.
If you are the catcher, you need to make sure that you don’t get in the way. Therefore, don’t move until the ball is in your glove. Whenever a batter hits the catcher’s glove with the bat, the umpire will call catcher’s interference and the batter will get a free base.
When pitching, pay attention to what your body tells you. Overusing your arm can lead to a shoulder injury. Don’t practice more than three times weekly. This lets you rest your shoulder on off days.
Listen to your coaches, even if you feel like they’re wrong. Your coaches are your leaders. They are the people looking at the big picture. You need to trust that they know best more often than not over the course of a game. Be willing to give up control when on the ball field.
Now that you read the above article, you should be confused about baseball anymore. It really is just a simple game between two teams of 9, and you can enjoy it even more by studying the tips you just read. Keep them close by, and soon you will see how much this game means to you.