Many things can motivate parents to want to teach kids how to play baseball. The child can develop an interest in the sport by watching professionals in MLB playing or even friends and hence ask you to teach them how to play. Also, as a parent, you might want your son to play the sport to keep him active or learn important values while also reducing the likelihood of the child engaging in crime or drugs later in life. Others will do it with the hopes that their children will get baseball scholarships to see them through college.

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Regardless of what motivates you to teach your kids how to play this sport, it is still important to know how to do it. Showing the fundamentals of the game should be easier for you if you were once a player or you like the sport and know everything about it. However, to make things easier for both of you, it is important to follow these steps to teach your kids the fundamentals of baseball.

Step 1: Teach Them How to Catch

Catching is always the first lesson for most people who want to learn the fundamentals of the game. The best thing about it is that you will only need a glove and a ball. Also, you can do in the park or even in your backyard if you have enough space. Catching will require a lot of practice, and you also have to be very patient with your child. The first thing is to buy them a glove but make sure that you use a sizing chart so that it can be comfortable and fit well.

You should start by throwing a soft rubber ball to the glove from a few feet away and have the child catch it with the glove at the front and side of the body. Next, you should teach him how to move the glove and how to close it once the ball hits the pocket. Once they master this, you should teach them how to catch the ball over their head after which you can practice catching from different sides and angles. Also, make sure that you praise the kid for continuous successes and encourage him if he seems to miss a lot.

Step 2: Teach the Child How to Throw

Once the child gets the fundamentals of catching the next important step is to teach them how to throw. To do this, you should have the young player on the knee with the lead foot forward instead of a standing position because this makes throwing easy. From this position, the child should start with the ball in the glove, put the arm back and then throw. As you are practicing, you can come up with a call out like Glove, Back, and Throw.

Also, it is a fantastic idea to have a bucket full of balls next to the child to make it viable for them to practice continuously for several minutes. Throwing while on the knee helps with arm strength and proper form because the kid will not have to worry about other things like foot placement.

Step 3: Teach Him How to Hit

Hitting is what kids seem to have the most fun with and so learning it will be among the most exciting steps for them. Most experts will advise that you make batting the last step because the fact that kids love it can mean that they will lose interest in the other important fundamentals of the game. A batting tee is vital when teaching kids how to hit a ball because it is hard for them to hit one from a pitcher.

It is also important to make sure the child has the right bat which means that everything from the length to weight should be suitable for their age and size. Finding the best baseball bat for kids should not be a problem as there are more than enough options in sports stores. The next step is to put a ball on the tee and get the child in the right batting positions. Also, make sure that their grip is correct before the swing. Remember to remind the kid always to keep the eyes on the ball and to strike it just when the wrists are breaking. You can start by making swings without the tee or just go straight to hitting balls from it. Just like the two other steps above the key to learning how to bat is getting the position and swing right and doing lots of practice.

There are many ways that players in the Major League catch, throw and hit but understanding the fundamentals above is the key to learning all this. Once the kid learns the basics, they will need to practice a lot of drills because this is what will make them good. Lastly, it is vital for the parent to be as patient as possible as you teach your kids how to play because they might not always understand these fundamentals as fast as you would want.

Author Bio:

I am Faye, Founder of Baseball Discuss. As the professional and experienced baseball player, I hope that my shares can help you out to solve your problems as well as improve your game.

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